NEPAL CIVIL SOCIETY AND ITS DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

The civil society is considered to be one of the most important components that help in ensuring good governance in a state. It is defined to be an autonomous body that is separate from the market, political parties and the state. There is a clear distinction given between the civil society and political institutions, however in the case of Nepal this distinction is not applicable due to the high level of association between the political institution and civil society. This has shown to put stress on the development of the civil society as an entity that can hold the government accountable. Furthermore, as seen in the case of most countries in the South, colonialism had an important influence in the direction and content of civil society in colonial societies. However, Nepal is one of the few non-western countries to have been outside of the normal colonial experience and this had an important influence on shaping civil society in Nepal in a unique way. Additionally, the civil society in Nepal and its development has also been affected due to the political institutions that tried to co-opt the process of mobilization of civil society for its own benefits.