Status of Women and Youth Leadership in Nepal (Findingsfromminisurveyconductedin2017)

i|P a g e

Abbreviations

CDO : Chief District Officer CSPro : Census and Survey Processing System DMEA : Design, Monitoring, Evaluation and Accountability LDO : Local Development Officer LDTA : Local Development Training Academy LGU : Local Government Unit MoFAD : Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Local Development PCL : Proficiency Certificate Level RYC : Ratauli Youba Club SIDS : Sindhuli Integrated Development Society SLC : School Leaving Certificate SPSS : Statistical Package for Social Science UN : United Nations VDC : Village Development Committee

ii|P a g e

TableofContents Abbreviations .................................................................................................................................................. i Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................. 2 1.1 Context and Background .......................................................................................................................... 2 1.2 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................... 5 1.3 Literature Review ...................................................................................................................................... 7 1.4 Survey Objectives: Methodology ............................................................................................................ 15 CHAPTER TWO: FINDINGS ................................................................................................................................ 17 2.1 Demographic Information of Respondents ............................................................................................. 17 2.2 Awareness of Recent State Restructuring .............................................................................................. 17 2.3 Confidence to Express Opinions during the Decision-making Process .................................................. 22 2.4 Collaboration across the Dividing Lines .................................................................................................. 25 2.5 Affiliation with Local Structures ............................................................................................................... 27 2.6 Representation in Planning and Review Meetings (VDC level) .............................................................. 32 2.7 Platform for Leadership Development at the Local Level ....................................................................... 34 2.8 Awareness of Local Development Budget .............................................................................................. 43 2.9 Public Hearings and Social Audits .......................................................................................................... 47 2.10 Public Satisfaction towards Service Providers ...................................................................................... 53 2.11 Perception of Adults towards the Youth ................................................................................................ 54 2.12 Perception of Men towards Women ...................................................................................................... 56 CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................................. 60 3.1 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................ 60 3.2 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 64 References ................................................................................................................................................... 67

iii|P a g e

List of Tables Table (1): Are you aware about the recent state restructuring? Table (2): If you are aware, what change do you find at first after the state restructuring? Table (3): What changes do you think will occur after state restructuring in the local development? Table (4): How difficult or easy for you to express your opinion or place your vote in the decision-making process? Table (5): Do women and youth in your community work collaboratively with people of different identities? Table (6 and 7): If yes, in which group/organization or network are you affiliated with? Table (8 and 9): What would be your role in such discussion? Table (10 and 11): Are you invited in the budget planning of the VDC? Table (12): Has any forum or group formed in your community for leadership development? Table (13): If yes, did you participate in it? Table (14 and 15): If participated, have you realized increment in knowledge and understanding about role of women in local development than before? Table (16 and 17): What kind of role you should have for making meaningful participation of women in overall local development? Table (18 and 19): Did VDC allocate budget for women and youth leadership development last year? Table (20, 21 and 22): If yes, were you benefitted from the program? Table (23): Do you know about public hearing? Table (24): Did you participate in it when it held in your community? Table (25): If yes, how effective do you find for governance and improvement? Table (26): Public’s perception towards service providers Figure (27 and 28): How is the perception of adults towards the youth in your community? List of Figures Figure (1 and 2): Sampled Respondents Figure (3): Are you aware about the recent state restructuring? Figure (4): If you are aware, what change do you find at first after the state restructuring? Figure (5): What changes do you think will occur after state restructuring in the local development? Figure (6 and 7): How difficult or easy for you to express your opinion or place your vote in the decision-making process? Figure (8): Do women and youth in your community work collaboratively with people of different identities? Figure (9): Are you affiliated with any group/organization or network? Figure (10): What would be your role in such discussion? Figure (11): Are you invited in the budget planning of the VDC? Figure (12): Has any forum or group formed in your community for leadership development? Figure (13): If yes, did you participate in it? Figure (14): If participated, have you realized increment in knowledge and understanding about role of women in local development than before? Figure (15, 16 and 17): What kind of role you should have for making meaningful participation of women in overall local development? Figure (18): Did VDC allocate budget for women and youth leadership development last year? Figure (19 and 20): Do you know about public hearing? Figure (21): Did you participate in it when it held in your community? Figure (22): If yes, how effective do you find for governance and improvement? Figure (23 and 24): How is the perception of adults towards the youth in your community? Figure (25 and 26): How is the perception of men towards women in your community?

1|P a g e

Executive Summary Nepal is currentlyenduringaprolongedpolitical transition thatbeganwith theComprehensivePeaceAgreement in 2006. The inability to properly implement new policies and legal frameworks and theserious lack of accountability and checks and balances, have severely hindered the democratizationprocess.Amongthemanyissuesthatremainunaddressedistheinclusionofmarginalizedcommunitiesandindividuals,whoremainexcludedfromaccesstoresourcesandthepoliticalprocess.Moreover,thegeneral public has lost trust and respect for the government, political parties, and constitutional andlegalprovisionsduetothelackofaccountabilityandeffectiveservicedelivery.In addition, the minimal participation of women in leadership positions, patriarchal society, andnepotismhaveall resulted in the tokenisticparticipationofwomen in leadershippositions. Therearealso very limited spaces for the youth to exercise their leadership potential, and themobilization ofyouth in violent activities by political parties has damaged their credibility and leadership potential.After thepromulgationof thenewconstitution, theroleofwomenandtheyouthdidnot improveastheirpotentialcapacity,competence,andleadershiprolesinsupportingthecurrenttransitionalstageofthe country was conspicuously disregarded. It is imperative that the low representation andparticipationofwomenandyouthinpoliticalleadershippositionsareaddressedasithaspreventedtheNepalistateformbecominganaccountable,responsive,andinclusivesociety.This report is an internal evaluation to monitor the impact, relevance, effectiveness, andappropriatenessof theplannedCollaborativeLeadershipProjectbySearchand its localpartners.Thisprojectisextremelytimelyandhighlyrelevantwiththeestablishmentoflocalgovernmentunitsandtherecentsuccessfulcompletionofthe localelections.Thereport isbasedonaminisurveyconductedtoestablish evidencebaseddataon the situationofwomanand youth leadership in local communities.Thisisstronglysupportedbytheliteratureandmostrecentresearchonyouthandwomen’sleadership.Aslocalgovernmenthas22exclusiveand15concurrentconstitutionalrightstoservethelocalpeople,theyhavetoformvariouslocallevelacts,policies,andguidelinesindifferentsectors,includinghealth,education, social security,participationandprotection,andallother servicesandplanningprocesses.Thevoiceofwomenandyouthinthisprocessanddecision-makingisapre-conditionforanaccountableandresponsivegovernment.Theminisurveyfocusedonelevenquestionstodeterminethesituationofwomenandyouth leaders,andother relevant factors, in three districts, namelyDhanusha,Mahottari and Sindhuli. Respondentswere asked about their awareness of the recent state restructuring, what changes this brought, andwhatchangestheythinkwilloccurtolocaldevelopmentaftertherestructuring.Theywerealsoaskediftheyfounditeasyordifficulttoexpresstheiropinionstodeterminewhetherlocalpeoplewereactivelyparticipating in discussions and the decision-making process. Further questions examined thecollaborativeworkingrelationshipbetweentheyouth,women,andpeoplefromothersocialidentities,suchasreligions,languages,ethnicitiesetc.Thesurveyalso investigated if the local respondentswereaffiliatedwithanygroupsororganizations,andwhattheirrolewaswithintheorganizationstoassessiftheywereactivelyparticipatingorpassivelyrepresented.Additionally,theywerealsoaskediftheywereinvitedtothebudgetplanningmeetingattheVDC,and if theyhadparticipated inanyplanningand reviewmeetings toascertainhow inclusivethesemeetingswere,andwhetherwomenandyouthwereinvolved.Moreover,participantswereaskedif a group or forum for leadership development was established in their community, and if theyattended,didtheyfeelthattheyhadgainednewknowledgebasedontheirattendance.Thesurveythen

2|P a g e

focusedonwomen’sparticipationinlocaldevelopmentandtherolethatcommunitymembersplayedinassistingwomentoachievemeaningfulparticipation.Thesurveycontinuedtoinvestigatewhetherlocalcommunitieswereawareofpublichearings,and if theyattended,did theyconsider themeffective inimprovinglocalgovernance.Furtherquestionsattemptedtodeterminehowsatisfiedparticipantswerewith the local service providers, and the final component of the survey attempted to ascertain howpeople considered the youth were perceived by adults and women were perceived by men in theircommunities.Theresults fromtheminisurveyareextremelyworryingas theyreflectaseriousdisconnectbetweenthe local communitymembers and the local governance and development structures. The responsesfromtherespondentsfollowcertainrecurringthematictopicsthatareevidentthroughoutthesurvey.The most pervasive problem, is the lack of awareness and understanding of state restructuring,budgeting,existingprogramsand training,publichearings tonamea few.Another recurring theme istheexclusionofwomen,youth,and thepoorandmarginalized fromanyactiveorproductive roles inlocal development or governance in their own communities. This is directly related to the lack ofawarenessandunderstanding,buttheubiquitousexclusioninallareas,asdemonstratedbythesurveydata, is extremely detrimental, not only to the individuals but to entire communities, as it directlyunderminestheentireconceptofrepresentativelocalgovernanceandinclusivedemocracy.Theseareasmustbeaddressedtoguaranteethelocalgovernanceanddevelopmentisinclusiveandrepresentativetoensurethatcitizensaretrulyrepresentedbyaccountableandeffectiveleaders.

2|P a g e

CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND AND INTRODUCTION 1.1 Context and Background Nepal is currentlyenduringaprolongedpolitical transition thatbeganwith theComprehensivePeaceAgreementin2006.Therehavebeentengovernmentsoverthelastelevenyearsandthefutureisstilluncertain, as the failure to institutionalize democratic practices and create a stable politicalenvironmenthasresultedinmyriadproblemsinallareasoflife.Theinabilitytoproperlyimplementnewpolicies and legal frameworks and the severe lack of accountability and checks and balances, haveseverelyhinderedthedemocratizationprocess.Amongthemanyissuesthatremainunaddressedistheinclusionofmarginalizedcommunitiesand individuals,whoremainexcludedfromaccesstoresourcesandthepoliticalprocess.Moreover, thegeneralpublichas lost trustandrespect for thegovernment,political parties, and constitutional and legal provisions due to lack of accountability and effectiveservice delivery. In addition, the government appears to have little trust in the general population,whichisevidentintheshrinkingcivilspace,especiallyforthoseworkingonhumanrightsandadvocacyissues. One of the most contentious points was the lack of people’s voices in local decisions in theabsence of elected local governments. In addition, theminimal participation ofwomen in leadershippositions,patriarchalsociety,andnepotismhaveallresultedinthetokenisticparticipationofwomeninleadership positions. There are also very limited spaces for the youth to exercise their leadershippotential, and the mobilization of youth in violent activities by political parties has damaged theircredibilityandleadershippotential.1.1.1 After the New Constitution After thepromulgationof thenewconstitution the roleofwomenand theyouthdidnot improveastheirpotentialcapacity,competence,andleadershiprolesinsupportingthecurrenttransitionalstageofthe countrywas conspicuously disregarded. The increasing exclusion from thepolitical processes anddisillusionmentwith the lackof localdevelopment, risingunemployment,and lackofaspacetovoicetheir concerns and engage in the governance of their communities has resulted in a dramatic rise infrustration and despair ofwomen and the youth. It could be argued that the violentMadhesh post-constitutionprotestscanbeconsideredasanexampleofconflictcreatedduetopoliticalexclusion.TheTeraiuprisingsalsoforcedthecountrytocriticallyquestionthestate’sunderstandingofwomen’sissues,gender roles, and thedeeply rootedpatriarchalnatureof society. Theyouthpopulation, especially inthe Terai region, has also become increasingly discontented due to the lack of any meaningfulleadership roles and is easily mobilized by political leaders and parties as cadres, especially duringprotests and violent clashes. It is imperative that the low representation andparticipationofwomenand youth in political leadership positions are addressed as it has prevented the Nepali state formbecominganaccountable,responsiveandinclusivesociety.Withouttheactiveparticipationofwomenandyouthonequaltermswithadults/menatalllevelsofdecision-making,itisnotpossibletoachieveequality,sustainabledevelopment,peace,anddemocracy.ThefundamentalproblemwithNepalisocietyisthatitispredominantlypatriarchal,wherewomenaretraditionallylimitedwithinthefamilyandhousehold.Childrenandyoutharetreatedasthepropertyoffamily and objects of development and political structures. Men from higher classes, especiallyBrahmin/Chhetri,continuetodominatethepoliticalleadershipofallthemajorpoliticalparties.Thishasresulted inasubstantial trustdeficit,aspeopledonot trust that thegovernmentwill servethemandthereisalackofsignificantrelationshipsbetweenthecitizensandthegovernment.Thisiscompoundedbecausetherewasno localgovernmentelectedfortwodecades,andtheChiefDistrictOfficers (CDO)

3|P a g e

andLocalDevelopmentOfficers(LDO)movearoundandserveaministryinKathmandu.Kumar(2008)arguesthatNepalincreasinglybecamepoliticallycentralizedandeffectivelypreventedlocalleadersandlocal people from having a voice. He concludes that without local leadership and governance theinstitutionalizationofdemocracy isalmost impossible; ‘astherealityprevalent inthecountrydivergeswidely from what is generally understood to be required under the framework of democracy,‘leadership’ inNepal shouldbeexplainedasa social category corresponding topower, authority, andhegemonyordominationcasesratherthanafacilitatorofcollectiveinterests’(Kumar2008,25).1.1.2 Youth TheyouthfacemanyproblemsinNepal,duetonumerousfactors,suchasthelackofpoliticalspaceandrepresentation, employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, and exploitation by politicalleaders/criminal groups. Snellinger (2009) exposes a clear problem that has a direct impact on youthleadershipopportunities.ShestatesthatthereareactuallyveryfewyouthinleadershippositionsasinNepali political culture, as general society and the political sphere have very different perceptions ofwhatconstitutesayouth.Herresearchrevealsthat inpoliticsandleadershippositionsifyouhavenotachievedthehighestpositiontheterm‘youth’mayapply.‘Theysaythatinactualitythesecondtierofleaders,someofwhomareasoldassixty-five,arealsoconsideredyouth.Thereasonforthisisthattoomany people are invested in the opportunity of politics and the top leadership is unwilling to foregotheir positions of power. Furthermore, it is common to see people older than fortywho are studentleaders’(Snellinger2009,49).Thishasseverelylimitedandrestrictedleadershippositionsfortheyouthbetweentheagesof15-29,asmanyleadershippositionsandopportunitiesareoccupiedindefinitelybypeoplewhoshouldnottechnicallybeconsideredyouth.Inaddition,thehighunemploymentrateamongtheyouthoftenleadstoothermorenefariousmeansofgainingalivelihood:AsBennett,KarkiandNepal(2012)demonstrate:‘Eveneducatedyoutharenotabletogetjobstosustaintheirlivelihood.Thishasledtoalotoffrustrationand,duetothisfrustration,they[youth] seek alternative methods to gain income – many of which are illegal.’1 This has resulted inyouth’sengaging in strikes,demonstrations,andviolentactivities.Furthermore, there isan increasingnumber of youth flying to Gulf counties for hazardous work due to the weak and unfavorableemployment environments. Kress (2006) corroborates this assessment and asserts that thedevelopmentmodelofyouthleadershipisessentialas‘whatmakesthefocusondevelopmentalneedscompelling is theunderstanding that if youth are not givenpositive outlets theymay findpotentiallydamagingalternatives’(Kress2006,46).Thegovernmenthasmadeattemptstoaddressthisproblem,asafter2006, thegovernment ratifieda fewnewpolicies related toyouth, like theyouthpolicy in2012and youth vision 2025 and formed national youth council at the central level and district youthcommittees in the districts, but there is no policy that impacts the youth at the local level. Thesecommitteesneitherhavefinancialandhumanresourcesnorplansandprogramstobetrulyeffective,astheyappeartobegesturestoappeasetheyouthratherthanbringgenuinechangeandempowermentfortheyouth.1.1.3 Women Therepresentationofwomenineverysector/structureofthestateandnon-stateactorsisminimalandsignificantlylowerthantheirmalecounterparts.Thisproblemiscompoundedforwomenfrompoorandmarginalizedcommunities, suchasDalits,MuslimsandMadheshisas theyaremoremarginalizedand

1SeeKress(2006);Steinberg(2011)2SeeYouthSpeakoutCoalition&Zimmerman(2007)

4|P a g e

excluded as the intersecting forms of discriminationmultiply the existing patriarchal discrimination.2This is not exclusively a problem for women as many young men also face intersecting forms ofdiscrimination; however, in an extremely patriarchalmale dominated societywoman aremuchmorevulnerabletoexclusionandsubjugation.Moreover,anothercommonproblemthatislargelyignoredbythestateandpolicymakers is thehomogenizing3oftheyouthandwomenandassumingthattheyallsharethesame interests,problems,experiences,andneeds.This furtherexacerbates theexclusionofpoor andmarginalized individuals and communities as they are denied recognition and a voice, anddiversityandpluralism,thebasisofdemocraticsystems,areignored.The homogenizing ofwomen is particularly problematic as it leads to erroneous assumptions that allwomenbecomeempoweredthroughreservation,quotas,andpoliticalrepresentation.However,recentresearch conducted by Search (2016) provides evidence that, ‘women with political aspirations aredemotivated due to the culture of token participation, and nepotism in political parties.’ The samereportindicatesthateconomicallystrongerwomenfromhillcommunitiesaremoreinvolvedinpoliticscomparedtotheeconomicallyweakintheTerai.Therefore,variablessuchaseducation,socio-economicbackground, ethnicity, tonamea few,have serious implicationsonwhichwomenhave access to thelimitedsocialandpoliticalroles.Thisisanimportantexampleofhowtheanalyticalconceptof‘woman’must not be homogenized as women are extremely heterogeneous and have distinctly differentmotivations, problems, and experiences based on their religion, ethnicity, education, socio-economicbackgroundetc.,andtheintersectingformsofdiscriminationtheyexperiencecansignificantlyincreasethediscrimination,exclusion,andmarginalizationtheyexperienceintheireverydaylives.Whenconsultingwiththedirectbeneficiaries,womenandyouth,Searchfoundthattherootcausesoflowrepresentationandparticipationoftheyouthandwomeninpoliticalleadershippositionsare:i)lowinterest and understanding among youth and women about politics, particularly, on their rights andentitlements and the decision making structures and processes; ii) patriarchal leadership traditions,practicesandsocio-culturalmale(elderly)domination,bothinthefamilyandsociety,includingpolitics;iii) lack of communication, public speaking, and leadership skills and competencies; iv) few enablingenvironments and poor sensitivity to the youth and women among the political leaders; and v)dependencyof youthandwomenon the familyhead/maledue to lowexposure, unemployment andsuppression.1.1.4 Local Elections Finally, in2017, threephasesof the local levelelectionswere successfully completedandNepal thenheldProvincialandFederalParliamentaryelectionstocompletethedecentralizationofpoliticalpowerandheraldanewstageofpoliticsinNepal.Withtherecentlocallevelelections,hopesandexpectationsofthepeoplearehighwithnewlocallyelectedrepresentatives.Similartotheone-thirdreservationforwomenatall levelsof thestatestructurebeingacceptedfor thecentralparliament,andaccordingtoLocal Body ElectionAct 2073,women and youth leaderswere provided quotas for about 40%of theseatsinlocallevelelections.4However,womenandyouthleaders,whoseriouslylackknowledge,skills,andcompetencies,aretakingofficeinlocalgovernmentthattheyarenottrainedforandareunawareof thenewsystemsandtheir roles in localgovernment. InsixProvinces (14thofMayand28thof June2017),theMoFALDorganizeda3-daytrainingforelectedlocalgovernmentsineachProvince;however,itonly targeted (Deputy)Mayorsand (vice)Chairsnot theward chairs andmembers. Except thevice

2SeeYouthSpeakoutCoalition&Zimmerman(2007)3Wilson(2004);4SeePandeandFord(2011);Skalli(2011)

5|P a g e

chairs,mostofthewomenandyouthelectedatthe local levelaremembersofwardcommitteesandhavemuchlessexposureandtrainingonlocalgovernmentsystemsandpoliciesandwerenotincludedinthetrainingbyMoFALDandLDTA.There is a vacuum in terms of capacity, skills, and knowledge regarding political participation, whichhinders the youth and women’s growth and influence in the political sphere. Therefore, there is aserious requirement forevidence-basedcapacitybuildingapproaches5 toencourageandnurture theirleadership skills through non-adversarial teaching and approaches. This will facilitate a way for aconstructiveandmeaningfuldialogueanddiscussiononwomenandyouthparticipationinthepoliticalsphere,andestablishthemas‘changeagents’and‘politicalprotagonists.’6Moreover,thismustincludesustainability, such as policies, regulations, and practices, and processes that are women and youthfriendly and a pronounced attempt at gender mainstreaming.7 Active and meaningful leadershippositions and adequate training for women and youth are the only way to genuinely address theimbalance in power, empower local communities, and engage local leaders in the governance anddevelopmentprocesses,especiallytheyouthandwomenleaders,asKumarwarns:‘Democracycannotbesustainedbylawsandregulationsalone,butonlythroughpractice’(Kumar2008,40).1.2 Introduction This report is an internal evaluation to monitor the impact, relevance, effectiveness, andappropriatenessoftheprocessandsustainabilityoftheCollaborativeLeadershipProject implementedby Search and its local partners. This project is extremely timely and highly relevant with theestablishment of local government units and the recent successful completion of the local elections.Therefore,theprimaryobjectiveistoworkwithyouthandwomenleaders,especiallytheelectedyoungmenandwomenrepresentativesinlocalgovernment,toequipthemwithcollaborativeleadershipskillsand knowledge of the local decision-making mechanisms and procedures, increase collaboration,representation, and themeaningful participationofwomenand youth in the governance systemandlocalleveldecisions.Theprojectbelievesthatincreasedknowledgeandskillsoftheyouthandwomeninleadership and decision-making skills will enable them to practice democratic behavior to bring thecommonagendaforinclusivegovernanceandeffectivelocaldevelopment.Thisisstronglysupportedbythe literature and most recent research on youth and women’s leadership, and the focuses on theimportanceofskillstrainingindevelopingeffectiveleaders.Thetrainedyouthandwomenwillbemoreopen to dialogue and collaborative problem-solving approaches to resolve differences and takecollaborativeactiontoaddressthelocalgovernancechallenges.Theoverallgoaloftheprojectistocontributetodevelopingequalopportunitiesandtheparticipationofwomenandyouth in leadershipand localdecision-makingprocesses.Theprojectwas implemented inthree districts, namely Dhanusha,Mahottari and Sindhuli in partnership with the Ratauli Youth Club(RYC) and Sindhuli Integrated Development Services (SIDS)-Nepal. The project was implemented in 9rural/urban municipals8 in the three targeted districts with the aim of Increasing collaboration,representation and the meaningful participation of women and youth, especially from poor andmarginalized communities, in the governance system and local level planning and decision makingprocesses,butalsootherstakeholders,suchasyouth/womenwingsofpoliticalparties,youthnetworks5SeeLondonandChabran(2004);Libby,RosenandSedonaen(2005);MacNeilandMcClean(2006);DesMaria,Yang,andFarzenhkia,(2000);RickettsandRudd(2002);KouzesandPosner’s(1995);DesMaria,Yang,andFarzenhkia(2000)

6SeeKlau(2006);Steinberg(2011);LondonandChabran(2004)7SeeThompsonandArsalan(2007);Hemer(2017);SubramaniamandMoncloa(2010)8Dhanusha–Janakpur,NagarainandMukhiyatiMusharmiya;Mahottari–Jaleshor,EakdaraandManara;Sindhuli–Kamalamai,DudhauliandTeenpatan

6|P a g e

and women associations, national and local leaders, and local government officials. Moreover, withmore elected women and youth than ever before, the implementation process of federalism anddecentralizationwillbe inclusiveandmore representativeofNepali society,ensuring that citizensaretrulyrepresentedbyaccountableandeffectiveleaders.The project is designed to focus on three inter-connected andmutually supportive outputs resultingfrom the implementation ofmodular training programs that cover practically orientated and directlyapplicableknowledgeandskillstheleaderswillrequiretobeabletoactivelyinfluencelocalgovernanceprocesses andbetter serve their communities and improve the relationshipbetween citizens and thegovernment in the targetareas, leading tomore representation in futurebyyoungwomenandmen.Thethreeoutputsare:outputone, increasedknowledgeandunderstandingamongwomenandyouthleadersinlocallevelgovernanceanddevelopment;outputtwo,enhancedcollaborativeleadershipanddecision-makingskillsofyouthandwomeninlocallevel;andoutputthree,strengthenedevidenceandneed based women and youth friendly policy reform and practices. Moreover, the modular trainingincludesmanyactivitiesthatarebasedontheevidenceandconsideredoptimalandrelevantinthemostrecent research and literature on youth and women’s leadership training.9 The training includesactivities like communitydialogue, trainingon judicial functions and local governance asper thenewlaws,guidelinesandpolicies ineachdistrict,coachingandreflection,district levelpolicydialogue,andknowledgeproductionongovernance reform tonamea few.This trainingwill further createpositiverelationshipsbetweentheyoungmenandwomenwiththegeneralpublicandadministrativeauthoritiestomakethemmoreaccountable,inclusive,andresponsiveforqualityservicedelivery.Theseyouthandwomen leaderswill havemeaningful participation and influence in local level decisions and resourceallocation, which will benefit the most marginalized people and communities. This will ultimatelyimprove the political parties’ perception of their young leaders and women, and will increase theirwillingnesstoengagetheminpoliticalmainstreaming. 1.2.1 Implementation Strategy Theprojectenvisions inclusivegovernanceandmeaningfulparticipationofwomenandyouth in localgovernancesystems.Basedonthelearningandexperienceofworkingonwomenandyouthleadershipareasoverthelastsevenyearsinthisregion,Searchbuildssynergyandscalesupitsworktoequipandempowerwomenandyouthforpoliticalleadershipatthelocallevelbypromotingthemascollaborativeleaders and change makers. It organizes political dialogue on governance reforms involving youth,women,andleadersofthemajorpoliticalpartiestobuildtrust,confidenceandbetterrelationshipsforcollaboration.Searchwillemploythefollowingstrategieswhileimplementingtheproject:

a. Empowerwomen, youth and their communities to collaboratewith line agencies and serviceproviderstohaveaccesstobasicserviceslikeeducation,security,justice;

b. Strengthenlocalinstitutionsandstateagencies'accountabilityandresponsivenesstowardsthegeneralpubliconefficientandeffectiveservicedelivery;

c. Buildnetworks,platformsandalliancesforwomenandyouthtohavebetterunderstandingandrelationshipstofostercollaborationoncommonissuesandagenda;

d. Advocate for women- and youth-friendly and people-centric attitudes, behavior, and policiesanditsimplementationfromfamily,societyandstatelevels;and

e. Capacitate partners and local officials on: i) collaborative leadershipofwomenand youth foreffective service delivery; ii) solution-oriented approaches to address conflict and social

9Refertotheextensivereviewoftherelevantliteratureinthefollowingsection

7|P a g e

transformation;and,Searchwillbeaccountablefortheoverallprojectmanagement,operationandcoordination.

