https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14356/3038 2026-06-18T09:30:21Z https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14356/3041 Title: State of research ethics compliance in Nepal's higher education institutions Authors: Pant, Dipendra Prasad; Acharya, Bikram; Kattel, Mukunda Raj Abstract: Executive Summary: Education creates new knowledge and skills necessary for a society’s advancement and transformation by transmitting cultural heritage from one generation to the next and adding innovation to traditional knowledge. The transfer of knowledge and skills takes place tacitly as well as explicitly. The modern education system, symbolized by schools, universities and academies, has evolved to generate and impart knowledge and skills explicitly. This evolution draws as much on the reflections of the past (of traditional education) as on the needs of the present and challenges of the future. While the ancient/traditional system centred around moral education (drawing on traditional customs and religion), at the heart of the modern education system is innovation, which is triggered by the fusion of science and technology under the aegis of educational institutions, primarily universities. Innovation requires new knowledge generated through research that maintains a high degree of academic integrity, a state characterized by a research process that is ‘morally’ or ‘ethically’ right and ‘scientifically’ robust. While a research study sound in academic integrity is believed to produce credible knowledge, a study that compromises academic integrity is doubted to be reliable. Innovative knowledge helps build the human capital that serves as the principal determinant of growth and prosperity. The human resources that are informed of overall sociopolitical contexts and issues and market dynamics are the human capital on which the foundation of economic development rests. Such human resources also serve as a trigger for innovation. How Nepal’s Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) fare in terms of innovative knowledge generation is a matter of public concern. As the centre of research and excellence, they are expected to have an enabling environment. If they are found wanting, they should create one. The research study was undertaken with this curiosity and expectation by situating research practices of HEIs in the history of Nepal’s higher education and the institutional and normative arrangements that have been developed over the decades. 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14356/3040 Title: foreign direct investment in Nepal: perspective of primary agricultural stakeholders Authors: Pant, Dipendra Prasad; Acharya, Bikram; Kattel, Mukunda Raj Abstract: Executive Summary: Speedy economic growth is at the heart of Nepal’s post-conflict periodic plans. Agriculture, hydroelectricity, tourism and the labour force have been identified as the key drivers of economic growth. However, despite efforts by both the governments and the private sector to exploit these pillars over the years, the overall progress has not matched aspirations and expectations. The failure to mobilise resources for export-oriented projects is said to be the main reason behind this lacklustre economic performance. For several years, Nepal has planned to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in big infrastructures and large-scale production. The Fifteenth Plan of the country envisions building a competitive and dynamic national economy through the enhancement of products, productivity and competitiveness. To that end, it aims to attract and increase the volume of foreign investment, including FDI. Driven by the quest for bringing in foreign investment, the Government of Nepal (GoN) amended – on 4 January 2021 – the Foreign Investment and Transfer of Technology Act (FITTA) opening the previously banned primary sector of agricultural production – poultry farming, fisheries, bee-keeping, fruits, vegetables, oilseeds, pulse seeds and dairy products – to FDI. However, the move met angry remarks from farmers, their associations and small-scale agro-investors. The study was conducted on this background, with the overall objective to unpack why the decision to open the primary sector of agricultural production has become debatable. The study has engaged the combination of primary and secondary data that includes a national policy dialogue with primary stakeholders and books, reports and newspaper commentaries. Macroeconomic data consulted for the study suggests that FDI has both positive and negative experiences. It has brought benefits to some countries and has created harmful consequences on some others. However, in the absence of a specific monitoring mechanism on the impact of FDI, there is no sector-wise data on which to build a definitive assessment as to which sectors are good and cost-effective and where caution is warranted. The views and concerns of agricultural stakeholders align with the macroeconomic data. While FDI is necessary for economic growth, most of the stakeholders argue, opening agriculture to FDI before putting in place necessary infrastructure – transport systems, technology, skilled human resources, managerial efficiency, and so on – will only harm small farmers and the subsistence economy they have been nurturing. 2022-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14356/3039 Title: Preparing for Nepal's graduation from the LDC category Authors: Acharya, Gyan Chandra; Adhikari, Khaga Nath Abstract: NA 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z