The Legal System and Legislation of Bhutan

Laws on Happiness: The Legal System and Legislation of Bhutan

The next foreign, international, and comparative law webinar at the Law Library of Congress will be “Laws on Happiness: The Legal System and Legislation of Bhutan," on Thursday, July 18, 2024 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time. Please register here.

In this webinar, visiting Professor Ugyen Thinley from the Jigme Signye Wangchuck School of Law in Bhutan will present the idea of Gross National Happiness as a guiding principle for the government reaching back for centuries in Bhutan. The penal code of Bhutan states: "The purpose of the government is to provide happiness to its people. If we cannot provide happiness, there is no reason for the government to exist." Professor Thinley will discuss how this statement is implemented in Bhutanese legislation while reviewing the history of reflecting happiness in the nation's laws and an overview of the current legal system and legal resources. 

Hat tip to the Law Library of Congress.

(mew)