Theprojectwillbeimplementedthroughlocalimplementingpartnersfromtherespectivedistrictswiththefollowing implementationmodalitiesandapproaches:multi-prongedandmulti-level,societal levelchangeandtransformation,strengtheningpartnershipcapacity,bottom-upapproach,maximizationofcollaborationandnetworking.Search Nepal brings the global experience and lesson learned in promoting collaborative leadershipapproaches tostrengthenandpromote thecollaborativeapproach,SearchNepalemphasizesbuildingsustainable relationships, promoting individuals as agents of social change, and promoting solutionorientated dialogues and a transparent decision-making process. Thecollaborative leadershipdevelopmentmodule combines: i) authentic leadershipthat synthesizes the inner and outer parts ofleadership; ii) leadership for thewhole,not just for ‘my’party, faction,orgroup,which is rooted inaprofound sense of our common humanity and interconnectedness; and iii) compassionateleadershipthat facilitates problem-solving and heals societal divisions. This project is an essentialcomponent of the political transition of Nepal during the implementation of federalism anddecentralization. About 4,000 units of the local body have recently transferred to 753 units of localgovernmentwithexecutive,judiciaryandlegislativepower(6753wards).Theelectedrepresentativesinthelocalgovernmenthavedifferentrolesanditisimperativewebuildthecapacityofwomenandyouthleaders to be more transparent, accountable, and responsive to address the needs and priorities ofmarginalized people. The project design is based on an extensive literature review, various researchfindings and the inputs and feedback in our monthly meetings with community mediators, womenwatchgroupmembers,partnerorganizations.Thesuggestionsofstakeholdersandlineagenciesarealsoincorporatedintothisdesign.ThisprojectcomplementsandsupplementstheongoingworkandexistingprojectsofSearchwithwomenandyouth.Aslocalgovernmenthas22exclusiveand15concurrentconstitutionalrightstoservelocalpeople,theyhave to form various local level acts, policies and guidelines in different sectors including health,education,socialsecurity,participationandprotection,and.alltheservicesandplanningprocesses.Thevoice of women and youth in this process and decisions is a pre-condition for accountable andresponsivegovernment.Therefore,thisprojectaimstoenablewomenandyouthleaderstohaveavoiceand meaningful participation in local level decisions, resource allocation and policy formulation. Itdemandsflexible,innovativeandadaptableapproachesofprojectimplementation.1.3 Literature Review Thereisanabundanceofliteratureandresearchontheconceptofleadershipandpoliticalengagement;however,thereisaseriousdearthofworkonyouthandwomen’sinvolvementinleadership,theirrolein local governance, and the leadershippotential of this untapped resource. Toexamine indetail theliteraturerelatingtoyouthandwomen’sleadershipitisimperativetoexamineafewmajorthemesthatunderscore the provide the foundation for the Collaborative Leadership Project. Therefore, thisliterature review will explore the theoretical and practical components related to the concept ofleadership and the consequent training and curriculum development initiatives that are specificallydesigned toenable,encourage,and supportwomenandyouth leaders.The reviewwill illustrate thatthe theoretical underpinnings and practical modular training activities provided by Search, and theirlocalpartners,arefirmlylocatedinthemostrecentevidencebasedresearchandthecurrentleadershipparadigms.

8|P a g e

1.3.1 What is Leadership? Theconceptofwhatconstitutesaleaderandleadershipishighlycontestedintheliterature,butthereisageneralconsensusthatthetermmustbereconsideredandreframedto includepotentialandactiveyouth and women leaders. According toMacNeil andMcClean (2006), the first changemust be thefamous adage, often used in literature regarding youth leadership, that states that the ‘youth aretomorrow’s leaders’ must be discarded, as they suggest that the youth must be considered as ananalytical category and not a future asset. MacNeil posits, ‘I believe that our organizations andcommunitiesmiss outwhenwe simplywork to prepare youth for leadership in the future.We needleadersnow’(MacNeilandMcClean2006,100).Furthermore,McNeil(2006)claimsthatthetraditionalconceptsofleadersandleadershipshouldalsobeabandonedorupdatedastheyignoretheimportanceof context anddiversity. She further states that although there is a plethoraofwritingon leadershipthereisaseriousdearthofwritingorresearchonyouthleadership.Shearguesthatthereisadivisioninthe limited scholarly work on youth leadership that focuses on adult leadership as being based on‘authority’ and youth leadership being founded on ‘ability’. This dominant discourse must bedeconstructedandnewdefinitionsshouldperceiveyouthandadultleadershipasthesame.AscritiquedbyMcNeil,theliteraturepredominantlyfocusesontheindividualandnotthepositiontheyoccupy.Sheargues that: ‘Amoremodern trend in leadership theory is themovementaway fromtheconceptofleadershipresidinginoneperson,towardaconceptofleadershipresidingintherelationshipbetweenandamongindividuals’(MacNeil2006,28).Sheconcludesthatleadershipmustbereframedasarelationalprocessthatcombinesability,knowledge,skills,andtalentswithauthority,voice,influence,and decision-making power to positively influence and impact diverse individuals, organizations, andcommunities.FertmanandvanLinden(1999)furtherexpandthisideabystatingthatleadershipisbothtransactional(doing)andtransformative(Knowledgeandunderstanding).Theyarguethat:‘Leadersareindividuals (both adults and adolescents)who think for themselves, communicate their thoughts andfeelingstoothers,andhelpothersunderstandandactontheirownbeliefs.Theyinfluenceothersinanethical and socially responsibleway’ (Fertman, van Linden 1999, 10). Therefore, youth andwomen’sleadershipmust incorporateamore contextual approach that includes theuniqueexperiencesof theindividual, the larger context of leadership practice, and the specific opportunities for a moremeaningful influence in local decision making and active participation. MacNeil proposes a moreaccurate definition for leadership that incorporates the emphasis on interpersonal relations,partnerships,andcollaboration.Shesuggests:

‘A more modern trend in leadership theory is the movement away from the concept ofleadership residing in oneperson, toward a concept of leadership residing in the relationshipbetweenandamongindividuals’(MacNeil2006,28).

1.3.2 Youth Leadership TherearemanyissuesrelatingtoyouthleadershipthatmustbeaddressedandaccordingtoSteinberg(2011)thefirst,andmostimportantproblem,isthewaythattheyouthareperceived.Shestates:‘Afearofyouthispartofourfabric.Wovenbetweenthethreads,youngmenandwomenareunloved,oftennotunderstood,andoftenfeared’(Steinberg2011,269).Thefactthattheyouthareoftenportrayedasnegativeandthecauseofproblemsratherthanthesolution,results inthebeliefthat iftheyoutharebadthentheywillmakebadleaders.Thenegativeperceptionsandstereotypesmustbechanged,astheyouthrequireempowermentandinclusionnotpreconceptionsanddiscrimination.

9|P a g e

A study conducted by Thompson and Arsalan (2007) on youth leadership in Jordan highlights thenegativeperceptionoftheyouthasadangertosocietyasopposedtoapositiveasset.JordanhasmanyparallelswithNepalasithasahighpercentageofthepopulationbetweentheagesof10-24,andthree-quarters of the population is under 30.Moreover, they also have a serious unemployment problemamongtheyouthandtheyhaveverylittlerepresentationandfewleadershippositions.However,theyarguethattheyouthmustbeseenasapositiveelementandabenefitforsociety.Theysuggestthattheyouthshouldbeperceivedaspeacemakersandagentsofchange,avaluableresource,tofightagainstthebiasandprejudicetheyface.Moreover,theyemphasizetheimportanceofunderstandingleadershipin the context of the culture, community, and society. For example, they argue that the concept ofleadership is a ‘locally constructed concept’ and is therefore contextual andmust be understood assuch.Theyidentifysomeobstaclestoyouthleadership,suchaspatriarchy,especiallyforwomen,andthelackof diversity. ‘After all, “leadership” is a socially constructed concept whose meaning and everydaymanifestation ishighlydependentonthenormativesocialarrangementswithinthedominantculture’(ThompsonandArsalan2007,54).Theyarguetheyouthhaveagreatcontributiontomakeastheyalsoactasabridgebetweenaccessingglobal culturewhilepreserving theirown.They see the roleof theyouth as essential in creating inclusion, ending marginalization, and promoting a plural society. TheresearchinJordanclearlydemonstratedthatyouthleadershipnotonlyhastobeunderstoodincontext,butactivelyaddressexclusion,especiallyforthepoorandmarginalized,andprovideacounter-balancetothemoretraditionalandconservative leaders.10Furthermore,theystatethat inthecaseofJordan,themiddleeast,andothercountries:‘Neverbeforehastherebeenamorecompellingneedtoexpandthe youth role in tackling the region’s immediate challenges and develop youth leaders with newperspectives on conflict and peace-building. Moreover, serious interventions into youth leadershipdevelopmentwillmorebroadlyserveasafoundationfornation-buildinginJordanandthelargerregion’(ThompsonandArsalan2007,53)AnotherexampleisprovidedbyYouthSpeakoutCoalition&Zimmerman(2007),thatworkwithyouth-led movements and further emphasizes the importance of diversity and understanding the role ofintersectionality11 when examining youth issues and the complex interaction of different social andculturalcategories,astheliteratureandmediacontinuallyhomogenizetheyouthasasinglecategory.Theystate that: ‘Thesuccessof theyouthmovementhasdependedon itsability toconnect thedotsbetween issues and constituencies. By exploring the intersections of age and race, gender, class,disability and sexuality’12 (Youth Speak out Coalition & Zimmerman 2007, 300). Another modeldeveloped to address the negative perceptions of youth and promote youth leadership is the‘developmentalmodel’.Kress (2006)promotes the ‘developmental’modelasuseful inaddressing theperceivednegativeroleoftheyouthandprovidingbalancebyofferingalternativeandpositiveoutletsforyoungpeople.‘Whatmakesthefocusondevelopmentalneedscompellingistheunderstandingthat10‘Leadersshouldhaveappreciationforandunderstandingofhumanandnatural/ecologicaldiversity,andhavetheabilitytounderstanddiversepointsofviewandcriticallyexaminetheirculturalandpoliticalpositioning.Theymustguardagainstdecision-makinginfluencedbyprejudiceorstereotypes.Leaderswillneedspecialcourageandintegritytopromoteequity,fairness,andequalrightsandprivilegesforall.Theyshouldhaveaspecialsensitivitytotheweak,vulnerableandhistoricallymarginalizedwithaviewtowardsempoweringthem.Wherethereisviolence,theywillneedtoreinforceleadershipstrategiesaspeace-promotersandconsensus-builders’(Thompson,Arsalan2007,50-51)

11Intersectionalityisdefinedastheinterconnectednatureofsocialcategorizationssuchasrace,class,andgenderastheyapplytoagivenindividualorgroup,regardedascreatingoverlappingandinterdependentsystemsofdiscriminationordisadvantage.

12ThisisalsoemphasizesbyBarriteau(2003)withregardtowomen’sleadershipasshestatesthereisapositivecorrelationbetweenclass,ethnicity,education,backgroundetc.andwomeninleadershippositions.

10|P a g e

ifyoutharenotgivenpositiveoutletstheymayfindpotentiallydamagingalternatives’(Kress2006,46).However,thedevelopmentmodelisextensivelycritiquedasitisstillbasedontheassumptionthattheyoutharenegativeandaproblemthatmustbesolved.Itisclearthatyouthleadershipisacomplexissuethatmustchangethenegativestereotypesandbiases,disregard thehomogenousviewandpromoteandcelebrate thediversityamongtheyouth, recognizeintersectionalityandmultiple layersandformsofdiscrimination, locatetheyouthwithin theirspecificculturalcontextsandexistingsocialmores,andaccessproductiveandmeaningful leadershippositionswithintheirlocalcommunitiesandgovernancesystems.1.3.3 Gender and Women’s Leadership In addition to the multiple issues relating to youth leadership in general, such as intersectionality,negativeperceptions,homogenizedassumptions,andsocialandculturalexclusion,womenareperhapsoneofthemostdiscriminatedgroupswithregardtoleadership.Kumar(2008)elucidatesthispointverysuccinctlybystating,‘ItakewomentobethemostdisadvantagedgroupintheNepalipoliticalprocess,astheyconstituteover50percentofthetotalpopulationinthecountryandyettheirrepresentationisnowherenearcomparabletothatofmen’(Kumar,2008,38).Accordingly,Barriteau(2003)emphasizesthat there is even less literatureofwomen’s leadership thanyouth leadership. She further states theimportanceof lookingat theexperiencesofwomen in context, suchas their social, cultural,political,and economic backgrounds, as these all affect access to and the nature of leadership: ‘in patriarchalsocietieswomenarenotconceptualizedasholdingpower,wieldingpower,beingpowerful,unlessit isinrelationtoaspectsofthedomesticorprivatedomainwhichasstatedalready,isseenasthe‘natural’locationforwomen’(Barriteau,2003,29).Therefore,women’sleadershipismuchmoreproblematicasthe prevailing culture adds additional obstacles to leadership opportunities and acceptability. Shefurtherstatesthatwhateverprogramsaredevelopedtoenhancewomen'sleadershiphavetoconsiderwomen’ssocial,politicalandeconomicbackground,andanyinitiativethatignoresthisrealitywouldbemeaningless.Wilson(2004)continuesthisdiscussionandfurtherexplainsthatliketheyouth,thereisatendencytohomogenizewomenintheliterature,andyoungwomendonotconstituteahomogenousgroupingandthereforeexperiencethecurrentchallenges indifferentways. ‘Theyare impactedonbyfactorssuchasregional,location,socio-economicbackground,sexuality,race,ethnicity,religion,health,educationetc.’(Wilson2004,16-17).Barriteau(2003)furtherpromotestheincorporationof‘transformativeleadership’aswomenareoftenembeddedinapatriarchalstructuresandsocialrelationsthatpreventthemfromoccupyingpositionsofleadership.Shesuggeststhatwomenmust learnthatpowerandauthority,aswellasdecision-makingabilities, are not negative. She examineswhat constituteswomen’s leadership and states: ‘I theorizetransformational leadershipas concernedwithwherepowerexists,how it isused, forwhatpurposesandwhobenefits.Thewomanwhopracticestransformationalleadershipisreflective.Itisaprocessthatrequiresthe individualtoevaluateherorhisbehaviorandactionsagainsttheprinciplesandvaluesofjustice anddemocracy’ (Barriteau, 2003, 16). In this framework, transformational leadership is not asconcernedwithequippingwomentocompeteatthehighestorganizationallevelsofthestateandcivilsociety as it is with transforming the gendered discourse, practices, and experiences of power andauthority in these areas. Although transformational leaders would see it as critical that women areleaders in the state and civil society, they would consider this as an insufficient condition fortransformational leadership. Women's leadership becomes transformational when it attempts tochange the conventional practices and experiences of authority and power, and has a vision of newpractices and processes to replace them. This is a theme echoed throughout the literature where

11|P a g e

women leaders challenge the negative stereotypes and gender biased ideas of ‘women’s roles’ toinfluencesocietytobecomelesspatriarchalandgenderbiased.A good example of women facingmultifarious and intersecting forms of discrimination and negativestereotypesthatpreventthemfrombecomingeffectiveleadersinconservativeortraditionalculturesisprovided by Harold (2011), who studied women leaders in the UAE. She also expresses the sametransformative model that connects leadership to an individual’s culturally constructed and sociallymediated identityasbeingan important referentialpoint for their views, ideas, anddecisions. This isverysimilartotheviewsofLordandHall (2005),whoproposethata leader’sself-identity isacentralfocus, as it provides ameans for the leader to use self-motivation as a potential source for personalmaterial and values that may motivate others. Harold further highlights the many problems youngwomen experience in the UAE, such as traditional gender roles, requiring permission from malehousehold members to engage in activities, the challenge to ‘expected’ gender roles and biases. Inaddition,manywomenleadersarefacedwiththe‘doubleburden’oftryingtobalancetheirleadershiproles with their responsibilities at home, like taking care of young and elderly family members,housework,cookingetc.However,aswellasfacingtheintersectionalformsofdiscriminationtheyalsoare empowered by leadership positions to challenge the existing preconceived notions. ‘From atransformative perspective, they were engaging with critique and possibility and deconstructing andreconstructingknowledgeframeworks’(Harold,2011,348).Inanotherethnographicexampleofyoungwomenleaders,Skalli(2011)examinesthemediacoverageofwomenpoliticalleadersinMorocco.Theevidenceshowsthatthemediaignoredwomenleadersandtheprevailingpatriarchalandtraditionallymaledominatedsocietydidnotculturallyacceptwomenasvaluable leaders. The symbolic exclusionofwomenwas adirect reflectionof the socially constructedgenderrolesthatlegitimatedtheexclusionandmarginalization.‘Women'sleadershipisinvariablyseenthrougha lens that ispatriarchal,paternalistic,andpatronizing’ (Skalli2011,488).Theanalysisof theMoroccan media confirms the difficulty that institutions have in converting institutional support forwomen's political representation into culturally accepted and tolerated systems of meaning thatacknowledgeswomen'sleadership.Thisalsodemonstratesthemedia'sunwillingnesstochallengetheirdeeply ingrained indifference to women's changing socio-political identities and their continuedmasculineperceptionofpolitics,politicalleadership,andparticipation.Moroccohasaquotasystemforwomeninparliamentandotherpoliticalorganizationsatalllevels.However,astheresearchindicates,the system does not affect the cultural perception and social position of women in Morocco. Theinstitutional support for women political leadership does not translate into their acceptance andrecognitionattheculturallevel.TheMoroccancasedemonstratesthataquotasystemmayaddresstheinstitutionalized gender biases in the distribution of political power, but ‘quotas alone provide noguarantee for the recognition of gender equality in the cultural sphere of knowledge production andopinionformation’ (Skalli2011,474-475).Unfortunately, thissituationhas ledtonot justwomen,butalsothegeneralyouthbecomingdisillusionedandskepticalaboutpolitics.However, research conducted by Pande and Ford (2011) in India, provides corroborative andcontradicting data of the power of quotas. By examining India, they agree that quotas do helpinstitutionallytoempowerwomenandhelpthemobtainleadershiprolesinlocalpolitics,whichdirectlyaddressesthelackofrepresentation.However,theyalsoprovideevidencethatquotasdirectlyinfluencethe social and cultural perception of women and deconstruct the traditional patriarchal culturalperceptionsofacceptablegenderroles.Theyarguethat:‘TheIndianevidencedemonstratesthatquotasincrease female leadershipand influencespolicyoutcomes. Inaddition, rather than createabacklashagainstwomen,quotas can reducegenderdiscrimination in the long-term’ (PandeandFord2011,1).

12|P a g e

Similartotheself-identifyandthetransformativemodelexposedbyHaroldandBarriteau,‘quotascanserve to changeattitudesofbothvotersandpotentialwomen leaders themselves inways that couldreducetheneedforquotasinthelongterm’(PandeandFord2011,23).OneofthemainfindingsoftheresearchinIndiawasthatreservationexposedthegeneralpopulationtowomen leaders and this decreased the implicit gender discrimination among men. ‘Among malevillagers, quotas essentially reduced subconscious biases about beliefs on the appropriateness ofwomen being leaders’ (Pande and Ford 2011, 23). Also, the so-called ‘backlash’ theory is alsounderminedasthedatafromIndiafoundthatittooktimeforvoterstoadjusttoquotas,experiencethecapacityofwomenleaders,andmodifytheirbeliefs,butthequotasdidgenerateanoticeablechangeintheattitudesofvoters. Itwasalsonotedthataftersometimemoremenvotedforfemalecandidatesevenwhentherewerenoquotas.Therefore,inadditiontothemultipleobstaclestoyouthleadership,women’sleadershiphasmanymoreissues, such as traditional and conservative gender roles, the ‘doubleburden’ of balancing leadershipresponsibilitieswithunpaiddomestic labor,discriminationandmarginalization,andpatriarchy in theircommunities,thepoliticalsystems,andthemedia.1.3.4 Leadership Training for Youth and Women Asthereisaseriousdearthofliteratureofyouthleadership,andevenlessonwomen’sleadership,itisimperative to closely examinewhat does exist and look at the suggestions on developing a practicaltrainingcurriculumandsetofpracticesthatisfoundedintheory,butpracticallyorientatedtobeappliedinrealsettingstodelivergenuinechange.Thisshouldempoweryouthandwomenleadersandprovidetheskills requiredtomakethemconfident,capable,andknowledgeable leaders.Trainingmustbridgethedividebetweentheoryandpracticeandactivelysupportandencourageyouthandwomenleaders,and highlight the common thread that connects the various trainingmethods and practices that aredirectlyrelatedtothemodularactivitiesrunbySearchandtheirvariouspartnersatthelocallevel.Ricketts and Rudd (2002) conducted a thorough investigation of all the literature related to trainingleadershipand leadershipskillsanddevelopingaspecificallyyouthorientatedtrainingapproach.Theyconclude that Kouzes and Posner’s (1995) seminal ten-stage model13 for leadership training can bemodified to specifically target youth leaders. Additionally, DesMaria, Yang, and Farzenhkia (2000)emphasizecertainelementsthatarenecessaryinthedevelopmentofyouthleadership.Theylistedthecritical elements as: ‘youth/adult partnerships; granting young people decision making power andresponsibilityforconsequences;abroadcontextforlearningandservices;recognitionofyoungpeople'sexperience,knowledgeandskills’ (DesMaria,Yang,andFarzenhkia2000,3).RickettsandRuddfurtherstatetheimportanceofusingtheaforementionedframeworks,butalsospecificallytargetingyouthandwomen leadership training to include five essential areas: Leadership knowledge and understanding;Decisionmakingskills; leadershipattitude,will,anddesire;oralandwrittencommunicationskills;andintraandinterpersonalskills.Theyconcludethatthemainproblemforyouthandwomenleadersisthelackofformaltrainingintheareasmentionedabove.

13Searchoutchallengingopportunitiestochange,grow,innovate,andimprove:experiment,takerisks,andlearnfromtheaccompanyingmistakes;envisionanupliftingandennoblingfuture;enlistothersinacommonvisionbyappealingtotheirvalues,interests,hopesanddreams;fostercollaborationbypromotingcooperativegoalsandbuildingtrusts;strengthenpeoplebygivingpoweraway,providingchoice,developingcompetence,assigningcriticaltasks,andofferingvisiblesupport;settheexamplebybehavinginwaysthatareconsistentwithsharedvalues;achievesmallwinsthatpromoteconsistentprogressandbuildcommitment;recognizeindividualcontributionstothesuccessofeveryproject;andcelebrateteamaccomplishmentsregularly(KouzesandPosner,1995,18).

