O PPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN N EPAL ROUNDTABLE ON POLICY RESEARCH - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

LINKING RESEARCH AND PUBLIC POLICY

OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN NEPAL

ROUNDTABLE ON

POLICY RESEARCH IN “NEW NEPAL”

OPPORTUNITIES FOR NETWORKING AND COLLABORATION

Hari Dhungana, PhD Nepal Policy Research Network www.nepalpolicynet.com

POLICY ENVIRONMENT: THE POLITICAL

SCENE

 Significant political change  Problematisation of polity, economy and society  Celebration of “New Nepal”

 Just, prosperous, peaceful, democratic, ....

 Erosion of legitimacy of societal institutions  Who is policy maker?  Links between citizens and decision-makers?

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POLICY RESEARCH CONTEXT

 Framing of policy agenda: donor-domination  Research priorities  Civil society mobilisation & movements  Hospitality: privileging of the Western mind  Fatalistic interpretation  Politics is given— “we can do nothing”  Politics everywhere ?  Emphasis on Critique  Oppositional/activist posturing  Politics of blaming—zeal of counselling others

 Constructive involvement: Actionable

• pportunities?

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USING RESEARCH FOR POLICY: THE LINK

Knowledge Brokering

Politics & societal aspirations Academic research

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POLICY THINKING

 Historic craving of intellectuals:

 Examples: Plato, Kautilya, Machiavelli

 “Policy science” and think-tanks

 Post-World War II phenomenon  limitations of ‘pure’ social science

 Second-order interpretation of science

research

 Value-mediated  Politically committed  Vernacular discourse

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POLICY-MAKING COMPLEX

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Information

Producers-- researchers

Purveyors— advocates Knowledge

Values

Ideologies—

• ught to be done

Beliefs—causal assumptions

Interests— rewards Epistemology/paradigms

Formal structure-

Legislative, judiciary, executive

Institutional structure

Informal—

policy brokers, stake-holders Social problems/issues

Persuasion

Source: Lomas, 2000

Policies

WORKING OF POLICY RESEARCH

 3000+ think tanks, globally  Institutional formation of think-tanks  Government/party-controlled/intelligence-gathering  Semi-autonomous; University centres  Private firms; Non-profit NGOs  Basis of funding—  corporate,  foundation,  competitive grants;  government-commissioned  Wide variety of actions:  Research; publications; training;  Dialogue; lobbying  Linking the state, private sector, civil society

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KEY TRENDS

 Trans-nationalisation of policy brokering—  Trans-national think-tanks  Movements,  Cultural diplomacy / people-to-people contacts  Alumni connections  Governmental control over policy knowledge:  Crisis of ‘modern’ nation  Autonomous existence of think-tanks  Non-state funding: donors, foundations, project

bidding, training fees

 Greater demand for domestically-led policy

innovation—“feel the soil”

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POLICY STUDIES IN NEPAL

 Started with the nation-building zeal of King

Mahendra

 TU Centre: CEDA  Pa.Ni.Ja.Bu.Sa. Etc.  Government-funded research on social science

and humanities

 Post-1990 context: constraints on publicly-funded

research

 Academic NGOs/research-focused NGOs  Think tank groups—security, conflict, economics

areas

 CONSULTING work

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RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS IN NEPAL--EXAMPLES

SN Organization Address Specialized Area

1 Administrative Staff College Jawalakhel, Kathmandu http://www.nasc.org.np/ Public administration 2 Center for Research on Environment Health and Population Activities (CREHPA) P.O. Box : 9626 Kusunti, http://www.crehpa.org.np Health and Population 3 Central Department of Population Studies Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu

http://www.cdps.edu.np/

Population and Health

4 Centre for Educational Research, Innovation and Development (CERID)

P.O. Box 2161, Balkhu, Kathmandu

http://www.cerid.org/ Education 5 Centre for Economic Development and Administration (CEDA)

