About us
What we are, and how we work
An independent research institution, registered as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the United States and headquartered in the Kingdom of Bhutan.
Bhutan Global Group was founded by Bhutanese policy professionals who saw a gap they could no longer ignore.
The challenges confronting the world today, from climate breakdown to fraying multilateral institutions, resist solutions produced within any single national tradition. Yet the global think tank ecosystem remains concentrated in a handful of capitals, and perspectives from small states, the Global South, and governance traditions outside conventional frameworks are consistently underrepresented.
The problem is a lack of institutional infrastructure. Bhutan has spent fifty years building alternative models of governance, development, and wellbeing, and BGG was established to ensure those models are documented, tested, and made available to global policy conversations.
Mission
To produce rigorous, evidence-based research that brings alternative models of governance and development into the heart of global policy conversations, with Bhutan’s experience as our foundation and the world’s hardest questions as our agenda.
Vision
A global policy ecosystem that reflects the full diversity of human experience, where frameworks pioneered by small states and non-Western governance traditions are understood, tested, and available to all societies seeking more sustainable and equitable futures.
How We’re Built
BGG is structured so that honesty in our assessments is structural. We are a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the United States, headquartered in the Kingdom of Bhutan.
Funding independence
Our founding charter provides that no single donor may contribute more than 20% of annual revenue. We diversify across philanthropic foundations, bilateral development partnerships, and institutional grants to protect our research from undue influence.
Governance
An International Advisory Board drawn from academia, government, civil society, and the private sector across multiple regions provides strategic oversight. Researchers operate under an independence policy modelled on the standards of the world’s leading think tanks.
Transparency
We publish our research openly and make our governance and financial information publicly available. The credibility of our work depends on it.
Staffing
Our research team is built initially through a global network of affiliated volunteer researchers, with remunerated positions added as budgets allow. We draw on partnerships with Harvard, Oxford, and other leading institutions to ensure our work meets the highest standards.