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Begin New Search Political Geography Bhutan Publication Year within 10 Years

11. Characteristics and Determinants of International Migration: The Recent Phenomenon of Migration of Bhutanese to International Destinations

Author:
Tobden Tobden, Lhawang Ugyel, and Tashi Dorjee
Publication Date:
12-2023
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:
Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:
The trend in international migration has always been increasing. However, in Bhutan, the rising number of international migrants, which has surged in recent years, is a new phenomenon. This paper explores the recent development of international migration of Bhutanese to countries, such as India, Australia, USA and countries in Middle-East Asia. It examines the characteristics of Bhutanese international migrants. The study also analyses the underlying reasons that drives international migration in Bhutan. As such, this study is one of the first comprehensive investigations on international migration of Bhutanese that leverages data from the two major Population and Housing Censuses conducted in the country thus far. In doing so, this paper seeks to provide an insight into the impact of international migration on the demographic structure and the policies that influence such migration.
Topic:
Development, Migration, Urbanization, Rural, Push Factor, and Pull Factor
Political Geography:
South Asia and Bhutan

12. Bibliometric Analysis of Publication Related to Bhutan, 1894-2022

Author:
Sonam Wangdi
Publication Date:
12-2023
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:
Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:
This study provides an overall growth of Bhutan-related literature to understand scientific productivity of the nation. This paper aims to assess scientific productivity of Bhutan in terms of the country’s literature growth in the international arena and to establish baseline information on research trends and hotspots, benefiting both scholars and policymakers.The bibliometric technique was employed to analyze the evolutionary trend, identify key institutions, prolific authors, leading countries, and prominent themes, while also highlighting emerging areas of research in Bhutan. A total of 4145 Bhutan-related publications were identified and retrieved from the Scopus database (1894-2022). The result showed that the growth of Bhutan-related literature increased significantly over the last decade with a maximum publication in 2021 (n=461). Of the total, about 72% consists of articles, whereas conference reviews and data papers were minimum. Journal of Threatened Taxa published the highest number of literature. Among the Bhutanese institutions, the Jigme Dorji Wangchuck National Referral Hospital (JDWNRH) published the highest (n= 398) total number of publications, while the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests (MoAF) received the highest network of publication connections. Keyword analysis revealed that the field of taxonomy, new species and climate change were dominant in Bhutan’s research landscape and are expected to remain prominent in the future. The findings revealed that Bhutan published the highest number of literature among the top ten countries, and ranked the highest number of corresponding authors from multiple countries (n=159). However, the international collaboration rate in literature publication was low compared to Australia, Thailand and Nepal.
Topic:
Research, Literature, Academia, Bibliometric Analysis, and Publication
Political Geography:
South Asia and Bhutan

13. Studying the Post-COVID-19 Landscape of Higher Education in Bhutan: A Systematic Literature Review

Author:
Kinley Rinchen, Vicki Banham, and Sonam Pelden
Publication Date:
12-2023
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:
Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:
The higher education sector is highly disrupted by the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic. The enforcement of social restriction protocols led to the closure of higher education institutions and the shifting of teaching-learning to online classes. Various studies show that the disruption has offered lessons that could improve practices in the postpandemic period. This systematic literature review (SLR) aims to assess the impact of COVID-19 on higher education in Bhutan and identify possible areas of improvement in the postpandemic period. It follows PRISMA guidelines to identify and screen studies, followed by a thematic analysis to classify and categorise challenges and opportunities created by the pandemic. A significant finding for Bhutan is that the adoption of digital pedagogy has paved the way for implementing a blended learning system, offering ample opportunities for educational advancement. This system will promote inclusivity as it supports diverse learning groups, helps promote personalised and self-directed learning systems to improve the quality of teaching-learning, and contributes to the development of a culture of lifelong learning. Another notable finding also shows an unprecedented level of priority accorded to the well-being of students and teachers, which is recommended to be sustained. The SLR may contribute to the discussions on education reform that is currently underway in Bhutan.
Topic:
Education, Science and Technology, Higher Education, COVID-19, and Remote Learning
Political Geography:
South Asia and Bhutan