P.O.Box 797, Kirtipur, Kathmandu

http://www.ceda.org.np/ Economy, Planning, Development

6 Centre for Environmental and Agricultural Policy Research, Extension and Development (CEAPRED) G.P.O. Box 5752, Kathmandu

http://www.ceapred.org.np/

Agriculture and Livestock

7 Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies (CNAS)

PO Box 3757 Kirtipur, Kathmandu http://www.cnastu.org.np/

Language, Culture and Social values 8 College of Development Studies

P O Box 2708, Old Baneshwor, Kathmandu http://www.cds.edu.np/

Development policy and practice 9 Community Self Reliance Centre (CSRC) P.O.Box: 19790, Dhapasi, Kathmandu http://www.csrcnepal.org/ Land 10 ForestAction Nepal PO Box: 12207 Satdobato, Lalitpur http://www.forestaction.org Natural resource, environmental governance and livelihood 11 Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES)

• P. O. Box: 11840, Kathmandu

Sanepa, Lalitpur http://www.fesnepal.org 12 Himalayan Institute of Development (HID) GPO Box 6052 Ram Shah Path, Kathmandu http://sites.google.com/site/hid

• nlineorg/

Public policy

13 Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS) P.O. Box 2254 Mandikhatar, Kathmandu http://www.iids.org.np/ Socio-economic situation 14 Institute for Local Governance Studies (Inlogos)

• G. P.O. Box 21098,, Kathmandu

http://inlogos.org

Local Governance

15 Institute for Policy Research and Development (IPRAD) G.P.O. Box 8975-EPC 994 MaitiGhar, Kathmandu http://www.iprad.org.np/ Development policy 16 Institute for Social and Environmental Transition in Nepal (ISET Nepal)

POBox 397, Maharajgunj, Kathmandu

www.isetnepal.org.np Natural Resource, Environment and Social Development 17 Institute of Foreign Policy

Tripureshwor,Kathmandu

http://www.ifa.org.np Foreign policy

18 ISER Nepal P.O. Box. 57, Bharatpur, Chitwan

ttp://isernepal.org.np/

Population Education, Environment, Social Justice and Governance 19 Kathmandu School of Law (KSL) Po Box: 6618 Dadhikot-9, Bhaktapur www.ksl.edu.np Law 20 Local Development Training Academy

Jawalakhel, Lalitpur Email: ldta@wlink.com.np

http://www.ldta.org.np Local development 21 Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LIBIRD)

PO Box 324 Gairapatan, Pokhara, http://www.libird.org

Natural Resource, Livelihood 22 Martin Chautari

Post box 13470, Kathmandu http://www.martinchautari.org. np/

Media, Governance and Democracy

23 Nepal Health Research Council P.O.Box 7626,Ramshah Path, Kathmandu http://www.nhrc.org.np/ Public Health, Environmental Health 24 Nepal Institute for Policy Studies (NIPS) P.O.Box. 14352, Baneshwor, Kathmandu

http://www.nipsnepal.org/

Public Policy 25 Nepal Public Health Foundation

PO.BOX 19624, 1085, Kathmandu

http://www.nphfoundation.org Public Health 26 New ERA (P.) Ltd.

P.O. Box 722 Kathmandu

http://www.newera.com.np/ Socio-economic and Development research 27 Social Science Baha GPO Box 25334, Kathmandu http://www.soscbaha.org Social science research, Publication and Social & policy dialogues 28 South Asia Centre for Policy Studies (SACEPS)

