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Author Long, William J., 1956- author.

Title Tantric state : a Buddhist approach to democracy and development in Bhutan / William J. Long
Published New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2019]

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Description 1 online resource (x, 232 pages)
Series Studies in comparative political theory
Contents A Buddhist philosophical foundation for social theory -- A Buddhist approach to politics and economics -- Bhutan's nascent democracy -- Gross national happiness : a Buddhist model of development -- Current challenges : globalization and national identity, inter-generational transfer of values and protection of minority rights -- The dragon's roar : the wider relevance of Bhutan's Buddhist approach to democracy and development
Summary "Today, the majority of sovereign states can be described as 'democracies' in that they possess elected political leadership and some measure of commitment to the protection and promotion of individual rights and equality under law. Likewise, the economies of most democracies revolve around free trade, integrated into wider regional and global markets. Virtually all are organized around Western liberal principles and values. For some, these philosophical commitments are indigenous and longstanding, and for others they were imported later, often through colonization. This book asks how democratic governance and economic development differ when founded on Eastern, Buddhist principles, rather than Western, liberal, and Enlightenment values and beliefs. The small, remote country of Bhutan is the only democratic, market-based state that is rooted constitutionally and culturally in Mahayana Buddhist principles and ethics. In this book, it provides an alternate vision for what democratic states built on Eastern philosophy might look like. William Long argues that the differences in democratic and development systems between Western and Eastern approaches are profound and important. Bhutan's approach to democracy and development is based on the idea of 'Gross National Happiness' and offers a unique approach to the challenges of political polarization, economic inequality, and declining public trust in political institutions"-- Provided by publisher
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index
Notes Online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on January 18, 2019)
Subject Buddhism and politics -- Bhutan
Democracy -- Bhutan
Religion and politics -- Bhutan
RELIGION -- Comparative Religion.
Buddhism and politics
Democracy
Politics and government
Religion and politics
SUBJECT Bhutan -- Politics and government
Subject Bhutan
Form Electronic book
LC no. 2018047813
ISBN 0190843403
9780190843403