Democracy is often measured through conventional indicators such as fair and credible elections, civil liberties, the rule of law, political culture, institutionalization, and freedom of expression. However, 21st-century democracy is often described as illiberal, and citizens around the world are concerned about whether it delivers what matters most: a dignified life, social trust, adherence to liberal democratic norms, and collective well-being.
In recent times, democratic backsliding has led to the erosion of institutional values, the emergence of populism, political polarization, climate vulnerability, and a decline in citizens' trust. Yet one small Himalayan kingdom offers an intriguing lesson not only for the Global South, but also as a philosophical role model for liberal democratization worldwide.
Bhutan’s experiment with Gross National Happiness (GNH) challenges the conventional approaches to governance and raises an important question: Can democracy be strengthened by focusing not only on conventional “ideals, institutions and practices”, but also on human well-being?
Bhutan's Democratic Experiment
Bhutan, a small, scenic nation in South Asia, is sandwiched between two giants, India and China. The country is remarkable not only for its breathtaking landscape but also for its peaceful, unique transition from an absolute monarchy to a constitutional democratic monarchy.
The transition was not driven by any mass protest or external pressure but rather guided by a unique philosophical approach centered on Gross National Happiness (GNH).
Bhutan began exploring democracy through the lens of GNH under King Jigme Singye Wangchuck in the late 20th century and early 21st century. Rejecting the idea that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) alone could measure human progress, he argued that development should ultimately enhance people’s happiness and well-being while protecting the natural environment.
Today, GNH remains the guiding philosophy of Bhutan’s governance system and offers valuable insights for developing democracies, including Bangladesh.
The Four Pillars of GNH:
GNH is operationalized under four interconnected pillars: sustainable and equitable socio-economic development, environmental conservation, cultural preservation, and good governance. These are further assessed across nine domains, as tracked by the GNH Index administered by the Centre for Bhutan Studies.
Examined individually, each pillar carries direct relevance for Bangladesh’s democratic reconstruction.
The first pillar, sustainable and equitable socio-economic development, recognizes that economic growth matters, but it must be inclusive.
Bhutan has consistently invested in education, healthcare, and rural development despite its limited economic resources. According to the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), Bhutan’s Human Development Index (HDI) improved significantly from 0.494 in 2000 to over 0.68 in recent years.
For Bangladesh, this pillar directly points to a paradox: the country achieved one of the fastest GDP growth rates in Asia for over a decade, while regional and rural-urban inequality, garment-sector labor precarity, and youth unemployment remained largely unaddressed.
Environmental Conservation
The second pillar, environmental conservation, may be Bhutan’s most globally celebrated achievement. Bhutan is the world’s only carbon-negative country. More than 70 percent of its land remains under forest cover, protected by constitutional mandate.
While many democracies struggle to balance environmental concerns with short-term political interests, Bhutan demonstrates that ecological stewardship can be embedded within national development strategies. Being one of the most climate-vulnerable countries, Bangladesh can draw an important lesson from this approach. River pollution, uncontrolled deforestation, rising sea levels, loss of mangroves, extreme heat waves, and other environmental threats are increasingly threatening social stability and livelihoods for both humans and animals.
Ensuring environmental sustainability should therefore be considered a democratic obligation linked to human security and intergenerational justice.
Cultural Preservation and Identity
The third pillar, cultural preservation, is the shakiest situation for Bangladesh. Cultural preservation seeks to protect the nation’s culture and heritage. In an era of globalization, preserving language, heritage, tradition, and native culture is very necessary.
Bhutan successfully maintains its cultural identity alongside its democratic transition. Bangladesh, meanwhile, possesses one of the oldest and richest cultural identities in the subcontinent. Yet successive regimes have often politicised and weaponised cultural heritage for partisan legitimacy.
This makes cultural preservation an important component of democratic consolidation, but also one that requires careful attention to pluralism, inclusion, and minority rights.
