Devolution and Economic Resilience in Nepal

Raj Kharel and Andrés Rodríguez-Pose

No 2523, Papers in Evolutionary Economic Geography (PEEG) from Utrecht University, Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning, Group Economic Geography

Abstract: This article examines the impact of three key components of devolution — government expenditure, internal revenue, and both conditional and unconditional transfers— on the economic resilience of Nepal’s local governments during and after the Covid-19 pandemic. Bridging the gap between the devolution and resilience literature, it focuses on Nepal, a country that embarked on an ambitious devolution journey, transitioning to a Federal Democratic Republic following the monarchy's overthrow in 2008. This transition was institutionalised through the 2015 constitution, which established a three-tier system of government. The analysis reveals that, following fiscal devolution in 2017/18, local government expenditures and intergovernmental transfers significantly enhanced the resilience of rural and semi-urban municipalities. However, internal revenue collection has played a limited role in this process. In a country with low local-level capacity, conditional transfers — primarily allocated for infrastructure and services— have been crucial for local economic resilience, whereas unconditional transfers have not demonstrated the same impact. The findings suggest that greater investment, rather than autonomy, has been the primary driver of subnational economic resilience in Nepal.

Keywords: Devolution; Fiscal Revenues; Fiscal Transfers; Resilience; Subnational Governments; Nepal (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-08, Revised 2025-08
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http://econ.geo.uu.nl/peeg/peeg2523.pdf Version August 2025 (application/pdf)

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Journal Article: Devolution and economic resilience in Nepal (2025)
Working Paper: Devolution and economic resilience in Nepal (2025)
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