Institutional Determinants of Poverty Among Indigenous Peoples of Nepal Gyanesh Lama Washington University in St
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Washington University in St. Louis Washington University Open Scholarship All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) 5-24-2012 Global Poverty - Local Problem: Institutional Determinants of Poverty Among Indigenous Peoples of Nepal Gyanesh Lama Washington University in St. Louis Follow this and additional works at: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/etd Recommended Citation Lama, Gyanesh, "Global Poverty - Local Problem: Institutional Determinants of Poverty Among Indigenous Peoples of Nepal" (2012). All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs). 705. https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/etd/705 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by Washington University Open Scholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) by an authorized administrator of Washington University Open Scholarship. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS George Warren Brown School of Social Work Dissertation Examination Committee: Santa Pandey, Chair Geoff Childs David Gillespie Itai Sened Michael Sherraden Molly Tovar Global Poverty – Local Problem: Instituional Determinants of Poverty Among Indigenous Peoples in Nepal By Gyanesh Kumar Lama A dissertation presented to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences of Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2012 St. Louis, Missouri Acknowledgements Since I came to the United States, the most frequently asked questions have been “How did you come to America?” and “How did you get into Washington University?” These questions are loaded with curiosity, and perhaps disbelief, that a person like me, a village boy from a rural mountain of the Himalayas, could make it to one of the best and most expensive universities in America. And my answer has been, “It’s a long story.” The stories behind my story are of friends and family, whose kind acts of love, care, prayers and support made my journey to the U.S. and this dissertation possible. They are my Heroes. They did the heavy lifting for me so I could have the opportunity to study at a university. There are no words that can express the deepest gratitude and respect I have for them. Without Len Madalon, my friend and adopted brother, I could not have dreamed of coming to Washington University. While I was doing undergrad in Kathmandu, Len sent me an application for Washington University and encouraged me to apply for graduate school. Since he knew I could not afford it, he paid for the application fee and solicited family and friends to sponsor me. By God’s grace, Len’s parents not only sponsored me, but they adopted me as well! There’s nothing more one could ask of a friendship. I am truly blessed to have a friend and brother like Len. My adoptive parents, Carol and Leonard Madalon, gave me a place to live, food to eat, clothes to wear and pocket money to ride the bus to school so I could focus on my studies. They watched out for me and made sure I was safe. They advised me on the “dos” and “don’ts” in America. They made sure I was on course towards my goal. These acts of love and encouragement are what helped me through graduate school. ii My adopted brothers Mike Madalon, Joe Madalon, and adopted sister Lisa Madalon all accepted me as one of their own. They showed me the way to survive and succeed in America. I could not ask for better siblings. As a part of the Madalon family, I have been surrounded by people who genuinely care for my success--Aunt Ruth, Aunt Gloria, Aunt Sylvia, cousins Lucy and Roger, Tina and Greg, Anne, Jill and Mathew, Todd Noel, Amy Madalon, the Daues family, and many cousins. Nothing is more comforting than to have a family and home away from home. When I was young, confused, living in hardship and with an uncertain future, Fr. Greg Hyde provided hope and set the stage for my future academic life. Without him, I would not have met Len. Fr. Greg Hyde, a best friend and a spiritual guide, went above and beyond a friendship duty to lift me up in times of trouble, financial and otherwise, and changed my life course. I could not have become who I am today if not for Fr. Hyde. He surrounded me with friends who became my sources of courage and support: Fr. Greg Sharkey, and Fr. Cap Miller, without whom I would not have gotten into St. Xavier’s, an elite college in Nepal; and the late Fr. Charles Law and Fr. Watrin, whose scholarship support helped me secure an undergraduate degree. Fr. Hyde is a true blessing in my life, and his friendship helped me see a light at the end of a tunnel. In addition, these people contributed to my education: Doug and Mandy Wathen, who covered the expenses of my flight