Conflict Peace & Development

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14540/48

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Artificial intelligence, employment and social conflict in Kathmandu medical college hospital, Nepal
(2025) Adhikari, Praksh; Tikaram Gautam
The concept of consciousness, once considered uniquely human, is increasingly manifested in machines through technological evolution, culminating in advanced AI systems (Russell & Norvig, 2021). Rule-based AI executes tasks under direct human instruction, whereas expert AI exhibits adaptive, near-sentient behavior, challenging traditional human-centered production frameworks (Nilsson, 2014). As AI advances, physical, mental, and skilled labor face creation, replacement, and displacement, contributing to rising unemployment and social conflict (Brynjolfsson & McAfee, 2014). A study of 119 AI systems at KMC Hospital, involving 1,214 employees, revealed that expert AI significantly drives labor displacement, reshaping employment dynamics and societal structures (Frey & Osborne, 2017) in Nepal. Humans distinguished themselves through the cognitive revolution, enabling tool use and laying the foundation for modernization and the AI-driven Fourth Industrial Revolution (Schwab, 2016). As machines perform cognitive-like tasks, the relevance of human labor is increasingly questioned. Mechanization now extends beyond routine work to skilled labor, encompassing creation, replacement, and displacement, thereby threatening physical, mental, and skilled labor (Acemoglu & Restrepo, 2019). This labor disruption challenges the legacy of the 12,000-year-old agricultural revolution. Globally, job losses are rising, and in Nepal, hospitals implementing AI have improved service efficiency while reducing employment, highlighting emerging social conflicts around labor (Kshetri, 2021) in hospitals. This study employed a post-positivist approach to move beyond the objectivity of positivism and examine the subjective, multi-dimensional impacts of AI on employment and emerging social conflicts (Phillips & Burbules, 2000). Focusing on transformations induced by rule-based and expert AI, the research analyzed their effects on physical, mental, and skilled labor through creation, replacement, and displacement. Using a qualitative design, the study examined 119 AI tools at KMC Hospital, collecting data from 19 respondents among 1,214 employees across eight departments via structured face-to-face and phone interviews. Data were analyzed descriptively and analytically to draw conclusions about AI-driven labor dynamics. AI tools of 119 were identified, primarily classified as rule-based or expert systems (Russell & Norvig, 2021). Expert AI was mostly used in health care, pathology, and radiology for complex and expert tasks; however, rule-based AI was chiefly vii deployed in administration, security, housekeeping, driving, and pharmacy. AI can effectively deliver an extent of management that is beyond human capability, increasing throughput, quality of service, reliability, and operational efficiency. Across the eight departments, AI adoption has increased steadily, with robotic systems simplifying workflows and administrative processes. These developments are a clear indication of the sphere of AI and, even more so, efficient delivery metrics in each department's responsibilities. Employees number of 1214 across eight departments engage with rule-based or expert AI tools, revealing patterns of job creation, replacement, and displacement (Brynjolfsson & McAfee, 2014). Rule-based AI primarily supports job creation and replacement, whereas expert AI drives displacement. For instance, robotic AI can complete tasks that initially needed four workers with one, and pathology AI can process at a rate of 900 samples an hour, which previously took two days. As a result, workers doing physical, mental, and skilled labor will be at a greater risk of unemployment, creating greater social inequality and causing an increase in social conflict as AI is altering the landscape of work and employment. AI tools about 119, primarily rule-based and expert systems are in active use across eight departments (Russell & Norvig, 2021). Rule-based AI predominates in administration, security, and pharmacy, supporting job creation and replacement, whereas expert AI dominates healthcare, pathology, and radiology, contributing to displacement. Recent additions, including robotic AI and 64-channel MRI machines, have transformed workflows, enabling tasks previously requiring multiple workers to be completed by one and pathology processing in one hour instead of two days. Across 1,214 roles, physical, mental, and skilled labor are increasingly displaced, shifting employment conflicts from institutional to broader societal levels.
Role of the United Nations Mission in Nepal (UNMIN) in Peacebuilding in Nepal
(2024) Adhikari, Surya Bahadur; Tika Ram Gautam
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Transitional justice process and the narratives of the victims of enforced disappearance in Nepal
(Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Conflict, Peace and Development Studies, 2023) Sapkota, Anuja
