Phuntsho Rabten, Sr. Researcher,   cbs@druknet.bt

Good governance is one of the nine domains of Gross National Happiness (GNH) that crosscuts different sectors and exhibits highly interdependent relationships with other eight domains. The Article 9 of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Bhutan states, “the State shall strive to promote those conditions that will enable the successful pursuit of Gross National Happiness.” Good governance, therefore, must strive to promote and strengthen competent bureaucracy, sound policies and legislation, independent judiciary and media amongst other in the country. Though the Constitution has been adopted only recently, happiness has been the main concern of all successive monarchs, especially the Fourth Druk Gyalpo. The pursuit of GNH is continued further by changing the political system from a monarchy to a parliamentary democracy.

Under the framework of GNH, the ultimate purpose of governance has been to bring greater wellbeing and happiness to greater number of people. In this respect, governance in Bhutan has always been an integral part of the system of government and political structures, which reflect and internalize GNH values. Good governance essentially comprises of four basic dimensions:
   • Effective government
   • Democratic culture
   • Trust in institutions and leaders, and
   • Anti-corruption
These dimensions are further broken down into components, and components into indicators. They are chosen based on clear purpose, malleability to policy, and simplicity and ease of constructing indicators that are comparable across time.