GDP Vs GNH

Gross Domestic Product and Gross National Happiness

Gross Domestic Product and Gross National Happiness

Introduction

Gross National Happiness (GNH), a concept that aims to measure the wealth of nations in the real welfare of the citizens, for the joy of living, smiles and not for money, as the 'almighty' Gross Domestic Product (GDP), is the subject of a world congress in Brazil. Measuring the wealth of nations for the happiness of the people, rather than how much money worth economies do they propose experts around the world participating from yesterday until next Monday at the V World Meeting on Gross National Happiness. Gathered in the Brazilian city of Foz de Iguazu, psychologists, anthropologists and sociologists, economists also seek to give impetus to the concept of the IFF, apparently as obvious as a revolutionary and, by the way, try to put out the weaknesses of GDP.  "GDP is no longer used. Measures war, disasters and accidents. We need an alternative that includes sustainable development and welfare of the people," said psychologist American living in Brazil Suzan Andrews, turned into something like the ambassador of the FIB in the South American country. The use of GDP to measure the wealth of nations is something that has been questioned even by French President Nicolas Sarcoxie, who became branded as 'the religion of the number' that serves to "never to talk about inequality." Sarkozy even commissioned a study of how to complement the indicator to a committee which formed part of the Indian Amartya Sen and Joseph Stiglitz U.S., both Nobel laureates in economics. The latest addition to the current against the GDP has been the president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, who, after learning that the indicator fell by 4.5% in the third quarter in their country, said that "it was time to change way of measuring the economy."  But long before, in the early 90's, the same concern led to the creation within the United Nations Human Development Index (HDI), a tool to rank countries not purely economic criteria, taking into account issues such as education, health, or the dissemination of decent living conditions. (Tschirhart, 2008, p. 668-688)

Like most countries, both developed and developing countries and all world powers in their current arrasante economy are measured in their development by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) which is an indicator that measures the value of production goods, services or raw materials in a year as compared to the previous year, show the growth or decline of the economy of a country, region or sector. 

This method of calculation for the development of a country and this being questioned by many experts in both economics and sociology and a good GDP brings material wealth to a country but does not guarantee the quality of life of the inhabitants of that country, as more competition and success, more stress and nervous disorders and psychological. In 1972 in a small Asian country called Bhutan the king of this country called Jigme Singye Wangchuck has created a very special indicator that measures the wealth and the happiness of the inhabitants of a ...