DECENTRALIZED LOCAL GOVERNANCE: RHETORIC AND PRACTICE IN NEPAL SINCE 1950s A Dissertation Submitted to The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences of Tribhuvan University in Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PhD) in SOCIOLOGY By Sangram Singh Lama Tribhuvan University Kathmandu, Nepal November 2009 LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION We certify that, this dissertation entitled ‘DECENTRALIZED LOCAL GOVERNANCE: RHETORIC AND PRACTICE IN NEPAL SINCE 1950s' was prepared by Mr Sangram Singh Lama, under our guidance. We hereby recommend this dissertation for final approval by the Research Committee of the faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, in fulfillment of the requirements for the DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PhD) in SOCIOLOGY. ------------------------------------ Prof. Dr. Dilli Ram Dahal Supervisor --------------------------------------- Prof. Dr. Kailash Pyakuryal Expert Date: 2 March 2009 ii APPROVAL LETTER This dissertation entitled 'DECENTRALIZED LOCAL GOVERNANCE: RHETORIC AND PRACTICE IN NEPAL SINCE 1950s' was submitted by Mr Sangram Singh Lama for final examination by the Research Committee of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, in fulfillment of the requirements for the DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY (PhD) in SOCIOLOGY. I hereby certify that the Research Committee of this faculty has found this dissertation satisfactory in scope and quality and has therefore accepted in for the sought degree. ------------------------------------ Prof. Nav Raj Kanel, PhD Dean and Chairperson Research Committee Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Tribhuvan University Nepal Date: ________________ iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The idea for undertaking this study sprouted in me some time in January 2003, when I attended a talk programme in Kathmandu where the late Dr Harka Gurung delivered a lecture on issues related with structural inequalities, social exclusion and discrimination being faced by the poor and excluded groups, particularly Dalits, Indigenous Peoples, women and Madhesi despite of many initiatives such as decentralization of power and authority to lower units of government and peoples by different governments for many years to ensure participatory development and service delivery to them in Nepal. At that time of the history, the Maoist 'People's War' was at its highest peak. In terms of their socio-economic and political participation and representation in different state institutions, abundant information and data are available at the macro-level and based on these, many have claimed that there is no equal opportunity to participate and represent in every state institution for each and every Nepalese peoples. However, there are no such data or information available and analyzed at the micro-level to substantiate this claim. In view of this, I, as a commoner, begun thinking and conceptualized the issues pertaining to our society, structural inequalities, social exclusion and their relationships with the state and the decentralization scheme that Nepal has been adopting and experiencing in the name of social change by devolving power and authority to the lower units of government since a long time back and the result is this dissertation. To bring this study to this shape, a range of extremely helpful and co-operative people have contributed immensely to whom I own so much that I can not express in words here. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude and profound appreciation to several individuals and institutions that have generously provided me with various guidances, supports including lending books, reports and other relevant publications for this study. Foremost, of course, I am deeply indebted to my supervisor Prof Dr Dilli R Dahal, who has extended his endless patience and enthusiasm in guiding me for undertaking this study. Prof Dahal has been a great source of inspiration for me who has provided me with the untiring support and zeal as and when needed throughout my study. During the entire study period, he provided guidance from early days of formulating ideas, collecting relevant literatures and other materials, designing the field questionnaires and checklists, analyzing and processing the data collected from the fields and finally giving a concrete shape of my work. This study would have been difficult, if not impossible, without his timely support and guidance. I would also like to express my gratitude and profound appreciation to Prof Dr Kailash Pyakuryal and Dr Ram B Chhetri, Central Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Tribhuvan University, for their constant guidance and support for this study. Despite their hectic schedules, they extended every possible support and encouraged me to complete this study. Simple words of thanks can not express my gratitude to them. iv I am indebted to late Prof Santa Bahadur