Beyond the numbers: political inclusion and CDF in Nepal

Nepal’s civil war ended in 2006. The post-war political transition has opened up opportunities to increase the political representation of marginalised and disadvantaged groups. While representation of women and of disadvantaged caste/ethnic groups in Parliament has increased significantly, the simple numerical data tells a partial story. Behind the ostensibly representative political institutions, new practices perpetuate the dominance of male high-caste elites. Jayanta Rai looks at the role played by the Constituency Development Fund in this process.