Conference Year: 2012

This paper examines the relationships—and disjunctures—between social inclusion and affirmative action as policy frameworks to address multidimensional inequalities. Both concepts are currently circulating widely in the public sphere in Nepal, but there is a great deal of confusion about what ‘social inclusion’ in fact means, how it can be best implemented through policy measures, and …

Social Inclusion and Affirmative Action: Conceptual and Policy Distinctions Read More »

This paper provides a schematic overview of affirmative action policy in a democratic polity with commitments to multiple groups of beneficiaries. It sorts out the major choices about structure, operation, extent, duration, and evaluation that policy architects must make and suggests some of the potential advantages and disadvantages of certain architectural features. It proposes the necessity for continuing …

Designing Affirmative Action for Nepal: A Tour of the Choices and Problems Read More »

This presentation will reflect on insights from the Indian case of adivasi rights to explore the relationship between ethnicity and socio-economic concerns. It will suggest that while the focus on indigenous or ethnic rights must be celebrated in particular moments in time, we equally need to reflect on and call attention to the limitations of …

A Step Back from Ethnic and Indigenous Rights Read More »

Nepal government’s Act of 2002 legally recognised 59 groups as indigenous peoples with their distinct identity. But many others were left out. This not only affected their ethnic identity but it also deprived them of the socio-economic benefits of the state. This led to the agitation for self-identification as indigenous peoples. In order to address …

Implication of Rescheduling Indigenous Peoples for Affirmative Policy in Nepal Read More »

It is an obvious fact of society that people in all contexts are characterized by a number of differences. Some of these differences are natural and are marked by the feature of one’s race, sex, age and such others. Some others are constructed and structural, and are marked by differences of culture as well as …

Subject Citizen Identity and Class: Contesting Dimensions of Social Inequality and the Implication of Affirmative Action for Change Read More »

(co-authored with Louise Tillin) In post-conflict Nepal, one anchor for mobilization has been the demand for ethnic federalism—explicit territorial recognition of ethnic difference at the constitutional level. Another has been the demand for affirmative action—a set of policies to address socio-economic inequality through what has often been called “special rights”. But these two demands are …

Disentangling ‘Ethnic Federalism’ and Affirmative Action Read More »

Since socio-cultural diversity is one of the dominant features of South Asia in general and Nepal in particular, people are still being marginalized and the practice of inequality remains deeply and firmly lodged. However, some positive attempts have been made in the recent times to correct the past mistakes i.e. the denial of equal access …

Caste-based Discrimination and Discourse of Affirmative Action: Perspectives of Successful Dalits in Surkhet Read More »

The key objective behind implementing affirmative action policies, which often take the form of preferential treatment for members of historically disadvantaged groups in matters of education and/or employment, is to bridge the socio-economic disparities across the different groups in a stratified society. However, the empirical fact remains that even after many decades of pursuing such …

Can Affirmative Action Policies Succeed in the Presence of Social Marginalization? Read More »

The Indian Constitution promises equality to women in all spheres and makes specific statements reaffirming its commitment towards non-discrimination on the basis of religion, caste, class, sex, age etc. There are various institutions that have since been setup to promote this promise and also there exists a rich tradition of decrees and judgments enhancing the …

Affirmative Action and Women in India Read More »

This paper discusses women’s participation in governance (local, district and central level), describes initiatives taken to increase women’s involvement, and highlight factors that facilitate or inhibit women’s participation in public activities, including governance. The arrangement of quota for women in local and national governance through policy and legal instruments have made a difference in the …

‘Women and Men Are the Two Wheels of the Chariot’: Rhetoric and Realities of Quotas for Women in Politics and Governance in Nepal Read More »