Completed
Project Name and Period
2018 – 2021
Implementing Partner
Client
This project attempts to address the increasing vulnerability of women, children, and the elderly to water-induced disasters. It does so by undertaking applied research on the drivers of WID and developing an understanding of the nature of vulnerabilities of the at-risk population; developing, prioritizing, and implementing pilot interventions through a multi-stage participatory planning approach with local communities; collaborating with sub-national bodies to develop scalable strategies against water-induced disasters, and building the capacity of local communities, government agencies, and local academic institutions to prepare for and respond during any water-related natural calamity.
Publications
tbc
Project Name and Period
Nepal Renewable Energy Project
2019 – 2021
Implementing Partner
Client
The Nepal Renewable Energy Programme (NREP) is a Government of Nepal programme with financial assistance of the British Embassy in Kathmandu. The project supports the promotion of renewable energy in Nepal with a focus on finding sustainable financing mechanisms and overcoming contextual challenges such as the devolution of authority to the newly established provincial and local governments. PEI conducted necessary political economy analyses, which include examining the status of the implementation of federalism and identifying the challenges to the execution of the project in order to adopt a Market-led approach to access renewable energy and offer off-grid electricity and clean cooking solutions. The political economy analysis examined how the interests and incentives are structured in the sector, including that of the private sector, and how these have resulted in strong resistance to reform
Publications
- Political Economy of Mainstreaming Renewable Energy in Nepal
- The Implementation of Federalism and its impact on Nepal’s Renewable Energy Sector
Project Name and Period
Analyzing the Use of Cash Compensation in the Arun-3 Hydropower Project
2018
Implementing Partner
Client
The research, commissioned by the USAID’s Nepal Hydropower Development Project at the request of the Office of the Investment Board of Nepal, was part of IBN’s longitudinal study on the use of cash compensation for the projected affected families of the 900 MW Arun-3 hydropower project. PEI developed the survey questionnaire and conducted a survey of a sample population to assess the use of cash one year after compensation was provided. The gathered data was analyzed and submitted to the Investment Board with recommendations for future hydropower projects in the country.
Publications
- tbc
Project Name and Period
Review of the Progress in Nepal’s Energy Sector Reform
2018 – 2019
Implementing Partner
Client
The objective of the assignment was to research and to advise JICA on six key themes: Nepal-India Electricity Trade; Reforms in the Nepal Electricity Authority; Establishment of the Electricity Regulatory Commission; Issues of Forest Clearance and Right-of-Way in Building Transmissions Lines; Electricity Act; and the Impact of Federalism in the Electricity Sector. This was in JICA’s preparation to participate in the development of the 410 MW Nalsing Gad Reservoir Project.
Publications
Unpublished
Project Name and Period
Delivery of Stakeholder Participation and Strategy Development in the Kamala River Basin
2019 – 2021
Implementing Partner
Client
This project supported the Government of Nepal’s Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) in preparing, through an extensive participatory planning approach and direct engagement with riverine communities, a basin development strategy for the Kamala river basin. This exercise also aimed to build the capacity of officials at WECS who were involved in developing a nationwide basin development plan for all rivers in the country.
Publications
tbc
Project Name and Period
On Sustainable Sand Mining – Teesta and Mahakali Rivers
2019
Client
This research was commissioned by the Transboundary Rivers of South Asia (TROSA, 2017-2021), a regional water governance program supporting poverty reduction initiatives in the river basins of Ganges-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Salween. The research was conducted on the Mahakali river in Nepal and the Teesta river in India. Firstly, it reviewed the existing knowledge base on sand and gravel mining in the selected South Asian river basins. Secondly, it mapped the existing policy instruments governing sand extraction, marketing, and trade, along with mapping out the sectors and industries that use the sand from these rivers. Finally, based on the findings, PEI recommended the best possible ways to engage with policymakers and the private sector to promote sustainable and responsible sand mining practices.
Publications
- Built on Sand: An Examination of the Practicve of Sandmining in South Asia with Reflections from the Mahakali and Teesta Rivers
Project Name and Period
Examining the Case for Inland Water Transport in Nepal Using the Gandaki River
2018-2019
Client
Commissioned by the Government of Nepal, this study was a preliminary investigation into the possibility of inland navigation for Nepal with a special focus on the Gandaki River. The objective of the report was to lay the initial groundwork for building the necessary institutions and infrastructure for IWT in Nepal. The report also intended to provide the Government of Nepal with sufficient background material and to flag the relevant issues its interlocutors should keep in mind during negotiations with their Indian counterpart.
Publications
- unpublished
Project Name and Period
Democratic Practices, User Committees, and Local Roads
2019
Client
This project attempts to empirically analyze the practices of road construction in Federal Nepal. The practices studied are across five different themes, namely: Electoral representation, Democratic participation, Federalization and Financing, Technical vs Political Decision Making, and Accountability. During the study period, the team studied road construction processes in Gosainkunda Rural Municipality, Godawari Municipality, and Jeetpur-Simara Sub-Metropolitan City. The team interacted with several stakeholders including, but not limited to, the Mayors and Deputy Mayors, Ward Chairman and member, Chairman and member of the Users’ Committee, and Daily Users of the roads. The final report of the study presents the three case studies of the aforementioned local bodies, followed by the subsequent takeaways and recommendations.
Publications
- On User’s Roads: Examining User Committee Mechanism in Local Roads
Project Name and Period
2017 – 2018
Implementing Partner
Client
The study commissioned by the International Finance Corporation critically analyzes the practice of local shares in Nepal, i.e., the opportunity offered to project-affected communities to invest in the equity of hydropower projects being built within their locality. It recognizes that local shares evolved within the unique political context of Nepal, and given the inherent risk of investing in a capital market, the state needs to identify certain mechanisms to safeguard these local investors.
Publications
Local Shares : An In-depth Examination of the Opportunities and Risks for Local Communities Seeking to Invest in Nepal’s Hydropower Projects