NURTURING LINKS BETWEEN RESEARCH AND

PUBLIC POLICY

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

FACE TO FACE MEETING OF SA-EBPDN MEMBERS

17 MARCH 2011

Hari Dhungana, PhD

Nepal Policy Research Network. www.nepalpolicynet.com

and

ForestAction, Nepal. www.forestaction.org

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

opportunities?

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POLICY STUDIES IN NEPAL

Started with the nation-building zeal of King Mahendra, 1960s—

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 4

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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

onlineorg/

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

of 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?? 13

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FOUNDING OF NEPAL POLICY RESEARCH

NETWORK

Founding Members

Social Science Baha

College of Development Studies

ForestAction

Nurturing the link between social science

research and public policy-making

Opportunities for

Sharing of ideas with wider policy research

community

Interbreeding of knowledge and experience

Leveraged impact through collective effort

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KEY MANDATE OF NEPAL POLICY RESEARCH

NETWORK

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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

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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 (local democracy, hydrowpower,

community forestry, EFA)

Thematic leaders??

Social science research: value added services

Journal: “New Angle: Nepal Journal of Social

Science and Public Policy”

Policy dialogues & documentation 16

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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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Roundtable on

Policy Research in “New Nepal” Opportunities for Networking and Collaboration

Kathmandu 24th December 2010

NEPAL POLICY RESEARCH NETWORK

NETWORK’S OPPORTUNITIES—

INDIGENIZING POLICY MAKING

Continuous tracking & stock-taking of public

policy process

Cross-sectoral Dialogues on policy issues

National-level

Regional-level

Policy Research

Develop “policy products” from existing / previous

research

Capacity development for policy analysis

Web-based capacity

Journal—distinctive window for semi-academic

contribution

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SUSTAINING THE ORGANIZATION

Organizational basis— “soft” MOU Structure: Informal versus formal structure

Secretariat—rolling??

Communication

“Reason” to be in the Network

Knowledge: Sectoral expertise of member organizations/individuals

Capacity development of member organizations—cross- organizational learning

Secretariat capacity

Funding Member contributions

Secretariat support

Quick project-based studies, dialogue

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SUSTAINING THE ORGANIZATION..CONTD.

Expanding the organization

Restrained and organic growth

Willing individuals/ organizations

Communicating

Regular member communication—e-mails

Capacity for web-based communication— user-

interface, substantive enrichment

Support for organizing policy-related events

Provide broad platform for publicity and leverage

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