The ten-year-long armed conflict between the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist and the Government of Nepal ceased on November 21 st , 2006, after the underwriting of 'The Comprehensive Peace Agreement,'. The agreement emphasized the importance of establishing a transitional justice system within six months to provide an opportunity to address the grievances of those affected by more than ten years of armed conflict. The 'Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC)' and the 'Commission on the Investigation of Disappeared Persons (CIEDP),' were established in August 2015 to help with the transitional justice process. Within six years of establishment of the two commissions, 60,000 TRC cases and 3,093 CIEDP cases were registered. In most of the peace agreements that formalized the transitional justice process, like the Comprehensive Peace Agreement in 2006 and the Interim Constitution in 2008, the parties to the conflict have made a commitment to address the needs of the conflict's victims. Currently, however, the entire Transitional Justice process in Nepal, is being criticized as being too top-down and state-driven, which raises the question of whether it will adopt a bottom-up approach in addressing the past to construct a more peaceful future or top-down approach as a tool to just get the peace process off the table. This research is an attempt to explore and capture the approaches of transitional justice in Nepal and the lived narratives of the families of disappeared persons in Nepal. The chapters in this thesis discuss the global to local approach of transitional justice approach through primary and secondary data collected for the research. Research adopted the qualitative approach with triangulation of interview, group discussion and narratives. The live narratives of the families of enforced disappeared persons are the focus of the study. Through the narratives, the research tries to bring out the struggle of the families, their need, the lack of trust towards the government and how important it is for them to deal with the past to create a sense of peace within themselves. The conceptual framework of this research focuses on the – ‘Dealing with the Past’ framework that encompasses four major elements: Right to Truth, Right to Justice, Right to Reparation and the Guarantee of Non-Recurrence, and its importance in dealing with the past after the atrocities or violent past to build a peaceful future. The families of enforced disappeared persons in Nepal are still in search of truth and justice from the concerned authorities and want the government to be accountable to deal with their problem with respect and sensitivity. They want transitional justice to be the utmost priority of the government without further delay.
Indigenous Confict Resolution Mechanism: Study of Lohorung Rai Community
(Faculty of Conflict, Peace and Development Studies, 2021) Dahal, Mibit
In Nepal, there has been attempt to uncover huge number of indigenous communities through academic gates, yet the numbers are not sufficient. There are more hidden mysteries than anyone can think of, given the geographical area of Nepal. The diversity in cultures and ritual application has made each group different with one another. Under the given premise, this study focused on conflict resolution practices by Lohorung Rai community. The main focus of research was to understand the procedure of conflict resolution within Lohorung Rai of Nepal. With only two literatures on Lohorung and silent about conflict resolution as of today made the task even more difficult. This confirmed that non of the primitive mechanisms exists today. The task was set with following some of the key literatures within the area of conflict resolution, culture and other social context. As perceived, it was hard to differentiate the path of inquiry. The inquiry into the research question following qualitative method adopting phenemenological approach proved supportive yet challanging. The data were collected through observation and interview and collecting stories, myths, songs, jokes, narratives and all other forms of orally transmitting ideas. Deep inquiry were done with the older generation people to evaluate the collected materials. The oral informations proved to be stock of valuable informations explaining how things were done in the past. With the informations obtained, it was clear that Lohorung people had understood conflict and conflict resolution in much better ways than one can imagine. In their own way of understanding, Lohorung community divided conflict into three structures: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal and Intergroup. The division of conflict as such was based on the parties attached to the conflict. In the same way they had already defined different mechanisms to address the problems. Use of techniques like “Sheer Uthaune” is still taken as a means to address intra-personal conflict as of today. For interpersonal and intergroup conflict, approach similar to mediations were used. But, in primitive sense, those issue addressing sessions meant more than just resolving conflict. The act of resolving conflict amongst Lohorung resembles near to that of modernday mediation practice. However, it differs in many scenario as option to resolution and reaching the consensus were less, they had to adopt either complete settelment through compensation or through friendship (meet laune) or through pardoning the person or party or even through punishments. The process of resoultion done by Lohorung community cannot be easily explained by modernday theoritical approach, specially in intrapersonal conflict.It’s role is not to narrate wrong doings but also restoring communal bond and faith within each other. It implies rituals and other platforms to aware people about the consequences and difficulties associated with it. Also, social activities were added advantage to ensure proper community participation for other actions as well. The use of rituals as platform to perform and culture to carry it to next generation was solid approach to transmit the knowledge. Yet, with difficulty in knowledge transfer due to modernization and migration, Lohorung have managed to reel off their knowledge through greater participation. The value that Lohorung Rai people within the cultural activities have is much more than what the outcome shows. The way they solve their problem by themselves and vlaue their system is complex yet can be a source for modern techniques of conflict resolution.

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