Month: December 2015

The State and Its Institutions

Winter Edition , December 14th, 2015 On April 13, 1655, Louis XIV, King of France (1638-1715), addressed the Parliament of Paris, famously declaring, ‘L’Etat, c’est moi (I am the state)’. It is also said that on his deathbed he declared, ‘I am going away, but the state will always remain’. The difference in these two...

The Traditional Institutions of Governance in Bhutan Before 1907 and their Modification with the Coming of the Monarchy

Winter Edition , December 14th, 2015 History of Governing Institutions Before the Zhabdrung Rinpoche The governing institutions of any country are rooted in the founding principles and social history of its people. Prior to the country’s unification during the 17th century, Bhutan consisted of numerous independent communities of diverse origin. Governing institutions from that era...

Institutional Setting: The Role of the Unheralded Factor in Bhutan’s Growth Story

Winter Edition , December 14th, 2015 What are Institutions and Why Do They Matter? This year Bhutan was found eligible for graduation away from Least Developed Country (LDC) status, a group of 49 countries facing deep structural impediments to development. Its stellar performance in improving social outcomes and in raising average incomes provided the justification...

The Changing Role of the Bhutanese Civil Service within the Bhutanese State

Winter Edition , December 14th, 2015 Introduction The changing role of public administration globally is often portrayed using the analogy of a boat. The functions of public officials have been associated with ‘rowing’ and ‘steering’ the boat.1 These two functions are reflective of the models of public administration. Rowing represents the hierarchy or the bureaucratic...

Decentralisation and People’s Participation

Winter Edition , December 14th, 2015 Decentralisation to local government bodies, by definition, means that these bodies take on greater authority and responsibilities that are relevant to them and that were previously with the central government; in effect, becoming centres of authority themselves. Within the framework of the Local Government (LG) Act of Bhutan 2009,...

Parliament: The Legislative Arm of the Bhutanese State

Winter Edition , December 13th, 2015 Introduction ‘One of the most important responsibilities of a king is to enable the people to govern and look after the country through the establishment of a dynamic political system’.1 This conviction had led their Majesties the Fourth and Fifth Kings to complete the change in political system by...

The Story of Bhutanese Culture

Winter Edition , December 13th, 2015 The Premise The premise of this article is that it is not the responsibility of the government but the responsibility of the Bhutanese state to coordinate all national institutions to ensure the functioning of Bhutanese society in a way that serves the populace. I interpret the functioning of society...

Zhung Dratshang: The Central Monk Body of Bhutan

Winter Edition , December 13th, 2015 Bhutan is regarded as one of the last Buddhist countries where the Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism has flourished uninterrupted and undiluted since its arrival in the 7th century AD. Bhutanese culture, tradition, customs, history, and landscape bear the influence of Buddhism. This is attributed to the institutionalisation of the...

Devotion, Culture, and Social Work: Royal Patronage in Bhutan

Winter Edition , December 13th, 2015 Patronage of the arts has been an undertaking of royal families in all monarchical cultures. Examples abound: In the 12th century, Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122 or 1124- 1204), Queen of France and then of England, had numerous castles and abbeys built; the Sun King, Louis XIV (1638-1715), is synonymous...

The Status of Bhutan’s Knowledge Repository: An Introduction¹

Winter Edition , December 13th, 2015 Bhutan has a rich literary heritage that tells the story of the country’s evolution over a millennium, from naturalist primitive communities through the process of Buddhist socio-cultural refinement until modern times. Today, Bhutan is the most resolute custodian of the northern Buddhist civilisation, which was initiated over a millennium...

Good Governance: How Can Politics Promote Wellbeing?

Winter Edition , December 13th, 2015 Introduction ‘Good governance’ usually refers to the way that a political organisation such as a national government or local municipality is run. However, these days the phrase is often used to denote sound policy and practice for any large-scale institution, including a university, union, or business. Central questions about...

The State and I

Winter Edition , December 13th, 2015 Let me start by stating what this article is not about. It is not an academic investigation into the features of the Nordic model of a state called the welfare state; and it is not an attempt to compare the welfare state model with other state forms that have...

Yes Minister: Ministers and Civil Servants need to Sort Out Their Relative Authority

Winter Edition , December 13th, 2015 The Yes Minister television sitcom that became a Textbook It is inevitable in parliamentary democracies that there will be tensions between elected ministers, who usually serve for only relatively short periods of a few years, and civil servants who often work in government for their entire careers. While a...

Leading by Example: Constitutional Bodies and Their Role in Governance

Winter Edition , December 13th, 2015 Dasho Neten Zangmo, the former Chairperson of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) of the Kingdom of Bhutan and now the Executive Director of Samdrup Jongkhar Initiative and Lho Mon Education, spoke with her colleague Dr. Tashi Colman on the role of constitutional bodies in Bhutanese governance. In sharing her views,...

The Financial Sector Needs to Be a Step Ahead of Economic Actors and Government

Winter Edition , December 13th, 2015 Dasho Penjore, the recently appointed Governor of the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan (the country’s Central Bank), spoke with journalist Gyalsten K. Dorji on the role of the financial sector in Bhutan and whether it is fulfilling its role.This interview, however, took place in November 2015 when Dasho was...

Law and Justice in Bhutan
: A Review of the Book The Constitution of Bhutan: Principles and Philosophies

Winter Edition , December 13th, 2015 It is now seven years since Bhutan adopted a written Constitution as part of a series of far-reaching reforms commenced in 2001 by the Fourth King, Jigme Singye Wangchuck. His Majesty aimed to, among other things, provide Bhutan with ‘a democratic system of government best suited for the future...

Leadership of the Wise: Kings of Bhutan: A Review

Winter Edition , December 13th, 2015 This small volume antedates, but complements, the
 massive and magisterial The 
History of Bhutan by Karma
 Phuntsho. Karma Phuntsho 
drew upon it for his own
work (it is cited in his bibliography), but Karma Ura’s
 discussion of royal leader-ship stands on its own, and
any reader will benefit great
ly from its...

Biography Series on Jigme Namgyal and Druk Gyalpos: A Review

Winter Edition , December 13th, 2015 The publication of the biographies of Gongsa Jigme Namgyal and the four kings of Bhutan by the Centre for Bhutan Studies and GNH Research between 2008 and 2011 is a monumental undertaking. In all–1,478 pages spread over five volumes–the biography series is the biggest work of documentation on the...