Unruly Reform
Explaining Diversion in Local Security Governance Rules in Nepal
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22010276 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mireille Widmer (0000-0002-4999-2405, Institute of Development Studies), Bibha Karna (0009-0001-5663-5545, Institute of Development Studies) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Volume | 12 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2025-08-18 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Stability International Journal of Security and Development (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2165-2627 • E-ISSN: 2165-2627 |
| Publisher | Department of Peace Studies and International Development, University of Bradford (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.33534/sta.949 |
| OpenAlex | W4413285061 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 25 |
What factors enable, constrain or distort the implementation of legal reform governing policing? The legal architecture determines who holds authority to influence security decisions, from broad strategic directions to day-to-day implementation. Yet rules will be interpreted or even ignored by actors entrusted with their implementation, while unauthorised actors can be allowed to exert influence. Can we account for these distortions when reforming security sector governance to make security more inclusive? This case study of institutional change in Nepal analyses the forces that distorted the effect of a change in formal rules on the local governance of security. It shows that, while changes did occur around who was able to influence policing decisions, these were mediated at the local level by habits and different notions of legitimacy. Local governance reforms had a greater impact on local security governance than constitutional provisions endowing provincial governments with formal authority over security governance. This study underlines the importance of considering multi-tiered dynamics when analysing the governance of security. For security sector reform practitioners and policymakers, the study suggests a need to broaden the focus from rules about security to rules with an impact on security governance. One should also explicitly address the fate of existing institutions in reform processes, if they are meant to be replaced by a new architecture
Corporate governance · Economics · Local governance · Local government · Political science · Politics · Security council · Global Security and Public Health · Law · Peacebuilding and International Security · Public Administration · Finance
Beyond Markets and States
Managing Legitimacy
Security Sector Reforms in Nepal
Security Sector Reform and Peacebuilding in Nepal
Beyond decentralising the Nigerian Police
How can subnational governments develop and deliver distinctive policy agendas
Is centralisation the right way to go? The case of internal security policy reforms in Switzerland in the light of community policing
Asymmetric decentralization of the administration of public safety in the C anadian federal political system
Nepal in 1976
Nepal in 1997
Restructuring the State
Institutional Change in Contemporary Capitalism
The Question of Federalism in Nepal
Identifying the Institutional Micro-Foundations of Gender Policy Change
Le retour des villes dans la gestion de la sécurité en France et en Italie
Process Tracing and Historical Explanation
Conceptualizing Legitimacy, Measuring Legitimating Beliefs
A Sequential Theory of Decentralization
Path dependence in historical sociology
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |