IIDS Webinar Series on Politics, Economy, and Public Policy

Starting December 2020, IIDS started monthly webinar series on Politics, Economy and Public Policy. The series intends to create a virtual platform for in-depth discussion across a broad set of topics including politics, economics, and public policy. Each webinar is one hour and fiften minutes long. The distinguished speaker presents the paper for 30 minutes and the remaining 45 minutes include question and answer session based on the topic covered. The webinar is held on the first Monday of every month from 5:45 PM-7:00 PM (NPT), 7:00 AM-8:15 AM (ET).

If you are willing to present your paper in the series or be a part of the distribution list, kindly contact the organizing committee at info@iids.org.np

Organizing Committee

Dr. Prabin Khadka (University of Essex) and Ms. Devika Thapa

Upcoming Episodes 

Stay tuned for our next episode!

Previous Episodes 

Episode 26: The Nepali diaspora’s role in national development
  • Date: April 3, 2023
  • Speaker: Dr. Ambika Adhikari, Distinguished Adjunct Fellow, IIDS
  • Discussant: Dr. Prabin Khadka (University of Essex)
Episode 25: Reimagining the Vernacular Construction for Disaster Risk Reduction
  • Date: February 6, 2023
  • Speaker: Mr. Jitendra Bothara, Director of Resipro International Engineering Limited, New Zealand
  • Discussant: Mr. Rajendra Desai, Structural Engineer, Hon. Jt. Director of Centre for Eco-centric Development And Peoples'-Action (CEDAP), Ahmedabad, India
  • Moderator: Dr. Prabin Khadka (University of Essex)
Episode 24: Rebel Governance of Marriage and Sexuality: An Intersectional Approach
  • Date: January 2, 2023
  • Speaker: Dr. Keshab Giri, Lecturer in International Relations at the University of Sydney
  • Discussant: Dr. Sucheta Pyakuryal, Director, Center for Governance, IIDS
  • Moderator: Dr. Prabin Khadka (University of Essex)
Episode 23: Deliberative Forms of Democracy and Intergenerational Sustainability Dilemma
  • Date: December 2, 2022
  • Speaker: Dr. Pankaj Koirala, Executive Director and Senior Research Fellow at Institute for Frontier Studies
  • Discussant: Dr. Prabin Khadka (University of Essex)
Episode 22: Unintended Consequences of Peacekeeping: Does Peacekeeping participation enhance Civil-Military Relationship at home?
  • Date: September 5, 2022
  • Speaker: Maj. Santosh Sapkota, Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science, University of Central Florida
  • Discussant: Prof. Anup Phayal, Associate Professor in International Relations in Public and International Affairs, University of North Carolina Wilmington
  • Moderator: Dr. Prabin Khadka (University of Essex)
Episode 21: Climate Volatility and Macroeconomic Impacts
  • Date: August 1, 2022
  • Speaker: Dr. Niraj Koirala, Assistant Professor in International Economics at California State University in Los Angeles
  • Discussant: Ms. Apekshya Prasai, Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
  • Moderator: Dr. Prabin Khadka (University of Essex)
Episode 20: Linking Land Borders: India’s Integrated Check Posts
  • Date: July 4, 2022
  • Speaker: Ms. Riya Sinha, Research Associate with the Foreign Policy and Security Studies domain at CSEP
  • Discussant: Ms. Avasna Pandey, Program Manager at the Center for Investigative Journalism-Nepal
  • Moderator: Dr. Prabin Khadka (University of Essex)
Episode 19: Effect of Remittances on financial development, investment, and growth in Nepal
  • Date: June 6, 2022
  • Speaker: Mr. Manbar Singh KhadkaEconomist at ADB (Asian Development Bank), Nepal Resident Mission
  • Discussant: Dr. Niraj Koirala, Assistant Professor in International Economics at California State University in Los Angeles
  • Moderator: Dr. Prabin Khadka (University of Essex)
Episode 18: The Politics of Social Protection in Nepal
  • Date: May 2, 2022
  • Speaker: Dr. Uma Pradhan, Lecturer, University College London; University of Oxford, Fellow
  • Discussant: Ms. Jasmine Rajbhandary, Senior Social Protection Specialist, World Bank
  • Moderator: Mr. Sudyumna Dahal (ANU)
Episode 17: Dissenting in disasters: Perspectives on the disaster-democracy interface in contemporary Nepal
  • Date: April 4, 2022
  • Speaker: Dr. Nimesh Dhungana, Lecturer in Disasters and Global Health, Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI), University of Manchester
  • Discussant: Dr. Stefanie Lotter, Research Fellow and Senior Teaching Fellow, SOAS University of London
  • Moderator: Mr. Sudyumna Dahal (ANU)
Episode 16: Natural disasters and labor migration: Evidence from Nepal's earthquake
  • Date: March 7, 2022
  • Speaker: Dr. Shishir Shakya, Assistant Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
  • Discussant: Dr. Rabia Malik, Lecturer (Assistant Professor) Department of Government, University of Essex
  • Moderator: Dr. Prabin Khadka (University of Essex) 
