Actionable Knowledge for disaster risk reduction: Collaborative Governance to increase commuity resilience in western Nepal

The project aims to generate actionable knowledge for disaster risk reduction in western Nepal, by exploring the collaborative network configurations of informal and formal DRR in remote mountain environments above the Karnali basin. Specifically the field sites for the research are the Bajhang and Bajura districts of province 7 in Western Nepal. My research proposal aims are as follows:

Map polycentric networks in local DRR.
Investigate the role of power in network dynamics.
Evaluate network position and power typology in DRR networks.

Nepal has recently undergone the federalisation process (2015), including the ratification of a new constitution and further redistribution of decision-making powers to subnational levels of government; with local elections being held for the first time in over a decade in 2017. Further to this, due to the combination of high levels of natural hazards, poverty and development needs in Nepal there has historically been a strong I/NGO and multilateral aid presence working with and shaping governance networks. This history has resulted in Nepal DRR being described as a complex multi stakeholder network that struggles with cohesion and competing agendas; It is a system in need of increased collaboration and clarity of goals, action and implementation (Jones, Aryal, & Collins, 2013; Jones, Oven, & Wisner, 2016; Morrison et al., 2017).

This project seeks to address the above concerns through the lens of collaborative governance, with the view that detailed empirical study in a developing country context can help academic and policy practitioner understanding of the relationship between formal and informal networks and how collaboration manifest at community level.