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Bhutan and Gross National Happiness

Geoff Riley

26th March 2008

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Is there a trade off between wealth and well-being? I missed this Newsnight report from Mark Easton which appeared on BBC2 last month - but came across it whilst revising my work schemes for our new courses next year. This is a terrific eight minute video on life in the absolute monarchy of Bhutan - a country without traffic lights and which has banned plastic bags and adverts for Pepsi and Coca Cola. The video clip is excellent perhaps as an introduction to discussion on living standards or even the basic economic problem.

Tim Harford’s essay on happiness which was published a couple of years ago is still well worth a read.

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Geoff Riley

Geoff Riley FRSA has been teaching Economics for nearly forty years. He has over twenty years experience as Head of Economics at leading schools. He writes extensively and is a contributor and presenter on CPD and Revision conferences in the UK and overseas.