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The purpose of this paper is to describe and discuss policy analysis in Nepal and review the wide range of choices feasible in decentralisation decision making.

In this paper an iterative qualitative method was developed and used in the research, which consisted of focus group interviews, key informant interviews, document analysis, including descriptive statistics, and analysis of the policy context. Participants in the research reflected the urban/rural mix of districts and the geography of Nepal. Analysis combined transcribed interviews with findings from document searches and analysis of the policy context. Coding was pre‐determined during the training workshop and further codes were generated during and after the fieldwork.

The paper finds that Nepal is in the process of decentralising public services from the central level to the local level, particularly to local bodies: District Development Committees (DDCs), Village Development Committees (VDCs) and Municipalities. Key contextual factors referred to are the overall structure of decentralisation, the social context of poverty and the political instability leading to a fluid political situation characterised by political tension, armed conflict, controversies and agreements while carrying out the research. The key issues identified and discussed in the paper are the policy process leading to decentralisation, the organisational structure and tension in the proposed system, the systems of resource generation, allocation, planning and management and lastly the forms of accountability, participation, public‐private relations and collaborative strategies.

The paper discusses the challenges faced in conducting such a policy analysis, the broad ranging and unremitting nature of the decentralisation process, and the contextual setting of the process of change.

As the world economies have become more integrated and with the global economy subsequently growing, there is increasing concern regarding how such trends will affect the developing and developed nations’ trade, trade in services, gross domestic product (GDP) growth, and climate change. In fact, the relationship between globalization and the environment has become quite contentious in policy circles. In part in response to these controversies, a burgeoning amount of academic attention has emerged that examines the globalization linkage between trade and economic growth as an after effect (positive and negative). Although there have been advances in the thinking about these relationships, significant challenges still persist. In light of the above, this chapter talks about the evolution of globalization, prevailing benefits and also caters to the views of some famous economists like Stiglitz, Simon Kuznets. The crucial aspects include the review of globalization on the basis of certain parameters like Trade (as % of GDP), Trade in services (as % of GDP), per capita CO₂ emissions and per capita GDP that have impacted the trends of both developed and developing nations. It arrives at the position that many current and proposed national and multilateral environmental policies are in a possible conflict with current and proposed trade and investment rules. When climate policy and global trade rules are combined, the nature of their linkage is often a function of both domestic and international politics. This also implies that, despite the worldwide awareness of climate change, the address of climate change in trade will become increasingly significant for reducing carbon footprints.

Human Resource Practices (HRPs) have undergone a revolutionary change, with their practices being more strategic for facilitating the change process. Extant literature studies the impact of Lean Thinking Practices (LTPs) on Organizational Performance (OP). However, the role of HRP as a strategic partner in the inculcation of LTP appears to have been explored sparingly. Hence, this paper aims to identify the specific HRPs that enhance the impact of Lean Thinking on OP.

A cross-sectional survey method was adopted. A total of 528 responses from IT organizations across various levels and processes were collected. The proposed conceptual framework was tested and validated SPSS-Process Macro.

Findings revealed that the presence of HRPs as moderators is significantly impacting the relationship between LTP and OP. LTP when moderated by HRPs significantly impacts employee well-being when compared to other performance variables.

This study is a maiden attempt to study the role of HRP in the inculcation of LTP in IT organizations. Earlier studies, which have mainly concentrated on the need for Human Resource (people) involvement, have spoken and researched less about the specific HRPs in the inculcation of LTP. An empirically validated specific HRP for inculcating LTP in IT organizations is a significant contribution.