Democracy, Competition and Choice: Emerging Local Self-Government in Nepal

by John Martinussen

"This is the first comprehensive analysis of the new democratic set-up in Nepal as seen from the perspective of both the local authorities and the people themselves. It will be of interest to those in the fields of political science, public administration, development studies, and South Asian studies." --Development and Cooperation Several governments in the third world have committed themselves to delegating more power to local authorities. In 1992 Nepal joined these countries by creating democratically elected local government bodies at the district and village levels. The objective was to make local government institutions more attentive to the people′s needs and better capable of planning and implementing development activities. This book reviews the new policies on decentralization in Nepal and investigates how and to what extent they have so far been implemented. Major obstacles at the national and local levels are identified, and proposals are put forward for more efficient decentralization strategies aimed at strengthening the new local authorities within a democratic framework. This is the first comprehensive analysis of the new democratic setup in Nepal as seen from the perspective of both the local authorities and the people themselves. Democracy, Competition, and Choice will be of interest to those in the fields of political science, public administration, development economics, development studies, and South Asian studies.

224 pages, Hardcover

Published November 3, 1995