Gross National Happiness- A Critical Analysis

Case studies based analysis on the Gross national Happiness Index of Bhutan and the Scandinavian countries.Also it emphasises on the clear-cut differences of GNH with respect to GDP and GNP.

1. GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS ~ A CRITICAL ANALYSIS Submitted by- Rashmi Parmar (8601) Trisha Sinha Roy(8629) Sanchari Mohanta (8631) Raunak Shirali (8609) Karan Khot (8615) Swapnil Kulkarni (8625)

2. CONTENTS Meaning of GNH GNH Indicators Case studies-Bhutan, Norway, Switzerland and Denmark GNH in India Shortcomings of GDP and GNP Why GNH Critical Analysis of GNH Conclusion

3. What does happiness mean to you?

4. MEANING Gross national happiness (GNH) attempts to measure the sum total not only of economic output, but also of net environmental impacts, the spiritual and cultural growth of citizens, mental and physical health and the strength of the corporate and political systems. 

5. GNH INDICATORS GNH

6. . 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Source-World Happiness Report

7. BHUTAN- a case study

8. FOUR PILLARS OF GNH

9. Twenty Sources of Happiness For Bhutanese People Source:www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

10. The government is spending about 5.7% of its total planned budget on health. In 2004, Bhutan became the first country in the world to ban the sale of tobacco. In a GNH indicator survey 25.5% of respondents reported their health as excellent, 64.1%reported it as good and 66.3% of men and 58.5% of women reported not having any mental or physical illness during the 30 days preceding the survey. Source: Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare

11. Core demographic and health indicators in Bhutan Indicators Years 1984 1994 2000 2005 2008 Total fertility rate (births per woman) _ 5.6 4.7 3.0 2.4 Population growth rate 2.6 3.1 2.5 1.3 1.3 Infant mortality rate/1000 live berths 102.8 70.7 60.5 56 49.3 Maternal mortality ratio/100,000 live berths 380 260 440 _ Life expectancy in years _ 49 66 65 66 Source: Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare

12. KEY DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS

13. Denmark Happiest country on planet Ranks frist in Gross national happiness list Ranks fourth in Human development index 1.8/10 inequality ratio Free universal healthcare Free universal education

14. SWITZERLAND

15. Switzerland has been named the world's 2 nd happiest country in a survey of 158 nations - with the UK trailing behind in 23 RD (Iceland, Norway and Finland completed the top five). WHY? They're rich They live longer The chocolate. But they aren't fat They're smart . They don't take sides . They're multilingual The working hours The healthcare

16. Switzerland has produced 25 Nobel laureates out of a population of around eight million It's very democratic Zurich came second in Mercer's 2015 Quality of Living survey , They're always on time

17. And four reasons it's not so great Too many rules The wealth gap There's conscription It's boring

18. NORWAY-a case study What can we learn from this Scandinavian beauty?

19. What can we learn from this Scandinavian beauty? World’s highest per capita GDP of $53,000 a year. Second-highest level of satisfaction with their standards of living 95% say they are satisfied with the freedom to choose the direction of their lives; 74% say other people can be trusted.

20. FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE LAW OF JANTE INEQUALITY-A KEY PARAMETRE GENDER ROLES HAPPY NEW DADS FREE FUNERALS ALMOST FREE EDUCATION HAPPY NEW DADS BYE, BYE CARS GAY RIGHTS THEY’RE RICH YOUR SALARY IS NOT A SECRET Aurora Borealis 

21. India GNH , GDP a nd HDI COMPARISON

22. India ranking comparison 0f GDP, HDI and GNH GDP HDI

23. India GNH R anking

24. WHY INDIA RANKS SO LOW ON GNH? 40% POPULAT I ON SUFFERS FROM “MULTI DIMENTIONAL” POVERTY Inequality, a key parameter GENDER EQUALITY IS A WEAK SPOT INDIA SUFFERS FROM NATURAL RESOURCE DEPLETION AT THE RATE OF 4.9% OF GROSS NATIONAL INCOME WHICH MUST BE PLACED AGAINST ANNUAL GDP GROWTH IN THE LAST 3 YEARS OF 5.3% INDIA DRAWS 33.9% OF ITS RENEWAL WATER RESOURCES EACH YEAR, COMPARED TO A MEDIUM CATEGORY AVERAGE OF 13.9% AND CHINA’S FIGURE OF 19.5% WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT GROWTH ACHIEVED ON THE SAKE OF ENVIRONMENT AND POOR FOLKS IS NOT SUSTAINABLE

