{"title":"Changing livelihoods, vulnerability and COVID-19 pandemic","authors":"R. Upadhyaya, Anushiya Shrestha, Divya Gupta","doi":"10.53037/anazrf30","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53037/anazrf30","url":null,"abstract":"<jats:p />","PeriodicalId":406978,"journal":{"name":"New Angle: Nepal journal of social science and public policy","volume":"126 35","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139605249","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Binod Adhikari, Divya Gupta, Parbati Pandey, Harry Fischer
{"title":"Learning from adversity: Small-scale commercial farming in Nepal amidst COVID-19 pandemic","authors":"Binod Adhikari, Divya Gupta, Parbati Pandey, Harry Fischer","doi":"10.53037/9k8k4854","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53037/9k8k4854","url":null,"abstract":"The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed various shortcomings in Nepal’s small-scale commercial farming system. Farmers who were transitioning from subsistence to a market-dependent model faced significant challenges during the pandemic. This has raised concerns about the well-being of these farmers, the sustainability of their farming practices, and their capacity to withstand future shocks. Our paper aims to assess the current resilience of small commercial farmers and identify factors that can enhance their ability to weather external disruptions like COVID-19. We use the case study in Ravi Opi, a farming village located in Dhulikhel Municipality, Nepal to explore the challenges experienced by the small commercial farmers during the pandemic and the strategic responses adopted at the household and institutional levels. Our analysis reveals that the small-scale commercial farming system demonstrated ‘buffering capabilities’ and ‘adaptability,’ but not ‘transformability.’ This is primarily because farmers adopted short-term responses that are necessary for addressing immediate crises, rather than responses that would facilitate longer-term transformation. We argue that there is a lack of adequate state support for farmers in Nepal, which worsened during the pandemic. As a result, farmers resorted to leveraging their community connections for help, which provided short-term relief, and aided in addressing only immediate but not their long-term needs. Our observations underscore the risks associated with the current approach used by subsistence farmers to transition into commercial farming. Based on our findings, we propose that longer-term initiatives involving the government and other stakeholders are essential to strengthen the supply network and promote community-based agriculture extension services. We posit that these initiatives can potentially enhance farmers’ resilience and their ability to withstand future disruptions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.","PeriodicalId":406978,"journal":{"name":"New Angle: Nepal journal of social science and public policy","volume":"84 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139008035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
D. Khatri, Gyanu Maskey, Hemant Ojha, Kaustuv Raj Neupane, Andrea Nightingale
{"title":"Governing disaster risks locally: Insights from COVID-19 responses by local governments in a federalising Nepal","authors":"D. Khatri, Gyanu Maskey, Hemant Ojha, Kaustuv Raj Neupane, Andrea Nightingale","doi":"10.53037/egjzph83","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53037/egjzph83","url":null,"abstract":"Local risk governance is an underexplored topic in disaster risk management and decentralisation literature. Key knowledge gaps centre around whether and to what extent the devolution of authority leads to effective local responses to disaster risk. In this paper, we assess the local government’s response to COVID-19 risk in Nepal as a contribution to filling this knowledge gap. The COVID-19 crisis hit Nepal soon after officials were elected for the newly created local governments (Palikas) as part of the new federal governance reform. Drawing on the evidence from eight Palikas, we identify key factors determining local risk governing capacity. We found some Palikas were better able to provide immediate local response to COVID-19 than others, and we discuss why. Most of the Palikas faced constraints to provide health services such as COVID tests and treatments to infected patients. Our analysis shows that the ability of Palikas to respond to the risk was shaped by two key factors: a) the functioning of institutional mechanisms and decision-making abilities and b) the ability to access and mobilise resources including financial and human resources, infrastructure, and knowledge. This analysis shows that devolution of power alone is not a main criterion of local risk governance capacity and suggests the need to consider other factors that shape local institutional capacity.","PeriodicalId":406978,"journal":{"name":"New Angle: Nepal journal of social science and public policy","volume":"15 20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139280764","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kushal Pokharel, K. Devkota, Harry W. Fischer, D. Khatri, Gyanu Maskey
{"title":"Implications of decentralisation for disaster governance in Nepal’s federalism: Case study of COVID-19 response of four selected local governments","authors":"Kushal Pokharel, K. Devkota, Harry W. Fischer, D. Khatri, Gyanu Maskey","doi":"10.53037/na.v8i1.70","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53037/na.v8i1.70","url":null,"abstract":"Nepal’s entry into federalism in 2015 resulted in a decentralised governance structure with constitutionally mandated legislative, executive and judicial functions for local governments. Existing research shows that devolving discretionary authority and resources to local governments is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for effective local responses during crises. However, there remains a need for deeper understanding about what makes local governments effective in responding to people’s needs during crisis times. Adopting a qualitative approach, this research analyses how decentralisation shapes local government responses in times of distress. We ask: How did local governments in Nepal respond to urgent needs during the COVID-19 pandemic – and what has been learned from this crisis that can make local governments better prepared for future challenges? Findings of this study show that the effective governance response to the crisis depends on several factors such as existing infrastructure development, availability of human and financial resources, political connections of local leadership, and local leaders’ ability to envision and execute the plans in a highly uncertain and quickly developing situation. The local government’s response to COVID-19 in Nepal shows the important role of decentralised local governance in combating crises, but there remain several critical challenges to make local governments more effective. In particular, we argue that it is essential to ensure sustained access to financial resources, strengthen human resource capabilities through training and capacity building activities, and prepare local governments to deliver important services in the context of disaster situations.","PeriodicalId":406978,"journal":{"name":"New Angle: Nepal journal of social science and public policy","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131037372","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Rural Water Supply Systems in Nepal: Factors Affecting Equitable Access to Water","authors":"A. Rajouria, Manita Raut","doi":"10.53037/na.v8i1.65","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53037/na.v8i1.65","url":null,"abstract":"Issues of gender and social inclusion in the governance mechanism of rural water supply systems have been a major concern of users, policymakers, and practitioners in Nepal. Amid changing livelihood context due to migration, transition to a federal governance structure, and social hierarchies, communities face persistent inequities in access to safe water, while its supply continues to diminish. In this context, increasing competition for water has in many instances resulted in the fulfillment of water needs of some groups, while compromising the water needs of others. In such instances, it is usually the poor and marginalized groups who are disproportionately affected. Moreover, understanding the factors affecting equitable access to an adequate supply of water now particularly after Nepal’s entry into the new federal governance system, and COVID-19 pandemic is paramount. \u0000Based on the learnings of 3-year research project that seeks to understand the role of gender and power dynamics in the functionality of community water systems, this paper will provide insights on collective water management practices. A mix of qualitative inquiries such as focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, social and institutional mapping, and observation were utilized to collect the data. This paper will present evidence from the project sites highlighting how community institutions are managing the supply and distribution of water particularly by discussing factors influencing equitable water supply.","PeriodicalId":406978,"journal":{"name":"New Angle: Nepal journal of social science and public policy","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129659440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
N. Timsina, D. P. Poudel, Rojani Manandhar, B. Adhikari
{"title":"POLITICAL ECONOMY OF URBAN CHANGE IN KATHMANDU VALLEY: A CASE FROM SOUTHERN LALITPUR METROPOLITAN CITY","authors":"N. Timsina, D. P. Poudel, Rojani Manandhar, B. Adhikari","doi":"10.53037/na.v7i1.75","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53037/na.v7i1.75","url":null,"abstract":"Urbanisation in Kathmandu Valley (KV), comprising the capital city Kathmandu, accelerated after the restoration of democracy in the 1990s, as the neoliberal economic policy adopted by the country opened doors for investments in infrastructure development. Urbanisation further accelerated during the Maoist insurgency and heightened after the conflict resolution in 2006 and since then, the country has gone through multiple (spatial, demographic, political, and economic) transitions. With better access to education, hospitals, jobs, businesses, politics, Kathmandu Valley attracts people from all over the country, resulting in the densification in the core cities and an uncontrolled urban sprawl thereby unplanned growth of built-up areas in the periphery. This