EVOLUTION IN THE CONSTRUCT OF GROSS NATIONAL HAPPINESS IN BHUTAN’S FIVE-YEAR PLANS

Abstract

The Thirteenth Five Year Plan of Bhutan (2023-2028) emphasised rebalancing of Gross National Happiness (GNH) which prioritised economic growth, prompting this paper to study the evolution of GNH in Bhutan’s Five Year Plans. In this context, the paper looked into how GNH has evolved since the implementation of the First Year Plan in 1961. The Five-Year Plan documents were analyzed and the findings revealed that in the earlier Five Year-Plans from 1961-1971, there was an emphasis on economic growth. However, from 1971-2008 the Plans witnessed great emphasis on ecological conservation efforts. The Five-Year Plan from 2008-2023 associated GNH with economic growth and accommodated political manifestos of the democratically elected governments while focusing on ecological conservation. The most recent Five Year Plan (2023-2028) sought to rebalance GNH prioritizing economic growth. Thus, the study of Five Year Plans revealed that GNH has evolved over the years indicating the dynamic nature of GNH as it adapts to Bhutan’s changing needs.