14. Performance and Accountability: A Case of Bhutanese Civil Service

Author:
Singay
Publication Date:
03-2022
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:
Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:
There has been substantial research undertaken on the performance management system (PMS) and accountability. Despite a recent increase in the literature on PMS and accountability, far less research has been carried out on the impact of the PMS in strengthening accountability in Bhutanese civil service. As a result, critical gaps exist between PMS and actual practice in strengthening the accountability of Bhutanese civil servants in the field. To fill this gap, this study set out to examine the impact of the PMS in strengthening accountability in the Bhutanese civil service. This study uses interviews and content analysis of the annual reports to answer the research questions. Results showed that agencies introduced various systems to strengthen accountability, such as accountability initiatives, performance-based accountability, and effective disciplinary regime. However, interview data indicated that the current PMS failed to strengthen accountability in the Bhutanese civil service. A possible explanation for these results may be the lack of fair and reasonable measurement tools, the priority level of accountability, and supervisor accountability. Policy recommendations for strengthening accountability and suggestions for future research are provided.
Topic:
Accountability, Performance Evaluation, and Civil Services
Political Geography:
South Asia and Bhutan

15. The Impact on Early Bhutanese Coinage of Contentious Relations Between Bhutan and Cooch Behar from 1772 to 1774

Author:
Michael Givel
Publication Date:
03-2022
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:
Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:
Bhutan’s coinage has been thoroughly documented related to design and mintage variability. In addition, as noted for the first time in this paper, one of Bhutan’s late 18th to early 20th century core governmental missions is reflected through changes in Bhutan’s coinage. This is based on Bhutan’s conflict with Cooch Behar including interactions with the British East India Company and the legacy and aftermath of that conflict. While 18th to early 19th century versions of the symbols on Bhutanese coins reflected Hindu and national icons of Cooch Behar, the later versions to 1910 contained Cooch Behar symbols and definitive Buddhist symbols reflecting the sovereignty and a core mission to promote a Bhutanese Buddhist state where citizens became Enlightened.
Topic:
Sovereignty, History, Currency, Buddhism, and British East India Company
Political Geography:
South Asia, Bhutan, and Cooch Behar

16. A Critical Analysis of Degrowth Debates Through the Lens of Gross National Happiness (GNH): Refraining from the Conventional View of Plurality*

Author:
Katsu Masaki
Publication Date:
03-2022
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:
Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:
This study problematises degrowth’s goal of abandoning economic growth as a policy objective on the grounds that its advocates base their arguments on a binary growth/no-growth dichotomy and unwittingly activate the same economistic frame as the growth paradigm. To explore a remedy against this pitfall arising from the conventional view of plurality that segregates study materials into distinctive categories and prioritises one of them, Bhutan’s policy of Gross National Happiness (GNH) is taken up. The policy does not lapse into the growth/degrowth trap, refrains from rejecting economic growth of all kinds, and instead ascertains its potentially diverse connotations. GNH accordingly weighs growth-related indicators on equal terms with various others concerning social, cultural, spiritual and emotional contentment. The holistic approach of GNH helps rectify the prevailing hegemony of economic growth and thus provides a more effective pathway for attaining a postgrowth order.
Topic:
Economy, Economic Growth, Degrowth, and Gross National Happiness (GNH)
Political Geography:
South Asia and Bhutan

17. So Old and Yet So New: Buddhist Education and the Monastic Curriculum in Contemporary Bhutan

Author:
Dorji Gyeltshen and Manuel Lopez
Publication Date:
03-2022
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:
Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:
The emergence of a modern secular educational system in Bhutan in the 1960s forced the monastic institutions in the country to adapt and change to the new social, political and educational landscape. This article explores the transformation and changes to monastic education in Bhutan during the second half of the 20th century and the early 21st century, with a particular focus on the introduction of a new monastic curriculum in the 1980s and the rise of the Shedra (Tib. bshad grwa) or monastic college as the central religious educational institution in contemporary Bhutan. The article is based on research that took place during the summers of 2018 and 2019, where the authors visited dozens of monasteries, collected various curricula, and talked to monks and officials all over the country. We argue that Bhutan is in the midst of a new transformational period in which Buddhist education and the monastic curriculum are being revitalized through a series of innovations and changes that have to do as much with a dialogue with secular education as with the impact of other factors: the influence of transnational Buddhist movements and ideas, the introduction of the commentarial curriculum from Tibetan monasteries in India, and the loss of political power after the introduction of the Bhutanese constitution in 2008, among others. The result is a monastic curriculum that asserts specific Bhutanese sectarian and national identity, and introduces a religious education that is transforming monastic life and education in ways that we are only beginning to see.
Topic:
Education, Religion, Buddhism, and Curriculum
Political Geography:
South Asia, India, Tibet, and Bhutan

