Abstract:There is a growing trend to understand economic and environmental policies in terms of multiple dimensions and "interdependence." Bhutan is increasingly seen as an operational model with its Gross National Happiness (GNH) strategy. GNH, which is rooted in Mahayana Buddhism, is a framework and set of policy tools that conceptualizes sustainability as interdependent ecological, economic, social, cultural and good governance concerns. Bhutan's practical GNH experience illustrates a significant ability to positively couple economic growth with a healthy environment. Can the "West"-with its legacy of either/or economics-learn anything from Bhutan's multidimensional policy experiment? At first, it would seem not. It is questionable whether the West can replicate Bhutan's unorthodox policy tools as we do not have a balancing set of Buddhist values rooted in mainstream culture. We are not equipped to respond to the many unintended consequences of interdependent policy because we do not yet understand what "interdependence" actually entails. There is hope, but much of it exists in the grey literature of ecological economics. This literature is in urgent need of greater exposure if we are to imagine and enact sustainability policy tools that are truly sensitive to interdependence, and thus follow Bhutan on its perilous but necessary journey.

Abstract:Governance is recognized as a means to promote sustainable outcomes by democratizing the policy process and potentially harmonizing competing policy interests. This is particularly critical for sustainable tourism policy with its multiple sectors and multiple stakeholders at multiple scales. Yet little is known about the kinds of governance processes and instruments that are able to effectively harmonize competing power interests to better balance economic, ecological, and social concerns. This study analyzes the case of Bhutan and its Gross National Happiness (GNH) strategy as it is applied to sustainable tourism policy. Based on semi-structured interviews and focus groups with 57 state and non-state governance actors, it explores whether Bhutan's unique GNH governance framework successfully harmonizes competing interests in the pursuit of sustainable tourism policy. It argues that the implementation of Bhutanese tourism policy is characterized by diverse and unexpected applications of power by multiple policy stakeholders. These complex power dynamics are not shaped in a meaningful way by the GNH governance instruments. Nor are they rooted in a common understanding of GNH itself. While this situation should subvert sustainable tourism policy, a commitment among state and non-state governance actors to a common set of Buddhist-infused cultural values shapes and constrains policy actions in a manner that promotes sustainable tourism outcomes.

Identifying risks and risk-mitigation strategies at the project design stage is a key part of managing development projects. Yet, experience in the field suggests that many risks that derail projects are unknowable during project design. Risk management needs to evolve to respond effectively to these unexpected risks. We argue that the concept of resilience can provide insight into responding better to unexpected risks. The article describes the nature of resilience and outlines a number of practical strategies to build resilience into projects to respond to risk more effectively.Repenser le risque dans les projets de développement : de la gestion à la résilience L'identification des risques et des stratégies de réduction des risques au stade de conception des projets constitue une partie essentielle de la gestion des projets de développement. Or, l'expéri-ence sur le terrain suggère que de nombreux risques qui font déraper les projets ne sont pas identifiables au moment de la conception des projets. La gestion des risques doit évoluer pour réagir efficacement à ces risques imprévus. Nous soutenons que le concept de résilience peut donner des idées permettant de mieux réagir aux risques imprévus. Cet article décrit la nature de la résilience et présente dans leurs grands traits un certain nombre de stratégies concrètes permettant d'intégrer la résilience dans les projets afin de réagir plus efficacement aux risques.Repensando o risco em projetos de desenvolvimento: do gerenciamento à resiliência Identificar riscos e estratégias de atenuação de riscos na fase de montagem do projeto é uma parte central da gestão de projetos de desenvolvimento. Porém, a experiência na área sugere que muitos riscos que desestruturam os projetos não são possíveis de serem conhecidos durante a montagem do projeto. A gestão de risco precisa evoluir para responder efetivamente a tais riscos inesperados. Argumentamos que o conceito de resiliência pode fornecer ideias para uma melhor atuação diante de riscos inesperados. Descreve-se a natureza da resiliência e são apresentadas várias estratégias práticas para desenvolver a resiliência no contexto dos projetos para que respondam aos riscos de forma mais efetiva.Reconsiderando el riesgo en los proyectos de desarrollo: de la gestión a la resiliencia Un aspecto importante de la gestión en los proyectos de desarrollo es la identificación de riesgos y de estrategias para su reducción en la etapa de diseño del proyecto. Sin embargo, la experiencia en el terreno revela que muchos riesgos que contribuyen a que los proyectos descarrilen no son evidentes en la fase de diseño del proyecto. La gestión de riesgos deberá actualizarse para responder con eficacia ante los riesgos no previstos. Los autores sostienen que el concepto de resiliencia puede ser un recurso para responder más ágilmente ante riesgos no previstos. Este ensayo describe la naturaleza de la resiliencia y enumera varias estrategias prác-ticas para incluirla en los proyectos y así responder con mayor eficacia ante los riesgos.

No abstract

No abstract