GNH was first proposed by the King of Bhutan. He believes that policies should focus on happiness and aim at achieving happiness. He pointed out that the basic problem in life is how to keep a balance between material life and spiritual life. Under the guidance of this ruling idea, Bhutan creatively put forward the Gross National Happiness (GNH) index, which consists of four levels: good government governance, economic growth, cultural development and environmental protection.
When Bhutan put forward GNH in A.D. 1970, it was not noticeable. However, more than 20 years of practice has attracted worldwide attention. Many famous economists in the world turned their eyes to this small South Asian country and began to seriously study the "Bhutan model". World value research institutions in the United States began to study the "happiness index", while Britain established the "National Development Index" (MDP), which comprehensively considered social and environmental costs and natural capital. Japan has also begun to adopt another form of Gross National Happiness (GNC), emphasizing cultural factors. Kalman, the winner of the 2002 Nobel Prize in Economics and an American psychology professor, and economists are working together to study the gross national happiness.
Mieko Nishui, Vice President of the World Bank for South Asian Affairs, spoke highly of Bhutan's initiative. She said: "Only one country in the world regards material and spiritual wealth as the source of its national economic development policy and has achieved success. This is the kingdom of Bhutan, and the' gross national happiness' eulogized by the state is far more important than the gross national product. "
During the National People's Congress in 2005, Cheng, an academician of China Academy of Sciences, submitted a proposal entitled "Implementing People-oriented and Accounting National Happiness Index". Academician Cheng believes that as long as people understand that there is no direct connection between happiness and consumption, they can change people's understanding of what really increases or improves happiness, thus creating a sustainable society. At the national level, it is suggested to construct an accounting index system for China's national happiness, which consists of six parts: political freedom, economic opportunities, social opportunities, security, cultural values and environmental protection.
Academician Cheng said: "I hope that in the near future, the National Happiness Index (GNH) will be as important as GDP, monitoring the country's economic and social operation, understanding people's life satisfaction, and at the same time becoming an integral part of the scientific performance evaluation criteria."
References:
xinmin weekly