Gdp vs Gnh

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INTRODUCTION In the UK, growth and development is guided by the national income, which is the flow of goods and services produced within the country during a particular period of time. It is measured by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and it includes anything produced within national boundaries. It is “just a flow of stocks and capital” says senior banker P. Sukhdev. Our current GDP does not calculate whether a country is gaining or loosing natural resources; or whether people’s well-being is improving. According to Aniol Esteban, head of environmental economics at the New Economics Foundation, the current GDP is not a good guiding measure of progress on its own. However, there is a country where money is not the main factor to consider the nation’s development. In Bhutan, the “Gross National Happiness” is the tool to measure development. The GNH stands for both physical and mental wellbeing needs. It looks for the balance between inner happiness with outer circumstances and recognises that happiness can be achieved as a global goal instead of an individualised competition. GNH gives importance to collective happiness which can be addressed through public policies that can be less arbitrary than those policies based on money. This study reflects the differences between GDP and GNH including their advantages and inconveniences; the problems on measuring them and the accuracy of the results. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN GDP AND GNH GDP (Gross Domestic Product) Measuring: The GDP measures the value of output produced within the domestic boundaries of the country over a given period of time. It includes the output of foreign businesses located in that particular country. How to measure: There are three ways of measuring GDP and the results from all of them should be the same: • Expenditure method: GDP = C+I+G+(X-M) C: Household
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