Development Challenges in Bhutan - Perspectives on Inequality and Gross National Happiness

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 Asian affairs and development studies, as well as to diplomats and professionals involved in development aid.

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.