13|P a g e

MacNeil andMcClean (2006) highlight the importance of actual experience over classroom training,whichisarealconcernduetothelimitedleadershiprolesforyouthandwomen.Thetrainingshouldbeincontextswhereyouthandwomen leaderscanpracticeanddemonstrate leadership inanauthenticandmeaningfulway.Theyoutlinecertainaspectsthatmustbeaddressedtoachievethisobjective.Forexample, as well as practical experience, adult leaders must learn to respect and value youth andwomenleaders,skillbasedtrainingtoenhanceanddevelopyouthandwomenleaders’knowledgeandunderstanding,and inter-personal skillsareallessential.Klau (2006) suggestsan ‘adaptive leadership’modelthat,similartoThompsonandArsalan,thatbeginswiththeperceptionoftheyouthasapositivepotentialresourceandnotsomethingthatisaproblemtobesolved.Thebasisofthetheoryisthatmostleadership training programs focus on authority and people are simply told how to be leaders.Alternatively, she suggests that ‘authority’ and ‘leadership’ should be separated and Heifetz’sFrameworkshouldbeincorporated.‘HenotesthatleadershiphasbeenexercisedinthepastbyfiguressuchasRosaParksandMohandasGandhi,whomadean impact froma societalposition that initiallylackedformalprominence,authority,orinfluence’(Klau2006,61).Thismodelpromotestheimportanceof exploring alternative perceptions and social and cultural positions and is highly relevant to youthleadershipas theyouthareoftenpowerlessand lackauthority.Thiswillenablethe leadertobecomemoreawareandunderstandingofindividualsfromdifferentsocialandculturalbackgrounds,andenableinclusionandaddressmarginalizationbasedoncaste,class,ethnicity,religion,socio-economicpositionetc.Inaddition,shealsostatesthatencouragingleaderstobemorereflectiveisessentialindevelopinggoodleadershipskills.Similarly,Libby(2005)assertsthatyouthandwomenleadersmustworkinpartnershipwithadultsandadult leaders to be productive and successful. This partnership, according to Libby, will be mutuallybeneficialandsupportiveastheyouthwill learnfromtheadults’experience,knowledge,andpracticeandtheadultswillbenefitandlearnfromtheyouths’energy,creativity,andopenness.Moreover,shesees theyouth-adultpartnership (Y-AP)asabridgedividing thegenerationsasadults canhelpaccessthingssuchasbudgetsforyouthrelatedtopicsandissues,andtheevidenceindicatesthatthisresultsinbetterrepresentationandamore inclusiveandcooperativeenvironment.This is furthersupportedbyMacNeil and McClean, who noted the most common feedback from their training with youth andwomenleaders,was:‘Trainingshouldbemadeavailableforbothyouthandadultstosupporttheirworkinayouthadultpartnership.Repeatedly,youthhavetoldme,“Don’tsetusupbygivingusresponsibilitywithout the skills.”Theyhavealso shared that theadultsneededmoreskills in learning toworkwiththem(particularlyaroundsharingpower)’(MacNeilandMcClean2006,101-102).LondonandChabran(2004)goastepfurtherandposit thatyouthandwomen’s leadershipcanbreakthe existing power/knowledge system that creates and recreates negatives stereotypes and biases.14Theyassertthisincludesissuesrelatingtoclass,caste,ethnicity,genderetc.Themodelisfirmlyrootedin the concept of the youth as change agents and peacebuilders, and Youth REP (Youth-led actionResearch,Evaluation,andPlanning)isatermdevelopedbyYouthinFocus(YIF)todescribetheirwork.‘Startedin1989,YIF,originatedasaproject inNepalandIndiatodevelopayouth-ledactionresearchcurriculum that fostered language learning, intergenerational communication, and political andhistorical awareness’ (London and Chabran 2004, 45). They assert that the youth are embedded inculture, and context is essential as they are looking from the inside, andhave critical awareness andagency.Thismakestheyouthavaluableassettocommunitiesandforleadershippositions.Theyseetheyouthandwomenleadersasinvaluableinaffectingrealchangeincommunitiesandthetrainingshould

14SeePandeandFord(2011);Barriteau(2003);Harold(2011)

14|P a g e

focus on bridging the gap between knowledge and action. Moreover, the denial of knowledge orleadershippositionswithagenuinedecision-makingcapacityisessentiallymarginalizingtheyouthandwomenandmakingthempowerless.LondonandChabranalsoemphasizetheimportanceofasafeandnurturingspace for theyouthandwomentoexpress theirneedsand thesolutions, thesupport fromadults,andthemeaningfulinvolvementintheplanninganddecision-makingprocesses.‘Youth-ledREPhasdemonstrated its ability toprovide supports andopportunities forpositive youthdevelopment inthecontextofbuildingyouthpowertoaffectrealchangesincommunities.Withgreaterresourcesandcommitments,youth-ledREPmayserveasanevenmorecompellingway tosupportyoungpeopleastheybecomewell-informed, skillful and creative agents of social change’ (London andChabran2004,50).1.3.5 Policy Toguaranteesustainability it is imperative tostrengthenevidenceandneedbasedwomenandyouthfriendly policy reform practices at all levels. As Thompson and Arsalan point out: ‘Youth leadershipdevelopment must be taken seriously by the highest authorities, and such a commitment must bereflected in policy—not just policies specifically related to youth development, but in long-termstrategiesassociatedwithpublicsectorreform,privatesectordevelopmentanddemocracypromotionas well’ (Thompson and Arsalan 2007, 63).15 In addition, Hemer (2017) cites the UN regarding theimportance of creating permanent or lasting change by supporting youth and women leaders bypolicies.Gendermainstreamingisthe‘processofassessingtheimplicationsforwomenandmenofanyplanned action, including legislation, policies and programs in all areas and at all levels … [so that]womenandmenbenefitequallyandinequalityisnotperpetuated’(UN1997,27citedinHemer2017,294). Therefore, the importance of leadership training to prepare the youth andwomen leaders andequip them with the requisite skills is unquestionable, but to guarantee a long-term change thatcontinues to focus on inclusion and empowerment of women, youth, and especially the poor andmarginalized,theremustalsobeafocusonthepolicylevelandpracticeofgovernance.1.3.6 Summary As a thorough examination of the literature demonstrates, there is a lack of research regarding theimportant role of youth and women leaders; however, what is available does demonstrate manyrecurring themes.These thematicareasand theoreticalandpracticeorientatedapproachesespousedbytheliteraturearedirectlyapplicabletotheactivitiesdevelopedtoencourageandsupportyouthandwomen leaders by Search and their partners in Nepal. The program perceives the youth leaders aspositivechangeagentsandaddressesthenegativestereotypingoftheyouth.Thefocusisfirmlyplacedonnotjustincreasingrepresentation,butprovidingequalopportunitiesanddevelopingproductiveandmutually beneficial partnerships that encourage cooperation. The modular training and practicalactivitiesarefirmlygroundedinthetheoryofdiversityandplurality,andcreatingsafeandencouragingspaces to include people from poor and marginalized communities and address any discriminatorypractices. The training is real practice orientatedwith the focus on actual skill development thatwillempower the youth and women leaders with the requisite knowledge and understanding to makecompetent, confident, and productive leaders in the local governance and development sectors. Inaddition, the emphasis is on developing meaningful participation, especially with regard to activedecisionmakingandcontributingtoalllevelsoflocalengagementtoimplementrealandactualcultural,social, and political change in their respective communities. Lastly, there is also an emphasis on

15SubramaniamandMoncloa(2010)alsohighlighttheimportanceofcompleteengagementwithalllevels,includingpolicy

15|P a g e

sustainability by encouraging the strengthening and enhancing ofwomen and youth friendly policies,reforms,andpractices.1.4 Survey Objectives: Methodology Theoverallobjectiveofthesurveyistogatherinformationtodevelopanappropriatedesignforanine-monthstrategyof theprojectand tomeasureandevaluate thechanges,progress,andachievementsusing verifiable indicators during the project implementation phase. Additionally, the baseline studyprovidesinformationtoestablishthebaselinedatafortheprojectagainsttheprojectlog-frame.Survey instruments: The survey was designed to broadly cover quantitativemodules to capture theexisting status of women and youth leadership in the project districts. Additionally, the survey alsocovered the understanding and opinion of the women and youth leadership concerns among thegeneralpublic.Althoughthestudyhasbeendesignedasbroadlyquantitativeinnature,itwillalsousemixedmethodsandinstrumentsincludingaliteraturereviewandholdingfocusgroupdiscussions.Thehouseholdsurveyquestionnairewasdevelopedtogatherquantitativedata,andthequestionnairewasdevelopedbasedonthekeyquestionsbelow:

• Are thepublicawareof the recent state restructuringandare theyhopefulof seeingpositivechangesafterthestaterestructuring?

• Dothepublic,includingwomenandyouth,feelcomfortableexpressingtheiropinionsorplacingtheirvotes/argumentsduringthedecision-makingprocess?

• What is the representation status of women and youth in local structures? How do theyinfluencethedecision-makingprocessatthelocallevel?

• Arethepublic,includingwomenandyouth,awareofthelocallevelbudget?Dotheyparticipateintheannualreviewandplanningmeeting?

• Are thereanyopportunities toenhance the leadership skillsofwomenandyouthat the locallevel?

• Arethepublicawareofpublichearings/socialaudits?Arethepublicsatisfiedwiththeprocessanditsimpact?

• Whataretheperceptionsbetweenmenandwomen,andyouthandadults?

Sampling:Thestudyemployedatwo-stagestratifiedclustersamplingstrategy.Firstly,two-threewardsfromeachLGUwererandomlyselectedfromeachsevensampleddistricts.Secondly,householdswereselected from the VDC profile list in each of the three project districts. Sample size was based on aformula to estimate and reflect the proportion in the population. Due to unknown variability, P=0.5(maximum variability) was assumed and the sample size was calculated based on a 95 percentconfidencelevelandaround±5.0%(0.05)precisionbyusingtheformula.Supervisingandfieldenumeration:Searchmobilizedanexperiencedsupervisorineachprojectdistrictto ensure the data quality and provide on-site coaching to the local enumerator. Likewise, sixenumerators including three socialmobilizes, and three local enumerators from each project districtwere deployed to carry out the enumeration work. The supervisor rechecked and reviewed thequestionnairetoensureaccuracyandqualityofthecollecteddata.Orientationandfieldtest:SearchNepalfinalizedtheorientationandfieldplaninconsultationwiththeregionalteam.Itwasprovided3-daysoftrainingtothelocalenumeratorstoenhancetheirknowledgeandskillsfocusingontheessenceofthesurvey, includingdatacollectiontechniques,rapportbuilding,and interview skills with respondents. The orientation built on the knowledge and skills of the

16|P a g e

enumerators in conducting the surveys effectively. Additionally, a pre-test was conducted in eachsampled district to test the questionnaires' community acceptability and take corrective measures,essentiallyintermsofawareness,andpresentationofthesurvey'sobjectives.Dataanalysis:ThedatacollectedfromthefieldsurveywasenteredusingCensusandSurveyProcessingSystem (CSPro) software, and then exported to the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) foranalysis.Thedatacollectedfromthefieldsurveyarepresentedintabularandgraphicalform.

17|P a g e

CHAPTER TWO: FINDINGS

2.1 Demographic Information of Respondents The major findings relating to the research are highlighted below, with the quantitative data beingdisaggregatedintoage,gender,district,caste,respondenttype,andeducation.Ananalysisofthedatawill examine the perspectives of the general public on various topics related to local governancemechanisms, state restructuring, and issues concerning women and youth, representation, andleadershipatthelocallevel.

Thedemographicsofthestudymustbeconsideredwhenexaminingallthedataastherespondentsarerepresentedequallyacrossthethreestudysites,Dhanusha,Mahottari,andSindhuli.Naturally,duetothe location of the study sites most of the respondents are Madhesi (66%), with the highest casterepresentation (23%)being the ‘Other backward castes’ (Terai/Madhesh).However, itmust benotedthatalmosttwo-thirdsoftherespondentsarewomen,andthemajority(26%)arestudents,followedby(20%) who are political leaders. In addition,many of the respondents are illiterate (18%), informallyeducated (17%) or have only complete the SLC (20%). Lastly, almost half of the respondents aremembersoforganizations/partiesandbetweentheagesof15–29,both(45%).2.2 Awareness of Recent State Restructuring When the respondents were asked if they were aware of the recent state restructuring due to thedecentralization and federalism, alarmingly many respondents were unaware of the new statestructures. Regionally, there were 56 percent and 61 percent who were aware of the changes fromDhanushaandMahottarirespectively,butratherconcerningwastheverylowpositiveresponsesfromSindhuli,asonly26percentsaidtheywereawareofthechanges.Asexpected,thoseinvolvedwithlocalgovernance the higher the awareness of the respondents,with farmers/housewives being the lowestwithonly23percentreportingawareness.However,eventhoughthereismoreawarenessamongthe

Male, 39%

Female, 61%

Figure 2: Sampled Respondents by Education

Farmers/House Wife,

18%

Student, 26%

Elected Representat

ive , 10%

Intellectual Community,

13%

Affiliated in Local

Structure, 13%

Political Leader,

20%

Figure 1: Sampled Respondents by Education

18|P a g e

respondents who have a role in local governance, the awareness levels are still relatively low; forexample,influentialpeople(62%),electedrepresentatives,(57%),andpoliticalleaders(59%).

Thereisnogreatdifferencebetweenrespondentsbasedonage,withaslightlyhigherawarenessamongtheagegroup30-40,which isperhapstobeexpected,andmen(56%)weremoreawarethatwomen(42%)thatagainistobeexpectedduetotheunderlyingpatriarchalcultureandwomen’slimitedrolesinthepublicsphere.

Table (1): Are you aware about the recent state restructuring? PCLorAbove SLC/Secondary Primary/

InformalIlliterate Total

N % N % N % N % N %Yes 189 79% 212 55% 117 35% 35 17% 553 48%No 49 21% 174 45% 216 65% 172 83% 611 52%Total 238 100% 386 100% 333 100% 207 100% 1164 100%Most significant is the positive correlation between education and awareness as the higher theeducation the increased awareness of the restructuring as a very high 79 percentwith PCL or abovewereawareandthisdecreasedastheeducationalattainmentdecreasedwithaverysmall17percentoftheilliteratebeingaware.Thismayappeartobeself-explanatory,buthasseriousimplicationsthatveryimportantinformationthatwillhaverealimpactsonpeople’slivesandaccesstoservicesofsomeofthemostvulnerablepeopleinsociety.Thereisalsoastrangeanomalywithregardtocaste,asexpectedthemarginalized Dalit respondents reported that less than a third (31%) had knowledge on therestructuring, but inexplicably the equallymarginalized backward caste reported the highest level ofawarenesswith61percent.Overall,therespondents’awarenessofthestatestructuringwasrelativelylow,butasexpectedwomen,theilliterate,andDalitsweretheleastawareoftherestructuringthatwillhaveseriousimplicationsontheiraccesstotheavailablefacilities,resources,andservices.Amongtherespondentswhowereawareof state restructuring andwere askedwhat changes they found, the disaggregated data by region isinteresting. Althoughmuch fewer people in Sindhuli were aware of the restructuring, the ones whowere aware were much better informed that the other two regions. For example, in Sindhuli the

Total

Dhanusha

Mahottari

Sindhuli

48%

56%

61%

26%

52%

44%

39%

74%

Figure (3): Are you aware about the recent state restructuring?

Yes No

19|P a g e

awarenessthat‘localgovernmenthasbeenformed’(82%)and‘locallevelhasmorerightsthanbefore’(91%) is significantly higher than the 79 percent and 60 percent inMahottari, respectively.However,ratherworryingistheverylowactualunderstandingofwhathasbeenrestructuredatthelocallevelinDhanusha,with a very low 29 percent aware that a local government has been formed and only 23percent stating that the local level hasmore rights thanbefore. This pattern is evident across all thecategories,butperhapsmost concerning is that,with theexceptionofSindhuli (59%), therewasverylittleawarenessthattherepresentationofwomenandmarginalizedisguaranteed,withonly2percentinDhanushaand13percentinMahottariacknowledgingthischange.ItmustbenotedthatduetothefewernumberofpeopleinSindhuliwhowereawareoftherestructuringtherewillbesomedistortionsduetothenumberofrespondents.

Table (2): If you are aware, what change do you find at first after the state restructuring?

Farmers/Housewife Students

ElectedRepres.

InfluentialPersons

AffiliatedinLocalStructure

PoliticalLeaders Total

N % N % N % N % N % N % N %Localgovernmenthasbeenformed 32 64% 66 51% 35 54% 53 58% 56 71% 90 65% 332 60%Locallevelhasmorerightsthanbefore 29 58% 57 44% 27 42% 38 42% 48 61% 83 60% 282 51%

Localgovernmenthasbeenrestructured

20 40% 54 42% 22 34% 32 35% 35 44% 79 57% 242 44%

Federalstructureofstatehastransformed

19 38% 41 32% 19 29% 16 18% 26 33% 60 43% 181 33%

Morebudgetisreleasedthanbeforeinlocallevel

18 36% 48 37% 23 35% 35 38% 33 42% 50 36% 207 37%

Judicialcommitteeisformedinlocallevel

11 22% 25 19% 7 11% 13 14% 18 23% 22 16% 96 17%

Structureofgovernmentagencieshavechanged 11 22% 33 25% 7 11% 19 21% 13 16% 15 11% 98 18%

Electedlocalrepresentativeshavemorerightsthanbefore 13 26% 27 21% 24 37% 21 23% 18 23% 35 25% 138 25%

Localhavetheauthoritytomanageandutilizelocalresources 2 4% 21 16% 12 18% 17 19% 9 11% 13 9% 74 13%

Representationofwomenandmarginalizedisguaranteed 9 18% 11 8% 14 22% 13 14% 18 23% 29 21% 94 17%

Others 8 16% 50 38% 17 26% 51 56% 22 28% 49 36% 197 36%Total 50 130 65 91 79 138 553 100%With regard to respondent type, the same pattern emerges, but also the issueswith the number ofrespondents ineachcategoryslightlydistortingthedata.Morethanhalf inallcategoriesareawareoftheformationofa localgovernmentandthatthe local levelhasmorerightsthatbefore;however,allthecategoriesweremostlyunawarethatthelocalauthoritieshavetheauthoritytomanageandutilizelocalresourcesandthattherepresentationofwomenandmarginalizedisguaranteed,withanaverageof 13 percent and 17 percent, respectively. This is a concern as a recurring theme and without theknowledgeandawarenessof thenewprovisions thenexclusionandmarginalizationat the local levelwithcontinueunabated.Surprisingly, the disaggregated data based on gender does not demonstrate a significant differencebetweenmenandwomen.Comparedtoothervariables,womenappeartobeequallyunawareofthe

20|P a g e

representation of women andmarginalized being guaranteed, as only 16 percent of women and 18percentofmenwereawareofthischange

Accordingtoage,thereisaslightlyhigherawarenessamongtheagegroupbetween40-45onmostofthe restructuring and a generally lower than average response from the 15-29 age group. However,there is nothing significantly different from the other variables. Similarly, the data by caste shows arather positive view that more marginalized groups, such as Dalits and Backward castes, are alsoreasonablyawareoftherestructuring,butworryingisthatthesetwogroupsweremuchlessawareofthe guarantee of women andmarginalized representation, with only 18 percent of the Dalits and 6percent of backward castes answering that they were aware of this new provision compared to theaverage of 36 percent. This is very low and a concern as these are the very people this provision issupposedtoempower.Educationclearlyimpactedthenumberofpeoplewhowereawareofstaterestructuring,butamongthepeoplefromalllevelsofeducationthecorrelationisnolongerevidentasallthecategoriesarerelativelyclose to the average for most categories. Interestingly, respondents with SLC/secondary (62%) andprimary/informal (68%) were actually more aware of the formation of the local government, theilliterateonlyhave35 respondents so thedatacannotbecompared.Thismaybedue topeoplewithlowereducationlevelsbeingmoreengagedintheirrespectivecommunitiesandcommunityactivities.Overall,amongtherespondentswhowereawareofthestaterestructuringthereappearstobelimitedknowledgeoftheactualchangesatthelocallevel.Themajoritywasawareofthelargerissues,includingthe formation of local governments,more rights at the local level, and the restructuring of the local

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Localgovernmenthasbeenformed

Locallevelhasmorerightsthanbefore

Localgovernmenthasbeenrestructured

Federalstructureofstatehastransformed

Morebudgetisreleasedthanbeforeinlocallevel

Judicialcommitteeisformedinlocallevel

Structureofgovernmentagencieshavechanged

Electedlocalrepresentativeshavemore

rightsthanbefore

Localhavetheauthoritytomanageandutilizelocal

resources

Representationofwomenandmarginalizedis

guaranteed

Figure (4) If you are aware, what change do you find at first after the state restructuring?

Male Female

21|P a g e

governmentbutfewrespondsfromallthecategorieswereawareofallthechangesandperhapslessonthe more specific changes to the governance structure. Additionally, there are various factors thatimpact the level of awareness, such as region, age, education, and caste, but nothing specificallynotable, but it must be considered in context as some of the categories contained much fewerrespondents and this will impact the subsequent percentages. One concern is the general lack ofawarenessconcerninglocalcontrolandauthorityonthemanagementandutilizationofresources,andtheguaranteeofrepresentationforwomenandmarginalizedindividualsandcommunities.

The respondents who were aware of restructuring, were asked what changes they believed wouldhappen tohelpdevelop their local area.Themajorityof respondents fromall three researchdistrictsweresomewhatoptimisticasveryfewsaiditwouldgetworse,makenodifferenceorwereextremelyimportantandwoulddevelopthelocalareaquicklyandefficiently.Mostansweredthatitisimportantfordevelopmentbutnotrustfulbasisisseen;Dhanusha(28%),Mahottari(25%),andSindhuli(30%),oritisimportantandsupportsdevelopmentwith30percentinDhanusha,31percentinMahottari,and33percent in Sindhuli agreeing with this statement. It appears that there is optimism but alsoapprehension,whichmaybeduetothelackoflocalgovernanceforaprolongedperiodandaprevailingclimateifmistrustinthegovernmentduetocorruptionandbadgovernance.Amongthetypesofrespondenttherearemorevariationintheresponsesarefarmers/housewivesaremorepolarizedandslightlylessoptimisticthantheothercategoriesas26percentagreedthatitwouldnotmakeanydifferencetodevelopmentcomparedtotheaverageofonly9percent.Unsurprisingly,theelected representativesweremuchmorepositiveasmanymore stated it is extremely importantandmakes development fast and effective (28%) compare to the small average of 11 percent. Generally,withtheexceptionofthefarmers/housewives,mostpeoplewerereasonablyoptimistic.Regarding gender, therewas a similar optimismasdemonstratedwith theother categories, butmenweremarginallymore positive thanwomen. Althoughmorewomen (18%) thanmen (10%) said theycouldnotsay/don’tknow,andmoremen(15%)saiditisextremelyimportantandmakesdevelopment

Don't Know / Can't Say 15%

It will get worse than before

5%

It'll not make any difference in the

development 9%

Important for development but no trustful basis is seen

27%

It is important and supports

development 31%

It is extremely important and makes development fast and

effective 11%

Others 2%

Figure(5):Whatchangesdoyouthinkwilloccurafterstaterestructuringinthelocaldevelopment?

22|P a g e

fastandeffective,comparedtoonly8percentofwomen,therearenosignificantdifferences.Byage,youngerpeopleappeartobeslightlylessknowledgeableandoptimisticthattheiroldercounterpartsasthesamecombinationofagreeingthatitisimportantfordevelopmentbutnotrustfulbasisisseen,anditmakesdevelopmentfastandeffectiveischosenbymostrespondentsdespitetheirage.

Table (3): What changes do you think will occur after state restructuring in the local development?