Gurung, formor Vice-Chairperson of the National Foundation for the Development of Indigenous Nationalities (NFDIN) for encouraging me to undertaking this study. I am equally indebted to NFDIN for providing me a research fellowship to undertake this study without which it would not have come to this state. I record my deep sense of obligation and gratitude to late Dr Harka Gurung for his continuous encouragement and support. In fact, it was late Dr Gurung who inspired me to undertake this study. He accordingly had constantly provided me with his guidance and support from the early days of my study and suddenly he passed away in a helicopter crash in Taplejung on 23 September 2006 when I needed his expert guidance the most. He would have been happy to see this work had he still been alive. I own my sincere gratitude to Dr Tulsi Narayan Shrestha, Dr Chaitanya Subba, Dr Krishna B Bhattachan, Dr Sumitra Manandhar Gurung, Mr Som Lal Subedi, Dr Saket Thakur, Mr Mukti Kafle, Dr Dwarika Nath Dhungel, Dr Mukta S Lama Tamang and Mr Raghav R Regmi for providing comments and suggestions to this study. Similarly, I cannot find words to express adequately my gratitude to Mr Ram Bhandari of TU Central Library, Mr Krishna Shrestha of British Council Library, Ms Kirti Bhattarai and Mr Kishan Yadav of SWC Library, Mr Sahadev Dhungana of British Embassy, Dr Nani R Subedi of ICIMOD, Mr Shiv Bhandari of EU, Mr Krishna P Sapkota, Mr Hem Raj Lamichhane and Ms Rukmani Nepal of ADDC/N, Dr Hikmat Bista, Mr Charan Prasai and Mr Bhagat Sunwar of DASU/DANIDA, Dr Hira M Ghimire and Mr Biswo Ulak of DFID Nepal, Mr Santosh Bista and Mr Bikash M Singh of ESP Nepal, Mr Ram B Chhetri of GTZ/UDLE, Ms Bindu Panday and Ms Subadra Joshi of LBFC/MoLD, Dr Jagadish C Pokharel, Mr Chhabindra Parajuli of NPC, Mr Krishna Hari Banskota of MoF, Mr Binod Singh of DDC Kavre, Mr Prem Chapagain of DDC Morang, Mr Ek B Gurung of SDC Nepal, Dr Keshab M Shakya and Ms Lhamu Tamang of SNV Nepal, Mr Ram K Pokharel and Mr Shesh K Kafle of PDDP/UNDP, Mr Dev R Dahal of Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Mr Binod Chapagain of LFP, Dr Chuda B Shrestha of Nepal Police, Mr Mukti Rizal of Institute of Governance and Decentralization, Ms Shova Basnet and Mr Nabin Singh of SAMANTA, Mr Naresh Gurung of UNICEF, Mr Binod Bhattarai of SOUND, Mr Ram K Sharma of Nepal Labour Academy, Mr Pramod Tandukar, Mr Jyoti Danuwar, Ms Geeta Lama, Mr Naresh Tamrakar and Ms Pasang P Sherpa of NEFIN/JEP, Mr Parimal Jha, Mr Bikram Subba and Mr Yadav Chapagain of Human Resource Development Center, Mr Pushpa Lal Moktan of EAP, Prof Yagya Adhikary, Mr Jitpal Kirant, Mr Tamla Ukyab, Mr Mohan Mardan Thapa, Mr Sanu Kancha Lama, Mrs Buddi Maya Lama, Ms Bhakta Kumari Lama, Mr Tanka Adhikary, Mr Mohan Kharel, Mr Mangal Soren, Mr Laxman Soren, Mr Shiv Narayan Hasda, Mr Manoj Hasda, Mr Mahendra Khadka, Mr Sangat K Lama, Mr Shambu P Kattel, Mr Binod Pokharel, Mr Chun Bahadur Gurung, Mr Padam Chettri, Ms Meena Pyakuryal, Ms Deepa v Manandhar, Mr Madhav Risal, Ms Chetana Loksum, Ms Sunita Gurung, Ms Sunita Pradhanang, Mr Narayan P Sitaula, Mr Shiv Narayan Chaudhary, Ms Dil Maya Limbu, Mr Ganesh Adhikary, Mr Shyam Gurung, Ms Linda Shrestha, Mr Padam Pariyar, Ms Dhana Kumari Lama and many more who helped me providing relevant and useful books, reports and other publications for this study. Last but not the least, I am thankful to my sons Saurab and Gaurab for undertaking all the typing and Mr Kamal Rai, Mr Tanka Gurung and Mr Narayan S Lama for helping me in photocopying and providing secretarial works. I am also thankful to my wife Kumari and entire family members for every support provided to complete this study. Sangram Singh Lama Kathmandu, 2 March, 2009 vi ABSTRACT In recent years, a wide range of Nepali stakeholders, sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists, academics, civil society groups, NGOs, INGOs and donors have voiced their concerns about the causes and processes of discrimination, social exclusion and inequality of opportunities, devolution of power and authority to the lower units of government and poor state of governance in the country. The general public had hoped that the euphoric jubilation that marked the afterglow of the 1990 democratic restoration in Nepal would have ushered in an era of improved social inclusion and governance. But none of the incoming governments of the post-1990 have met the expectations of the people for social change and the widely discussed and accepted view now is that there is a grave crisis of governability in Nepal. The main victims of this crisis have been the majority of Nepal’s citizens who are poor, vulnerable and marginalized as every state machinery including the civil society are still being highly dominated by the upper caste male groups. Meaningful peoples’ participation from poor, vulnerable and socially excluded communities in the state and non-state machineries and a participatory democracy for social change remained mere oratory rhetoric.