18. What is at Stake in China-Bhutan Boundary Negotiations?

Author:
Jagannath P. Panda
Publication Date:
02-2022
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
China Brief
Institution:
The Jamestown Foundation
Abstract:
Satellite imagery reveals that China has recently accelerated construction along its border with Bhutan. Underway since 2020, the project includes over 200 structures, with several two-story buildings in six locations (Times of India, January 13). Bhutan has not commented on the situation in keeping with its policy to refrain from public discussion of border issues, whereas Beijing has framed the development as “normal construction activities on its own territory” (The Hindu, January 13). India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has acknowledged that it is monitoring China’s bridge-building activities over the Pangong Tso lake (India MEA, January 6). In late December, China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs announced the “standardization” of the names of 15 places (eight residential areas, four mountains, two rivers, and one mountain pass) in the Northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh that China also claims and calls “Southern Tibet” (藏南, Zangnan). This is the second instance of China renaming localities in Arunachal Pradesh; the first occurred in 2017 (Global Times, December 30, 2021). India called it a “ridiculous exercise to support untenable territorial claims” (Indian MEA, January 6). Though 2022 has only begun, China’s various intimidation tactics against India are already in full swing: from renaming places and circulating videos of People’s Liberation Army soldiers raising the five-starred red flags of China, supposedly, in the Galwan Valley as part of their New Year celebrations, to expanding its dual use infrastructure along the Himalayan border (Global Times, January 1; The Print, January 13). According to state media, China has been strengthening infrastructure-related projects in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR). Beijing claims its infrastructure push in Tibet is intended to support economic development, but the Indian side interprets the projects as serving dual use, or, military purposes (China Brief, November 19, 2021). While Chinese sources claim that India was making a “fuss,” they did not, however, entirely deny these reports (Global Times, January 19).
Topic:
Foreign Policy, Bilateral Relations, Territorial Disputes, and Borders
Political Geography:
China, India, Asia, and Bhutan

19. Does GNH Determine Contextual QoL? A Case of Thimphu Urban

Author:
Gonpo Tenzin
Publication Date:
03-2022
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:
Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:
The empirical assessment of happiness or life satisfaction is emerging as a key research area across the world. Studies in this area, however, are pursued mostly by determining generalized Quality of Life (QoL) and fails to reflect contextual and place-based QoL. This study aims to fill this gap by examining how placed-based attributes could determine QoL by taking the case of Thimphu, the capital city of Bhutan. Subsuming the attributes of Gross National Happiness (GNH) the study determines QoL of Thimphu for the first time. The study applies empirical QoL model and employs both qualitative and quantitative approach, and it also considers wide range of literature reviews. The findings reveal that both GNH and most QoL cases are multidimensional in approach and bears high correlation between the attributes. There is inherent commonness and similar patterns between the two. Converging the findings from recent GNH survey 2015 and this QoL assessment, the analysis demonstrated that there is correlation close to R2 = 0.91 and the line of best fit at y=01236x+1.7333. The significance of the findings confirm that the QoL mechanism would be efficient, effective and realistic if it is place-based and contextual in approach, but not undermining dynamism in change around. The findings of the QoL assessment also recommends set of significant propositions to address the dispossession of QoL. The policy review, program alignment and innovative infrastructural integration in education, psychology and community vitality domains of QoL are underscored as main recommendations from the study.
Topic:
Quality of Life, Well-Being, Life Satisfaction, and Gross National Happiness (GNH)
Political Geography:
South Asia and Bhutan

20. Determinants of Cottage and Small Industries Growth in Thimphu Thromde

Author:
Tashi Norbu, Tendri Gyeltshen, and Phuntsho Drukpa
Publication Date:
03-2022
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Bhutan Studies
Institution:
Centre for Bhutan & GNH Studies (CBS)
Abstract:
The main purpose of this study was to investigate the determinants of the growth of Cottage and Small Industry (CSI) under Thimphu Thromde. We adopted a cross-sectional study design where samples were drawn using proportionate stratified random sampling technique. The analysis is based on the 102 CSI owners who responded to the online survey. Descriptive analysis shows that CSI sector in Thimphu Thromde is growing both in terms of employment generation and capital accumulation. Furthermore, multiple linear regression (MLR) test indicates that management know-how, technology, support CSIs get, and marital status are statistically significant with capital growth while access to finance, government rules and regulations and firm age were statistically significant with employment growth.
Topic:
Employment, Economic Growth, Management, Capital, and Small Industries
Political Geography:
South Asia, Bhutan, and Thimphu Thromde