The Politics of Social Protection in Nepal

Abstract

Abstract This chapter explores the political dynamics shaping implementation of Nepal’s School Scholarship Programme, which provides cash stipends to primary and secondary students of marginalized communities. The chapter makes two distinct arguments. First, it highlights the importance of infrastructural power to implementation—especially the limited capacity of higher levels of the state to monitor effectively the actions of lower levels. Second, it concludes that programme design can compensate for some of these limitations—especially through the use of categorical targeting to distribute scholarships that has emerged from social justice framing of the scholarship programme. The limitations of state infrastructural power are especially keenly felt with respect to the disbursement of scholarships. As such, limited state infrastructural power leads to delayed and reduced payments that are likely to undermine the potential of the programme to effect social justice.