paper, taking reference of Lalitpur Metropolitan City in the valley with a focus on Khokana (Ward 21) analyses (1) the trend of urbanisation in KV with a reference to urban growth and land use change and (2) examines the contradictions and contestations brought by the centrally planned development and constructional projects as part of the drivers of the urbanisation process in and around Khokana. We examine how the infrastructural imperatives and real estate boom is shifting the core to the periphery and the periphery again is transforming into a new core due to the expansion of capital and market. The planned infrastructural projects, additionally, have also increased the risk of delinking local communities from their land, which is the main cause of community dissatisfaction. We, therefore, conclude with the policy suggestion to ensure the participation of local people and prioritisation of urban development projects based on local needs to achieve a resilient tomorrow’s cities.","PeriodicalId":406978,"journal":{"name":"New Angle: Nepal journal of social science and public policy","volume":"24 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127922656","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
D. P. Poudel, Anushiya Shrestha, D. Khatri, J. Ensor
{"title":"URBANISATION AND DISASTER RISKS IN THE HIMALAYA","authors":"D. P. Poudel, Anushiya Shrestha, D. Khatri, J. Ensor","doi":"10.53037/na.v7i1.74","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53037/na.v7i1.74","url":null,"abstract":"Haphazard urban expansion and poorly planned infrastructure development have increased and intensified disaster risks in the geologically fragile Himalaya. Against this backdrop, consolidating and interpreting the findings from four articles included in this special issue on “urbanisation and disaster risk in the Himalaya”, this paper analyses the interrelation between urbanisation and disaster risk in rapidly urbanising areas of Nepal Himalaya. The key findings that we pull together from the papers are: (1) large-scale construction activities, including the real estate boom in peri-urban Nepal, increasingly delink traditional communities from their land and culture; (2) disconnected policies and contradicting implementation in the informal to formal transitions have sustained informality and deepened risk in urban Nepal; (3) institutional inertia sustains poor coordination between stakeholders in relation to knowledge sharing, technology and resources which hinder proactive disaster management at the community level; and (4) operational and knowledge gaps emerge from failures to delineate authority, responsibility and accountability between concerned institutions, and weak institutional capacity between agencies, impeding the adoption of early warning and action system in Nepal. Based on these findings, we conclude that while the political restructuring and decentralisation of the local governments have provided authorities with the legitimacy to devise disaster management policies, enhancing overall institutional capability in terms of access to and mobilisation of knowledge, technologies and resources is needed to reduce disaster risks in the Himalaya.","PeriodicalId":406978,"journal":{"name":"New Angle: Nepal journal of social science and public policy","volume":"11 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130467239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
H. Ojha, D. Khatri, K. Shrestha, Bikash Adhikari, Kushal Pokharel
{"title":"INVESTIGATING INSTITUTIONAL LIMITS TO CLIMATE ADAPTATION: A CASE STUDY OF LANDSLIDE IN THE MOUNTAINS OF NEPAL","authors":"H. Ojha, D. Khatri, K. Shrestha, Bikash Adhikari, Kushal Pokharel","doi":"10.53037/na.v7i1.71","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53037/na.v7i1.71","url":null,"abstract":"A growing body of research analyses institutional dimensions of adaptation and disaster risk management at the local level, highlighting the positive role of local institutions. However, the question of when institutions could also limit adaptation is much less explored. Drawing on the case of a landslide in the Nepal Himalayas, this paper advances the concept of ‘institutional limit’, for examining the extent to which local institutions can deliver adaptation outcomes. We show how existing public and community institutions have limited households’ capacity to respond to the risk of landslides. The case study demonstrates at least four limits of local institutions: a) inertia created by the social norms and structure embedded in the existing institutions; b) redundancy wherein conventional formal and informal institutions are less relevant to tackle the new challenges posed by climate change; c) fragmentation of institutional efforts involving poor horizontal and vertical coordination among organisations; and d) accountability lapses rooted in the wider political system. We show that most of the local institutions identified in the literature as important sources of resilience have failed to tackle landslides in the highly stratified and politically volatile situation of the Nepal Himalayas where the case study is located. We argue that the notion of ‘institutional limit’ can enhance our understanding of what institutions can (or cannot) deliver for effective local adaptation. These