Episode 15: Cost Benefit Analysis of Climate Smart Agriculture in the Agro-Ecological Zones of the Gandaki River Basin of Nepal
  • Date: February 7, 2022
  • Speaker: Dr. Shoba Poudel, Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD), TWAS, UNESCO
  • Discussant: Dr. Gyami Shrestha, Director, U.S. Carbon Cycle Science Program Office National Coordination Office (NCO)
  • Moderator: Dr. Prabin Khadka (University of Essex)
Episode 14: Social Protection in Nepal: Review of Public Expenditure & Assessment of Social Assistance
  • Date: January 10, 2022
  • Speaker: Ms. Jyoti Maya Pandey- Social Protection Specialist, World Bank Group
  • Discussant: Mr. Hari Sharma, Associated with Social Science Baha and Alliance for Social Dialogue
  • Moderator: Mr. Sudyumna Dahal (ANU)
Episode 13: Towards Smart and Sustainable Cities in Nepal
  • Date: December 06, 2021
  • Speaker: Dr. Ambika P. Adhikary- Principal Planner at City of Tempe, Arizona, USA
  • Discussant: Dr. Pratistha Joshi Rajkarnikar- Associate Director, Economics in Context Initiative, Boston University
  • Moderator: Dr. Prabin Khadka (University of Essex)
Episode 12: Endogenous institutions: a network experiment in Nepal
  • Date: November 01, 2021
  • Speaker: Dr. Juni Singh, Postdoc- Weiss Fellowship at MIT JPAL
  • Moderator: Dr. Gaurab Aryal- Assistant Professor of Economics at University of Virginia
Episode 11: Are we traveling straight while the road ahead curves? Rethinking infrastructure investments and aspirations in Nepal in the context of climate change and other changes in the 21st century
  • Date: October 04, 2021
  • Speaker: Dr. Arnico Panday- Senior Advisor at National Planning Commission, Senior Research Fellow at IIDS and CEO at Ullens Education Foundation
  • Moderator: Dr. Aarjan Dixit- independent researcher on climate change and development
Episode 10: The next 50-years: Some reflections on Nepal's Urban Future from the Perspective of Infrastructure
  • Date: September 06, 2021
  • Speaker: Dr. Atul Pokharel- Assistant Professor of Urban Planning and Public Service at Wagner School of Public Service, New York University
  • Moderator: Dr. Arnico Panday- Senior Research Fellow at IIDS and CEO at Ullens Education Foundation
Episode 09: Mass Schooling, Nation Building, and Long-term Political Outcomes: Evidence from Nepal's Mobile Schools
  • Date: August 02, 2021
  • Speaker: Dr. Vinish Shrestha- Assistant Professor at Towson University
  • Moderator: Dr. Lokranjan Parajuli- Historical Sociologist at Martin Chautari
Episode 08: Capital Production, Capital Accumulation, and the Cultural Ideology of Cooperation in the Manangi Trade Diaspora
  • Date: July 07, 2021
  • Speaker: Dr. Prista Ratanapruck- Cultural Anthropologist and Senior Research Fellow at IIDS
  • Moderator: Dr. Yamuna Ghale- Development Practitioner and Senior Research Fellow at IIDS
Episode 07: Motivating Equity: The Impact of Incentives on Elected Local Politicians in India
  • Date: June 07, 2021
  • Speaker: Dr. Slesh A. Shrestha- Former Assistant Professor, Department of Economics, National University of Singapore
  • Moderator: Dr. Ram Acharya- Research Coordinator, Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED)
Episode 06: Environmental Disasters and Property Values: Evidence from Nepal’s Forest Fires
  • Date: May 03, 2021
  • Speaker: Dr. Jayash Paudel- Assistant Professor of Economics, Boise State University
  • Moderator: Dr. Sanjaya Acharya- Research Director, Saraswati Multiple Campus, TU.
Episode 05: Social Incentives in State and Non-State Armed Groups
  • Date: April 05, 2021
  • Speaker: Dr. Prabin Khadka- Assistant Professor in Government, University of Essex
  • Moderator: Dr. Sucheta Pyakuryal- Director, Center for Governance, IIDS
Episode 04: Do Remittances Reshape Household Expenditures? Evidences from Nepal
  • Date: March 01, 2021
  • Speaker: Dr. Khushbu Mishra- Assistant Professor of Economics at Stetson University
  • Moderator: Dr. Biswo Poudel- Visiting Associate Professor, Kathmandu University
Episode 03: Benefits and risks of low-skilled international migration: A researcher’s perspective
  • Date: February 01, 2021
  • Speaker: Dr. Maheshwor Shrestha- Economist at the World Bank
  • Moderator: Dr. Avidit Acharya- Associate Professor of Political Science, Stanford University
Episode 02: Does Revolution Work? Post-revolutionary evolution of Nepal's political classes
  • Date: January 04, 2021
  • Speaker: Dr. Soledad Prillaman- Assistant Professor of Political Science at Stanford University
  • Moderator: Dr. Avidit Acharya- Associate Professor of Political Science, Stanford University
Episode 01: Science, Technology, Society, and the Environment: An empirical study of the urban environment and its impact on human health
  • Date: December 07, 2020
  • Speaker: Prof. Alok Bohara- Professor of Economics, University of New Mexico
  • Moderator: Dr. Avidit Acharya- Associate Professor of Political Science, Stanford University