Gross Happiness Index

Development is an ambition of every country in the world. Therefore in order to determine how much development is taking place in countries, there are several international measures that are used to compare development of different countries. For instance Gross National Income, Gross National Income per capita and Gross Domestic Income are used to measure economic development. However, countries like Bhutan measures development through the use of Gross Happiness Index. Gross Happiness index measures factors that are perceived to be the basis of happiness and wellbeing of people within the country. According to views from Bhutan, in order to achieve acceptable happiness for all citizens, a country should strive to: respect traditional cultures, ensure equitable distribution of wealth and resources, maintain responsive governance and protect natural environment. The suitability of GHI in African countries such as South Africa is very questionable. To start with, as compared to Bhutan, South African population is very high and diversified and that poses a serious challenge to promotion of cultural values. This is because there is a lot of acculturation going on in South Africa due to cultural diversity. Secondly, one of the factors that determine people’s happiness is equitable and sustainable socio-economic advancement. With this high population and early stages of technological innovation, protecting the country against noise polution and air polution remains a challenge. This means South Africa will always lack behind in development while compared to Bhutan with its very manageable population. However, it should also be noted that Bhutan opted for GHI because it felt that other measures of development put it at a disadvantage while compared with other countries. Therefore, happiness and overall development are achiveable. Most of the factors that are percieved to bring about happiness are typical indicators of development. What differs is the way they are measured and percieved. Without people's happiness development is a myth.