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Development Challenges in Bhutan

Perspectives on Inequality and Gross National Happiness

  • Book
  • © 2017

Overview

Editors:
  1. Johannes Dragsbæk Schmidt

    1. Department of Political Science, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

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  • Provides insights into Bhutan’s development challenges
  • Scrutinizes Bhutan’s development approach, including the idea of Gross National Happiness
  • Presents a critical overall assessment of the political economy of education policy, health, ICT and migration in Bhutan

Part of the book series: Contemporary South Asian Studies (CSAS)

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Table of contents (11 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvii
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  2. Development Challenges in Bhutan: Perspectives on Inequality and Gross National Happiness

    • Johannes Dragsbaek Schmidt
    Pages 1-16

  3. Comparing Bhutan’s Development Trajectories

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 17-17
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    2. Sociocultural and Political Change in Bhutan Since the 1980s: Reflections from a Distance

      • Michael Hutt
      Pages 19-27

    3. Donor-Assisted Ethno-nationalism and Education Policy in Bhutan

      • Johannes Dragsbaek Schmidt
      Pages 29-46

  4. GNH, Equality and Inclusion/Exclusion

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 47-47
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    2. Gross National Happiness and Inequality

      • Winnie Bothe
      Pages 49-68

    3. Distress Migration and Individual Happiness in Bhutan

      • Mahmood Ansari
      Pages 69-91

  5. Culture, Legal Issues and the Politics of Change

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 93-93
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    2. A Form of “Democratization Project” in Contemporary Bhutan: Being Apolitical and Being Religious

      • Mari Miyamoto
      Pages 95-113

    3. Law, “Tradition” and Legitimacy: Contesting Driglam Namzha

      • Richard W. Whitecross
      Pages 115-134

  7. Health, Food and Disparities

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 203-203
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    2. Regional Disparities and Food Problems in Bhutan

      • Mahmood Ansari
      Pages 205-234

    3. Policy Synergies in Health-Promoting Education in Bhutan

      • Johannes Dragsbaek Schmidt, Line Kikkenborg Christensen
      Pages 235-256

  8. Back Matter

    Pages 257-263
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Keywords

About this book

This book provides essential insights into Bhutan’s developmental challenges. It analyzes and scrutinizes the sovereign state’s developmental approach, including the idea of Gross National Happiness (GNH), which has replaced Gross National Product (GNP) as a measurement of prosperity. The authors also explore and deconstruct ideational and cultural aspects of knowledge production and present a critical overall assessment of the political economy of education policy, health, ICT and migration in Bhutan. 
 
The book is divided into five parts all taking a critical approach towards inequality: Part one offers an assessment of Bhutan’s developmental trajectories; part two deals with GNH, equality and inclusion versus exclusion; part three is devoted to culture, legal issues and the politics of change; and part four to governance and integration; section five addresses health, food and disparities. This book will appeal to all scholars of South Asianaffairs and development studies, as well as to diplomats and professionals involved in development aid.



Reviews

“This is certainly an interesting book, and it brings to the surface much valuable information that should be useful for any scholar of the region, and in particular any lover of academic contested issues.” (Frank Rennie, Mountain Research and Development, Vol. 39 (3), 2020)

Editors and Affiliations

  • Department of Political Science, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark

    Johannes Dragsbæk Schmidt

About the editor

Johannes Dragsbaek Schmidt is Associate Professor at Aalborg University, Denmark. He is Senior Expert at Nordic Institute of Asian Studies (NIAS), Copenhagen University, Denmark. He has held visiting research fellowships in Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Poland, and was recently a Visiting Professor at the Institute for Political Economy, Carleton University, Canada in 2009. Additionally he has been a consultant to UNESCO, the World Bank and the Irish Development Agency. He has a broad spectrum of research interests, varying from globalisation and international division of labour to social and welfare policy and state regulations with a focus on East and South-East Asia. He has been Director of Studies in International Affairs in Five years (1998-2003); Chairman and Board member of Nordic NIAS Council Nordic Institute for Asian Studies, 2004-2005 and 2009-2010. 

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