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Assessing the community-based disaster management practicesin Godawari municipality, Lalitpur, Nepal
(2026) Ghimire, Suresh Prasad; Ramesh Raj Pant
Disasters like floods and landslides are huge problem in Godawari municipality, but the perception of people about the risks are still under studied. This study aims to find the understanding of local communities about flood and landslide disaster, the traditional practices they use to manage those risks and the challenges they face to solve disaster related problems. A mixed-methods approach was used, where a household survey of 384 respondents from theeach wards along with interviews of ward chairpersons and municipal officials. The findings show that while people recognize flood and landslide as a serious community issue (mean score 3.67 out of 5), their perception of personal risk remains surprisingly moderate for both floods (2.87) and landslides (2.82). So basically, they think it's a problem but not really their problem. About 60% of people said they think these disasters are getting worse. Almost half the people (46%) said they use some kind of traditional method like building stone walls for, planting bamboo for, or taking care of community forests to cope with landslides and floods. However, only 15% are actually keeping up with these practices properly. Most people have either stopped or only do it sometimes now. But those who still do it say it is effective. The biggest problems people mentioned were that there's not enough awareness aboud DRRM (63.50%), the drainage systems have also been perceived as a problem (50%), road construction is making things worse (45%) and there's basically no early warning system that works (43%). Budget and lack of technical capacity were the main reasons that hindered their protection against these disasters. Different wards have different situation as some wards faces severe challenges compared to other wards where challenges are minimal.Ward 7 had the highest landslide exposure, while Wards 5 and 6 had the most floods. Ward 13 had the lowest trust in institutions and almost no early warning systems. Ward 12 was most worried about river encroachment. Overall, there is a gap between people's awareness of disaster risks and their actual preparedness and that traditional practices are being lost just when formal systems remain too weak to replace them. The findings suggest that disaster management in Godawari needs to be ward-specific or basin specific rather than treating it uniformly and that local knowledge should be formally recognized and supported before it disappears completely.
Guthi system: continuity and change among the Newar community in Khokana, Lalitpur, Nepal
(2026) Dangol, Rajya Laxmi; Pasang Sherpa
This dissertation examines the historical foundations, institutional dynamics, and contemporary transformation of the Guthi system within the Newar community of Nepal. Traditionally rooted in land-based religious endowments, the Guthi system has long functioned as a key socio-cultural institution regulating ritual practices, social cohesion, and community governance.
The research primarily adopts a qualitative approach combining field survey data, key informant interviews, focus group discussions, and case studies. The analysis has been guided by structural function, and social change theory to interpret how embedded cultural dispositions interact with structural pressures. The findings indicate that although the economic and organizational bases of many Guthis have weakened particularly due to land fragmentation and changing participation patterns, the institution still continues to demonstrate significant adaptive capacity. Rather than disappearing, many Guthis are undergoing hybrid restructuring, shifting toward contribution-based financing, flexible participation, and modern committee management while retaining core ritual and identity functions.
The research work concludes that the Guthi system continues as a dynamic and evolving indigenous institution situated between tradition and modernity. Its resilience is sustained through embodied cultural practices (Habitus), community negotiation, and selective institutional innovation. The thesis contributes to broader theoretical debates on institutional change by challenging linear modernization narratives and highlighting the importance of practice-based adaptation in sustaining indigenous socio-religious systems in rapidly changing societies.
Beyond collectivism: uncovering the dynamics of individual-level social capital mobilization within agricultural cooperatives in Nepal
(2026) Bhandari, Pawan Singh; Ratna Mani Nepal
This study explores the process of individual-level social capital mobilization among members of agricultural cooperatives in Suryabinayak Municipality of Nepal. A constructivist grounded theory methodology was employed for both data collection and analysis. Primary data were collected through in-depth personal interviews and focus group discussions using open-ended questions over a period of approximately seven months. In addition, secondary data were gathered from cooperative records and documents. Data collection continued until theoretical saturation was reached. Data were analyzed iteratively using systematic coding procedures following the grounded theory methodology. This process generated emergent conceptual categories and themes, which were integrated into a substantive theoretical framework. The framework comprises four components: causal conditions, strategies, outcomes, and intervening conditions. Findings reveal individual social capital mobilization as a dynamic and strategic process in which cooperative members actively invest in relationships within cooperative social network to achieve personal livelihood goals. Sustained mobilization depends on continuous engagement in building trustworthy and reciprocal relationship within the cooperative social network. The study contributes to theoretical understanding of the social capital mobilization process from an individualistic perspective by developing a novel grounded theoretical framework to explain the process. The study recommends further research in other regions or with different types of cooperatives to refine and expand the theoretical framework.