Measuring local governance capacity in Nepal

Can decentralizing government power to local officials remedy long-standing political and economic inequities? The Research and Evidence for Nepal's Transition (RENT) program is building a practical evidence base on what works to enable more inclusive economic development.

Local Government Capacity and Responsiveness

Nepal's transition to federalism empowered new political actors with the potential to be responsive to the voters in their communities, but early evidence sheds light on substantial variation in local governments' legal, administrative, planning, and budgeting capacities.

In the context of crises like the Covid-19 pandemic and accelerating climate breakdown, a responsive local government with the ability to implement adaptation plans becomes even more critical.

What is enabling or constraining inclusive growth, state capacity, public services, private sector activity, civic engagement, and transparency and accountability? How can development partners use their limited resources to support political and economic inclusion?

Since 2019, researchers at Inclusion Economics - in collaboration with colleagues at the London School of Economics, Bocconi University, Stanford University, World Bank, and Indian Institute of Technology, Gandhinagar – have conducted multiple rounds of nationwide phone surveys with government officials, and analyzed this data in connection with administrative data on citizens’ policy priorities; development partners’ implementation assistance; and other measures of local implementation capacity in infrastructure planning, disaster response, and climate adaptation.