Assessing the Performance of Nepal's Local Governments in 2019

Overview

In 2017, Nepal welcomed a new wave of local elected officials for a five-year term. In 2019, at the halfway milestone in the political term, a new survey assesses the local governments' performances in their legal, administrative, planning, and budgeting capacities.

Key Insights

• Newly elected local governments have been functioning in Nepal for 2.5 years. This brings to an end the first half of their 5-year term, creating an important milestone for evaluating their performance. 
• The 2019 survey of local governments reveals substantial variation in their legal, administrative, planning, and budgeting capacities. Geographic characteristics constitute one factor that predicts differences in capacities, with rural and mountainous regions performing slightly better. 
• Training of local officials is another factor associated with higher legal capacity, reflected in a higher number of formed committees and passed laws. In contrast, party and caste differences between elected officials are associated with more disputes and lower legal, planning, and budgeting capacities.