Deliberative Community Governance

Post World War II, developing societies experienced a range of issues that included economic and political crises; and dysfunctional institutions, causing institutional failures; pathological disorders in bureaucracy; and structural complexities in public service system. In the late 1960s, pluralist approaches emerged to address the institutional inefficiencies, but these accentuated state-centrism and supported greater administrative and legislative powers among the established national political economy regimes. To end the situation, the idea of community governance emerged to address the institutional development and create avenues for communities to embrace its elements, in improving local self-governing systems. This brings about a shift from government to governance, and supports greater sharing of power between the state, market and civil society. Community governance as an offshoot of governance, works to enhance service delivery at grassroots by augmenting capabilities, employing participatory structures, building social capital and streamlining central-local relations. This study focuses on deliberation of community governance for effective service delivery in Nepal.