School for Wellbeing Studies and Research

Description

The School for Wellbeing Studies and Research was established, 20 August 2009, as a result of the 3rd Gross National Happiness conference organized in Nongkhai and Bangkok, Thailand, November 2007.

The ‘School for Wellbeing’ is an independent think-tank being shaped by an international network of dedicated academics from diverse disciplines, and by practitioners and policy makers, primarily inspired by the concept of Gross National Happiness. By common effort the School for Wellbeing offers a creative learning space for a diversity of stakeholders inducing cross-cultural studies in happiness, wellbeing and quality of life.

The School for Wellbeing is building an evidence-based research-platform guided by ‘critical holism’ in order to explore alternative development paradigms. It enables (young) researchers to undertake related action-research initiatives.

The focus of the School for Wellbeing is on empowering people who are engaged in a much needed integrity-shift towards wellbeing-driven public policy development.

The Patron of the School is H.E. Jigmi Y. Thinley, Hon’ble Prime Minister of Bhutan, while Advisors from Thailand, Bhutan and all over the world support this new initiative15.

The Prime Minister has conceptualized Gross National Happiness, the national philosophy of Bhutan, in terms of Four Pillars16:

1. Environmental conservation
2. Cultural Promotion
3. Good Governance
4. Equitable Economic Development

The progress of Gross National Happiness (GNH) is monitored, since 2008, by the GNH Index with 9 domains. At present countries like England, France, USA, Thailand and China18 are following the idea initiated in Bhutan by exploring, wellbeing-driven development policies and indicators for ‘happiness’."

More Information

Contact via:

• Address: 77, 79 Fuang Nakorn Rd., Wat Rajabopit, Pra Nakorn, Bangkok, 10200 Thailand

• Tel: (662) 622-0955, 622-0966, 622-2495-6 Fax: (662) 622-3228