Dalit Janajati BackwardCaste

Others Total

N % N % N % N % N %Don'tKnow/Can'tSay 21 25% 14 13% 27 14% 19 11% 81 15%Itwillgetworsethanbefore 5 6% 3 3% 9 5% 10 6% 27 5%It'llnotmakeanydifferenceinthedevelopment

10 12% 8 7% 21 11% 12 7% 51 9%

Importantfordevelopmentbutnotrustfulbasisisseen

22 27% 31 29% 54 28% 43 25% 150 27%

Itisimportantandsupportsdevelopment

19 23% 37 35% 59 31% 58 34% 173 31%

Itisextremelyimportantandmakesdevelopmentfastandeffective

5 6% 12 11% 18 9% 28 16% 63 11%

Others 1 1% 2 2% 2 1% 3 2% 8 1%Total 83 100% 107 100% 190 100% 173 100% 553 100%When the data is broken down into caste it becomes clear that there is less awareness, or perhapscomfort inexpressinganopinion,asaquarterofDalits(25%)saidtheycouldnot/didnotwanttosay,compared to the average of 15 percent. However, the same pattern of distrust and optimism stillprevailsregardlessofcasteasthemajorityofallthesocialcategoriesalsobelievethatitisimportantfordevelopment but no trustful basis, and it makes development fast and effective. Education againappears to have a correlation to the attitude of the individual as the higher the educated themorepositive and informed the respondent appears. With the exception of the illiterate, with only 35respondents that demonstrated a serious lack of knowledge or confidence to comment, and wererelatively pessimistic.Most of the respondentswere positivewith the PCL/above being slightlymorepositiveas15percentitisextremelyimportantandmakesdevelopmentfastandeffective,comparedtoonly11percentoftheSLC/secondary,and9percentoftheprimary/informallevels.Therespondentsweremostlypositiveandoptimisticregardingthechangeshavingapositiveimpactonlocaldevelopment,buttheresponsesdohaveanundercurrentofpessimismandlackoftrust.However,this subsection of the respondentsmay not be representative of themajority of the respondents asthere may be more optimism among the rest of the respondents who are unaware of the staterestructuring.2.3 Confidence to Express Opinions during the decision-making Process When all the respondents were asked how easy of difficult it was to express their opinions duringdecision making processes the data becomes less positive as the number of male and femalerespondentsacrossavarietyofvariables,suchascaste,economicbackground,geographicalregion,andreligionmostly respondednegatively or said theydon’t know. The average for don’t knowwasmorethanaquarter(28%),withgeographicalregionbeingthemostsignificantfactoras35percentsaidtheydon’tknow.All thecategoriesclearlyhadnegativeexperiencesordifficultiesasvery fewrespondents

23|P a g e

stated itwaseasyorveryeasy,withonlyanaverageof11percentand7percentof therespondentsagreeing,respectively.

Table (4): How difficult or easy for you to express your opinion or place your vote in the decision-making process?

Don’tKnow(0)

Verydifficult(1)

Difficult(2)

Neitherdifficultnoreasy(3)

Easy(4)

VeryEasy(5)

Total

N % N % N % N % N % N % N %Gender(MaleandFemale)

340 29% 160 14% 279 24% 216 19% 113 10% 56 5% 1164 100%

Caste(LowerandUppercaste)

292 25% 170 15% 293 25% 242 21% 121 10% 46 4% 1164 100%

Economical(PoorandRich)

280 24% 174 15% 296 25% 207 18% 140 12% 67 6% 1164 100%

Geographical(PahadiandMadhesi)

409 35% 182 16% 199 17% 141 12% 135 12% 98 8% 1164 100%

Religious(HinduandMuslimordifferentreligion)

318 27% 166 14% 241 21% 164 14% 144 12% 131 11% 1164 100%

Total 1639 28% 852 15% 1308 22% 970 17% 653 11% 398 7% 5820 100%Inaddition,whenbrokendownintodistrictsthereareafewnotabledistinctions.Mahottarimaintainsareasonablystableaveragevaluebetween2.5and3;althoughneitherpositivetoverynegativethereisadegreeofconsistency.However,inDhanushaandSindhithesituationisverydifferent,InDhanushatheoverall average is much more positive and respondents based on economic background (3.11),Geographicalregion(3.57),andreligion(3.57)aremuchmorepositiveandfinditmucheasiertoexpresstheir opinions. Alternatively, in Sindhuli, the same three categories aremuchmore negative in theirexperiences,withaveragevaluesof2.04,1.98,and1.98, respectively.Thisclearly indicates that therewidevariationsintheexperiencesofpeopleindifferentdistrictsbasedonsocialcategories.

AverageValueof1to5(1:Verydifficult,2:Difficult,3:Neitherdifficultnoreasy,4:Easy,5VeryEasy

0.00.51.01.52.02.53.03.54.04.55.0

Gender(MaleandFemale)

Caste(LowerandUppercaste)

Economical(PoorandRich)

Geographical(PahadiandMadhesi)

Religious(HinduandMuslim)

2.73 2.843.11

3.57 3.57

2.51 2.58 2.662.87 2.99

2.412.19 2.04 1.98 1.98

Figure (6): How difficult or easy for you to express your opinion or place your vote in the decision-making process?

Dhanusha Mahottari Sindhuli

24|P a g e

Based on respondent type the average value across almost all the categories is similar and rangesbetween two and three, difficult to neither difficult nor easy. The exception is the influential leadersbeinghigherbasedongeographicalregion(3.17)andreligion(3.37),whichmaybeexplainedbysomecommunitiespracticingcustomaryleadershippracticesbasedontradition,culture,orreligion.However,the elected leaders are significantly higher across all the variables with all the average values beingabovethree,andagainisnotsurprisingastheirpositionsshouldbeempoweringregardlessofthesocialcategories,butperhapsworthnotingisthatthepoliticalleadersarenotasempoweredorasconfidentasshouldbeexpected,whichisaseriousconcernforinclusivegovernanceandleadership.Surprisingly,genderdoesnotappeartomakeasignificantimpactontheconfidenceoftherespondent,asthemenare slightly higher across all the categories, the average value for bothmen andwomen only variesslightlywithallcomingbetween2.38and2.86.

Age appears to make little difference with a slight increase in confidence of the older respondents.Thereareslightlyhigheraveragevaluesforthe30-40agegroupbasedongeographicalregion(3.00)andreligion(3.08),butthismaybeduetothembeingmoreactiveincommunityactivitiesorinprominentpositions. Interestingly, when divided into caste, most categories reflect the same pattern with thebackward castes appearing to be more confident across all categories. This is particularly true forgeographical region and religion as the average value is 3.24 and 3.34, respectively. This could alsopossibly be due to more customary and traditional forms of government within their communities;however, further researchwouldbe required to confirm this and if accuratemayactually exacerbateexclusionandmarginalizationastheyaredisengagedfromthemainstreamgovernancesystem.Educationdoesappeartohaveanimpactonpeople’sconfidenceinparticipatinginthedecision-makingprocess,asmosteducationlevelsfallintothesimilarpatternofdifficultorneitherdifficultnoreasy,therespondentswith PCL/above have a higher value across all the categories. This ismost notablewitheconomicbackground(3.05),geographicalregion(3.24),andreligion(3.27),whichisperhapssimilartothe influentialpeoplewhomayhavemoreauthority in their respectivecommunities thatmightvalueeducationandtheiropinionsmore.

0.0

0.5

1.0

1.5

2.0

2.5

3.0

3.5

4.0

4.5

5.0

Gender(MaleandFemale)

Caste(LowerandUppercaste)

Economical(PoorandRich)

Geographical(PahadiandMadhesi)

Religious(HinduandMuslim)

2.8 2.66 2.63 2.76 2.86

2.38 2.43 2.55 2.65 2.76

Figure (7): How difficult or easy for you to express your opinion or place your vote in the decision-making process?

Male Female

25|P a g e

Theresultsshowthatthereisaseriouslackofconfidencerelatingtoexpressingopinionsanddecision-making across most of the social categories. There are a few exceptions, such as influential people,elected representatives, and people with higher education levels, but their average values are alsorelatively low.This impliesmuchworkmustbedonetobuildconfidencetoempowerpeopletomakecommunitiesandlocalgovernancemoreinclusiveandrepresentative.2.4 Collaboration across the Dividing Lines Working collaboratively with people of other identities is essential for community development, andwhenaskedifwomenandtheyouthworkedcollaboratively,almosthalfofalltherespondentsfromthethreestudydistrictsstatedtheyworkedwithpeopleregardlessofpolitical,ethnic,geographical,gender,andreligiousdifferences.However,respondentsinSindhuliappearedtothinktheyworkedslightlymorewith people with political differences (59%), compared to the average of 51 percent, and less withpeople with geographical differences (31%) where the average is 39 percent. There may be variousreasonswhyonlyhalf the respondents consider that the youthandwomen collaboratedwithpeoplewith other identities, and why there are small variations in Sindhuli, butmuchmore data would berequired as may simply be the lack of exposure and interaction, or lack of heterogeneity in theircommunities.

Table (5): Do women and youth work collaboratively with people of different identities? Farmers/

HousewifeStudents Elected

Repres.InfluentialPersons

AffiliatedinLocalStructure

PoliticalLeaders

Total

N % N % N % N % N % N % N %Workcollaborativelybesidespoliticaldifferences

75 35% 142 47% 83 73% 61 41% 98 64% 136 58% 595 51%

Workcollaborativelybesidesethnicdifferences

62 29% 131 44% 67 59% 63 43% 91 59% 103 44% 517 44%

Workcollaborativelybesidesgeographical(Pahade,Madeshi)difference

47 22% 137 46% 62 54% 62 42% 60 39% 83 35% 451 39%

Workcollaborativelybesideslingualdifference

56 26% 141 47% 65 57% 57 39% 75 49% 105 45% 499 43%

WorkCollaborativelybesidesgenderdifference

79 37% 157 52% 72 63% 59 40% 89 58% 114 49% 570 49%

Workcollaborativelybesidesreligiousdifference

63 29% 129 43% 68 60% 59 40% 81 53% 107 46% 507 44%

By respondent type the differences become much more pronounced as people working in localstructures and elected representative think that women and the youth have more contact andcollaboration than other community members. Farmers/housewives, perhaps unsurprising, have theleastexpectationsthatthereiscollaborationastheymaybepredominantlywithintheirhouseholdsandsocializing and working with their families or kinship groups. For example, elected representatives(73%),thoseaffiliatedwithlocalstructures(64%)andpoliticalleaders(58%)thoughthattheyouthandwomen collaborated with people with political differences, compared to 35 percent of thefarmers/housewives,andanaverageof51percent.Theresultsagainshowthatwiththeexceptionoftheaforementioned,abouthalfofrespondentsthoughwomenandtheyouthcollaboratedwithpeoplewithdifferent identities.Moreover, thebiggestexistingdivideappears tobegeographic regionas the

26|P a g e

averageismuchlower,indicatingthatperhapscommunitieshaveadegreeofhomogeneityorthereisproblem with women and the youth collaborating between Pahade and Madhesi communities andindividuals.Whenthedisaggregatedgenderdata isexaminedasimilarpatternofalmost50percentofbothmenand women consider that there do collaborate across identity lines, with women only being slightlylowerthanmen.Itisnotablethatthelowestcollaborationisbetweengeographicalregionswithonly43percentofmenand36percentofwomenthatthinktheyouthandwomenworkacrossthisdivide,andthefactthatwomenconstitutetwo-thirdsoftherespondentsmustalsobeconsidered.Ageappearstohavelittleimpactonperceptionsoftheyouthandwomenworkingcollaborativelyastheprevious variables demonstrated, about half of the respondents reported the worked with otheridentitiesfromallagegroups.The30-40agecohortthoughttheyworkedmoreacrosspoliticallineswith57percentcomparetotheaverageof51percent,andtheolderagegroups,40-45and45andabove,thoughttheycollaboratedslightlylessthantheyoungerrespondents.Forinstance,workingwithpeoplewith lingualdifferences the15-29 (46%)and the30-40 (45%)agegroupsmuchhigher than the40-45and 45 and above with 35 percent each. This may be a generational factor as respondents may beunawarethat theyoungergeneration interactandcollaboratewithmuchmorediversegroupsduetowork,education,andmobility.Moreover, thegeographicaldivide is still evidentand further indicatesthatPahadeandMadhesiyouthandwomenmaynotworkascollaborativelyasrequiredtodevelopthelocallevel.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Work collaboratively besides political differences

Work collaboratively besides ethnic differences

Work collaboratively besides geographical differences

Work collaboratively besides lingual difference

Work Collaboratively besides gender difference

Work collaboratively besides religious difference

Figure (8): Do women and youth in your community work collaboratively with people of different identities?

Male Female

27|P a g e

Itwouldbeexpectedthatcastemightpreventproductivecollaborationbetweenpeoplewithdifferentidentitiesdue to thehistoryofdiscriminationandmarginalization inNepal. Sadly, themajorityof therespondents’perceptionscontinue tobearound the50%mark forall categories,exceptbetween thePahade and Madhesi as previously mentioned, with an average of 39 percent; however, the Dalitresponsesweremuchlowerforalmostallidentitycategories.Forinstance,whenaskedaboutifwomenand the youth worked collaboratively besides ethnic differences, only 36 percent of Dalits agreedcomparedtoJanajatis(53%),andbackwardcastes(49%).Thisisrepeatedwithothercategoriesasonly34percentofDalitsmentionedtheyouthandwomenworkingwithpeoplewithlingualand35percentwithpeoplewithreligiousdifferences.ItisalsoworthnotingthattherearefewerDalitrespondents,butitdoesimplythattherearestillissueswithexclusionandpossiblydiscrimination.Education shows a very strong correlation between higher educational attainment and consideringwhetherwomenandtheyouthworkcollaborativelywithothersocialidentities.Ofallthevariablesusedto disaggregate the data, people with PCL/above are significantly higher than almost every othervariable. The collaboration decreases as the education level decreases, implying that educationmaydevelop and encourage more tolerance and understanding that results in the assumption of bettercollaborationwithpeoplewithdifferentsocial identities.ThePCL/abovereportaveryhigh69percentthatbelievewomenandyouthworkwithpeoplewithpoliticaldifferencescomparedtoSLC/secondary(54),primary/informal(46%),andtheilliterate(35%).Interestingly,manyrespondentswithPCL/higheralsoreportedcomparativelyhigh(59%),(61%)and(60%)forworkingwithpeoplewithlingual,genderorreligiousdifferences,respectively.Comparedtotheilliteratethenumbersarestrikingasonly25percentmentioned women or the youth working with people with lingual, 36 percent with gender, and 33percent with religious differences. Additionally, the respondents with PCL/above also reported areasonablyhigh55percentforcollaboratingwithPahade/Madhesiacrossthegeographicdivisionintheresults.Theresultsdemonstratethatanaverageofabout50percentofrespondentsconsiderthatwomenandthe youth from their communities and all the variables work collaboratively with people from othersocial identities, with the constant exception of lower reported instances between the Pahade andMadhesi. However, the most striking result is that higher the educational attainment the moreperceivedcollaboration.This furtheremphasizesthe importanceofeducationandtraining inenablingpeopletocross themanydivisions insocietyandacceptandtoleratewomenandyouthcollaboratingproductivelyforlocaldevelopmentandeffectivegovernance.2.5 Affiliation with Local Structures Whenaskediftheywereaffiliatedwithagroup,organization,ornetworkthestudydistrictsdifferedintheir responses,asonly37percentand38percent inDhanushaandMahottari saidyes, respectively,but a much higher 51 percent in Sindhuli said yes. As would be expected, elected representatives,peopleaffiliatedtolocalstructures,andpoliticalleaderswereallveryhigh.Ratherdisappointingistheverylowrepresentationoffarmers/housewives(12%),students(9%),andinfluentialpeople(22%).However,whenthedataisdisaggregatedbygendertherepresentationofwomen(47%)becomesveryinteresting as it is higher than themenwith only 35 percent saying yes. Age also appears to impactpeople’s membership as the older age cohorts are much more involved compared to the youngerrespondents.The30-40agegroup(63%)isveryhighcomparedtothelow21percentofthe15-29agegroup. This is a concern, as clearly the youth are not represented inmany organizations, groups, ornetworks.

28|P a g e

The data based on caste indicates that around 40 percent of all the groups are members with thebackward castes being slightly lower with only 38 percent. Interestingly, when disaggregated intoeducational level theprimary/informalaremuchhigherwith53percentcomparedtoPCL/above(39),SLC/secondary(37%),andtheilliterate(39%).

The disaggregated data from the three research sites shows respondents are affiliated with variousorganizations, groups, and networks, and vary by district. For example, in Dhanusha 11 percent ofrespondentsweremembersofwomen’sgroups/networksand24percentinSindhuli,butonly1percentfromMahottari. InSindhuli,therewerealso12percentinvolvedinmother’sgroupsand10percentinothers. However, the most numerous in all the districts were the members of political parties withDhanusha(14%),Mahottari(21%),andSindhuli(19%).

Table (6): If yes, in which group/organization or network are you affiliated with? Dhanusha Mahottari Sindhuli Total

N % N % N % N %WardCitizenForum 13 3% 12 3% 17 4% 42 4%WomenGroup/Network 42 11% 4 1% 94 24% 140 12%MotherGroup 6 2% 12 3% 47 12% 65 6%CommunityForestUserGroup 1 0% 0 0% 32 8% 33 3%ToleUserCommittee 16 4% 0 0% 9 2% 25 2%NGO 2 1% 9 2% 24 6% 35 3%SchoolManagementCommittee 3 1% 2 1% 23 6% 28 2%LocalSecurityCommittee 0 0% 0 0% 5 1% 5 0%Inter-partyWomenNetwork 7 2% 11 3% 12 3% 30 3%PoliticalParty 54 14% 83 21% 75 19% 212 18%LocalPeaceCommitteeTaskGroup 2 1% 1 0% 2 1% 5 0%Others 8 2% 18 5% 39 10% 65 6%Total 144 100% 149 100% 197 100% 490 100%Amongtherespondentsfromthefarmers/housewives,students,andinfluentialpeople,onlyafewhadmemberships compared to the elected representatives, people affiliated with local structures and

Total

Dhanusha

Mahottari

Sindhuli

42%

37%

38%

51%

58%

63%

62%

49%

Figure (9): Are you affiliated with any group/organization or network?

Yes No

29|P a g e

political leaders. They were represented in various groups and organizations, but mother’s groups(11%), (15%), and (7%), respectively, and political parties in particular, were popular for theserespondents. Unsurprisingly, elected representatives (42%) and political leaders (56%) were heavilyaffiliatedwithpoliticalparties.Whenthedata isexaminedbygender, thesubgroup isdividedacrossmanygroupsandorganizationswithmenmostly beingmembers of political parties, 15 percent in total. However,women aremuchmoreaffiliatedtogenderspecificgroups,suchaswomen’sgroups/networks(19%)andmother’sgroups(9%), which explains why more women were members of groups or organizations than men.Interestingly, more women are members of political parties that men with 20 percent membership,indicatingwomen’srepresentationinpoliticalpartiesisstrong.

Table (7): If yes, in which group/organization or network are you affiliated with? Dalit Janajati Backward

CasteOthers Total

N % N % N % N % N %WardCitizenForum 10 4% 11 4% 13 4% 8 3% 42 4%WomenGroup/Network 27 10% 47 17% 20 6% 46 15% 140 12%MotherGroup 7 3% 30 11% 5 2% 23 7% 65 6%CommunityForestUserGroup 3 1% 24 8% 1 0% 5 2% 33 3%ToleUserCommittee 5 2% 6 2% 7 2% 7 2% 25 2%NGO 7 3% 15 5% 4 1% 9 3% 35 3%SchoolManagementCommittee 6 2% 13 5% 4 1% 5 2% 28 2%LocalSecurityCommittee 2 1% 1 0% 0 0% 2 1% 5 0%Inter-partyWomenNetwork 4 2% 11 4% 8 3% 7 2% 30 3%PoliticalParty 57 22% 50 18% 44 14% 61 20% 212 18%LocalPeaceCommitteeTaskGroup 1 0% 0 0% 2 1% 2 1% 5 0%Others 14 5% 20 7% 13 4% 18 6% 65 6%Total 113 100% 126 100% 117 100% 134 100% 490 100%A similar pattern is observed when looking at membership by age as the few younger respondentsamongthesubgroup,15-29agegroup,weremostlymembersofmother’sgroups(7%)comparedtotheother age cohortswith the 30-40 (21%), 40-45 (11%), and45 andover (13%). Theolder respondentsweremembers of a range of organizations and groups, and were significantly better represented inpoliticalpartiescomparedtotheyouthwithonly5percentmembership.Thegroupbetweentheagesof30-40had28percent,the40-45had31percent,andthe45andoverhad29percentmembership.Thisisconcerningasitimpliesthattheyouthhaveverylittlerepresentationinanyorganizationsandgroupsandalmostnoaffiliationwithpoliticalparties.Asimilartrend isseenbycasteasmostofthemembersareaffiliatedwithwomen’sgroups/networksand political parties. Backward castes and Dalits are slightly less represented in women’s groups asDalits have 10 percent and backward castes only 6 percent compared to Janajatis (17%) and others(15%).However,Dalitsaremuchmorepoliticallyinvolvedthanbackwardcastes,withpoliticalaffiliationbeingDalits(22%),Janajatis(18%),backwardcastes(14),andother(20%).The data on education shows a wide spread of affiliations with various groups, but again women’sgroups/networks, mothers groups, and political parties are the most subscribed organizations.Interestingly, the respondents with primary/informal education have much more political partymemberswithahigh27percentcomparedtoPCL/above(14%),SLC/secondary(16%),andtheilliterate

30|P a g e

(14%).However, the illiterate have themostmembers ofwomen’s groups/networkswith 19 percentandprimary/informaleducationallevelwithonly16percent.Theresultsshowthat,withvaryingmembership, themajorityof therespondentswhosaidtheywereaffiliated with organizations or groups are mostly members of gender specific women’s or mother’sgroupsandpoliticalparties.However, there isaclear lackofmembership fromtheyouth inany localorganization and women’s membership is meaningless if the representation is not meaningful andwithoutactiveparticipation.

Table (8): What would be your role in such discussion? Dhanusha Mahottari Sindhuli Total

N % N % N % N %Don'tKnow/Can'tSay 29 20% 47 32% 16 8% 92 19%Donotexpressopinionduringparticipation 7 5% 8 5% 59 30% 74 15%Speakonlysometimes 39 27% 33 22% 26 13% 98 20%Usuallyparticipateindiscussionanddecision 52 36% 39 26% 75 38% 166 34%Takeargumentforwardwhilemakingdecision 12 8% 17 11% 15 8% 44 9%Influencethedecision-makingprocess 5 3% 5 3% 6 3% 16 3%Total 144 100% 149 100% 197 100% 490 100%Whentherespondentswereaskedtheir role indiscussionsthedata fromthethreestudysitesshowsminimal participation and varying responses. Rather concerning was number of respondents whoansweredtheydon’tknow/can’tsaywith20percentinDhanusha,32percentinMahottari,butonly8percentintheSindhuli.Alsoconcerningistheresponse‘donotexpressopinionduringparticipation’asonly5percenteachinDhanushaandMahottariagreedwiththisstatement,butaveryhigh30percentinSindhuliagreed.However,morepositiveisthattherespondentsinDhanusha(36%),Mahottari(26%),andSindhuli(38%)allmentionedthattheyusuallyparticipateindiscussionsanddecisions,butveryfewfelt that they took the arguments forward or influenced the decision-making process across all thedistricts.The respondents’ answers by typewere also very variedbutwere generallymuchmorepositive. Forexample, farmers/housewives (40%), students (33%),elected representatives (38%), influentialpeople(21%), thoseaffiliatedwith localstructures (37%),andpolitical leaders (31%)all saidthattheyusuallyparticipated indiscussionsanddecisions.Also, ratherdiscouragingwashowfewrespondents fromallthecategories reported that they took thediscussion forwardorhad influence,with theexceptionofthefarmers/housewivesas16percentmentionedtakingtheargumentforward.However,thismaybedue to the nature of the organization as they were predominantly involved in gender specificorganizationsandgroupsandmaybemorecomfortableinexpressingtheiropinions.Similarly,when looking at the disaggregated gender data the same pattern emergeswithmanymen(20%) and women (18%) saying they don’t know/can’t say. Like the other variables, many of therespondentswere negative, butwith the same concentration of responses claiming that they usuallyparticipateindiscussionsanddecisionswith35percentofmenand33percentofwomenagreeingwiththisstatement.Theonlysignificantdifferencebetweenthemenandwomenwasthat11percentofthemenstatedtheyspeakonlysometimesandamuchhigher24percentofwomenchosethisoption.Age appears to be an important factor in expressing your opinion during meetings as the olderrespondents appeared to bemuchmore engaged in discussions. That said, there is still a significantnumberfromallagecohortswhoclaimtheydonotexpresstheiropinionandonlyspeaksometimes.

31|P a g e

The older respondents 30-40 (38%), 40-45 (30%), and 45 and above (40%) assert that they usuallyparticipateindiscussionsanddecisionscompareto24percentfromthegroupbetweentheagesof15-29. This may be due to the respect and authority attributed to older community members in moretraditionalsettings,andastheliteraturehighlights,thenegativeperceptionoftheyouthandtheirlackofauthorityinconservativepatriarchalcultures.

TheresponsesbasedoncasteindicatethatDalitsandbackwardcastesarelessactiveindiscussionsandmore negative in their answers. Although the data follows the same pattern as the other variables,Dalits (32%) and backward castes (21%) are higher in claiming that they speak only sometimescomparedtotheJanajatis(13%)andothers(16%).Moreover,theJanajatis(39%)andothers(40%)arehigherinstatingtheyusuallyparticipateindiscussionsanddecisionsasonly27percentoftheDalitsand29percentof thebackward castes agreewith this statement. Conversely, thebackward castes (14%)report thehighest instancesof taking theargument forwardwhenmakingdecisionscompared to theaverage of 9 percent. These resultsmay indicative of the persistence of discrimination and exclusionbasedoncastethatmayresultinthecontinuedmarginalizationofalargepercentageofthepopulation.

