Local Drivers of Conflict and Governance

Project Leader: Dr. Hari Dhungana
Partners and Collaborators: DFID
Duration : Oct 2012- Dec 2012

Brief description of the project : Local Drivers of Conflict and Governance is the pilot study conducted in 4 VDCs of Dailekh district in mid-western region of Nepal. The study looks after the local institutions, local space and local leadership developed over the years that govern the decision making in villages. While there has been increasing flow of funds at the local level through government and donor resources, the vacuum caused by the lack of elected representatives has given rise to informal mechanisms for resource allocations and other informal decision making arrangements. The local power structures and informal mechanisms thereby uniquely characterize the conflict and governance issues at lower end of political space in Nepal, prioritizing the needs based on the incentives of various individuals and groups. This study identifies the local institutional context as defined by participants, including formal and informal institutions, and the distribution and intersection of membership and leadership, analysis of fund flow to the VDC through various agencies and allocation, identity key leaders in the village and the relations between them, change and emergence of new leaders, understand the extent to which political, or other forms of affiliations shape participation and social interaction at the village level and describe the linkages between village politics and the district or regional politics, as mediated by party organisations or personal relations.

Current Status: Completed

More information: hari@sias-southasia.org