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Governance Lab- GovLab

GovLab is a Think and Do Tank in Nepal.

It is an initiative of Daayitwa Abhiyaan to bring together experienced researchers, policy makers and other partners for sustainable development of Nepal.

13/10/2026

Having a seat at the table is not the same as having a say.

A policy isn’t inclusive just because it exists. A service isn’t accessible just because it’s available.

Swipe right to read Governance Lab’s latest think piece on moving from commitments to real change.

Want to read more articles like this? Explore our blog section 👇 https://www.govlab.com.np/blogs

05/10/2026

𝗡𝗮𝘄𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗦𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺

Who governs Khumbu’s shared forests and pastures? 💡

For Sherpa communities, the Nawa system helps regulate forest use, protect crops and manage seasonal livestock movement. Village-appointed custodians carry out these responsibilities, yet the system lacks formal legal recognition.

Over summer 2026, our research intern Ullas Timalsina examined this gap in his discussion paper on the Nawa Customary Governance System.

The paper forms part of Governance Lab’s Nepal Action Research for Tourism Solutions project, which studies how governance and coordination shape tourism outcomes. Through its Khumbu pilot, the project seeks practical reforms that strengthen local benefit-sharing and clarify institutional responsibilities.

Ullas’s paper documents what Nawa governs, who relies on it and the costs of non-recognition. It explores how a municipal ordinance could clarify Nawa’s role alongside public authorities and establish a stronger basis for support while retaining village-led selection.

Swipe through to learn how Nawa works and why recognition matters.

02/10/2026

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗞𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗯𝘂’𝘀 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲? 💡

Governance Lab’s 𝗡𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 examines how governance, coordination and financial flows shape tourism outcomes. Its first phase combines a national policy review with research in Khumbu to identify reforms that improve transparency and local benefit-sharing.

Over summer 2026, our research intern @._ f@swarthmorecollege worked on a discussion paper tracing how much tourism-related revenue Khumbu generates and how much returns locally.

Across five quantified revenue streams, the paper estimates annual collections of NPR 1.81 billion. About 22% returns to Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality, rising to 25% when the park buffer-zone share is included. Drawing on official reports and estimates, it examines the gap between local responsibilities and the revenue available to meet them.

Swipe through to follow the money and explore what could change. Click here to read the full discussion paper.

29/09/2026

At the 𝗡𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘂𝗺 organized by , Governance Lab’s Program and Partnership Coordinator joined the panel, providing a governance and policy lens to the discourse on “𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗪𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗟𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗟𝗶𝗸𝗲?”

Drawing from Governance Lab’s work at the intersection of citizens and the state, Pratisha reflected on what it means to build hope collectively when institutions struggle to keep pace with citizens’ demands. She explored the changing citizen-state relationship, why institutional responses often lag behind the urgency of youth-led movements, and what it would take for Indigenous knowledge to be recognized as expertise in policymaking, along with engaging young participants during the open Q&A.

The message from the discussion was clear: 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘻𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘨𝘯𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘭𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦.

This directly hit the theme of the symposium “𝗖𝗼-𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘆: 𝗔 𝗛𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗼 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗱 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘁𝘆.”

23/09/2026

📆A lot has happened since summer but we wanted to share a special event we hosted in August. 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗯 𝗵𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗖𝗘𝗦 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝗹. During the summer school there were lively and in-depth panel discussions and engagements.

🌐GovLab also hosted a 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘋𝘪𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘳 at the Vivanta Hotel. The evening was designed to bring together prominent Nepali scholars, leaders and policymakers—including a Supreme Court Justice, members of the National Planning Commission, Members of Parliament, and the VC of Tribhuvan University—with ACES PhD scholars, and faculty from Yale, Stanford, the London School of Economics, and other renowned institutions. It was an enriching and memorable night of dialogue, connection, and shared ideas.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
The London School of Economics and Political Science - LSE

Ashoka University university

23/09/2026

🤝Some connections come full circle.

Governance Lab recently signed an MoU with KUSOA, Department of Economics and the partnership carries a familiar connection, several members of our IEN and Abhiyaan team are graduates of this very department.

As we strengthen this institutional connection, we look forward to more opportunities to engage, exchange ideas, and build meaningful collaborations together.

Here’s to turning familiar connections into new possibilities.
economics

22/09/2026

Three days. Three questions. One deeper way of looking at disasters.

Through Gyaan Shrinkhala Course 3: Disasters as Socio-Political Processes, we explored:

WHO DECIDES?: How institutions, authority and governance shape disaster response.

WHAT COUNTS?: Whose losses are recognised, measured and remembered.

WHO GETS PROTECTED? How vulnerability, inequality and access shape exposure, protection and recovery.

Huge thank you to our instructor; Dr. Rachana Upadhyaya and all participants for making three days of questioning, learning and reflection possible.

21/09/2026

𝗔 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿.

What if disaster is not just about what happens when a hazard strikes, but about the social and political processes that determine what is considered a disaster, who decides, who is exposed, and who recovers?

Over three days, guided by Dr. Rachana Upadhyaya, Gyaan Shrinkhala Course 3 unpacked these questions through conversations, role playing, and critical reflection.

Thank you to everyone who showed up, questioned, listened, and contributed.

16/09/2026

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱.

Women’s representation in local government has grown, but meaningful participation and influence remain a challenge.

Governance Lab 𝗚𝗥𝗜𝗚 𝗠𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 explores what 60 local governments reveal about the limits of Nepal’s gender quotas and what needs to change.

The findings point to a clear need to move beyond representation and awareness—to strengthen institutional capacity, women's leadership, meaningful participation, and evidence-based decision-making.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵. 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗹𝘀𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱.

📖 Read the full report: https://bit.ly/3UXUxyT

15/09/2026

⏰ 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 “𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱?” 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗮𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 “𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗮 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲?”

Floods, landslides and other hazards are not experienced equally.

Who decides what counts as a disaster? Whose losses are recognised? Who gets protection and who gets left behind?

These are the questions we will explore at 𝗚𝘆𝗮𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝟯: 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗼-𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀, facilitated by 𝗗𝗿. 𝗥𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗨𝗽𝗮𝗱𝗵𝘆𝗮𝘆𝗮.

📅 17–19 September 2026, 8:00 am -10:30 am
📍 Martin Chautari, Kathmandu
💰 NPR 3,000 | Students: NPR 1,500

𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆: https://forms.gle/SiTDytcJSNPeYvVs6

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: https://bit.ly/4qW3Aw4

𝗜𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗷𝗼𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

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