Table (9): What would be your role in such discussion? 15-29 30-40 40-45 Above45 Total

N % N % N % N % N %Don'tKnow/Can'tSay 30 27% 38 20% 15 21% 9 8% 92 19%Donotexpressopinionduringparticipation

24 22% 26 14% 9 13% 15 13% 74 15%

Speakonlysometimes 16 14% 36 19% 14 20% 32 28% 98 20%Usuallyparticipateindiscussionanddecision

27 24% 72 38% 21 30% 46 40% 166 34%

Takeargumentforwardwhilemakingdecision

12 11% 15 8% 8 11% 9 8% 44 9%

Influencethedecision-makingprocess 2 2% 5 3% 4 6% 5 4% 16 3%Total 111 100% 192 100% 71 100% 116 100% 490 100%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40% Don't Know/ Can't Say

Do not express opinion during participation

Speak only sometimes

Usually participate in discussion and decision

Take argument forward while making decision

Influence the decision-making process

Figure (10): What would be your role in such discussion?

Male Female

32|P a g e

The education variable continues the pattern that all the variables show and indicates very littledifference between the PCL/above, SLC/secondary, and primary/informal education levels. However,theilliteratearemuchmorenegativeandsignificantlyhigherinthecategoriesofdon’tknow/can’tsay,don’t express an opinion, and speak only sometimes, and are much lower in the more positivestatements. For example, 34 percent of the illiterate responded that they speak only sometimescompared toPCL/above (9%), SLC/secondary (14%), andprimary/informal (24%). Similar to caste, thedata implies that the illiterateare sociallyexcludedand lack theabilityor confidence tomeaningfullyparticipateinlocaldiscussionsanddecisionsthatimpacttheirlives.Thedatademonstratesthatalthoughmanyrespondentsfromallthevariablesprofesstoparticipateindiscussions anddecisions at the local level, very fewclaim that they considered that theymoved thearguments forward orwere influential in decision-making. This suggests a serious lack of trust in thedecision-making process and the general feeling of powerlessness to actively influence decisions bymostoftherespondents. 2.6 Representation in Planning and Review Meetings (VDC level) WhenaskediftheywereinvitedtoVDCbudgetmeeting,themajorityoftherespondentsfromthethreestudydistrictseithersaidnoortheydon’tremember.Only29percentfromDhanusha,28percentfromSindhuli,andaverylow17percentfromMahottarisaidtheyhadbeeninvited.Alternatively, the disaggregated data on respondent type showed a very different scenario, asmanymore respondents with a connection to the governance system were invited to the VDC budgetmeeting. Elected representatives (51%), people affiliated with local structures (37%), and Politicalleaders (42%) were invited, with only 19 percent of the influential people, 11 percent of thefarmers/housewives,and7percentofthestudentssayingtheyhadbeeninvited.Theseresultsclearlydemonstrate the lack of transparency and accountability of the local governance system as very fewpeoplewithnoexistingconnectiontotheVDCwereinvited.

Total

Dhanusha

Mahottari

Sindhuli

32%

34%

32%

31%

43%

37%

51%

41%

25%

29%

17%

Figure (11): Are you invited in the budget planning of the VDC?

Don'tremember No Yes

33|P a g e

Thesamesituationcanbeobserved in thegenderdataas31percentofmaleandonly20percentoffemale respondents saidyes.Again, it isworthnoting thehighpercentageof respondents,bothmen(27%)andwomen(36%)whodon’tremember,butthenumbersarestillverysmallandwomenappeartomuchlesslikelytobeinvitedtothemeetings.

Likewomen,theyoutharealsoextremelyunderrepresentedattheVDCbudgetmeetingscomparedtothe older respondents. Only 14 percent of the 15-29 age group said they had been invited,which ismuch lower thanthe30-40 (32%),40-45 (32%),andthe45andabove (37%)agegroups.Thismayberelated to the lack of membership of organizations and groups, limited networks, or minimalrepresentation in general; regardless, it does imply that the youth are not gaining opportunities toparticipateinthelocalgovernanceanddevelopment.

Table (10): Are you invited in the budget planning of the VDC? 15-29 30-40 40-45 Above45 Total

N % N % N % N % N %Don'tremember 179 34% 88 29% 49 37% 61 30% 377 32%No 276 52% 119 39% 40 31% 66 33% 501 43%Yes 72 14% 98 32% 42 32% 74 37% 286 25%Total 527 100% 305 100% 131 100% 201 100% 1164 100%Thedataoncastesuggeststhatthesituationwithcasteisalsoproblematic,andasexpectedDalitsaretheleastinvitedtotheVDCmeetings.Only17percentofDalitssaidtheyhadbeeninvitedcomparedto30 percent of the Janajatis, 28 percent of the backward castes, and 22 percent of the others. Dalitsappeartoremainanexcludedandmarginalizedgroupwithverylittlerepresentationatthelocal level.According to education, the illiterate remain as marginal as the Dalits as a very low 14 percentrespondedthattheyhadbeeninvitedtoabudgetmeetingattheVDC.Alternatively,34percentofthePCL/above,25percentoftheSLC/secondary,and24percentoftheprimary/informaleducationallevelsstatedthattheyhadbeeninvited.Therefore, the budget meeting at the VDC is a good example of the lack of transparency andaccountability as the respondents who were mostly invited to the meetings were people who werealreadyaffiliatedordirectlyassociatedwith localgovernanceanddevelopment.Thisperhapsexplainsthe lackof trust in localdecision-makingmechanismsandtherespondents’general feelings that theiropinionswillhavenoimpactorinfluenceoverdecisionsatthelocallevel.

Table (11): Are you invited in the budget planning of the VDC? 15-29 30-40 40-45 Above45 Total

N % N % N % N % N %Don'tremember 4 6% 3 3% 2 5% 7 9% 16 6%Yes(myself) 39 54% 65 66% 24 57% 55 74% 183 64%Otherfamilymember 11 15% 7 7% 6 14% 2 3% 26 9%No 18 25% 23 23% 10 24% 10 14% 61 21%Total 72 100% 98 100% 42 100% 74 100% 286 100%Whenaskediftherespondentsfromthethreestudydistrictshadparticipatedinaplanningandreviewmeetinginthelastyear,therespondentsfromMahottari(68%)agreedandaveryhigh85percentfromSindhulisaidyes,butmuchfewerfromDhanusha(41%)saidtheyhadparticipated.However,16percentfrom Dhanusha did state that other family members had attended. This demonstrates the extremevariationsinparticipationbetweenthedistricts.

34|P a g e

Byrespondenttypethesamepositiveoutcomecanbeobserved,withtheexceptionofstudents(32%)and elected representatives (50%) as fewer personally attended, but other family members hadattended with 27 percent and 16 percent, respectively, compared to the average of 9 percent.Alternatively,averyhighfarmers/housewife(74%),influentialpeople(57%),peopleaffiliatedwithlocalstructures(82%),andpoliticalleaders(68%)allattendedameetinginthelastyear.Thedisaggregatedgenderdataisalsopositiveasboth64percentofmenandwomenhadattended,and7percentand11percent,respectively,hadfamilymemberswhohadattendedsothereisnodifferenceregardinggender.Similarly,thedisaggregatedcastedataindicatesmostpeopleattendedorhadafamilymemberattend,butthebackwardcastesaremuchlowerinpersonalattendance.Only45percentofthebackwardcastesstatedtheyattendedcomparedto73percentofDalits,80percentofJanajatis,and61percentofothers.Again,thebackwardcastesreportedmorefamilymembersattendingwith17percentcomparedtotheaverageof9percent,andamuchhigherpercentagesayingnowith33percentandanaverageof21percent.Educationalattainmentonlyappearstodeterminewhetheryoupersonallyattendorafamilymemberattends in the respondents place. However, the respondents with primary/informal (69%) and theilliterate(79%)aremuchhigher,andoncethenumberwhoanswered‘no’isexaminedtheirattendanceappears tomuchhigher.Thedata isveryencouragingas themajorityof the respondents,ora familymember, attended a meeting within the last year and is a significant increase in the number ofrespondentswhowereinvitedtoabudgetmeetingattheVDC.2.7 Platform for Leadership Development at the Local Level WhenaskedifaforumorgrouphadformedintheircommunitiesforleadershipdevelopmentmanyoftherespondentsfromthestudysitesappeartobeunawareofanygroupasaveryhighpercentageinDhanusha (49%),Mahottari (61%), and Sindhuli (48%) said theydon’t know/can’t say. There is a vastdifferenceinthedistrictsbetweentherespondentswhowereawareofagrouporforumas43percentinDhanushaand40percentinSindhulisaidyes,butaverylow5percentinMahottarisaidyes.ThismaybeduetolackofknowledgeorawarenessorperhapsveryfewgroupsorforumshavebeenestablishedinMahottari.

Total

Dhanusha

Mahottari

Sindhuli

53%

49%

61%

48%

29%

43%

5%

40%

18%

8%

35%

Figure (12): Has any forum or group formed in your community for leadership development?

Don'tKnow Yes No

35|P a g e

Similarly, by respondent type there is also a significant number who say they don’t know/can’t say,especiallyamongthefarmers/housewives(71%),withtheexceptionoftheelectedrepresentativesandpolitical leaderswhoare comparatively lower.Theelected representatives (48%)andpolitical leaders(44%) are much higher in saying yes than the other categories, such as the students (8%),farmers/housewives (24%), and influential people (23%). This may be because the electedrepresentativesandpolitical leadersmaybedirectly involved in foundingandrunning thegroupsandforums

Table (12): Has any forum or group formed in your community for leadership development? Male Female Total

N % N % N %Don'tknow/can'tsay 205 45% 407 57% 612 53%Yes 153 34% 189 27% 342 29%No 96 21% 114 16% 210 18%Total 454 100% 710 100% 1164 100%

The gender data also follows the same patter as 45 percent of male and 57 percent of femalerespondentsstatedtheydon’tknow/can’tsay,withonly34percentofmenand27percentofwomenanswering yes. There is a slight differencebetween the genders but considering theother categorieswereequallyunaware,andalmosttwothirdsoftherespondentsarewomen,itmaynotbesignificant.

Similartopreviousquestionstheyouthcategory,betweentheagesof15-25,appearstobeslightlylessawareas58percentsaydon’tknowcan’tsayandonly24percentsayyes.However,alltheagegroupsarerelativelyhighinthedon’tknow/can/tsaycategoryandlowintheyescategory.Thedisaggregatedcastedatafollowsthesamepatter,buttheDalitsaresignificantlyhigherinthe‘don’tknow/can’t say’ category with 67 percent compared to Janajatis (47%), backward castes (46%), andothers (51%).Only 15 percent ofDalits said yes and 36 percent of Janajatis, 35 percent of backwardcastes, and 30 percent of others all said yes. This is another indication that Dalits are possiblymarginalizedandexcludedfromthefacilitiesandresourcesavailableatthelocallevel.

Asexpectedbythepreviousdata,andsimilartotheDalits,ahighpercentageofthe illiterateandtheprimary/informalrespondedwithdon’tknow/can’tsay,andveryfewstatedyescomparedtotheothertwoeducationallevels,thePCL/aboveandtheSLC/secondary.There is a serious lack of knowledge regarding the formation of groups or forums for leadershipdevelopment,as themajorityof therespondentsstatedtheydon’tknow/can’tsay.Thissuggests thatthefocusshouldbeonbothwhetherthereareforumsandgroupsforleadershipdevelopment,andalsoifpeopleareawareofthem,andhowinformationisdisseminatedwithincommunitiestothebenefitofsomeandpotentialdetrimenttoothers,exacerbatingsocialexclusion.

Table (13): If yes, did you participate in it? 15-29 30-40 40-45 Above45 Total

N % N % N % N % N %No 50 40% 32 32% 11 24% 13 18% 106 31%Participatedrarely 25 20% 24 24% 9 20% 13 18% 71 21%Participatedsometimes 32 25% 18 18% 11 24% 17 24% 78 23%Participatedusually 13 10% 19 19% 9 20% 21 29% 62 18%Participatedregularly 6 5% 6 6% 5 11% 8 11% 25 7%Total 126 100% 99 100% 45 100% 72 100% 342 100%

36|P a g e

Among the respondents who were aware of a group or forum for leadership development in theircommunities, the disaggregated data from the three districts indicates that almost half of therespondents fromDhanusha (46%)andMahottari (44%)didnotparticipateandonly13percent fromSindhulisaidtheydidnotparticipate,but38percentstatedtheyonlyparticipatedrarely.However,31percentfromDhanushaand28percentfromMahottariclaimedtheyparticipatedsometimescomparedto 13 percent in Sindhuli.Notable is the data fromSindhuli, asmanymore respondents appeared toparticipateas23percentclaimedtheyusuallyparticipatedandonly15percent fromDhanushaand6percentfromMahottarimadethisclaim.Althoughthereareonly18peoplefromDhanushaamongtherespondents,thisdoesfurtheremphasizethedifferencesbetweenthedistricts.With theexceptionofpeopleaffiliatedwith local structures (9%)andpolitical leaders (12%),manyofthe other types state they do not participate; Farmers/housewives (61%), students (48%), electedrepresentatives (44%), influential people (34%).About a quarter of the respondents by type say theysometimesparticipate,excludingthefarmers/housewives(16%),but36percentofthepoliticalleadersmentionusuallyparticipating,and12percentregularly.Thisisunusualasveryfewoftherespondentsclaimtoparticipate regularly,butdue to thenatureof theprogram it isunderstandable thatpoliticalleaderswouldbemoreinvolved.

By gender, the participation appears a little better as only 25% percent of themale and a higher 35percent of the female respondents said they do not participate. Women appear to participate lessfrequentlythanmenandsignificantlylessstatedthattheyusuallyparticipate,only14percentofwomencomparedto24percentofthemen.Theremaybemanyreasonsforthegenderdifferenceasitismuchmoredifficultforwomentoengageinactivitiesoutsidethehomeaswomenareoftenburdenedwithdomesticworkandresponsibilities.Participationisclearlycorrelatedwithageastheolderrespondentsattendedmoremeetingsandmorefrequently. Theyoungestagegroup,15-29,mostlydidnotattend (40%),participated rarely (20%),orparticipated sometimes (25%). Alternatively, the older age groupsweremuchmore evenly spread inrelationtoattendance,andmanyrespondedthattheyparticipatedregularly,30-40(19%),40-45(20%),and 45 and over (29%). Unfortunately, similar to women, the implications are that the youth areunawareofthegroupsor forumsornotparticipatingregularly,whichfurtherrestrictstheyouthfromgainingleadershipskillsandpotentiallyaccessingleadershippositions.

No

Participated rarely

Participated sometimes

Participated usually

Participated regularly

25%

18%

25%

24%

8%

35%

23%

21%

14%

7%

Figure (13): If yes, did you participate in it?

Male Female

37|P a g e

Participationbasedoncasteisverydifferentforthevariouscastes,asonly18percentofDalitsreportednot attending or participating rarely, but a high 45 percent stated they sometimes participated.Alternatively,only12percentofJanajatisdidnotattendand48percentparticipatedrarelyandonly14percentparticipatedsometimes.Thereisnodiscerniblepatternamongthecastes,exceptthefactveryfew respondents participated regularly. Fifty percent of the backward castes said they did notparticipate, with 23 percent and 19 percent claiming they participated sometimes and usually,respectively. Moreover, the others group was similar to the backward castes but only 37 percentclaimedtheydidnotparticipateand23percenteachstatedtheyparticipatedsometimesandusually.By education the participation is similar and clustered around participating rarely, sometimes andusually,withtheilliterateansweringmuchhigherforrarelywith33percentcomparedtothe21percentaverage,andmuch less forusuallywithonly tenpercentandanaverageof18percent.However, theprimary/informal appear tobemuchmoreengagedacross all thedegreesofparticipation, andhas asignificantly lower18percentnon-attendance compared to the31percentaverage. Interestingly, theprimary/informaleducated respondentsappear tobemoreengaged in communityactivities,which isinexplicablewithoutfurtherdata.Generally, knowledge of the group and forums is very limited andmost of the respondentswho areawareof theirexistence tendnot toattend.Moreover, the respondentswhodoattenddonotdo soregularly, which may be due to inconvenience in timing, setting, or other issues that should beaddressedtomakethegroupsorforumsmoreaccessible,especiallyfortheunderrepresentedwomen,youth,andmarginalizedinthelocalcommunitiesTable (14): If participated, have you realized increment in knowledge and understanding about

role of women in local development than before? Farmers/

HousewifeStudents Elected

Repres.InfluentialPersons

AffiliatedinLocalStructure

PoliticalLeaders

Total

N % N % N % N % N % N % N %Can'tsay 1 6% 1 3% 1 3% 1 5% 2 4% 4 4% 10 4%No 0 0% 1 3% 1 3% 3 14% 1 2% 0 0% 6 3%Realizedlittlebitofnewknowledgeandunderstandinghasincreasedthanbefore

8 47% 13 45% 9 29% 2 10% 16 33% 29 32% 77 33%

Realizedthatfewnewknowledgeandunderstandinghasincreasedthanbefore

5 29% 8 28% 7 23% 5 24% 19 40% 17 19% 61 26%

Realizedthatmanynewknowledgeandunderstandinghasincreasedthanbefore

2 12% 5 17% 9 29% 9 43% 9 19% 31 34% 65 28%

Ihavebecomeabletotakecapableleadershipinlocalgroup

1 6% 1 3% 4 13% 1 5% 1 2% 9 10% 17 7%

Total 17 100% 29 100% 31 100% 21 100% 48 100% 90 100% 236 100%Therespondentswhoparticipatedintheleadershipdevelopmentgroupsorforumswereaskediftheyaremoreawareoftheroleofwomenin localdevelopmentthanbeforetheirparticipation.Byregion,theresponsesareverysimilarandpositive,asalmostalltherespondentsreportedgainingatleastsomeincreaseintheirknowledgeandunderstanding.Sindhuliwasalittlelesspositivewithmorerespondentssaying they learned a little andMahottariweremuch higher regarding learning a lot, but all regions

38|P a g e

were relatively high in stating that learned a lot of new knowledge and their understanding hasincreased,31percentinDhanusha,40percentinMahottari,and24percentinSindhuli.Thedisaggregateddataby respondent type ismorediverseasmanymore farmers/housewives (47%)andstudents(45%)statedthattheylearnedalittlebitofnewknowledgeandunderstandingcomparedtoelectedrepresentatives(29%),influentialpeople(10%),peopleaffiliatedwithlocalstructures(33%),andpoliticalleaders(32%).Interestingly,peopleaffiliatedwithlocalstructuresweresignificantlyhigherwith40percentsayingthattheylearnedafewthingsrelatedtonewknowledgeandunderstandingwiththeaveragebeingonly19percent.Moreover,43percentinfluentialpeopleclaimedtheylearnedalot,which isevenhigher thanelected representatives (29%),peopleaffiliatedwith local structures (19%),andpoliticalleaders(34%).Thehighresponsesfrominfluentialleadersregardinglearningalot,andthepeople affiliated with local structures stating they learned a few new things may be relative to theknowledgeandtrainingtherespondentalreadyhas.Forexample,ifyoualreadyhavealotofknowledgerelating towomen’s roles in local development or have previously had training then the data is onlyshowing what new knowledge and understanding you have learned. However, another explanationwould be whether there is a correlation to how regularly the respondents attended the groups andforums,butmoredataandanalysiswouldberequiredtoclarifythisissue.

Withregardtogender,thedataimmediatelyimpliesthatmenhavelearnedmuchmorethanwomenas37 percent of the male and on 19 percent of the female respondents reported gained a lot newknowledgeandunderstandingcompared toahigh40percentofwomenandonly25percentofmensaying they had learned a little new knowledge and understanding. Initially, the data suggests thatwomen have gainedmuch less from participating and learned little regardingwomen’s roles in local

0%

10%

20%

30%

40% Can't say

No

Realized little bit of new knowledge and

understanding has increased than before

Realized that few new knowledge and

understanding has increased than before

Realized that many new knowledge and

understanding has increased than before

I have become able to take capable leadership in local

group

Figure (14): If participated, have you realized increment in knowledge and understanding about role of women in local development than before?

Male Female

39|P a g e

development. However, aswith the previous variable it is highly probable thatwomenwere alreadyveryawareoftheirvalueandmenperhapsvaluedwomenmuchlesssolearnedmorefromthegroupsand forums.This is supportedby the literature thatgenderempowerment isequallyabouteducationthemeninlocalcommunitiesandencouragingachangeofperspective.By age, the data is reasonably similar with most age groups clustering around the learned a little,learnedafewnewthings,andgainedalotofnewknowledgeandunderstanding.However,thegroupbetweentheagesof15-29issignificantlyhigherwith33percentagreeingthattheylearnedafewnewthingsandsignificantlylowerwith17percentclaimingtheygainedalot.Alternatively,the45andoldergrouparetheoppositewith20percentand39percentrespectively.Aspreviouslysuggested,thismaybeduetothefactthattheyoutharealreadymoreawareandgendersensitivethanthemoretraditionaloldermembers of their local communities or perhaps it is due to the fact that the older generationattendedgroupsmoreregularlyasthepreviousdataindicates.Table (15): If participated, have you realized increment in knowledge and understanding about

role of women in local development than before? 15-29 30-40 40-45 Above45 Total

N % N % N % N % N %Can'tsay 5 7% 4 6% 0 0% 1 2% 10 4%No 3 4% 3 4% 0 0% 0 0% 6 3%Realizedlittlebitofnewknowledgeandunderstandinghasincreasedthanbefore

27 36% 21 31% 11 32% 18 31% 77 33%

Realizedthatfewnewknowledgeandunderstandinghasincreasedthanbefore

25 33% 16 24% 8 24% 12 20% 61 26%

Realizedthatmanynewknowledgeandunderstandinghasincreasedthanbefore

13 17% 18 27% 11 32% 23 39% 65 28%

Ihavebecomeabletotakecapableleadershipinlocalgroup

3 4% 5 7% 4 12% 5 8% 17 7%

Total 76 100% 67 100% 34 100% 59 100% 236 100%Thedatabasedoncastedemonstratesthesamepatternfromthepreviousvariables,but39percentoftheDalits and 32 percent of the Janajatis appear to have only leaned a little compared to backwardcastes (28%), and others (29%). In addition, there are a few other slight variations such as only 18percentofDalitssayingtheylearnedafewnewthingsandtheothersreporting31percentforthesamecategory,and35percentofthebackwardcastesagreeingthattheyhavegainedalotofnewknowledge.There isnothingdistinctiveabout the results and similar to theprevious category,perhaps the lowerreportingisduetheexistingknowledgeandunderstandingorregularityofattendance.Theeducationalleveloftherespondentsappearstobecorrelatedwithhowmuchnewknowledgeandunderstanding a respondent gets from participating in the groups, as the PCL/above category aresignificantly higher, 40 percent, in the gained a lot of new knowledge and understanding with thenumberdecreasingas theeducational leveldecreases toonly6percentof the illiterateagreeingwiththe statement. Accordingly, 47 of the illiterate respondents claimed to learn a little bit that also

40|P a g e

decreasestoonly14percentofthePCL/above.However,theanalysishasthesameproblemasthismaybe due to prior knowledge and training or the regularity of attendance as a strong argument can bemadeforbothinterpretations.The data indicates that themajority of the respondents reported positive experiences and gained atleast a little, if not a lot, of newknowledgeand informationonwomen’s roles in local development.However, thedatamaybemisrepresentingtheactualsituation,aspreviously implied, ifarespondentalreadyhastraining,agoodknowledgeandunderstandingofthesubject,andisgendersensitivethentheywillnotreportthattheyhavelearnedalotof‘new’knowledge.Alternatively,thedatamaydirectlycorrelatetheamountofnewknowledgegainedwithhowregularlytherespondentattendedforumsandgroups,andfurtherresearchisrequiredtoclarifythisissue.Table (16): What kind of role you should have for making meaningful participation of women in

overall local development? Farmers/

HousewifeStudents Elected

Repres.InfluentialPersons

AffiliatedinLocalStructure

PoliticalLeaders

Total

N % N % N % N % N % N % N %Don'tKnow/Can'tSay 18 41% 31 55% 5 9% 11 34% 10 19% 11 11% 86 25%Myinvolvementdoesnotmakeanydifference

8 18% 1 2% 1 2% 3 9% 1 2% 3 3% 17 5%

Understandingthemisenough

9 20% 5 9% 12 22% 11 34% 26 49% 39 38% 102 30%

Othersroleismorethanminebutmyparticipationhastobethere

6 14% 19 34% 31 56% 6 19% 15 28% 46 45% 123 36%

Myactiveparticipationshouldbethere

3 7% 0 0% 6 11% 1 3% 1 2% 3 3% 14 4%

Thisisnotpossiblewithoutmyactiveinvolvement

0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%

Total 44 100% 56 100% 55 100% 32 100% 53 100% 102 100% 342 100%Therespondentswereaskedwhattypeofroletheyshouldhaveinhelpingwomenachievemeaningfulparticipation in local development. The three study districts varied across someof the responses butweregenerallypositiveintheirattitudesbutnotinactiveparticipation.ManyrespondentsinDhanusha(24%)andSindhuli(29%)saidtheydon’tknow/can’tsay,butnotonerespondentinMahottarichosenottocomment.Themajorityoftherespondentsdisagreedthattheirinvolvementmadenodifference,butrather paradoxically, respondents from Sindhuli (41%) think that understanding women was enoughcompared to 20 percent inDhanusha, and 28 percent inMahottari. Themajority of the respondentsagreedtheirparticipationwasnecessarybutothers’rolesweremoreimportant,withDhanusha(43%),Mahottari (56%), and Sindhuli (26%). However, very few respondents considered their directinvolvementasimportantorrequired.Thedisaggregateddataby respondent type shows thatwith theexceptionof elected representativeswhoweremuchmoreproactiveintheirresponses,manyrespondentsstatedtheydon’tknow/can’tsay,particularlythefarmers/housewives(41%)andstudents(55%)wheretheaveragewasonly11percent.Worryingly,althoughmostdisagreedthattheir involvementmadenodifference,manyofthepolitical

41|P a g e

leaders(38%),peopleaffiliatedwiththelocalstructures(49%),andinfluentialpeople(34%)believethatunderstandingwomenisenough,comparedto20percentofthefarmers/housewives,9percentofthestudents, and 22 percent of the elected representatives. The idea that they should participate butothers’participation ismore importantwasalsoparticularlyhighwiththestudents(34%);theelectedrepresentatives (56%), and the political leaders (45%), and the elected representativeswere the onlyrespondents that considered their participation as important with 11 percent agreeing with thestatement. Again, we see the focus on support and not active involvement, which is concerning aspeoplewhoaresupposedto represent thecommunitiesandencourageactiveengagementappear toconsideritunimportant.

