PODS by PEI

Ep#090

Dilrukshi is an international award-winning investigative journalist and a lawyer from Sri Lanka. She has worked extensively across South Asia as an on-ground reporter and trainer. As an investigative journalist, she has broken stories on grand corruption and crime, conflict and communities, and dedicated significant time to reporting on women, children, health, and the environment. A recipient of many prestigious journalism fellowships, she won the coveted Wash Media Award in 2014. She was also the Sri Lankan Journalist of the Year in 2012.

Sushav and Dilrukshi discuss Sri Lanka's complex socio-political history, including its violent ethnic conflict and colonial legacy, exploring the role of various events in shaping its identity. Drawing simultaneously from her work and her lived experience of the war, Dilrukshi illustrates the political roots of the conflict, reflecting on the civil war's impact and the quest for ethnic minority rights, including the rise of groups like the LTTE. They also examine international influences, notably from India, China, and the West, on Sri Lanka's political landscape and review its governance challenges, human rights issues, and economic reforms. The dialogue concludes with reflections on Sri Lanka's civic space, civil society, press freedom, and the broader South Asian context of handling dissent and nurturing democratic spaces.

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#069

Despite its prevalence across cultures and timelines, corruption is still a painstakingly elusive phenomenon to define, measure, capture, and address. And its impacts fuel some of the most significant socio-economic challenges of our time, including poverty, social exclusion, and climate change.

In Curbing Corruption, PEI colleagues sit in candid conversations with experts, practitioners, and thought leaders to dissect the vast issue of corruption. Over the span of the series, we embrace a multiprong approach to comprehending corruption with discussions that include defining its core concepts, exploring the evolution in anti-corruption and measurement innovations, investigating the role of political and campaign financing, and recounting high-profile cases of corruption in Nepal and beyond. Through these conversations, we hope to contribute to the public discourse on the philosophical and theoretical foundations of the issue of corruption and gain insights into how we may be able to best overcome it.

Join us on this journey as we navigate through the challenges, successes, and innovative approaches to curbing corruption, aiming to pave the way for transparent, accountable, and equitable societies.

In this episode, PEI's Nirjan and Utpal Misra set the stage right for the series as they introduce key terms, concepts, and ideas in anti-corruption discussions and practices. Drawing from his observations, Utpal defines and illustrates the vast forms of corruption, citing recent high-profile cases from Nepal. They then recount the actions and approaches in anti-corruption and corruption measurement practices and the key actors at the forefront of this cause.

Utpal Misra is the Senior Governance Manager at the International Republican Institute's Center for Global Impact based in Washington, DC. He leads a team of Governance Specialists that support programs on anti-corruption, political strengthening, global policy, and governance issues in different parts of the world. He spent almost a decade in the World Bank headquarters, implementing global anti-corruption and social accountability programs. He started his career as a journalist with the Kathmandu Post and also worked in Kantipur Television, covering politics, policy, and social issues in Nepal.

