Book Review (Spotlight Weekly)]

Primer On Governance

An informative work on the theoretical underpinnings of good governance

By A CORRESPONDENT

Decentralization and local government have become popular buzzwords of contemporary Nepalese society, and politicians and intellectuals are vying with one another to talk and write about them. Although the decentralization process in Nepal began decades before the restoration of multiparty democracy in 1990, it never received the public prominence it has acquired today. The Local Self-Governance Act 1998 has introduced some significant concepts in the area of decentralization, but they are not easy to implement.

Hundreds of articles and dozens of books have been published on the importance of decentralization and its relevance to new democracies like Nepal. Some scholars are in a race to claim the mantle of Nepal’s messiah of decentralization. As donors are increasingly pushing the agenda of good governance and decentralization, intellectuals and organizations are busy with seminars and symposiums on the many aspects of the subject.

Decentralization is essential to strengthening the democratic process at the grassroots level. Skeptics obviously wonder how the people would stand to benefit from sometimes-arcane academic papers or seminars held in the confines of the capital. Under pressure from donors and local bodies, the government has grudgingly agreed to give up some of its powers. Beyond that, even the major political parties that supported the bill do not have a clear policy on the precise definition of devolution of power.

Amid the persisting confusion and chaos in the area of governance, prominent scholars of the country have been trying to clear the fog, but not with much success. This new book by the Political Science Association of Nepal lacks thought-provoking articles. It is a ritualistic compilation of scholarly papers.

Some of the articles are highly academic and not easy to understand. Others are complicated in their approach to the subject matter. In view of their tone, the articles and recommendations come more in the form of sermons rather than a strategy for practical action.

Nevertheless, the articles, written in Nepali, can prove helpful for those who want to understand the theoretical underpinnings of good governance before building a workable strategy. In his article on the role of political parties in strengthening local democracy, Ramesh Chandra Adhikari surveys the commitment of the three major political parties to decentralization.

Shastra Dutta Panta’s paper on the inter-relationship between local and central bodies stresses the need of closer cooperation between the two. Panta argues that decentralization is one of the essential factors for sustaining democracy. Few would dispute that statement, but fewer still seem to agree on the shape and form any decentralization package should take.

SUSHASHAN
Published by Political Science Association of Nepal
Edited by Ganga Bahadur Thapa
Pages: 191
Price: Rs. 300