Understanding Local Government Coordination: An Assessment of District Coordination Committees in Nepal
Author | Thaneshwar Bhusal |
DOI | 10.1177/0160323X221087909 |
Published date | 01 March 2022 |
Date | 01 March 2022 |
Subject Matter | Field Notes |
Understanding Local
Government Coordination:
An Assessment of District
Coordination Committees
in Nepal
Thaneshwar Bhusal
Abstract
This observational study of local government coordination brings fresh assessment of institutions
and processes of District Coordination Committees (DCCs) in facilitating horizontal coordination
across local governments and vertical coordination between federal, provincial, and local govern-
ments in Nepal. Necessary qualitative data –observational notes, interview transcripts and selected
official publications –were generated based on researcher’s two year’s professional experience at
the DCC in a remote district of Rasuwa in Nepal. Analysis is conducted in line with what John
Halligan (2020) has explained as analytical elements of horizontal and vertical coordination.
Findings suggest that although DCCs seem less effective local institutions in fostering both horizon-
tal and vertical coordination, they are increasingly providing the most plausible avenues for politi-
cians, administrators, and ordinary people to get together in materialising the constitutional
thirst to implement cooperative federalism in Nepal.
Keywords
local government, coordination, federalism, nepal
Introduction
Nepal introduced a federalist constitution in 2015,
with a clear outline of federal, provincial, and
local government structures and functions. Each
level of government is empowered with constitu-
tionally guaranteed power, resources, and respon-
sibilities. The constitution exclusively envisions
that each level of government follows the princi-
ple of cooperation, coordination and coexistence
while exercising its power, utilizing resources,
and thus fulfilling constitutional responsibilities
(Government of Nepal, 2015). Much of the
efforts to strengthen coordination, however,
appear either at the federal level where focus is
to enhance horizontal coordination amongst
federal ministries and departments, or slightly
downwards at the provincial level where concen-
tration is to balance vertical relationships between
the federal government and provincial govern-
ments. This generates a research opportunity to
Institute for Governance and Policy Analysis, University of
Canberra, Canberra, Australia
Corresponding Author:
Thaneshwar Bhusal, Institute for Governance and Policy
Analysis, University of Canberra, Australia.
Emails: thaneshwar.bhusal@canberra.edu.au; tsbhusal@gmail.com
Field Notes
State and Local Government Review
2022, Vol. 54(1) 68-81
© The Author(s) 2022
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DOI: 10.1177/0160323X221087909
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