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Bhutan is one of the 48 countries currently classified as least developed country (LDC). In line with economic growth and significant investments in social sectors, Bhutan has made rapid progress towards graduating from the LDC category. It met the graduation criteria for the first time at the triennial review in 2015 and is expected to meet the criteria again in 2018, making it eligible for a possible recommendation for graduation by the CDP. As such, there is a need to develop the economy further to make development sustainable over the long term, and to understand the implications of the removal of international support measures for LDCs.
The CDP is carrying out a project to help Bhutan understand the implications of a withdrawal of support and to provide some initial ideas about the development of productive capacity.
This article draws on research on productive capacity and LDC graduation conducted in 2016 by the CDP and a growth identification and facilitation framework (GIFF) study commissioned by the CDP on Bhutan.
This article was written by Daniel Gay, Inter-regional Adviser in the Secretariat of the Committee for Development Policy (CDP), and Sonam Tobgay, CDP Consultant, and originally appeared on the 18 February 2017 issue of e-Kuensel.
