Governance Lab- GovLab

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

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

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




Ashoka University university

🤝Some connections come full circle.

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

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

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

𝗔 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿.

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

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

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

𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗱.

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

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

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

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

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

⏰ 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗟𝗔𝗦𝗧 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆.

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

Floods, landslides and other hazards are not experienced equally.

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

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

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

𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆: https://forms.gle/SiTDytcJSNPeYvVs6

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

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

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝗳 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝘀 𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘁𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳?

As you spend your holiday catching up on your reading, we invite you to explore the article by our facilitator, 𝗗𝗿. 𝗥𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗨𝗽𝗮𝗱𝗵𝘆𝗮𝘆𝗮. We believe this article will offer important insights into the disaster and its socio-political aspects.

In the lead-up to 𝗚𝘆𝗮𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝟯: 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗼-𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀, take some time this weekend to read the shared article. 𝗦𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗤𝗥 𝗰𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝘁.

Her work offers a critical lens to questions at the heart of the upcoming course:

𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀? 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝘀? 𝗪𝗵𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗱?

Join us on 𝟭𝟳–𝟭𝟵 𝗦𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 at Martin Chautari for a deeper conversation on disaster governance, vulnerability and justice.

𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/09562478261423925

𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆: https://forms.gle/SiTDytcJSNPeYvVs6 (Deadline: 15th September)

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

On 9-10 September, Governance Lab, in partnership with , brought together 41 local government representatives and officials (19 women) from 10 local governments in Lumbini Province for 𝐄𝐏𝐋 𝐈𝐈 under the GRIG programme.

The two-day training focused on turning gender equality and social inclusion into 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗯𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺𝘀.

Through real-life examples, exercises and dialogue, participants explored how to identify gaps, strengthen coordination and move from individual activities to 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞.

Because inclusive governance is not just about what we know. 𝐈𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤.

𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗗𝗥𝗥𝗠. 𝗜𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗺𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗗𝗥𝗥𝗠 𝗶𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱.

This September, 𝗚𝘆𝗮𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗮 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝟯: 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝘀 𝗦𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗼-𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀 invites us to look beyond the idea of disaster as simply a “natural” event.

Over three days, with Dr. Rachana Upadhyaya, we will ask:

𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗗𝗘𝗖𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗦? → 𝗪𝗛𝗔𝗧 𝗖𝗢𝗨𝗡𝗧𝗦? → 𝗪𝗛𝗢 𝗜𝗦 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗖𝗧𝗘𝗗?

📅 17–19 September 2026
📍 Martin Chautari, Kathmandu
💰 NPR 3,000 | Students: NPR 1,500
🎓 4 sponsored student seats available
⏳ Applications close: 15th September

We need to understand 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲: how institutions, policies, development choices, power and inequality shape who is exposed, who is protected, and who gets to recover.

𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘃𝘂𝗹𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀.

𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲: https://lnkd.in/gYUsc2En

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

𝐊𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐨𝐬𝐭:

We have heard much about 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 on preparedness, early warning, response and recovery. But recent floods also remind us to ask a different set of questions:

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

These are questions of 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞.

A flood may be a natural hazard, but vulnerability, exposure, protection and recovery are shaped by institutions, development choices, power and inequality.
With 𝐚 𝐏𝐡𝐃 𝐢𝐧 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐥, 𝐔𝐊, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟖 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐍𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐥, 𝐃𝐫. 𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐔𝐩𝐚𝐝𝐡𝐲𝐚𝐲𝐚 brings deep expertise in disaster sociology, urban political ecology and climate vulnerability. Her work challenges us to understand disasters not merely as physical events, but as 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐨-𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬.

Join us for 𝐆𝐲𝐚𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝟑: 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐬 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐨-𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬, where we ask:

𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐬? 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬? 𝐖𝐡𝐨 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝?

📅 17–19 September 2026 | 📍 Martin Chautari, Kathmandu

⏰️ 8 AM to 10:30 AM
💰 NPR 3,000 | Students: NPR 1,500 (includes tea/coffee and light refreshments. All the fees collected from this event will go to Nepal’s PM Disaster Relief Fund)
🎓 4 sponsored student seats | Applications close: 15th September

𝐁𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐚 𝐡𝐚𝐳𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐯𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭!

𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐲: https://forms.gle/SiTDytcJSNPeYvVs6

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