Thedisaggregatedgenderdatashouldlogicallyindicateamuchhighersupportfromwomenbutthisisnot the case. Many men (22%) and women (28%) claim they don’t know/can’t say, but with theexceptionof24percentofmenand34percentofwomensayingthatunderstandingthemisenough.Forty-fourpercentofmaleandonly30percentoffemalerespondentsconsidersothers’rolesaremoreimportantthantheirsare,andagainveryfewclaimedtheiractiveparticipationwas importantandnorespondentthoughtitwasnotpossiblewithouttheirparticipation.Apartfromtheconcerningtrendthatno respondent appears to think their contribution is valuable or even required, thedata implies thatthereisaseriouslackofknowledgeandorganizationtomobilizepeopleinthecommunitiestosupportwomen’smeaningfulparticipationinlocaldevelopment.By age, the results imply that older respondents were more confident or capable of answeringcomparedtotheyouth,15-29,as41percentsaidtheydon’tknow/can’tsaycomparedtotheaverageof25%.However, the responseswere also predominantly negative and lacking any active commitment.The younger age group answered slightly lower to the statements of understanding is enough andothers’ contributions aremore important thanmine, but thismay be due to the large number whoclaimedthattheydidn’tknow.Theotheragegroupswerehighinboththesecategorieswiththe30-40

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50% Don't Know / Can't Say

My involvement does not make any difference

Understanding them is enough

Others role is more than mine but my participation

has to be there

My active participation should be there

Figure (15): What kind of role you should have for making meaningful participation of women in overall local development?

Male Female

42|P a g e

(33%and43%),40-45 (38%and33%), and45andabove (31%and40%), respectively. Therefore, thesamelackofactivecommitmentisevident,butnotableisthelackofknowledgeamongtheyouth.

Withregardtocaste,almostaquarterofalltherespondentsstatedthatdon’tknow/can’tsay,andtherestareclusteredbetweenthesametwostatementsasthepreviousvariables.Dalitswereveryhighinclaimingthatunderstandingthemwasenough,with48percentcomparedtoJanajatis(42%),backwardcastes(16%),andothers(25%).Thebackwardcastes(45%)andothersgroup(42%)weremoreproactiveastheyconsideredtheirparticipationwasnecessarybutothers’rolesweremoreimportantwithonly20percentofDalitsand27percentofJanajatisagreeing.Asthesamelackofinvolvementandparticipationisevidenttherearedifferencesamongthevariouscastegroups.

Don'tKnow/Can'tSay25%

Myinvolvementdoesnotmakeanydifference

5%

Understandingthemisenough30%

Othersroleismorethanminebutmy

participationhastobethere36%

Myactiveparticipationshouldbethere

4%

Figure (16): What kind of role you should have for making meaningful participation of women in overall local development?

0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45%

Don'tKnow/Can'tSay

Myinvolvementdoesnotmakeanydifference

Understandingthemisenough

Othersroleismorethanminebutmyparticipationhastobethere

Myactiveparticipationshouldbethere

22%

5%

24%

44%

6%

28%

5%

34%

30%

3%

Figure(17):Whatkindofroleyoushouldhaveformakingmeaningfulparticipationofwomeninoveralllocaldevelopment?

Female Male

43|P a g e

Byeducation, thehighnumberof respondents claiming theydon’t know/can’t say continues,but theilliterate (14%) have the highest responses that their involvement does notmatter compared to theaverageof5percent.Thesamepatterncontinuesbutwiththerespondentswithahighereducationallevelbeingslightlymoreproactiveas44percentoftheprimary/informaland43percentoftheilliteratestatingthatunderstandingthemisenoughandonly22percentofthePCL/aboveand21percentoftheSLC/secondary agreeing. The situation is reversedwhere a high 50 percent of the PCL/above and 38percent of the SLC/secondary believe that their participation is necessary but others’ roles aremoreimportant compared to primary/informal (30%) and the illiterate (14%). This implies that there is acorrelationbetweenhigherlevelsofeducationandtherespondentsbeingslightlymoreproactive.Table (17): What kind of role you should have for making meaningful participation of women in

overall local development? 15-29 30-40 40-45 Above45 Total

N % N % N % N % N %Don'tKnow/Can'tSay 52 41% 16 16% 9 20% 9 12% 86 25%Myinvolvementdoesnotmakeanydifference

5 4% 5 5% 0 0% 7 10% 17 5%

Understandingthemisenough 30 24% 33 33% 17 38% 22 31% 102 30%Othersroleismorethanminebutmyparticipationhastobethere

36 29% 43 43% 15 33% 29 40% 123 36%

Myactiveparticipationshouldbethere 3 2% 2 2% 4 9% 5 7% 14 4%Thisisnotpossiblewithoutmyactiveinvolvement

0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% 0 0%

Total 126 100% 99 100% 45 100% 72 100% 342 100%The results from the question of what role the respondents can play in helping women achievemeaningful participation in local development are neither positive nor negative. However, theimplications of the results are that althoughmost respondent support women and understand theirproblems, very few stated that they would actively participate or their involvement is important inhelpingwomen.Thismaybe,asthedatasuggests,duetoaseriouslackofknowledgeonhowtohelp,especiallyamongtheyouthandwomenthemselves,andtheassumptionthat ‘others’ roles’aremoreimportant’.Thisimpliesthatthereisaseriouslackofeffectiveleadershipandorganizationatthelocallevel tomobilizationpeopleandeducate themon thevaluable roles theycanplay in their respectivecommunitiestohelpwomenachievemeaningparticipationinthedevelopmentprocess.2.8 Awareness of Local Development Budget TherespondentswereaskedwhethertheirVDCallocatedabudgetforwomenandyouthleadershipinthe last financial year, and the data from the three study districts highlight the lack of knowledge ofbudgetprovisions.Themajorityofalltherespondentsfromallthreedistricts,64percentinDhanusha,75percent inMahottari, and67percent in Sindhuli stated theydon’t know.Among the respondentswho answered yes, Mahottari was significantly lower with only 9 percent saying yes compare toDhanusha(25%)andSindhuli(27).Thisfurtherhighlightsthedisparitiesbetweenthedistrictsand,moreimportantly, the lack of knowledge of the respondents concerning budgets for women and youthleadershipdevelopment.Byrespondenttypethe lackofknowledge ismuchworse,evenfor theelectedrepresentatives (51%),people affiliated with the local structures (60%), influential people (65%), and political leaders(53%)shouldbemuchmoreawareofbudgetaryallocationsastheywerethegroupsthatreceivedthe

44|P a g e

mostinvitationstoattendthebudgetmeetingattheVDC.However,theremainingcategoriesareevenmore distressing as an extremely high 85 percent of farmers/housewives and 82 percent of studentsstated that they don’t know. The percentage of respondents who said yes was very low;farmers/housewives (11%), students (9%), elected representatives (35%), influential people (18%),peopleaffiliatedwithlocalstructures(29%),andpoliticalleaders(14%).

The disaggregated data on gender shows the same worrying patter of a serious lack of knowledgeconcerninganybudgetallocationsforwomenandyouthleadershipprograms,as61percentofthemaleand 74 percent of the female respondents commented that they don’t know. The gender divisioncontinuesasmoremenappeartobeawarethanwomenas27percentofmenandonly16percentofwomensaidyes.Thishas serious implicationsasoneof theprimarybeneficiariesofanyprogramarewomen,andthedataconfirmsthattheyareunawareofanybudget,andastheyconstitutetwo-thirdsoftherespondents,only16percentsayingyestherewasbudgetingforwomenandyouthleadershipisextremelyconcerning.

Table (18): Did VDC allocate budget for women and youth leadership development last year? Farmers/

HousewifeStudents Elected

Repres.InfluentialPersons

AffiliatedinLocal

Structure

PoliticalLeaders

Total

N % N % N % N % N % N % N %Don'tKnow 181 85% 247 82% 58 51% 95 65% 93 60% 125 53% 799 69%Yes 23 11% 28 9% 40 35% 27 18% 44 29% 77 33% 239 21%No 10 5% 26 9% 16 14% 25 17% 17 11% 32 14% 126 11%Total 214 100% 301 100% 114 100% 147 100% 154 100% 234 100% 1164 100%Theagevariable isslightlybetterasthere isasmallcorrelationbetweentheageofarespondentandtheirknowledgeofbudgeting.Forexample,almosthalfofalltheagegroupssaidtheydon’tknow,buttheyouth,15-29wereslightlyhigherwith58percentcomparedtotheaverageof53percent.However,amongtherespondentswhosaidyes,the45andabove(36%),40-45(34%),and30-40(32%)agegroups

Total

Dhanusha

Mahottari

Sindhuli

69%

64%

75%

67%

21%

25%

9%

27%

11%

11%

16%

Figure (18): Did VDC allocate budget for women and youth leadership development last year?

Don'tKnow Yes No

45|P a g e

were all significantly higher than the 15-29 (24%) age group. This is also very concerning as, like thewomen,theyouthareprimarybeneficiariesofanylocallyrunandfundedleadershipprogram,buthavetheleastknowledgeaboutthebudgetingofanypotentialprograms.

Table (19): Did VDC allocate budget for women and youth leadership development last year? 15-29 30-40 40-45 Above45 Total

N % N % N % N % N %Don'tknow/can'tsay

304 58% 145 48% 60 46% 103 51% 612 53%

Yes 126 24% 99 32% 45 34% 72 36% 342 29%No 97 18% 61 20% 26 20% 26 13% 210 18%Total 527 100% 305 100% 131 100% 201 100% 1164 100%The data by caste also demonstrates the recurring theme of a serious lack of knowledge on localbudgeting.Moreover,Dalitsappeartobesignificantlylessawareofthesubjectas80percentsaidtheydon’tknowcomparedto60percentofJanajatis,66percentofbackwardcastes,and69percentoftheothers.Thispatterisrepeatedintherespondentswhoanswer‘yes’asonly9percentofDalitsconfirmedthat theywereawareof localbudgetingwithmuchhigher responses fromtheothercastegroupings;Janajatis (30%),backwardcastes(24%),andothers(19%).Thisalsohasworrying implicationsasDalitsareconsideredamarginalizedgroupandwomenandyouthfromthisgroupwithhavetocontendwithmultiple forms of discrimination; being a woman, a youth, and a Dalit, what the literature callsintersectionality.16The education level of a respondent does not deviate from the pattern of respondents lackingknowledge on local budget allocations; however, the data appears to be counter-intuitive and variesconsiderably from thepreviousquestions. The respondentswithPCL/above level educationaremuchlessawareoflocalbudgetswith76percentsayingtheydon’tknowandonly14percentsayingyestherewasanallocationofabudget.Incomparison,SLC/secondary(59%and28%),primary/informal(64%and25%),andtheilliterate(67%and24%)wereallsignificantlyhigher,respectively,withtheSLC/secondarybeingslightlymoreawarethat theothereducation levels.Without furtherdata, it is inexplicablewhythehighestlevelofeducationhastheleastawarenessandtheSLC/secondarylevelisthemostawareoflocalbudgetingforleadershipdevelopment.Thelackofknowledgeonbudgetsforlocalwomenandyouthleadershipdevelopmentisaveryseriousconcern, as the success of any planned initiatives in local communities is highly dependent on localcommunitymembers being aware of the available training.Moreover, the data on respondent type,particularly elected representatives, people affiliated with local structures, influential people, andpolitical leaders, thegroupswhoareactively involved in localgovernanceandwere invitedtobudgetmeetings at the VDC, also appear to be unaware of the allocation of budgets forwomen and youthleadership development. Perhaps the biggest concern is that most vulnerable and the target ofleadership development programs,women, youth, and the poor andmarginalized are uninformed ofanybudgetallocationorinvitedtomeetingsasthepreviousdatademonstrated.17Among the few respondents who said yes, they were further asked if the VDC funded programsbenefitedthemdirectly.BasedonthethreestudysitestheresponsesweremostlynegativeinDhanushaandMahottariandpositiveinSindhuli.Forinstance,inDhanusha41percentsaidyes,andanadditional

16Seeliteraturereview17Seequestion3.5AreyouinvitedtobudgetplanningattheVDC?

46|P a g e

5forfamilymembers,and47percentsaidno.Mahottariwasmuchmorenegativewithonly23percentsayingyes,andanadditional11percentforfamilymembers,andahigh54percentsaidno.Sindhuliwasmuch more positive as a high 58 percent said it was positive, and additional 5 percent for familymembersandonly26percentsaidno.This impliesa largevariationacrossdistrictsand indicatesthatperhapstheprogramqualityvariesorthecontentandteachingstylesarenotuniform.Itisalsoworthnoting that Mahottari only had about a third of the respondents participating than the other twodistricts.

Table (20): If yes, were you benefitted from the program? Dhanusha Mahottari Sindhuli Total

N % N % N % N %Don'tremember 7 7% 4 11% 12 11% 23 10%Yes(Self) 40 41% 8 23% 61 58% 109 46%Otherfamilymembersparticipated 5 5% 4 11% 5 5% 14 6%No 46 47% 19 54% 28 26% 93 39%Total 98 100% 35 100% 106 100% 239 100%By respondent type, the data is very different with some very positive, positive, and very negativeresponses. Studentswere very positivewith 68 percent saying yes and only 25 percent said no, andpeople affiliatedwith local structures andpolitical leaderswere also positivewith 57percent and40percentsayingyesand39percentand35percentansweringno,respectively.Alternatively,theelectedrepresentativeswerealittlepositiveas42percentsaidyesand38percentsaidno,buttheydidhaveahigh12percentof familymemberswhoalsosaidyes;and48percentofthefarmers/housewivessaidyesand43percentsaidno,but the influentialpeoplewerenegativeabout theexperienceasonly22percentsaidyesand63percentsaidno.Withoutfurtherinvestigation,it isnotpossibletoexplainthevarietyofresponsesgiven.

Table (21): If yes, were you benefitted from the program? Male Female Total

N % N % N %Don'tremember 8 6% 15 13% 23 10%Yes(Self) 56 45% 53 46% 109 46%Otherfamilymembersparticipated 7 6% 7 6% 14 6%No 53 43% 40 35% 93 39%

Thegenderdatashowsthatwomenappeartobemorepositivethantheirmalecounterparts;however,whenexaminedindetailthereasonthewomenappeartosaynolessthanthemenistheyhaveamuchhigher‘don’tknow’responsethanmen,with13percentcomparedtoonly6percentgivenbymen,andbothreported6percentoftheirfamilysayingyes.Therefore,thereisdefinitivedifferencebetweentheanswers from the men and women as both were relatively neutral. 45 percent of theMale and 46percentofthefemalerespondentssaidyesand43percentofmenand35percentofwomenansweredno.Similartothepreviousvariable,withoutadditionalinformationtheexplanationforthepositiveandnegativeexperiencescannotbeexplained.Accordingtotheagegroupings,the15-29and45andaboveagegroupsarereasonablysimilarslightlypositive,as51percentofthe15–29groupsaidyesand35percentsaidno,and50percentofthe45andabovegroup saidyesand42percent saidno.The30-40group ismorenegativewith40percentsaying yes and 48 percent saying no; however, the 40-45 group appear to be very positive until youexaminethedataas42percentsaidyes,withanadditional12percentof their familysayingyes,and

47|P a g e

only21percentsaidno,buttheyhaveaveryhigh24percentwhocan’tremember.Thedataisgenerallypositive,butshouldbemorepositiveregardingthebenefitsreceivedfromparticipationandthereisnoexplanationforthenegativeresponses.

Table (22): If yes, were you benefitted from the program? 15-29 30-40 40-45 Above45 Total

N % N % N % N % N %Don'tremember 8 11% 5 6% 8 24% 2 4% 23 10%Yes(Self) 37 51% 34 40% 14 42% 24 50% 109 46%Otherfamilymembersparticipated

2 3% 6 7% 4 12% 2 4% 14 6%

No 25 35% 41 48% 7 21% 20 42% 93 39%Total 72 100% 86 100% 33 100% 48 100% 239 100%The date relating to caste indicates that the answers are also mixed between positive and negativeexperiences.Dalitsgenerallybenefitedpositivelyas43percentsaidyes,andanadditional22percentoffamilymemberalsosaidyes,andonly30percentsaidno.Janajatiswereequallypositiveas63percentsaid yes and only 37 percent said no, even accounting for the 12 percent who can’t remember.However, the backward castes experiences are more negative as only 35 percent said yes and 53percentsaidno,andonly34percentoftheotherscategorysaidyesand47percentsaidyes,buttheydidhave16percentstatingtheycouldnotremember.According to educational level, the data has an interesting inverse correlation as the higher theeducationallevelthefewerpositiveexperiencesandbenefitsarereported.Amongtherespondentswhosaid yes, the illiterate was significantly higher with 79 percent, followed by primary/informal (52%),SLC/secondary (47%), and PCL/above (30%). Moreover, among the respondents who said no, theilliterate(17%),primary/informal(28%),SLC/secondary(37%),andPCL/above(54%).The data on whether the respondents who participated benefitted from the leadership programs isextremelyvariedandimpossibletoanalyzeaccuratelyasanyinferencesorinterpretationswillbemerespeculationandconjecture.Furtherdataisrequired,ideallyqualitative,tocontextualizetheinformationandattempttoexplainwhysomegroupswithinthesixvariableshadpositiveornegativeexperiencesorconsiderthattheydidordidnotbenefitfromtheleadershipdevelopmentprogram.2.9 Public Hearings and Social Audits The respondents were if they were aware of public hearings and the data from the three researchdistrictsdemonstratea recurring theme,and serious issue,a lackof knowledgeat the local level. Forinstance, 59 percent of the respondents in Dhanusha, 62 percent in Mahottari, and 58 percent inSindhuli state theydon’t know/can’t say. There is a significantdifferencebetweenMahottari and theother two districts as only 17 percent said they had heard of them compared to a much higher 34percent inDhanusha and26percent in Sindhuli. The regional differences are evident throughout thestudy,butmoreconcerningisthelackofknowledge.Byrespondenttype,thelackofknowledgeisalsoevidentbutvariesaccordingtocategory.Forinstance,a very high 77 percent of farmers/housewives, 66 percent of influential people, and 63 percent ofstudentsallclaimedtheydon’tknow/can’tsay.Theelectedrepresentatives(45%),peopleaffiliatedwithlocalstructures(58%),andpoliticalleaders(42%)werealsorelativelyhighconsideringtheirpositionsin

48|P a g e

thelocalcommunities.Accordingly,only11percentoffarmers/housewives,17percentofstudents,and25percentoflocalleadersstatedthattheyhadheardofpublichearings,andacomparativelyhigher40percentofelectedrepresentatives,34percentofpeopleaffiliatedwithlocalstructures,and36percentof political leaders said they were aware of public hearings. This is worrying date as the lack ofknowledge is a serious issue, butmore concerning is the lack of knowledgeof public hearings of theelectedrepresentatives,peopleaffiliatedwithlocalstructures,andpercentofpoliticalleaders.

Thedisaggregatedgenderdataalsoindicatesalackofknowledgedifferencebetweenmenandwomenas 48 percent of men and a much higher 67 percent of women are unaware of public hearings.Additionally,34percentofmaleand20percentoffemalerespondentsstatedtheyhadheardofthem.Theremay bemany reasons for the disparity, such asmen engagingmore in the public sphere andwomenoftenbeingrestrictedtothedomesticsphereandlackingopportunitiestofrequentlyengageininformaldiscussionsoutsidethefamilyhome.

Table (23): Do you know about public hearing? Farmers/

HousewifeStudents Elected

Repres.InfluentialPersons

AffiliatedinLocal

Structure

PoliticalLeaders

Total

N % N % N % N % N % N % N %Don'tKnow 165 77% 189 63% 51 45% 97 66% 90 58% 99 42% 691 59%Yes 23 11% 51 17% 46 40% 37 25% 53 34% 85 36% 295 25%No 26 12% 61 20% 17 15% 13 9% 11 7% 50 21% 178 15%Total 214 100% 301 100% 114 100% 147 100% 154 100% 234 100% 1164 100%There are no significant differences based age as just over half of the respondents from all the agegroups,15-29(61%),30-40(56%),40-45(55%),and45andover(61%),claimedtheydidn’tknow/can’tsay.Similarly,22percentofthe15-29,30percentofthe30-40,27percentofthe40-45,and25percentofthe45andoveragegroupsallsaidtheywereawareofpublichearings.ThedataoncasteindicatesthatDalitsaremuchlessawareofthepublichearingsthantheothercastegroups,asaveryhigh71percentsaidtheydon’tknow/can’tsaycomparedtoJanajatis(53%),backward

Total

Dhanusha

Mahottari

Sindhuli

59%

59%

62%

58%

25%

34%

17%

26%

15%

8%

21%

Figure (19): Do you know about public hearing?

Don'tKnow Yes No

49|P a g e

castes(60%),andothers(55%).Moreover,asignificantlylowernumberofDalitrespondentsansweredyes,theywereawareofpublichearings,withaverylow12percent.Theothercastegroupsweremuchhigheras30percentoftheJanajatis,31percentofthebackwardcastes,and26percentoftheotherswereawareofthem.ThedataindicatesthatDalitsarestillexcludedandmarginalizedashavemuchlessknowledgeoftheavailableservicesthanothercastegroups.

By education, the awareness of thepublic hearings has a positive correlationbetween the educationlevelof therespondentandknowledgeofpublichearings.Therespondentswhostatethattheydon’tknow/can’tsayincreasesfromthePLC/above(39%),SLC/secondary(54%),primary/informal(69%),andthe illiterate (77%). Conversely, the respondentswho stated that theywere awareof public hearingsdecreased fromthePLC/above (50%), SLC/secondary (25%),primary/informal (17%),and the illiterate(12%). This clearly demonstrates that educational level is important to your knowledge of publichearingsasthePCL/abovehavethehighestawarenessofallthecategoriesacrossthesixvariables.Theknowledgeofpublichearings is seriously lackingacrossall thevariablesandagain the categorieswho should bemore knowledgeable of such provisions are worrying uniformed, notably the electedrepresentatives, people affiliated with local structures, and political leaders. However, the mostconcerning aspect of the study is that the alreadymarginalized and excluded appear to be the leastaware, specifically women, Dalits, and the illiterate, implying that measures and mechanisms thatattempt to encourage and enhance social inclusion are underperforming at the local level,predominantlyduetothelackofawareness.The respondents who had heard of public hearings were then asked if they participated in a publichearing in their communities. Based the data from the three study sites participation was relativelypositivewith56percentof the respondents fromDhanusha,59percent fromMahottari, andamuchhigher77percentfromSindhuliparticipatinginpublichearings.Thedisaggregateddatabyrespondenttypewasalsoencouragingasthemajorityofthesubgroupparticipated;however,farmers/housewives(48%), students (43%), and influential people (43%) participated much less and also had morerespondents who said they don’t know/can’t say with 13 percent, 20 percent, and 16 percent,respectively. As expected, many more respondents from the elected representatives (76%), peopleaffiliatedwithlocalstructures(79%),andpoliticalleaders(73%)participatedinpublichearings.

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70%

Don'tKnow/Can'tSay

Yes

No

48%

34%

18%

67%

20%

14%

Figure(20):Doyouknowaboutpublichearing?

