English - Support to Participatory Constitution Building in Nepal ...

Preface and acknowledgementState building has been a ubiquitously debated topic in these days. Bein war-torn Iraq or conflict-ridden Afghanistan, or in the countriessuffering from instability, this issue is becoming vital in terms of physicalreconstruction, socio-economic transformation as well as in academicdiscourse. It is more so in the case of South Asia now, especially amidst thetwo diversely transforming aftermaths of conflict viz., those of Sri Lankaand Nepal. Amidst this context, the present book is basically an outcomeof the contributors’ observation, points of view and analysis over theissues pertinent to the state building in post-conflict Nepal.Most of the authors incorporated in this volume are the active discussantsat the national and international forums and are experts in the respectiveareas. Several of these authors are also researchers involved in thecollaborative works between the HNRSC of Kathmandu University and theSwiss National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR North-South).We anticipate that this book with chapters on conceptual framework,review of national and international experiences and relevant case studiesin state building will serve in promoting post-conflict state building in Nepal.We also hope that the book will be equally useful to the societies in similarsituations, and to the researchers and practitioners of development.Our sincere gratitude goes to all who helped us during the course ofpreparing this volume. Even though it is the least possible to mention allof them, we would like to name a few whose support remained crucial inbringing this volume into this shape. The foremost acknowledgement isallocated to the tireless efforts of all the chapter contributors who agreedto write on the respective issues. We share especial credit with Dr BharatPokharel, Dr Bimala Rai Paudyal, Dr Jane Carter, Dr Prabin Manandhar andDr Ramji Neupane who have contributed their chapters even amidst thetightest datelines. Other contributors inside our research collaborationare also hard to forget while thanking. Thanks are due to the team ofthe HNRSC in the School of Arts, Kathmandu University and South AsiaRegional Coordination Office of the NCCR (North-South). The editorsi