Making Upper Houses Work: A Practical Reform Agenda and Lessons from Nepal's National Assembly

Khim Lal Devkota
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Khim Lal Devkota: International Center for Public Policy, Georgia State University

International Center for Public Policy Working Paper Series, at AYSPS, GSU from International Center for Public Policy, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University

Abstract: Upper houses play a critical yet often underutilized role in bicameral legislatures, particularly in federal and parliamentary systems where continuity, deliberation, and territorial balance are essential. Nepal's Constitution of 2015 established the National Assembly (NA) as a permanent upper house (the second chamber) to strengthen continuity, inclusion, and federal balance within the parliamentary system. Despite its constitutional significance, the NA remains comparatively understudied and its institutional potential underrealized. Drawing on qualitative and comparative analysis of constitutional and legal provisions, parliamentary records, scholarly literature, and parliamentary practice, this paper argues that the NA performs meaningful functions in legislative revision and constitutional safeguarding, especially during periods of lower-house instability. However, its effectiveness is constrained by a limited constitutional mandate, weak committee systems, inadequate research and technical support, politicized nomination practices, and a narrow oversight role. The paper advances a practical reform agenda that can be pursued largely through legal, procedural, and institutional measuresÑimproving membership quality and nomination norms, strengthening committees and scrutiny tools, enhancing inter-house and intergovernmental coordination, and building dedicated research and analytical capacity. Strengthening these foundations is essential to developing a more effective, accountable, and resilient federal parliament in Nepal.

Pages: 35 pages
Date: 2026-01
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