25. Shortcomings of GDP From 2004-2014, France’s GDP has increased by 53.1% In 2008, France’s GDP climbed to an all time high & subsequently dropped GDP as an indicator omits any such unforeseen situations Few More Drawbacks being: Underground/Unofficial economy Material well being Source: www.investopedia.com

26. Why not GNP? Few Examples If we spend more money on lawyers to sue each other, GNP goes up. If crime goes up, we hire more police officers and buy bigger locks and louder alarm systems, and the GNP goes up. We can spend $120 million per fighter plane for our national defence, and the GNP goes up. Source:www.nscblog.com

27. WHY GNH? GNH stands for the holistic needs GNH seeks to promote a conscious, inner search for happiness and requisite skills It supports the notion that happiness pursued and realized within the context of the greater good of society Offers the best possibility for the sustained happiness of the individual Measures  economic well-being, security & happiness GNH Index  reflects GNH values, set benchmarks , track policies & performances of the country Public policies based on GNH will be far less arbitrary than those based on standard economic tools

28. Critical Analysis of GNH It is subjective More Qualitative than Quantitative Definition varies from individual to individual Peace & happiness are two important essence It has proved no guarantee of individual human rights It does not protect diversity  It has managed to distract attention away from more transparent and participative attempts to measure well-being Not only Economic Development but also Non-Economic factors of well-being India ranks 118th in 2016 in Happiness Index In 2015, India ranked 117 th So for all those who feel that you are happy living in India, this news will definitely make you feel unhappy

29. Countries Rankings Denmark 1 st Switzerland 2 nd Iceland 3 rd Norway 4 th Finland 5 th Australia 9 th Israel 11 th Somalia 76 th China 83 rd Pakistan 92 nd Iran 105 th Palestinian Territories 108 th Bangladesh 110 th India 118 th Few Rankings (2016 GNH Report) Source: The Hindu

30. Conclusion Can we follow GNH policy in India? For countries like India it can be a good idea of combining GDP & GNH together to form a better indicator GNH is more of a micro level concept, so developed countries seem to be happier as per capita income and individual welfare is higher Hence for developing countries has to be quantitative + qualitative concept

31. REFERENCES http://grossnationalhappiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Short-GNH-Index-edited.pdf http://www.thehindu.com/ http://www.forbes.com/ http://worldhappiness.report/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2016/03/HR-V1Ch2_web.pdf http://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gdp.asp (GDP) http://www.investopedia.com/articles/07/gross-national-product.asp ( GNP) http://www.nscblog.com/miscellaneous/gnp-vs-gnh-gross-national-happiness/ (GNP Vs GNH, Case Study of Bhutan, Shortcomings of GNP) http://www.investopedia.com/terms/g/gnh.asp (GNH) http://www.newsteadwood.bromley.sch.uk/BBC-News-Day-19th-March-2015/Why_are_the_Scandinavian_countries_are_the_happiest_countries_in_the_world.pdf

32. REFERENCES http://www.mapsofindia.com/my-india/society/can-india-link-gdp-with-gross-national-happiness http://www.thehindu.com/news/the-world-happiness-report-2016-india-ranked-118th/article8365329.ece (GNH) https://prezi.com/g4sy4ngym5jo/why-should-we-use-gnh-gross-national-happiness-over-gdp-and-hdi/ (GNH over GDP) http://blogs.ft.com/beyond-brics/2014/09/04/gross-national-happiness-a-bad-idea-whose-time-has-gone/ (GNH Analysis)