#Ep.057 आप्रवासनका कारकहरु सामाजिक, आर्थिक, राजनीतिक, वातावरणीय, आदि विभिन्न हुन सक्छन् | दशकौंदेखि आप्रवासनलाई केन्द्रमा राखेर नीतिगत तहमा गरिएका अनुसन्धान, बहस र पैरवीहरूले आर्थिक र राजनीतिक आयामलाई बढी ध्यान दिएका थिए भने, चार दशकयता मूल रूपमा समाजविज्ञानका अध्येताहरूले सामाजिक–सांस्कृतिक आयामलाई पनि आप्रवासन विधाको आफ्नो अनुसन्धानको दायरामा गहकिलो रूपमा ल्याएको पाइन्छ | सामाजिक–सांस्कृतिक आयामबाट पनि अघि बढेर आप्रवासनलाई जलवायु परिवर्तनसंग पनि जोडेर हेर्नुपर्छ भनेर सन् १९९० को दशकदेखि हुन थालेको देखिन्छ | जसको पुष्टि राष्ट्रसंघीय आप्रवासी संगठनद्वारा १९९२ मा आयोजित एउटा महत्त्वपूर्ण अध्ययनले गरेको पाइन्छ जसले प्रस्ट रूपमा भनेको छ— “पछिल्ला वर्षहरूमा वातावरणमा आएको ह्रासले गर्दा ठूलो संख्यामा मानिसहरू बसाइँ सरेका छन् र यो क्रम बढ्दो छ” । ३१ बर्ष पछि, सन् २०२३ मा आइपुग्दा जलवायु परिवर्तन सिर्जित आप्रवासनको आवस्था कस्तो रहेको छ त ? यसका मुख्य मुख्य चुनौतीहरु के के हुन्? अनि नेपाल जस्तो भुपरिवेस्थित र भौगोलिक र जैविक विविधता भएको देशमा, जहाँ आज पनि लगभग ६६ % जनसंख्या कृषिमा निर्भर छन् र त्यसको पनि दुई- तिहाई त निर्वाहमुखी कृषि गर्दछन, यहाँ जलवायु परिवर्तनको असर कस्तो रहेको छ र यसलाई आप्रवासनसंग कसरी जोड्न सकिन्छ ? जलवायु परिवर्तन बाट सिर्जित आप्रवासनका सन्दर्भमा, यो बाट उत्पन्न हुने समस्याको समाधानका निम्ति के के पहल हरु भएका छन् ? वातावरणीय आप्रवासनको समस्या र त्यस बाट सिर्जित चुनौती र समस्याहरु संग लड्न वा ति अनुकुल आफुलाई ढाल्न के के अल्पकालीन र दिर्घकालिन उपाय हुन सक्छन्? यिनै बिषयहरुलाई समेट्दै, आजको भागमा पी. ई. आई. का जनक पोख्रेल, आप्रवासनबिद् र समाजशास्त्री मिना पौडेलसँग उहाँको गत असार ३ गते, कान्तिपुर दैनिकमा “आप्रवासन र जलवायु परिवर्तनको सम्बन्ध” नामक शिर्षकमा लेखिएको लेखको अन्तरङ्गमा रहेर संवादमा बस्दैछन् | पौडेलले जलवायु परिवर्तन र आप्रवासनको सम्बन्धलाई उजागर गर्दै, वतावरणीय आप्रवासनको समस्यालाई समाधान गर्न वा त्यस अनुकुल रहेर त्यसको प्रभावलाई न्यूनीकरण गर्न के के अल्पकालीन र दिर्घकालिन कदमहरु चाल्न सकिन्छ भनेर विश्लेषण गर्नुभएको छ | मीना पौडेल एक नेपाली समाजशास्त्री हुनुहुन्छ | उहाँले त्रिभुवन विश्वविद्यालयबाट स्नातकोत्तर र बेलायतको न्युकासल विश्वविद्यालयबाट बिद्यावारिधि गर्नुभएको छ | उहाँ सँग नेपालसंगै, दक्षिणपूर्व र मध्य एशिया, पश्चिमी यूरोप र उत्तर अफ्रिकाका अन्य देशहरूमा सामाजिक रूपमा बहिष्कृत र राजनीतिक रूपमा सीमान्तकृत समूहहरूको जीवनलाई असर गर्ने मुद्दाहरूमा विकास कार्य, अनुसन्धान र नारीवादी सक्रियताको लामो अनुभव छ। उहाँले Oxfam GB, USAID, UN प्रणाली र एकेडेमिया सहित विभिन्न राष्ट्रिय तथा अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय संस्थाहरूमा संलग्न भएर काम गरिसक्नु भएको छ । विगत २० वर्षदेखि उहाँ दक्षिण एसिया (अफगानिस्तान, पाकिस्तान), मध्य एसिया (उज्बेकिस्तान, ताजिकिस्तान, तुर्कमेनिस्तान) र उत्तर अफ्रिका (लिबिया) मा आप्रवासनको जोखिममा परेका महिला, पुरुष र बालबालिकाको जीवनका विभिन्न पक्षहरू - जलवायु परिवर्तन सहितको, अनुसन्धानमा संलग्न हुनुहुन्छ। उहाँले यी विषयहरूमा अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय र राष्ट्रिय रूपमा व्यापक रूपमा अनुसन्धान र नीति पत्रहरू समेत लेख्नु भएको छ | Patreon मा हामीलाई समर्थन गर्न यहाँ क्लिक गर्नुहोस् !!

#Ep.078

Introducing and directing agendas in the policy sphere is a challenging task. Additionally, when the agenda in question is pushed to the margins with shame, stigma, and taboo, the pursuit becomes ever more demanding. Menstruation is one such topic repressed by societal norms of the global south, the stigma of which causes detrimental effects on the lives of innumerable individuals. How does one advocate for that?

In this episode, Khushi and Jesselina discuss the challenges in pursuing policy solutions to issues of access to a dignified period. Jesselina shares the unexpected hurdles in advocating for menstrual rights and the importance of strategy, collaboration, and sustainability in it. They explore barriers to accessing menstrual health and dignity, their deep impacts, and recount national issues like the Period Tax and the state of periods in prison. They also discuss the evolution of a dignified period in the realm of human rights, the different ways it has expanded, and how the conversation can be taken forward.

Jesselina Rana is a human rights lawyer, social entrepreneur, and feminist activist. A Harvard Law School graduate, Jesselina co-founded Pad2Go, a social enterprise focusing on menstrual health in Nepal, in 2018. Since its inception, Pad2Go has garnered national and international recognition for its impactful contributions to the menstrual health landscape in Nepal. Jesselina’s passion for feminism, human rights, and the law has driven her to contribute to both human rights and politico-legal discourse in Nepal and internationally.

If you liked the episode, hear more from us through our free newsletter services, PEI Substack: Of Policies and Politics, and click here to support us on Patreon!!

The practice of preparing an annual budget dates back to 1951, right after Nepal’s political transition that led to the end of the Rana regime in the country. Subarna Sumsher, the finance minister then, had publicly announced an outlay of NPR 50.25 million. The political context of the country then was such that the budget was not presented in the Nepali parliament but announced via Radio Nepal. It was only much later, in 1959, that a budget was first presented to the Nepali parliament.

Nepal’s budgetary practice has evolved over the years, but it continues to hold significance, and with some fanfare. What is the day like? Picture this: the Finance Minister walks to the podium with a document briefcase wrapped in a red ribbon. Anticipation and excitement fill the air as people eagerly await to hear what's included or excluded in the budget.

If you liked the episode, hear more from us through our free newsletter services, PEI Substack: Of Policies and Politics, and click here to support us on Patreon!!