Female Male

50|P a g e

Thereisnosignificantdifferenceinparticipationbygenderasbothwererelativelyhighwith61percentofmaleand66percentoffemalerespondentssayingtheyattendedapublichearing.However,morewomen(12%)saidtheydon’tknow/can’tsaycomparedtomen(8%).

The older respondents appeared to have participated more in public hearings than youngerrespondents,asonly47percentofthe15-29agegroupreportedattending,withanaddition14percentstating that they didn’t know/can’t say. In comparison, a much higher 71 percent of the 30-40, 78percent of the 40-45, and 78 percent of the 45 and above stated that had participated in a publichearingmeeting;however,arelativelyhigh12percentofthe45andabovesaidtheydon’tknow/can’tsay.Withregardtocaste,respondentsfromallthegroups,withtheexceptionoftheotherscategory,saidthathadparticipatedinapublichearing.Janajatiswerethehighestwith74percent,followedbyDalits(70%), backward castes (62%), and a lower others (52%). Data on the respondents’ educational levelreveals that many of the respondents had participated in public hearings. Interestingly, theprimary/informal level was significantly higher than all the other educational levels with 84 percentstating that they had participated. In comparison, 56 percent of the PCL/above, 60 percent of theSLC/secondary,and68percentoftheilliteratesaidtheyhadparticipatedinapublichearing.

Table (24): Did you participate in it when it held in your community? 15-29 30-40 40-45 Above45 Total

N % N % N % N % N %Don'tKnow/Can'tsay 16 14% 6 6% 1 3% 6 12% 29 10%Yes 54 47% 67 72% 28 78% 39 78% 188 64%No 46 40% 20 22% 7 19% 5 10% 78 26%Total 116 100% 93 100% 36 100% 50 100% 295 100%Generally,thedataonparticipationinpublichearingsispositiveandencouraging,asthemajorityofthesubgroup had participated in a publicmeeting. However, the farmers/housewives, students, and the

Total

Dhanusha

Mahottari

Sindhuli

10%

11%

9%

9%

64%

56%

59%

77%

26%

33%

32%

Figure (21): Did you participate in it when it held in your community?

Don'tKnow Yes No

51|P a g e

youth(15-29agegroup)participatedmuchlessandmaybeaconcernasthesearesomeofthetargetgroups.Amongtherespondentswhohadparticipatedinpublichearingintheircommunities,theywereaskedhoweffective they considered them in improving local governance. The data from the study districtsshowadivergence inopinionacross thedistricts. For example, themajorityof the respondents fromSindhuli, 72 percent, considered the public hearings as not effective in improving local governance.Alternatively, respondents in Dhanusha were much more positive as 40 percent considered themeffectivetosomeextentand41percentthoughtheywereeffective.Mahottariwasmoredividedas41percent of the respondents stated theywere a little bit effective, and a further 18 percent said theywereeffective.Thisfurtheremphasizesthediversityofopinionacrossthethreedistricts.

The disaggregated data by respondent type indicates much more diversity of opinion across thecategories. Themajority of the farmers/housewives (45%) though that the public hearings were noteffective in improving governance, but 18 percent said they were effective to some extent and 27percent stated theywere very effective. Studentswere equally polarized as 32 percent thought theywerenoteffective,another32percentsaidtheywereeffectivetosomeextentand18percentclaimedthey were effective. A similar pattern is observed in the data on the elected representatives as 26percent said they were not effective, 20 percent claimed they a little bit effective and a further 31percentthoughttheywereeffective. Influentialpeopleweredividedbetweennoteffective,a littlebiteffective,effectivetosomeextent,andeffectivewith25%,19%,19%,and25%,respectively.Thirty-onepercentofpoliticalleaderssaidtheywerenoteffective,19percentclaimedtheywereeffectivetosomeextent, and a further 29 percent thought they were effective. Such diversity of opinion cannot beaccurately analyzed and has no intrinsic meaning without additional data gathered from morequalitativemethods.

Don'tknow/Can'tsay2%

Noteffective35%

Littlebiteffective13%

Effectivetosomeextent20%

Effective22%

Veryeffective8%

Figure (22): If yes, how effective do you find for governance and improvement?

52|P a g e

Table (25): If yes, how effective do you find for governance and improvement? Male Female Total

N % N % N %Don'tknow/Can'tsay 3 3% 0 0% 3 2%Noteffective 24 25% 41 44% 65 35%Littlebiteffective 8 8% 17 18% 25 13%Effectivetosomeextent 19 20% 19 20% 38 20%Effective 34 36% 8 9% 42 22%Veryeffective 7 7% 8 9% 15 8%Total 95 100% 93 100% 188 100%

Thegenderdisaggregateddataalsodemonstratesadiversesetofopinionsamongandbetweenbothmale and female respondents. However, a significantly higher percentage of women (44%) considerpublic hearings as not effective in improving local governance compared to men (25%). Conversely,more female (18%) thanmale (8%) respondents said that theywerea littlebiteffective,andboth20percentofmenandwomenconsideredthemaseffectivetosomeextent.Overall,menweremuchmorepositive,as36percentstatedtheywereeffectivetoonly9percentofthewomen.Theagegroupingsrevealthatthemajorityoftherespondentsarequitenegative,as33percentofthe15-29,33percentofthe30-40,46percentofthe40-45,and31percentofthe45andaboveagegroupsconsiderpublichearingsasnoteffective in improving localgovernance.However, theopinionswithintheagegroupsisalsodiverseasanadditional26percentand17percentofthe15-29groupstatethattheyareeffectivetosomeextentandeffective,respectively.Moreover,the30-40(16%),40-45(14%),and the 45 and above (23%) age groups believe they are effective to some extent. Furthermore, therespondentsfromtheagegroupings30-40(24%),40-45(18%),andthe45andabove(31%)thinkthattheyareeffective,and14percentfromthe40-45agecohortconsiderthemasveryeffective.Accordingtothedataoncaste,Janajatisaremuchmorenegativeregardingtheeffectivenessofpublichearingsinimprovinglocalgovernance,asaveryhigh73percentstatedtheywerenoteffective,withanadditional 13 percent saying they were effective to some extent. Dalits were much more internallydivided regarding their opinions,whichwere spreadacross all theoptions.Dalits statednot effective(22%), a little bit effective (26%), effective to some extent (22%), effective (13%), and very effective(17%).Respondentsfromthebackwardcastesandtheothersweremostlypositiveas37percentand36percentsaidtheywereeffective,respectively.However,afurther30percentfromthebackwardcastesalso claimed they effective to some extent and 17 percent from the other stated they were veryeffective.Thedata regarding theeffectivenessofpublichearings in improving localgovernancedemonstratesadiversemix of opinions among and between the variables and categories. Itmust be noted that thequality and effectiveness of public hearingsmay varywidely between districts and communities, andmust be analyzed with caution and not assumed to be uniform. Generally, the respondents of thesubgroupsdisplayedbothoptimismand cynicism regarding theeffectivenessof public hearings.Withcomplex quantitative data, such as this and previous questions in the study, additional qualitativeresearchisrequiredtofurtherinvestigateandexplainthewiderangeofopinionsandexperiences.

53|P a g e

2.10 Public Satisfaction towards Service Providers Therespondentswereaskedhowsatisfiedtheywerewithpublicserviceprovidesandalmosthalfofalltherespondentsrepliedwithdon’tknow/can’tsay.Thisisaveryconcerningasitindicatesaseriouslackof knowledgeor awareness of the services provided, facilities available and the fundamental roles oforganizations, institutions, or individual leaders/representatives. Furthermore, this may also have aserious impactof respondentsaccessing the serviceprovision that theyareentitled to receive,whichmay result in exacerbating marginalization, poverty, and social exclusion. In addition to the lack ofknowledge, there appears to be a similar lack of trust as very few respondents agree that serviceprovidersdoalittleofwhattheysay,ordoalmosteverythingtheysay,whichmayrefertothelackofknowledgeonwhattheyaresupposedtoprovide,orthelackoffaith inactualdevelopmentandlocalgovernance.The number of respondents who stated that local service providers ran no programs or activities orexpressedtheirdissatisfactionwasrelativelylow,aswellasthosewhoclaimedthattheytalkedbutdidnotworkwasalsoverylow.Thisfurtheremphasizesthelackofknowledgeoftheservicesavailableandthattherespondentswhowereawareofwhatservicesareavailable,considerthemjustrhetoricorveryunsatisfactory.However,thismayimplyadegreeofindifferencetotheserviceprovidersduetoalmosttwodecadessincetheeffectivefunctioningoflocalgovernanceandtheincreasedpoliticalcentralizationduringtheinterveningperiod.Togetherwiththeendemiccorruption,prolongedtransitionperiod,andpoliticalmachinationsinthepoliticalarena,andtheneglectoflocalgovernance,development,andlocalcommunity voices in any productive andmeaningful decision-making, the local communitymembers,acrossallthevariables,suchasgender,region,caste,education,ageetc.,appeartobeunifiedintheirlackofinterestandinteractionwiththelocalserviceproviders.

Table (26): Public’s perception towards service providers Don’tKnow .No

program/activities

NotSatisfied

Talkbutdonotwork

Doesfewportionastheytalk

Doesalmost

everythingastheytalk

Total

N % N % N % N % N % N % N %PoliticalParties 595 51% 196 17% 125 11% 185 16% 63 5% 0 0% 1164 100%Youthnetworkorclub 554 48% 227 20% 145 12% 176 15% 62 5% 0 0% 1164 100%WomenDevelopmentOffice

508 44% 242 21% 188 16% 169 15% 57 5% 0 0% 1164 100%

Mediasector 597 51% 207 18% 147 13% 138 12% 75 6% 0 0% 1164 100%RuralorUrbanMunicipality

570 49% 207 18% 117 10% 239 21% 31 3% 0 0% 1164 100%

Non-GovernmentalOrganizations

607 52% 187 16% 144 12% 197 17% 29 2% 0 0% 1164 100%

Electedrepresentatives(Female)

544 47% 175 15% 189 16% 189 16% 67 6% 0 0% 1164 100%

Electedrepresentatives(Youth)

564 48% 174 15% 137 12% 221 19% 68 6% 0 0% 1164 100%

ElectedRepresentatives(Others)

592 51% 181 16% 154 13% 195 17% 42 4% 0 0% 1164 100%

GovernmentOfficials 561 48% 223 19% 167 14% 184 16% 29 2% 0 0% 1164 100%Total 5692 49% 2019 17% 1513 13% 1893 16% 523 4% 0 0% 11640 100%

54|P a g e

Overall,theresultsareaseriousindictmentofthelackofknowledge,information,awareness,inclusion,transparency,andaccountabilitybetweenthemembersofthelocalcommunitiesandthelocalserviceproviders,whoaresupposedtorepresent,support,andprovidefacilitiesforlocalcommunitymemberstoaddressissuesofexclusion,poverty,andreducethemarginalizationofwomen,youth,andvulnerablecommunitiesandindividuals.2.11 Perception of Adults towards the Youth The respondents were asked how adults perceived the youth in their communities to determinewhethertheyouthwereseenasapositiveassetindevelopingthelocalcommunities.Disaggregatingthedatabystudyregiondemonstratedverydifferentperceptionsoftherespondents.Ahigh24percentinDhanusha and 21percent in Sindhuli said they don’t know/can’t say compared to only 16 percent inMahottari.However,thedisparitiescontinueasaveryhigh41percentinMahottarithoughtthatadultsconsidertheyouthasimmature,withonly16percentinDhanushaand26percentinSindhuliagreeing.The respondents generally thought that adults perceived the youth negatively, with Dhanusha beingmarginallymorepositive.

Bygender, thebelief in thenegativeperceptionsofadultscontinues;however, themenappeartobeslightly more positive in their views. Again, the pattern of many respondents saying they don’tknow/can’t say is evident as 18 percent ofmen and23percent ofwomen chose this option. Slightlymorewomen(23%)appeartothinkadultsperceivetheyouthasimmaturecomparedto25percentofmen.Althoughtherearenosignificantdifferencesbetweenthemenandwomen,menarealittlemoreoptimisticas18percentagreethatadultsthinkthatlocaldevelopmentgoesfasteriftheyouthhavetheenergytobecomeinvolved,withonly11percentofthewomenagreeingwiththisstatement.

0%

10%

20%

30% Don't know/ Can't Say

Adult consider youth as immature

Even though youth do, they cannot do in the same

manner as adult do

Many things is possible if youth feel like doing but they are not committed

Development gets in pace when youth have energy to

do

Local development is not possible without youth

Figure (23): How is the perception of adults towards the youth in your community?

Male Female

55|P a g e

By respondent type, there is also a belief that the youth are perceived negatively by adults in theircommunities. Many of the farmers/housewives (31%) and influential people (29%) said they didn’tknow/couldn’tsaybutmostoftheothergroupswererathernegative.Themajorityofrespondentsfromall the categories believed that adults perceived the youth as immature, farmers/housewives (26%),students (33%), elected representatives (19%), influential people (22%), people affiliated with localstructures (32%), and political leaders (26%) all agreed with this statement. This negative trendcontinueswithmanyrespondentsconsideringthatadultsalsothinkthattheyouthcannotdothingsthesameas adults and thatmany things arepossible if the youth feel like it or are committed.Only theelectedrepresentatives(22%and18%)andthepoliticalleaders(18%and16%)believethatadultsthinkthat development goes faster with the of the youth have the energy to become involved and thatdevelopment is not possible without the youth. The more positive responses from the electedrepresentativesandpoliticalleadersmaybefalseoptimismthattheyouthareperceivedmorepositivelybyadultsthantherealityinthelocalcommunities.

Interestingly,itwouldbeexpectedthattheagevariablewouldshowsignificantresultsconsideringthenature of the question, but again themajority of the age groups agree that the youth are perceivednegativelybyadults.Aswiththepreviousvariablesmanyrespondentssaidtheydon’tknow/can’tsay,whichmaybeduetonotwantingtocommentorthefactitisdifficulttodeterminetheperceptionsofothers.Thebelief thatadultsperceive theyouthas immaturedominates the responsesacrossallagegroups, even the older cohort, with the groups between the ages 15-29 (29%), 30-40 (29%), 40-45

0%

10%

20%

30% Don't know/ Can't Say

Adult consider youth as immature

Even though youth do, they cannot do in the same

manner as adult do

Many things is possible if youth feel like doing but they are not committed

Development gets in pace when youth have energy to

do

Local development is not possible without youth

Figure (24): How is the perception of adults towards the youth in your community?

15-29 30-40

56|P a g e

(26%).and45andabove(22%)allagreeing.Thereareafewvariationsintheresponses,butgenerally,the age of a respondent does not appear to make them more positive or optimistic about theperceptionsoftheyouth.Theeducationleveloftherespondentappearstohaveanimpactonbeliefsoftherespondents,asthereisadirectcorrelationbetweenthenumbersofrespondentssayingtheydon’tknowcan’tsaywithonly15percentwithPCL/aboveincreasingto31percentoftheilliterate.However,alltheeducationallevelsare following the same pattern as many agree that adults perceive the youth as immature with alleducation levels responding between 25-29 percent. Interestingly the correlation continues for thestatementsthatyouthcannotdothingsinthesamemannerasadultswiththePCL/aboveagainbeinglow, but is most striking example is the very high 23 percent of the PCL/above agreeing thatdevelopmentgoes faster if theyouthhave theenergy tobecome involvedcompare toSLC/secondary(15%),primary/informal(9%),andtheilliterate(7%).Thisindicatesthatthehighereducationattainmentofrespondentsdoesaffecttheirviewofhowadultsperceivetheyouth.

Figure (27): How is the perception of adults towards the youth in your community? Dalit Janajati Backward

CasteOthers Total

N % N % N % N % N %Don'tknow/Can'tSay 81 31% 55 19% 58 19% 46 15% 240 21%Adultconsideryouthasimmature 64 24% 92 33% 79 26% 82 27% 317 27%Eventhoughyouthdo,theycannotdointhesamemannerasadultdo

41 16% 25 9% 52 17% 42 14% 160 14%

Manythingsarepossibleifyouthfeellikedoingbuttheyarenotcommitted

45 17% 46 16% 55 18% 40 13% 186 16%

Developmentgetsinpacewhenyouthhaveenergytodo

17 6% 36 13% 54 17% 50 16% 157 13%

Localdevelopmentisnotpossiblewithoutyouth 16 6% 29 10% 11 4% 48 16% 104 9%Total 264 100% 283 100% 309 100% 308 100% 1164 100%

Thedisaggregateddataoncasteindicatesthatmanyrespondentsalsostatedtheydon’tknow/can’tsay,especiallytheDalitswith31%comparedtotheaverageof21percent.Theclusteraroundthebeliefthatadultsperceivetheyouthasimmaturecontinuesregardlessofcasteas24percentofDalits,33percentof the Janajatis, 26 percent of the backward castes, and 27 percent of the others all think this. Thebackward castes are slightly more positive as more select the statements that think the youth areperceived more positively and are valuable in the local development, but the belief in the negativeperceptionsofadultspersists.Respondentsareoverwhelminglynegativeintheirbeliefthattheyoutharenotperceivedaspositivebyadultsintheircommunities.Thisissupportedbytheliteratureandindicatesthedifficultyfortheyouthto become involved in local development and enter leadership positions. In addition, and as theliteratureindicates,therespondentsalsothinkthatadultsperceivetheyouths’abilities,knowledge,andimportance in localdevelopmentasdifferentandnotasvaluableasadults’.Thisperceiveddifferencehasseriousrepercussionsontheyouthbecomingvaluablechangeagentswithintheircommunitiesandmaximizingandutilizingtheirleadershippotential.2.12 Perception of Men towards Women The perception of women by members of a community is integral women’s empowerment andaddressinggenderdiscrimination.However,theliteraturealsodemonstratesthatlocalperceptionscan

57|P a g e

severelyhinderwomen’sleadershipopportunitiesandmeaningfulparticipationinlocalgovernanceanddevelopmentmechanisms.Accordingtothedisaggregateddatabydistrict,womenareperceivedverydifferently in the three studydistricts. Theperceptionsofwomen’s capabilitiesare rathernegative inDhanushaandMahottaricomparedtoSindhuli;forinstance,theresponsetothestatement‘menthinkwomen can’t do anything’ is high in Dhanusha (32%) andMahottari (41%), but a low 13 percent inSindhuli.Thereappearstobeconsensusonwomennotbeingabletodothingsthesameasmen,butagainDhanusha(28%)andMahottari(22%)considerwomenascapablebutnotcommittedandonly19percentreportedthis inSindhuli.However, themostnotabledifference is therespondents inSindhulicommentedthatlocaldevelopmentisnotpossiblewithoutwomen’sparticipationwhereonly3percentinDhanushaandnoone inMahottari agreedwith this statement.Therefore, the localperceptionsofwomen’s capabilitiesandpotential contributionare significantlymorepositive inSindhuli compare totheotherdistracts.Rathermoreconcerningare the resultsby respondent typeasmost reportednegativeperceptionsofwomen and a belief that men think women can’t do anything. Perhaps indicative of entrenchedpatriarchy, as even elected representatives (22%), political leaders (26%), and farmers/housewives(31%)all share thisnegativeviewofmen’sperspectives. This suggests that regardlessof thepositionoccupiedbytherespondentstheyconsiderthatmenintheircommunitiesgenerallyperceivewomenasineptandincapableinengagingindevelopmentactivities.

Table (28): How is the perception of men towards women in your community? Farmers/

HousewifeStudents Elected

Repres.InfluentialPersons

AffiliatedinLocalStructure

PoliticalLeaders

Total

N % N % N % N % N % N % N %Don'tKnow/Can'tsay 49 23% 60 20% 8 7% 27 18% 12 8% 25 11% 181 16%Malesay-femalecannotdoanything

67 31% 91 30% 25 22% 45 31% 46 30% 62 26% 336 29%

Femalecannotdointhesamemannerasmaledo

37 17% 40 13% 12 11% 22 15% 21 14% 28 12% 160 14%

Manythingsarepossibleiffemalefeellikedoingbuttheyarenotcommitted

33 15% 81 27% 27 24% 33 22% 40 26% 57 24% 271 23%

Experiencesandcommitmentoffemalewilltakedevelopmentintopace

21 10% 18 6% 25 22% 15 10% 13 8% 29 12% 121 10%

Localdevelopmentisnotpossiblewithouttheparticipationoffemale

7 3% 11 4% 17 15% 5 3% 22 14% 33 14% 95 8%

Total 214 100% 301 100% 114 100% 147 100% 154 100% 234 100% 1164 100%Thisnegativityisreflectedinthedisaggregatedgenderdataasmanymen(24%)andevenmorewomen(32%)believethatmen intheircommunitythinkwomencan’tdoanything. Inaddition,29percentofthemaleand20percentofthefemalerespondentsalsoreportthattheybelievemenperceivewomenas capable but not inclined or committed, and very few of either think men perceive women asimportantorthatwomen’sexperiencesareusefulindevelopingthelocalcommunity.Itisinterestingtonotethateventhemalerespondentsagreethatmendonotperceivewomenasvaluableoruseful indevelopment.Perhapstheawarenessofthemarginalizationandexclusionofwomenandthenegative

58|P a g e

perceptions the respondents consider men to have of women, may begin to slowly erode genderdiscriminationintheircommunitiesBasedon theageof the respondents thebelief thatmenperceivewomennegatively is similar to theother variables. The younger respondents appear to share the opinion of the older respondents thatwomenare consideredasnot valuable in thedevelopmentof the local community. This is extremelyproblematicastherespondentsappeartobeawareof inequalityanddiscriminationatthe local level,indicating it is not something that easily addressed, andmay be embedded in cultural practices andtraditions that are very difficult to change. Similarly, the data broken into caste shows the samenegativity, but is actually much more discouraging as 32 percent of the Dalits and 39 percent ofbackwardcastesthinkthatmenintheircommunitiesconsiderthatwomencan’tdoanything.Therefore,some of the most marginalized and excluded respondents agree that women are excluded fromengagingpositivelyindevelopmentprocessesduetodiscriminationandnegativeperceptions.

Similartopreviousquestionsregardingtheperceptionsofothers,theeducationallevelofarespondentindicates a more optimistic view of men’s perceptions of women in their communities. Twenty-onepercentoftherespondentswithPCL/aboveconsideredwomenwereperceivedasunabletodoanythingtodevelopthecommunity,aboutthesameastheothercategories,comparedtoaveryhigh41percentreportedbytheilliterate.However,acomparablyhighernumberofthePCL/aboverespondents(16%),comparedtoothervariablesandeducationallevels,considerthatlocalmenthinktheexperiencesandcommitment of womenwill make development faster. Education does appear to be correlated withmore belief in actual change at the local level, as the younger and more educationally qualifiedrepeatedlydemonstratemoreoptimisminpeople’sperceptionsandviews.Overall,theresultsdemonstratethatmostrespondentsconsiderthatmalecommunitymembershavealack of belief in the value and need for women’s involvement in local development. Therefore, the

0%

10%

20%

30%

40% Don't Know/ Can't say

Male say- female cannot do anything

Female cannot do in the same manner as male do

Many things is possible if female feel like doing but they are not

committed

Experiences and commitment of female will take development

into pace

Local development is not possible without the participation

of female

Figure (25): How is the perception of mens towards women in your community?

Male Female

59|P a g e

communitiesrequireeducationtochangetheprevailingnegativityandentrenchedpatriarchalviewofwomen,astrainingwomenandempoweringtheminleadershippositionsisonlyhalftheissue,asmen’sperceptionsmustbechangedtobecomemorepositive,supportive,andencouraging.

0%

10%

20%

30%

40% Don't Know/ Can't say

Male say- female cannot do anything

Female cannot do in the same manner as male do

Many things is possible if female feel like doing but they are not committed

Experiences and commitment of female will

take development into pace

Local development is not possible without the

participation of female

Figure (26): How is the perception of men towards women in your community?

