Public participation for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Nepal: gaps between rhetoric and practice

Abstract

There is a growing impetus of public participation in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), justified in claims that it helps in a better understanding of risks and vulnerabilities, and that by involving the common needs of communities, shared challenges and opportunities may be identified, which may be translated into improved outcomes and policy decisions. However, research-based evidence about what participation for DRR entails, the specific processes, who shapes it, and the outcome it generates is limited. This gap warrants increased attention to practice and exploration of whether and how participatory claims manifest on the ground. In a similar vein, participation cannot be viewed in isolation from the wider socio-political environment in which it unfolds. It is also important to understand the policy environment and the institutional context in which participation unfolds. Therefore, this research critically explores participation in a policy-practice interface using a Policy Arrangement Approach (PAA) examining four dimensions with Nepal as a case study: (1) actors involved, (2) the policy discourse, (3) division of resources between actors that might lead to differences in power and influence and (4) rules of the game, either in terms of formal procedures or as informal rules and ‘routines’ of interaction. The qualitative research approach includes a policy review and key informant interviews with DRR practitioners. Data was collected through fieldwork between February and April of 2022, and analyzed using thematic analysis.

The research found that despite an increase in participatory language in Nepal’s policy instruments, practices remain predominantly top-down, with participation often used to legitimize a technocratic agenda. Scientific experts and academics are becoming more influential in the DRR landscape, while the role and efforts of local people in DRR decision-making are still diminished. Participatory spaces are only being used as an instrument to collect ground-level data or communicate risk, and at worst as a tick-box exercise. Public participation in DRR in Nepal faces several barriers, including a lack of clear guidelines and non-binding policy language. Additionally, DRR practitioners on the ground face challenges because of social norms, gendered roles, and elite-dominated structures. Despite recognizing these barriers and the limited impact of participation on decision making, this research observed that DRR practitioners exhibit stagnation or passivity in overcoming them. This stagnation manifests in bureaucratic complacency, where national actors acknowledged the superficial nature of participatory processes on the ground but dismissed the need for change in current practices. Stagnation was also characterized by an external locus of control, where the responsibility for addressing the shortcomings of participation was shifted away from the local actors or national actors, citing reasons for time and funding constraints of project guideline adherence. This stagnation persists by adhering to top-down practices, failing to utilize the opportunities for democratic innovation provided by decentralization.

This research argues that by leveraging participatory approaches, despite the known limited impact on DRR decision making, dominant actors within disaster governance uphold existing hegemonic orders and continue to marginalize communities. The thesis calls for the need to reimagine participatory practices within DRR, ensuring that it is attuned to local context, history, and needs of the vulnerable communities. Finally, the thesis offers reflexive starting points, in the form of identified opportunities, spaces, and guidance, for DRR practitioners.