6.6 Politics

Definition: the institution that organises power and collective decision for a society — allocating authority, binding rules and resources (Easton's classic: the "authoritative allocation of values"). Core concepts: power (getting others to do what they would not) vs authority (power held legitimate) — Weber's three types: traditional (custom: kingship), charismatic (the exceptional leader — the revolutionary moment), legal-rational (rules and offices: the constitutional state — Unit 3.3.3's grid in political form); the state (territorial, sovereign, coercive organisation); civil society (parties, unions, associations, media — the self-organising layer between family and state); political culture and socialization (how citizens learn politics — elections as socialization events). Nepal's institutional arc (you know the history — use it): monarchy-to-republic across the constitutional cycles (1951 → 1960 coup → 1990 → 2006 → 2015 federal republic); parties as mass institutions penetrating schools, campuses and professions (student unions as cadre nurseries — politics socializing the young); federal elections at three tiers since 2017 — 7 provinces and 753 local governments — with local executive/legislative government (mayors, assemblies, judicial committees) now the everyday face of the state; women's entry via quotas (over 14,000 women elected in 2017 — roughly two-fifths of local representatives). Critical themes (the discussion marks): clientelism — politics as exchange of favours for votes ("afno manchhe" scaled up); politicisation of everything (appointments, campuses, cooperatives);…