15-29 30-40 40-45 Above 45

60|P a g e

CHAPTER THREE: CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 Conclusions ThisreportisbasedonaministudyconductedbySearch,andtheirlocalpartners,toestablishevidencebaseddataonthesituationofwomenandtheyouth,especiallythepoorandmarginalized,inrelationtoleadership and knowledge of the local decision-making mechanisms and procedures. The primaryobjectivewastoevaluatetheir representationandmeaningfulparticipation in thegovernancesystemandlocalleveldecisions,andexamineissuesofsocialexclusion,discrimination,andmarginalization.Thestudy is a precursor to the planned Collaborative Leadership Project, which aims to contribute todevelopingequalopportunitiesandthemeaningfulparticipationofwomenandyouthinleadershipandlocaldecision-makingprocesses,resourceallocation,andpolicyformulation.Thestudywasconductedinthreedistricts,namelyDhanusha,MahottariandSindhuliandensuredthattherespondentswererepresentedequallyacrossthethreestudysites.Inordertoanalyzethecollecteddataeffectivelyandefficiently,andmaximize the informationrequired, therespondentsweredividedinto six variables; district, respondent type, age, caste, and educational level. In addition to thevariables,therespondentsweresubdividedintocategoriesaccordingtothenatureofthevariable.Thereportwasdividedintoelevenmainsectionsthatcorrespondedwiththequestionsontheminisurvey,andsubsequentquestionsrelatedtothethemeofthemainquestion.Theevidencebasedinformationwillbeusedtofocustheplannedinitiativesandprogramstohelpthemdirectlyaddresstheneedsofthepeople and local communities in relation to local governance anddevelopment. The results from thesurveyarepresentedbelow.Areyouawareoftherecentstaterestructuring?Therespondentsdemonstratedthattheyweremostlyunaware of the state restructuring. Women, the illiterate, and Dalits were the least aware and thisindicates that their knowledge of the availability and access to the facilities, resources, and servicesprovidedintheircommunitiesisseverelyimpaired.What were the first changes you found after the restructuring? Among the respondents who wereaware, therewas limited knowledgeof the actual changes at the local level.Most respondentswereawareof the larger issues, suchas the formationof localgovernments,more rightsat the local level,and the restructuringof the local government, but fewwere awareof all the specific changes to thegovernancestructure.Whatchangesdoyouthinkwilloccurafterstaterestructuring?Therespondentsweremostlypositiveandoptimisticregardingthechangeshavingapositiveimpactonlocaldevelopment,buttheresponseshadanundercurrentofpessimismandlackoftrust.Howdifficultoreasyis itforyoutoexpressyouropinionorplaceyourvoteinthedecision-makingprocess? The respondents demonstrated a serious lack of confidence related to expressing theiropinions and decision-making, which suggests much more work is required to build confidence toempowerpeople,andmakecommunitiesandlocalgovernancemoreinclusiveandrepresentative.Dowomenandyouthinyourcommunityworkcollaborativelywithpeopleofdifferentidentities?Thisquestiondemonstratedthatanaverageofabout50percentoftherespondentsconsiderthatwomenand the youth from their communities work collaboratively with people from other social identities.

61|P a g e

However, italsohighlightsaseriousdivisionbetweenthePahadeandMadhesi.Moreover, thehighertheeducationalattainmentthemoreperceivedcollaboration.Areyouaffiliatedwithanygroup/organizationornetwork?Thisquestionraisedconcernsasmostofthe youth are only represented in a few organizations, groups, and networks. Respondents, such aselected representatives, people affiliated to local structures, andpolitical leaderswere all involved inmanygroupsandorganizations.Conversely,farmers/housewives,students,andinfluentialpeopleweremuchlessaffiliatedwithanyorganizationsandgroups,whichindicatesthatmembershipappearstobeconnectedwithpositionandhierarchyinthelocalcommunity.Which group/organization or network are you affiliated with? The respondents had a variety ofmemberships,butthemajorityoftherespondentsweremostlymembersofgenderspecificwomen’sormother’sgroupsorpoliticalparties.However,thereisaclearlackofmembershipfromtheyouthinanylocalorganizationandwomen’smembershipismeaninglessiftherepresentationisnotmeaningfulandlacksactiveparticipation.Whatwouldbeyourroleinsuchdiscussion?Althoughmanyrespondentsfromallthevariablesprofesstoparticipateindiscussionsanddecisionsatthelocallevel,veryfewclaimedthattheyconsideredthattheymovedtheargumentsforwardorwereinfluential indecision-making.Thissuggestsaseriouslackof trust in thedecision-makingprocess and thegeneral feelingofpowerlessness to actively influencedecisionsbymostoftherespondents.Are you invited in the budget planning of the VDC? Very few respondents were invited to budgetplanningmeetings,withtheexceptionofpeoplewhowerealreadyaffiliatedordirectlyassociatedwithlocalgovernanceanddevelopment,suchaselectedrepresentativesandpoliticalleaders.Therefore,thelackofcommunitymemberinvolvementhighlightstheVDCbudgetmeetingasgoodexampleofthelackof transparency and accountability of local governance. This may explain the lack of trust in localdecision-makingmechanismsandtherespondents’generalfeelingthattheiropinionshavenoimpactorinfluenceoverdecisionsatthelocallevel.DidyouparticipateintheplanningandreviewmeetingVDClastyear?Theresponsestothisquestionare very encouraging as the majority of the respondents, or a family member, attended a meetingwithinthelastyear,asignificantincreaseinthenumberofrespondentswhowereinvitedtothebudgetmeetingattheVDC.Hasanyforumorgroupformedinyourcommunityforleadershipdevelopment?Themajorityoftherespondents were completely unaware whether a group or forum had been established in theircommunities.Thissuggeststhatthefocusshouldnotjustbeonwhetherthereareforumsandgroupsfor leadershipdevelopment,butalsoonhowtomakepeopleawareof them,andhow information isdisseminatedwithincommunities to thebenefitof someanddetriment toothers,exacerbatingsocialexclusion.Didyouparticipateinit?Amongthefewrespondentswhowereawareoftheforumsandgroupsintheircommunities,veryfewattendedandthosewhodidwereveryirregularintheirattendance.Ifparticipated,haveyounoticedanincreaseinyourknowledgeandunderstandingofroleofwomeninlocaldevelopment?Themajorityoftherespondentsreportedpositiveexperiencesandgainedatleastalittle,ifnotalot,ofnewknowledgeandinformationonwomen’srolesinlocaldevelopment.

62|P a g e

What kind of role should you have to help make the meaningful participation of women in localdevelopment? The majority of the respondents were relatively indifferent as they mostly supportedwomenintheoryandunderstandtheirproblems,veryfewstatedthattheywouldactivelyparticipateortheirinvolvementwasimportantinhelpingwomen.Did VDC allocate a budget for women and youth leadership development in the last year? Themajority of the respondents stated that theywere completely unaware of local budgeting, especiallyregarding leadership development training.Moreover, elected representatives, people affiliated withlocal structures, influential people, andpolitical leaders, thegroupswhoareactively involved in localgovernance and were invited to budget meetings at the VDC, also appear to be unaware of theallocationofbudgetsforwomenandyouthleadershipdevelopment.Perhapsthebiggestconcernisthatmostvulnerableandthetargetofleadershipdevelopmentprograms,women,youth,andthepoorandmarginalizedareuninformedofanybudgetallocation.Have you benefitted from the program? The respondents’ opinions of those who participated inleadershipprogramsisextremelyvariedandimpossibletoanalyzeaccuratelyassomegroupswithinthesixvariableshadpositiveornegativeexperiencesorconsiderthattheydidordidnotbenefitfromtheleadershipdevelopmentprogram.Doyouknowaboutpublichearings?Therespondents’knowledgeofpublichearingsisseriouslylackingacrossall thevariables,andagainthecategories thatshouldbemoreknowledgeable,suchaselectedrepresentatives, political leaders, and people affiliated with local structures are worrying uniformed.However,themostconcerningaspectofthestudyisthatthealreadymarginalizedandexcludedappearto be the least aware, specifically women, Dalits, and the illiterate, implying that measures andmechanismsthatattempttoencourageandenhancesocial inclusionareunderperformingatthe locallevel,predominantlyduetothelackofawareness.Didyouparticipateinitwhenitheldinyourcommunity?Generally,therespondentswerepositiveabouttheirparticipationinpublichearings,whichisencouraging,asthemajorityhadparticipatedinapublicmeeting. However, the farmers/housewives, students, and the youth (15-29 age group) participatedmuchlessandmaybeaconcernasthesearesomeofthetargetgroups.Howeffectiveweretheyinimprovinggovernance?Therespondentsprovidedadiversemixofopinionsamongandbetweenthevariablesandcategories.Generally,therespondentsdisplayedbothoptimismandcynicismregardingtheeffectivenessofpublichearings.Publicsatisfactionoftheserviceproviders?Mostoftherespondentscouldnotanswerthisquestionasthey either did not know or could not say. This is a very concerning as it indicates a serious lack ofknowledge or awareness of the services provided, facilities available, and the fundamental roles oforganizations, institutions,or individual leaders/representatives. In addition to the lackof knowledge,thereappears tobea similar lackof trustand faith inactualdevelopmentand local governance. Therespondentswhowereawareofwhatservicesareavailable,appear toconsider them just rhetoricorveryunsatisfactoryastheyperceivethatthelocalserviceprovidersarenotrepresenting,supporting,orprovidingservicestolocalcommunitymemberstoaddressissuesofexclusion,poverty,andreducethemarginalizationofwomen,youth,andvulnerablecommunitiesandindividuals.Whatistheperceptionofadultstowardstheyouthinyourcommunity?Respondentsoverwhelminglybelieved that the youtharenotperceivedaspositiveby adults in their communities. In addition, the

63|P a g e

respondents also think that adults perceive the youths’ abilities, knowledge, and importance in localdevelopment as different and not as valuable as adults’. This perceived difference has seriousrepercussionsontheyouthbecomingvaluablechangeagentswithintheircommunities,andmaximizingandutilizingtheirleadershippotential.Whatistheperceptionofmentowardswomeninyourcommunity?Mostoftherespondentsconsiderthatmalecommunitymembershavealackofbeliefinthevalueandneedforwomen’sinvolvementinlocal development. There appears to be a prevailing negativity and entrenched patriarchal view ofwomeninmostcommunities,whichseriouslyrestrictswomen’sengagementinleadershipactivitiesandlocalgovernanceanddevelopment.Theresults fromtheminisurveyareextremelyworryingas theyreflectaseriousdisconnectbetweenthe local communitymembers and the local governance and development structures. The responsesfromtherespondentsfollowcertainrecurringthematictopicsthatareevidentthroughoutthesurvey.Themost pervasive, and possibly egregious problem, is the lack of awareness and understanding ofstate restructuring, budgeting, existing programs and training, and public hearings to name a few.Limitedawarenessandunderstandingisbydefinitionthelackofknowledgeandasignifierofexclusionandmarginalization, as people are unable to participate or influence the decisions that have seriousimplicationsontheireverydaylives,oraccesstheveryfacilities,services,andtrainingthataredesignedto empower and equip individuals and create genuinely inclusive and egalitarian communities. Thesecond theme is confidence, as many respondents demonstrated that they attended meetings anddiscussions;however,veryfewactivelyengagedandconsiderthattheiropinionswerenotimportantorinfluential. This feeling of powerlessness further perpetuates the alienation of the individuals andundermines their faith and trust in local governance and inclusive decision-making processes. This isindicativeofthedifferencebetweenrepresentationandactivemeaningfulparticipationasattendanceisinsufficientincreatingcollaborativeandproductivepartnershipsforlocaldevelopment.Another recurring theme is the exclusion ofwomen, youth, and the poor andmarginalized from anyactiveorproductiverolesinlocaldevelopmentorgovernanceintheirowncommunities.Thisisdirectlyrelated to the lack of awareness and understanding, but the ubiquitous exclusion in all areas, asdemonstrated by the survey data, is extremely detrimental not only to the individuals but to entirecommunities as it directly undermines the entire concept of representative local governance andinclusivedemocracy.Moreover,theperceptionsofwomenandtheyouthareanothercomponentofthecontinuationandperpetuationofexclusionarypracticesanddiscriminatorythinking.Theperceptionsofallcommunitymembersmustbechangedtovaluethepotentialcontributionthatwomenandtheyouthcanmakeasconstructivemembersofcommunities,valuableleaders,andagentsofchange.These areasmust be addressed to guarantee the local governance and development is inclusive andrepresentative to ensure that citizens are truly represented by accountable and effective leaders.However, if the situation is permitted to continue unaddressed then social exclusion and themarginalizationofwomen,youth,andvulnerablemembersofsocietywillpersistunabated.Moreover,there is a rising feeling of disenchantment and disillusionmentwith local governance, and politics ingeneral, and this can only be remedied by the active meaningful participation of local communitymembers in local planning, decision-making, and policy formulation as the festering feelings ofpowerlessnessandbeliefthattheyhavenoinfluencewillcontinuetoerodethefaithandtrustinlocalgovernance. Unless accountability and transparency become actual fact, and not just the rhetoric ofpoliticalpartiesandmantrasofpolitical leaders,communitydevelopmentandeffectiverepresentativegovernancewillremainanaspirationandnotareality.

64|P a g e

3.2 Recommendations Basedonthefindingsofthestudy,thissectionhighlightsthefollowingaction-relatedrecommendationsthat are imperative in effectively designing, implementing, and evaluating the planned CollaborativeLeadershipProjecttoincreasewomenandyouths’meaningfulparticipationindecision-makinginlocalgovernance and development. The recommendations will be significantly helpful in enhancing theexisting knowledgeandprovidingevidencebased suggestions to actively address social exclusionandmarginalization,andenhancerepresentation,participation,andknowledgeandunderstandingof localgovernanceanddevelopment

1. The lack of awareness of the restructuring of local governance due to federalism anddecentralization must be addressed at the community level. The specific details of therestructuring and the implications on the lives of local community members must becommunicated in a simple and clear manner. Perhaps a help centre can be established incommunitiestoexplainanyissuesandansweranyquestionsthatpeoplemayhave.Inaddition,regularmeetingsandcommunitydiscussionshouldbeheldtoreiteratethenewstructuresandhowtoaccessthem.

2. Peoplemustbemadeawareofthedetailsofthenewlocalpowersandregulations,especiallyrelating to the local authority over the allocation and management of resources, and theguaranteeofrepresentationforwomenandthemarginalized,asthiswill informpeopleoftheresourcesandservicestheyareentitledto,howandwheretoaccessthem,andempowertheexcluded. Policy is powerless without implementation and information. Awareness could beraisedbytheaforementionedhelpcentre,orwithpublicdiscussionsandmeetingsfocusedonvery specific topics. Additionally, as most respondents were members of political parties,mother’sgroups,orwomen’sgroups,theseshouldbeutilizedproductivelytorunworkshopsorpass information on planned events. Also, government representatives should plan a schoolprogram and runmandatory classes for students as the informationwill then pass into theirrespectivefamilies.

3. Awarenessoftheservicesandfacilitiesavailablefromserviceprovidersmustbeincreasedasitis imperativethat localcommunitiesaremadeawareofwhattheyareentitledtoreceiveandfrom whom. The samemechanisms as outlined in the previous recommendations should beemployedwith one caveat, the service providers are obliged to inform the general public oftheirexactroleinthecommunalityandinwhatareastheycanhelp.

4. Service providers should also be held accountable as the lack of trust and disillusionment inthemispalpable,andasystemofchecksandbalancesshouldbedevelopedandimplementedto increase accountability and transparency. In addition, punitive measure should also beintroducedtopunishthoseabusingtheirpowerorneglectingtheirduty.

5. Anaccuratedemographiccross-sectionfromalloccupations,castes,ages,andgendersmustbe

invited to VDC budgeting meeting to ensure more accountability and transparency. Thesemeetingsshouldberegularandcontinual,withaparticularemphasisplacedonwomen,youth,poorandmarginalizedmembersofcommunities.Thiswilladdressthelackoffaithandtrustinlocal governance and encourage more interaction and relationships between the localgovernmentandcommunities.

65|P a g e

6. Programs, training, groups and forums that are established in communitiesmust advertise inlocalnewspapers,localradios,communalmeetingplaces,schools,andallorganizations,politicalparties,andnetworksmustalsobeinformedtopasstheinformationtotheirmembersandtheirfamiliestoguaranteemaximumcoverage.Moreover,astheyouthareoneofthemostexcludedgroups, multi-media and social media should be used to disseminate information to directlyaccesstheyouth.

7. How information in communities is disseminated and receivedmust be critically examined todetermine whether information is including some and excluding others. Hoarding boards orpostersarenotsufficientastheilliterateareimmediatelyexcluded.

8. Meetings,groups,trainingandforumsmustbesensitivetopeople’sschedulesandattempttoruntheirprogramsatatimethatisconvenientformostpeople.Thiswillchangeduetoseasonallabor demands so the programs must also be flexible to accommodate the attendees, byperhaps running the same meeting at different times to attempt to address timing issues.Venues should also be easily accessible, comfortable and safe environments so people feelcomfortable participating. Also, maybe using multiple venues to address people’s accessproblemsandmakeitasconvenientaspossibletoguaranteeattendance.

9. Meetings should actively encourage women, youth, poor and marginalized to participate byguaranteeingthattherearenodiscriminatorypractices,anddemonstratingthattheirviewsandopinionsarevalued.

10. Meetingsshouldbeassessedtoguaranteequalityincontentanddelivery,andperhapsuniformguidelinescanbedevelopedfortrainingprograms.Thepeopleholdingmeetingsmustbeskilledandknowledgeableofthesubjectandtreatallmembersequally.Perhapsatrainingprogramforthetrainerscanbeorganized(similartoteachertraining)toguaranteegoodpractice.Trainingshould also be regular and strongly encourage people to attend regularly to maximize thebenefitsfromtheprograms.

11. Training should be provided that focuses on confidence building and actively participating inmeetings. These classes could be held in schools, mother’s/women’s groups, communitycenters,andanyotherregulargatheringstoempowerpeopletoasserttheiropinions,givetheirperspective,andhaveaninfluenceindecision-makingprocesses.

12. Sensitivitytrainingshouldbeprovidedtoencouragepeoplefromdifferentcommunities,socialidentities,religions,andethnicitiestoworkcollaborativelytogetherbydevelopingpartnershipsandgoodworkingrelationshipsforthesharedbenefitoftheentirecommunity.ThisisespeciallyimportantbetweenthePahadeandMadhesicommunities.

13. Groups,organizations,andnetworksshouldactivelyattempt to recruit theyouthasmembersby perhaps having an open day at the local schools or holding after school activities. Socialmedia andmultimedia should also be utilized for this purpose. Youth clubs and other youthorientated organizations should consider working with other socially aware and consciousorganizations,clubsorgroups.

14. Communities lack leadership,organization,andmobilizationon issues suchashelpingwomenenter leadershippositionsor thedevelopmentprocess.Therefore,aprogramfor local leaders

66|P a g e

shouldbeestablishedtotranslatethementalsupportforempowermentandinclusiontoactualpractical support by planning programs, initiatives, and activities at the community level. Thefocus should be on women and the youth by developing working partnerships with othercommunity organizations, political parties, elected representatives and the local government.The assumption that ‘others’ participation ismore important thanmy participation’must bechangedtomyparticipationisvaluableandimportant.

15. Perceptions of the youth as being immature and inadequate compared to adults must bechangedbyempoweringtheyouthtotaketheinitiativewithintheircommunities.Similartothelocal leadership program, the youth should be encouraged, supported, and even funded forinitiatives that benefit their communities. Perceptions will not be changed by meetings;therefore, theyouthshouldbeencouragedandenabled toparticipate incommunityorientedactionanddevelopmenttodemonstratetheircapabilities,skills,energy,andenthusiasm.

16. Perceptions of womenmust be changed as the entire community requires gender sensitivitytraining,specificallymen,astheprevailingnegativityandentrenchedpatriarchalviewofwomenis highly detrimental to women’s empowerment. Women should be actively encouraged toenter localdevelopmentandtake leadershippositions.Similartotheyouth,gendersensitivitytraining will help, but actual exposure to competent and capable women leaders will slowlyerode theunderlyingpatriarchal structureswithin local communities.Therefore,womenmustalsobesupported,encouraged,andtrainedtodemonstratetheyarecapableofbeinganassettolocaldevelopmentandgovernance.

17. Asmuch of the datawas a complexmix of opinions and perceptions, subsequent qualitativeresearch is required to gain a deeper understanding of various issues and contextualize theinformation.Quantitativedataisincapableofexplainingopinions,emotions,andperceptionssoshould be complimented, where required, by additional methods, such as interviews,discussions,observation,andfocusgroupdiscussions.

67|P a g e

References Barriteau,V.E.(2003)‘ConstructingaConceptualFrameworkforDevelopingWomen’sTransformational

LeadershipintheCaribbean’.SocialandEconomicStudies,Vol.52,No.4.5-48Bennett,R.,S.KarkiandNNepal(2012)YouthandPeacebuildinginNepal;TheCurrentContextand

Recommendations.SFCG.https://www.sfcg.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/NEP_CA_Jan12_Youth-and-Peacebuilding.pdf

CentralBureauofStatistics(GoN)(2014)NepaliYouthinFigures:December2014.http://nepal.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/Nepali%20Youth%20in%20Figures.pdf

DesMarais,J.,T.Yang&F.Farzanehkia(2000)Service-learningLeadershipDevelopmentforYouths.PhiDeltaKappan,81(9),678-680.

Fertman,C.I.,andJ.A.vanLinden(1999)‘CharacterEducation:AnEssentialIngredientforYouthLeadershipDevelopment.’NASSPBulletin.http://journals.sagepub.com/home/bul

Harold,B.(2011)‘ArabWomen:EmergingLeadershipPatternsandIdentities’.InC.MShields(ed.)TransformativeLeadership:AReader.Oxford:PeterLangAG

Hemer,S.R.(2017)‘GenderMainstreamingandLocalPolitics:Women,Women’sAssociationsandMininginLihir’.InC.FilerandP-YLeMeur(Eds.)Large-scaleMinesandLocal-levelPolitics:BetweenNewCaledoniaandPapuaNewGuinea.ANUPress.http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1x76gfk.17

Klau,M.(2006)‘ExploringYouthLeadershipinTheoryandPractice.’NewDirectionsforYouthDevelopment,No.109.Spring,WileyPeriodicalsInc.

Kouzes,J.M.,andB.Z.Posner(1995)TheLeadershipChallenge:HowtoKeepGettingExtraordinarythingsdoneinOrganizations.SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass

Kress,C.A.(2006)‘YouthLeadershipandYouthDevelopment:ConnectionsandQuestions.’NewDirectionsforYouthDevelopment,No.109.Spring,WileyPeriodicalsInc.

Kumar,D.(2008)‘ObstaclestoLocalLeadershipandDemocracyinNepal’inD.N.GellnerandK.Hachhethu(Eds.)LocalDemocracyinSouthAsia:MicroprocessesandDemocratizationinNepalanditsNeighbours.London:Sage.

Libby.M.,M.RosenandM.Sedonaen(2005)‘BuildingYouth-AdultPartnershipsforCommunityChange:LessonsfromtheYouthLeadershipInstitute’JournalofCommunityPsychology,Vol.33,No.1,111–120WileyPeriodicalsInc.

London,J.,andM.Chabran(2004)‘Youth–ledRep:BuildingCriticalConsciousnessforSocialChange.’PracticingAnthropology,Vol.26,No.2,45-50

Lord,R.G.,&R.J.Hall(2005)‘Identity,DeepStructureandtheDevelopmentofLeadershipSkill.’TheLeadershipQuarterly,16(4),591-615.

MacNeil,C.A.(2006)BridgingGenerations:Applying‘Adult’LeadershipTheoriestoYouthLeadershipDevelopment.’NewDirectionsforYouthDevelopment,No.109.Spring,WileyPeriodicalsInc.

MacNeil,C.A.,andJ.McClean(2006)‘Movingfrom‘YouthLeadershipDevelopment’to‘YouthinGovernance’:LearningLeadershipbyDoingLeadership.’NewDirectionsforYouthDevelopment,No.109.Spring,WileyPeriodicalsInc.

Pande,R.,andD.Ford(2011)GenderQuotasandFemaleLeadership:BackgroundPaperfortheWorldDevelopmentReportonGender.WorldBank:WorldDevelopmentReport2014.

Ricketts,J.C.,andR.D.Rudd(2002)‘AComprehensiveLeadershipEducationModeltoTrain,Teach,andDevelopLeadershipinYouth’.JournalofCareerandTechnicalEducationVol.19,No.1.https://ejournals.lib.vt.edu/JCTE/article/view/655/954

68|P a g e

Thompson,E.,andL.Arsalan(2007)‘PreparingYouthforLeadershipRolesinChangingEnvironments:TheJordanExperience’.Children,YouthandEnvironments,Vol.17,No.3,49-65

Skalli,L.H(2011)‘ConstructingArabFemaleLeadership:LessonsfromtheMoroccanMedia.’GenderandSociety,Vol.25,No.4:473-495.

Snellinger,A.(2009)‘Yuba,HamroPusta:YouthandGenerationalPoliticsinNepaliPoliticalCulture.’StudiesinNepaliHistoryandSociety14(1):39–66.

Strinberg,S.R.(2011)‘RedefiningtheNotionofYouth:ContextualizingthePossibleforTransformativeYouthLeadership.’InC.MShields(ed.)TransformativeLeadership:AReader.Oxford:PeterLangAG

Subramaniam,A.,andF.Moncloa(2010)‘YoungPeople’sPerspectivesonCreatinga‘Participation-Friendly’Culture.’Children,YouthandEnvironments20(2):25-45.

Wilson,S.(2004)‘BuildingandSupportingYoungWomen'sLeadershipforSocialJustice.’Agenda:EmpoweringWomenforGenderEquity,No.60:16-21.

YouthSpeakoutCoalition&K.Zimmerman(2007)‘MakingSpace,MakingChange:ModelsforYouth-LedSocialChangeOrganizations.’Children,YouthandEnvironments,Vol.17,No.2:298-314.