Technology Adoption in the Context of Gross National Happiness (GNH) in Bhutan

Sonam Chedup

doi:10.60867/00000103

E-government is recognised as a key mechanism for improving public service delivery, administrative efficiency, and transparency. However, citizen adoption remains uneven in developing countries’ contexts, where technology use is shaped not only by utilitarian considerations but also by culturally embedded values and governance philosophies. This limitation is particularly evident in Bhutan, where national development is guided by the Gross National Happiness (GNH), a multidimensional development framework that integrates socioeconomic progress, environmental sustainability, cultural preservation, and good governance to promote holistic well-being. Conventional technology adoption models, such as UTAUT2 (Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2), grounded largely in Western instrumental assumptions, offer limited explanatory power in such contexts. Accordingly, this thesis aims to identify culturally aligned dimensions between the GNH framework and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, and to examine the influence of the GNH on the adoption of e-government (G2C) services. With the ultimate objective of developing a culturally grounded technology adoption model, the study first employs a triangulated approach, establishing theoretical linkages through concept-centric synthesis, textual–semantic analyses, proxy mapping and correlation analysis. Then, it operationalises GNH within the UTAUT2 framework, and empirically tests the model using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). The findings show that core UTAUT2 constructs, particularly habit, price value, performance expectancy, and effort expectancy, remain significant predictors of behavioural intention, but their effects are conditioned by GNH-related well-being factors. Psychological Well-being (PW), and Cultural Diversity & Resilience (CR) exerted significant direct and moderating influences, with CR attenuating the effect of effort expectancy and PW weakening the influence of habit, on behavioural intention. By integrating GNH within the UTAUT2 framework, the study demonstrates how culturally embedded well-being values systematically shape technology adoption, extending UTAUT2 beyond utilitarian assumptions and providing a context-sensitive model to support value-aligned digital governance in Bhutan and comparable socio-cultural settings.

Technology Adoption in the Context of Gross National Happiness (GNH) in Bhutan

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