Political Criminalization in Nepal (1990-2007): A Systematic Review of Literature on Democratic Transition, Political Violence and Governance

Abstract

The decade between 1990 and 2007 can be seen as one of the key periods in the political history of Nepal, where the country had to undergo a process of transitioning from monarchical authoritarianism to multiparty democracy, along with the emergence of an armed struggle and significant problems in consolidating the new democracy. In this review of existing literature, I will investigate the concept of political criminalization in Nepal through the analysis of the ways in which political actors, movements, and institutions become entangled in violence, coercion, corruption, impunity, and the undermining of democratic institutions. The review encompasses academic literature that is related to topics such as democratic transition, Maoist insurgency (1996-2006), state responses, identity politics, institutional weaknesses, and poor governance. Literature review shows that although there has been an expansion of political participation in Nepal after 1990, there have also been problems with unstable institutions, exclusion, poor rule of law, and use of extra-institutional political methods. This review goes further to show that both the state and non-state actors were involved in making the problem worse because of coercion, human rights abuses, and problems with constitutional order. In this case, this article uses a systematic review of literature method to identify major debates, theories, and research gaps on Nepal's democratization and political change from 1990-2007. In conclusion, it is evident that sustainable democratization needs improvement on accountability, governance, institutional changes, and DE politization of violence in politics.