to America; Dean Shanti Khinduka, whose scholarship support allowed me to complete my Masters Degree; and Lynn Bird, who brought my application from Kathmandu to St. Louis and hand-delivered it to Washington University. iii Dr. Martha Ozawa and Dr. Dong Wang Cho have been my inspiration to pursue my doctoral education. I benefited much from their network of support. Dr. Cho, my boss at MIMH, looked out for me as a godfather, and among many other things, helped me prepare for doctoral training. Dr. Ozawa worried about my future, encouraged me to pursue a doctoral education, and showed me the way to succeed in an academic program. I am thankful to Dr. Ozawa, Dr. Cho, Dr. Danny Wedding, and Dr. Dean Klinkenberg for their letters of support to the doctoral program. The emotional support of my nieces Mira Tamang, Geeta Gurung and Reeta Gurung; friends Nathan Chan, Prof. Danny Kohl, Daniel Garrett, Leeli Davidson, Carol Niederlander, Anne-sophie Blank, Kentaro Sugiyama, Sharon Benjamin, Lama Rinchen, Gabhu Tamang, Devi Gurung, Hazel Tomano, Barbara Thompson; and colleagues at East West Gateway Council of Governments, all have helped me conquer the stress of graduate school. The primary motivation for pursuing a doctoral degree and becoming a scholar, however, has been my family. I could not have done it alone without the constant prayers and blessings of my parents and siblings back in Nepal. My parents, Dhana B. Lama, Keshari Dolma Lama and Mushuri Dolma Lama, have suffered financial hardship so that I could pursue my personal goal. My sister Thuli Lama and brother-in-law Mankaji Lama raised me through high school and undergraduate years. My brothers Chakra Lama and Tara Gyaba Lama, and sister Palsang Lama set me free of family responsibilities so I could focus on my studies. My cousin Naresh Yonjan brought me to Kathmandu from my rural village, encouraged me to learn English, and supported my schooling during junior high school. The blessings of my uncles (Aashyang) - Harka Bahadur Lama, Man iv Bahadur Lama, and Bir Bahadur Lama- made my wishes come true. My cousin Nima Lama (Rojan), Sita Gurung and brother-in-law Dhaka Dorje Gurung, Siddhi Bajra Lama, Ganga Lama, Samden Lama all have nurtured me along the way. My Gyaba brothers and sisters, and all other uncles, aunts and cousins have provided unconditional support and encouragement to stay on course throughout graduate school. The Dharma of my parents kept me strong during times of difficulty and helped me overcome obstacles on the path to receiving my education. Most importantly, I would not have completed the doctoral program without the guidance and mentoring from my advisers: Professors Santa Pandey, David Gillespie, Michael Sheridan, Itai Sened, Geoff Childs, and Molly Tovar. My chair, Prof. Pandey, has guided me throughout the program--from Day One of choosing a dissertation topic to the final completion of the dissertation. She has tirelessly reviewed the manuscripts and made sure that I stayed on track. I could not have accomplished the program on time without her sustained care for my progress. I benefited much from each of these advisers. They have enlightened me and helped me become a scholar and a better person. The Center for Social Development (CSD) provided me financial and conference opportunities. I owe much to Dr. Sherraden and colleagues at CSD-- Li Zou, Lissa Johnson, Julia Stevens, Carrie Freeman, Ella Boyd, David Ansong, and Margaret Sherraden. The Center for New Institutional Social Sciences (CNISS) also provided me with financial and conferences opportunities. I am indebted by the special favors I have received from Dr. Itai Sened and Alana Bame at CNISS. v Research assistants Tara Gyaba and Palsang Lama helped collect administrative data from the field. Dr. Geoff Childs covered the expense for the field trip and mentored me during the collection of ethnographic data in Nepal. Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) provided data for free for analyses. Lucinda Cobb, Dr. Wendy Auslander, Dean Edward Lawler, Dr. Ramesh Raghavan, Dr. Gautam Yadama, Namgyal all have provided support in numerous ways, which made life as a doctoral student enjoyable and memorable. Finally, the ultimate purpose of pursuing my education and writing this dissertation in particular has been to contribute towards eliminating the sufferings “Dukha” from the world and making lives better. It is for those people who, despite all odds, refuse to stop dreaming that one day life will be better and the world can be a better place for everyone. It is for those who believe that some day the world will be a place where each human, poor or rich, can live to his or her fullest potential, that poverty will be obsolete, and the poor will realize that they deserve to live happily in this universe just as much as anyone else.