Good Governance and Democratic Trust
The fourth pillar, good governance, is perhaps the most important one from a democratic perspective. Bhutan views governance quality as a fundamental component of happiness. Its governance domain, measured through effectiveness, accountability, transparency, responsiveness, and public trust, is considered essential for societal well-being.
This aligns closely with democratic theory, which emphasizes the importance of effective institutions and accountable governance.
Democracy Beyond the Ballot Box
To describe the global trend of democratic decline, renowned political scientist Larry Diamond coined the term ‘democratic recession’, referring to rising inequality, declining institutional trust, intense political polarization, subversion of the rule of law, constraints on political opposition, and low democratic performance worldwide.
According to a 2023 Pew Research Center study, citizens in several major democracies, including the United States and European countries, believe that their governance and political systems require major reform. This reflects a broader problem: procedural democracy does not necessarily guarantee public satisfaction through periodic elections alone.
Bhutan’s GNH model represents a broader approach to well-being. Research from the University of Bath on well-being proposed a framework with three dimensions: material well-being (standards of living), relational well-being (social networks and capabilities), and subjective well-being (personal perceptions and cultural values).
Together, these dimensions provide a proper explanation of why democracy becomes so resilient when citizens feel economically secure, socially connected, personally valued, and naturally enriched. Bhutan’s GNH philosophy closely aligns with these dimensions.
Lessons for Bangladesh’s Democratic Future
Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in development over the past two decades. Life expectancy, poverty reduction, women’s empowerment, reduced infant mortality, and economic growth have attracted international recognition, but the country has failed to improve in the democracy rankings.
Bangladesh ranks 100th out of 167 countries in the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) Democracy Index, following what the report described as a period marked by a "rigged election", political unrest, and the ousting of the prime minister.
In the next phase of democratic development, the government should therefore move beyond a narrow focus on economic growth and electoral competition. Bangladesh does not need to replicate Bhutan’s model completely. The two countries have significant differences in size, demography, political history, culture, and diversity, but Bangladesh can internalize the normative core of Bhutan’s GNH experiment to advance the well-being of citizens, human dignity, economic fairness, cultural sustainability, biodiversity conservation, and environmental conservation.
Building a More Inclusive and Accountable Governance Framework
The government can build an inclusive, accountable government architecture in the following ways-
First, the economy should be evaluated not only by GDP growth but also by systematic measures of public trust, service satisfaction, and mental health.
Second, greater priority should be given to environmental sustainability through climate adaptation, green infrastructure, river restoration, urban environmental management, and animal welfare.
Third, more policies should be developed to cultivate social cohesion, enrich cultural heritage, promote religious freedom, and strengthen the social safety net for the minority community.
Fourth, strengthening institutional trust through transparency, accountability, anti-corruption measures, responsive public service and constructive democratic participation.
Beyond Elections: Towards Human-Centred Democracy
As democracies around the world confront public dissatisfaction, Bhutan reminds us that the health of a democracy cannot be measured only through the ballot box. It must also be evaluated through the well-being, dignity, security, and trust experienced by citizens.
For Bangladesh and other developing democracies, including the Global South, Bhutan's experience offers an important lesson: democratic consolidation is not simply about creating institutions and holding elections. It is also about ensuring that those institutions improve the everyday lives of the people they are meant to serve.
(The writer is an undergraduate Political Science student at the University of Dhaka. The views are personal. She can be reached at samia.du.ps16@gmail.com )
Reference:
Ura, K Alkire, S. Zangmo T (2012). “GNH and GNH Index,” The Centre for Bhutan Studies, Bhutan.
Zimba, L.Y. (2012). Gross National Happiness: A Holistic Approach to Human Progress and Happiness in Bhutan, India International Centre, Occasional Publication 41, pp.6-12.
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Diamond, L. (2015). Facing up to the democratic recession. Journal of Democracy.
White, S. C. (20210). Analyzing Wellbeing: A Framework for Development Practice, Development in Practice.
The Daily Star. (2025, February 21). Democracy index: Bangladesh nosedives to 100th spot. thedailystar.net
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