Reengineering of Local Governance in the Post-Conflict Situation in Nepal

This article is written based on my empirical research carried out in the Nepalese political setting while the country was undergoing a serious political power struggle and armed conflict (2002- 2005). It is a qualitative research carried out in the context of local governance system and practices. The field work was carried out in Kavre-Palanchowk district, Nepal as a case study. A case study analysis of the district of Kavre-Palanchowk in Nepal focuses on the relationships between local and central government and between local communities and local governments. On this basis, recommendations with relevance for Nepalese policy-making and governance more generally are developed. The research explores and analyses a number of critical issues within the broader theoretical framework of the research (i.e. power and participation). It explores the existing local governance practices from the perspective of democratic participation of citizens while power and participation provide the theoretical framework. Here power is understood and defined as political power that is generated through political representation and the stake in the governance processes. The research also explores the contradictory aspects of representative democracy at the local level and participatory planning (which entails the principle of participatory democracy) as well as the implications of these contradictions in the overall local governance practices.