Let’s face it: every political campaign underway in Hawaii is still in search of a big idea.

Here’s one: reorganize government around the pursuit of happiness. It’s an echo of the Declaration of Independence and it would follow a path already laid out by some of our Asian neighbors.

In fact, if you look around the region, you’ll see a wide range of life activities that get some kind of official attention. This leads to some unusual government departments and more than a few unique job titles.

This Sistar video of the Korean visitors’ trip to Hawaii points to the possible intersection of tourism and happiness.

Screenshot: Sistar/YouTube

There’s the Hawaii Tourism Authority, of course. And presumably since it’s such a key part of the economy, it also makes the list of titled responsibilities under the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism. None of this should be confused with the Hawaii Visitors and Convention Bureau, which is a private nonprofit company, founded more than a century ago.

Among our neighbors in Asia, the Philippines keeps things relatively simple in that there’s a federal Department of Tourism, headed by the secretary of Tourism.

Elsewhere, it gets more interesting.

Tourism and Culture often wind up in the same portfolio. That’s the case in India, Malaysia and Thailand. South Korea tosses sports into the mix, resulting in the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Over in Indonesia, they seem to be encouraging a bit more flexibility in thinking, since the visitor industry falls in the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.

Seems like there’s nothing wrong with a little creative economy and urban well-being to speed us along the way to the goals of the Happiness Commission.

It isn’t just ministries that serve two purposes. In some countries, cabinet ministers wear multiple hats. The portfolios can be complementary; other times this is less apparent. In Australia, a parliamentarian simultaneously serves as the minister of Sport and the minister of Health. The strategy is a bit less clear for that gentleman’s colleague who currently serves as both the attorney general and the minister for Arts.

In Japan, several cabinet ministers fill multiple roles. This means that the minister of state for Space Policy is also saddled with the somewhat ambiguous responsibilities for “the Cool Japan Policy.” That initiative aims to boost what the government calls “cultural exports” — which include sake, sashimi and animé.

Japan also assigns some very specific tasks to various other ministers of state, including the “Overcoming Population Decline and Vitalizing Local Economy” and the “Alleviating the Burden of the Bases in Okinawa.”

Cabinet level positions in other governments reflect their unique challenges. So the “Unification Ministry” could only exist in South Korea, while the cabinet-level “Overseas Employment Administration” is clearly a creation of the government of the Philippines.

The latter was started in 1982, as the number of overseas workers sending money home to the Philippines grew. (The government estimates more than 10 million “Philippine-Born Filipinos are residing or working overseas.”)

And then there’s water. That issue has been critical to Hawaii since ancient times. The predecessor of the Board of Water Supply dates back nearly a century, as detailed on that agency’s website.

In India, water is so important that it gets its own cabinet-level post: the minister of Water Resources. That makes sense since, according to the advocacy group water.org, more than 100 million of its residents lack safe drinking water.

And then there are the titles that simply sound better than what we call them, even though they may perform a similar function.

While we have the Hawaii Public Housing Authority, in Malaysia they seem to take a bit of extra care in looking after their city dwellers, thanks to the Ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government.

There’s no real question about whose stated priorities are the toughest to dispute.

The mountain nation of Bhutan has a Gross National Happiness Commission. That Asian nation has famously adopted a measurement of “Gross National Happiness.” (Well, “famously” if you hang out with economists or academics that look at such things.) The idea is to use a broader measure beyond mere economic growth reflected in the gross national product to determine the success or failure of government.

According to its government website, Bhutan seeks to encourage living “in harmony with tradition and nature” while also enjoying good governance, “developing a dynamic economy as the foundation for a vibrant democracy,” and investing in people — which the government calls “the nation’s greatest asset.”

That all sounds pretty good. And while there’s probably no need for more government in Hawaii, when it comes to outlook and attitude, maybe we could pay a little attention to some of the concepts certain Asian governments are putting into play.

Seems like there’s nothing wrong with a little creative economy and urban well-being to speed us along the way to the goals of the Happiness Commission.

Cue Pharrell Williams.