With today’s US GDP release, I thought I would introduce the readership on how one country, the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan, takes a different path to measuring success. A rather novel approach was developed in the 1980s by Bhutan’s fourth king, Jigme Singye Wangchuck. Gross National Happiness, or GNH, is a Bhutanese twist on Gross Domestic Product. Up till now, it has not represented an actual dollar figure, but rather, a fuzzy set of principles on the environment and culture. It has produced unique policies, such as a smoking ban, strict limits on deforestation, life long learning and a dress code.

Karma Tshiteem heads the Gross National Happiness Commission that is responsible for balancing the happiness of the Bhutanese with development. Mr. Tshiteem’s commission also recently released a blueprint for the nation’s future called “Bhutan 2020: A Vision for Peace, Prosperity and Happiness.”

It contains some novel proposals. Rather than increase the population, Bhutan wants to reduce the birth rate by almost two-thirds over the next 15 years — mainly by spreading the use of contraceptives and trying to ensure girls stay in school longer. And rather than urbanize Bhutan, which is about the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined, the government wants to stay largely agrarian to protect the environment.

I’d dare say the Bhutanese are quite happy, happier than most of the rest of us.

For more please on Bhutan please visit the Center for Bhutan Studies.