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Reorienting the Sustainable Development Goals: Lessons from Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness

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  • Katsu Masaki

    (Hirao School of Management, Konan University, Hyogo)

Abstract

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) implicitly prioritize economic growth over social and environmental sustainability, and idealize industrialized, consumerist societies. In delving into ways to rectify these stances, the article takes up Bhutan’s policy of Gross National Happiness (GNH), which seeks to harmonize material prosperity, social and environmental concerns, and spiritual and emotional contentment. Unlike the SDGs that fail to acknowledge culture’s role in sustainable development, GNH pursues a vernacular pathway founded on a Buddhism-inspired holistic view of well-being. In reality, GNH is yet to elicit a structural shift toward a fully-fledged sustainable society. Nonetheless, it is worth analyzing how the Bhutanese state demarcates the space within which GNH is promoted, with recourse to a locally defined vision of sustainable development.

Suggested Citation

  • Katsu Masaki, 2024. "Reorienting the Sustainable Development Goals: Lessons from Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness," Journal of Developing Societies, , vol. 40(2), pages 195-216, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jodeso:v:40:y:2024:i:2:p:195-216
    DOI: 10.1177/0169796X241241254
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Katsu Masaki & Jit Tshering, 2021. "Exploring the Origins of Bhutan’s Gross National Happiness," Journal of South Asian Development, , vol. 16(2), pages 273-292, August.
    2. Joyeeta Gupta & Courtney Vegelin, 2016. "Sustainable development goals and inclusive development," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 433-448, June.
    3. Paula Caballero, 2019. "The SDGs: Changing How Development is Understood," Global Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 10(S1), pages 138-140, January.
    4. Dorine E. Norren, 2020. "The Sustainable Development Goals viewed through Gross National Happiness, Ubuntu, and Buen Vivir," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 431-458, September.
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