Social Entrepreneurship in Nepal. A Study of Representation through the Lens of Stratification Economics

Abstract

Nepal’s population is a mosaic of 125 castes and ethnic groups, disproportionally represented in different spheres of public life. Two of them, Brahmins and Chhetris, are predominant in all sectors. Social entrepreneurship in Nepal remains under-explored by the scientific community. This paper addresses this gap by analysing the caste identity of Nepal’s leading social entrepreneurs. The critical question it addresses is: does the field that tackles social problems reflect this social stratification? To address this question, I combine quantitative and qualitative approaches and draw on the theory of social identity, in-depth interviews, expert interviews, desk research, and surveys. Conducted on a group of 51 social entrepreneurs, this study revealed that 53% of them are Brahmins/Chhetris while 47% are of other ethnic backgrounds. This suggests that the studied field is over-represented by Brahmins and Chhetris and that participation of various ethnic groups in it is not proportional.

KEYWORDS : :

• Social entrepreneurship
• Nepal
• caste
• social inclusion
• social identity

JEL CODES : :

• B55
• J15
• L31
• Z13

Acknowledgements

I would like to acknowledge all those who played a role in this project. First and foremost, I want to express my sincere gratitude to all of the participants who contributed to this research by sharing generously with me their time, experiences, and insights. The completion of this project would not have been possible without the financial support granted me by my alma mater, the University of Wroclaw, and more specifically the Faculty of Social Sciences. In addition, I would like to thank the editor, Mr. Franklin Obeng-Odoom, PhD, for his invaluable input and support throughout the reviewing process. His guidance was instrumental in shaping this research paper. I hope that my findings will make a meaningful contribution to the field. I hereby acknowledge that no conflict of interest of any kind has arisen from the direct applications of my research.

Notes

1 People’s War lasted a decade, between 1996-2006.

2 While referring to social problems, this article, although at the risk of over-simplification, invokes the Sustainable Development Goals, SDGs, identified by the international community under the umbrella of the United Nations as the most pressing social issues that humanity faces currently.

Few of the seventeen SDGs address social inequalities and exclusion: goal 8th urges to promote inclusive economic growth, goal 10th to reduce inequalities within and among countries, while goal 16th promotes inclusive societies (https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300).

3 This is similar to what happens in the third sector: more than half (25,992) of all registered NGOs (50,358) in Nepal are concentrated in the Province 3 (where the capital is located). Of these, 15,998 are in the Kathmandu District (Social Welfare Council, 2019). Behind this concentration of entities in the capital is the fact that Nepal is a highly centralized country. All sorts of facilities and infrastructure, such as public offices, the only international airport in the country etc., are located in the Kathmandu district what makes it convenient for the organizations to run their operations.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Wroclaw under grant [WNS.GW.460.11.2019.WW] offered by the Faculty of Social Sciences that aims to support young scientists by financing the most promising research projects.