Legitimacy is central to citizens’ perception and acceptance of power and authority.
As such, rebuilding institutional legitimacy is essential for stability in post-conflict
societies. In this project we explore the factors that lead citizens to view their
government as legitimate following the reconstruction of central government
institutions after a conflict. We draw on a broad range of theories to investigate
post-conflict legitimacy in Nepal.
This research utilized Nepal as a case study. Nepal transitioned into a secular
democratic republic in 2008, following ten years of civil war, and has subsequently
been engaged in rebuilding central governance institutions. This project involved a
pilot study (N=300, conducted in July and August 2012); two Waves of nationwide
cross-sectional quantitative fieldwork (each N=1500 - Wave 1 conducted between
August 2012 and October 2012, and Wave 2 conducted between September 2013 and
November 2013); and a third wave of longitudinal panel data (N= 1500,
944-participants longitudinal panel from Wave 2 and 556 new cross-sectional
participants - conducted between July 2014 and September 2014).