findings have major implications for the optimism placed on the role and capacity of local institutions to adapt to climate change or manage disaster risks.","PeriodicalId":406978,"journal":{"name":"New Angle: Nepal journal of social science and public policy","volume":"135 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114926087","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"INCLUSIVE POLICIES, EXCLUSIONARY PRACTICES: UNFOLDING THE PARADOX OF PROLONGED URBAN INFORMALITY DEBATES IN URBANISING NEPAL","authors":"Anushiya Shrestha, D. P. Poudel, J. Ensor","doi":"10.53037/na.v7i1.66","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53037/na.v7i1.66","url":null,"abstract":"Social inclusion and poverty alleviation are central to the United Nations (UN) new urban agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), especially Goal 11 on sustainable cities and communities. In Nepal, the goal of the National Urban Agenda is to “make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, sustainable and smart to enhance their ability to provide decent jobs and adequate housing, infrastructure and services to the ever-growing urban population”. Against this backdrop, many international and national non-governmental organisations and the national federations of informal settlers in Nepal have been advocating for the rights of urban informal settlers to be included in the urban planning processes. In response, the Nepal government has formulated new policies to assess the “authenticity” of informal settlers and accelerate the informal to formal transition process. Drawing from the textual analysis of existing national policies, literature and media publications, in this paper, we document what (dis)connections and contradictions exist in the formal policies and interventions that the national government has designed for addressing urban informality issue and how they frame urban informality issues and the solutions to manage the same. Our analysis shows that although government policies are rhetorically inclusive and progressive, indicating a desire to resolve informality issues, policies issued by different ministries and departments are disconnected. We also find that the practices often contradict the policies, and attempts to secure transitions to formality are undermined by a failure to recognise the legitimate stake that informal settlers have in the process. We conclude by discussing how these contradictions and inconsistencies can potentially be redirected towards socially just urban transition and suggesting ways forward for addressing the protracted urban informality issue in Nepal.","PeriodicalId":406978,"journal":{"name":"New Angle: Nepal journal of social science and public policy","volume":"44 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115084095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"ENHANCING FORECAST-BASED DISASTER RESPONSE IN NEPAL","authors":"D. Bhandari, B. Parajuli, P. Shakya","doi":"10.53037/na.v7i1.58","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.53037/na.v7i1.58","url":null,"abstract":"Implementation of humanitarian actions in advance of a disaster event is a new approach to enhance overall effectiveness of disaster responses. Early actions following forecasts and early warnings can significantly reduce disaster losses and the cost of disaster recovery. Evidence from pilot projects reveal potential to integrate forecast-based humanitarian actions into disaster preparedness planning. Building on advanced technologies, it has been possible to predict disaster risk of many meteorological and hydrological hazards like heavy rainfall, storm surges, flood, drought and cyclones. Nepal has developed communitycentered, end to end flood early warning systems, which have utilised different global and regional weather forecasting models. The models have the capability to provide weather and flood scenarios three days in advance. In this study, we carefully examine current practices and approaches to explore opportunities to use weather forecasts, flood alerts and warning to inform forecast-based humanitarian actions. Furthermore, we analysed existing policy provisions and legal mandates in Nepal to assess the availability of enabling environment needed for adopting forecast-based humanitarian actions. We also present our learning from piloting this approach to disaster preparedness planning in 19 selected districts of Nepal. Our findings suggest that adequate legal provisions and appropriate institutional mechanisms are essential to ensure effective implementation of forecastbased early actions. It is important and urgent to depart from traditional post-event relief approach to a risk-informed preventive decision-making. Technological limitations and operational gaps between agencies are major barriers to proactive actions. The challenges can be overcome through sufficient legal provisions, technical guidelines and protocols to clarify roles, responsibilities and accountabilities of the authorities.","PeriodicalId":406978,"journal":{"name":"New Angle: Nepal journal of social science and public policy","volume":"49 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-05-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"124346772","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}