P.O. Box 13670 105/3, Kathmandu http://www.saceps.org/

South Asia Policy

29 South Asian Network for Development and Environmental Economics (SANDEE) PO Box: 8975, EPC: 1056, Kathmandu http://www.sandeeonline.org Development Economics, Poverty and Environment 30 The Nepal Research Group GPO Box: 910 Kathmandu

http://www.nccr-nepal.org/

Development, Environmental Governance, Peace and Conflict

Journal

Publisher

Administration and Management Review Nepal Administrative Staff College http://nepjol.info/index.php/AMR Dahulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology TU, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Mahendra Multiple Campus, Birgunj http://nepjol.info/index.php/DSAJ Economic Journal of Development Issues TU, Department of Economics, Patan Multiple Campus, Lalitpur http://nepjol.info/index.php/EJDI Economic Journal of Nepal TU, Central Department of Economics, Kathmandu http://nepjol.info/index.php/EJON Himalayan Journal of Sociology and Anthropology TU, Department of Sociology and Anthropology PrithviNarayan Campus, Pokhara

http://nepjol.info/index.php/HJSA

Journal of Nepalese Business Studies TU, Faculty of Management, Prithivi Narayan Campus, Pokhara,

http://nepjol.info/index.php/JNBS

Journal of Political Science TU, Department of Political Science and Sociology

• f Prithwi Narayan Campus

http://nepjol.info/index.php/JPS

Journal Publisher

Nepalese Journal of Qualitative Research Methods Local Initiative Promotion Trust, Nepal

http://nepjol.info/index.php/NJQRM

Occasional Papers in Sociology and Anthropology TU, Central Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Kathmandu

http://nepjol.info/index.php/OPSA

Socio-Economic Development Panorama HARD-Nepal and Pro-Con

http://nepjol.info/index.php/sedp

Tribhuvan University Journal Research Division, Tribhuvan University Kathmandu, Nepal

http://www.nepjol.info/index.php/TUJ

Contribution to Nepal studies TU/Centre for Nepal and Asian Studies (CENAS)

http://www.cnastu.org.np/pub.html

Nepalese Journal of Public Policy and Governance TU/ Public Administration Campus

http://njpg.pactu.edu.np/

Nepali Journal of Contemporary Study Nepal Centre for Contemporary Study

http://www.nccs.org.np/index.php?option=com _content&view=article&id=61&Itemid=64

KEY ASPECTS OF POLICY RESEARCH IN NEPAL

Research is TOR-based—project funding Friendly consultancy—civic space? Knowledge framed around donor

discourse—can policy be framed from ground evidence?

Lack of dialogue between researchers and

policy-makers

Domestic demand for policy research??

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RESEARCH & POLICY: MAIN DISJUNCTURE

 Distinctive mandates  Institutional norms  Personal motivations of researchers/policy-makers  Funding cycles  Assumptions  policy-making: state monopoly  Researchers: job finished when output is supplied  BOTH ARE PROCESSES: DIALOGUES at important

NODAL points

 Founding of Nepal Policy Research Network:  Social Science Baha  College of Development Studies  ForestAction

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KEY MANDATE OF NPRN

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Journal—electronic and hard-copy “New Angle”

Social science research

Policy engagement— policy dialogue/ seminar

Policy actors— public agencies, donors, politicians, civil society Researchers—social scientists, academia, “epistemic community”

NPRN

Wider policy and knowledge domain

Public policy portal: interactive knowledge repository

NPRN FUNCTIONS

 Public policy portal: www.nepalpolicynet.com  Policy documents repository  Window to Nepal’s policy research  Policy watch  Policy blogging  Thematic leaders??  Social science research: value added services  Journal: “New Angle: Nepal Journal of Social

Science and Public Policy”

 Policy dialogues & documentation

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VALUE ADDED SERVICES FOR EXISTING

POLICY RESEARCH--OPPORTUNITIES

 Knowledge sharing platform  Popular discourse on complex policy problems  Collective capacity for  policy analysis;  policy skills;  communication;  policy products  Collective framing of policy problems:  Evidence-based  Post-ideological

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KEY ISSUES TO CONSIDER

 Cross disciplinary walls—common language  Synergy between researchers/institutes  National ownership over policy knowledge

 Framing the policy problem  Autonomy versus engagement  public utility of domestic capacity?

 Convergence around public interest-  Beyond “One-man show”—next generation of

policy researchers

 Skills  Academic excellence

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