Representative functions of neighborhoods level citizens assemblies in Nepal

Citizen’s assemblies (CAs), which engage representatives (ideally randomly selected citizens) in future visioning, and/or making collective decisions, is argued to strengthen representative democracy by allowing members of the public to directly represent their opinions and agendas in policy making. However, while CAs on diverse topics are increasingly popular among scholars, citizens, and policymakers alike, little is known about how and to what extent CAs represent its constituents, particularly the women and marginalized groups. This paper aims to informing this important inquiry based on the empirical findings from eight neighborhood level CAs (tolebhela) across Nepal. I interviewed in-depth 63 participants and non-participants of tolebhela along with local representatives. I also recorded deliberations as they happened; and administered a random household survey (N=237) at the neighborhoods that organized tolebhela, and at the neighborhoods that did not. Drawing on these along with the municipal government’s archives, this paper seeks to answer 1) what does representation mean in this context? 2) how do women and marginalized represent their agendas at tolebhela and why do they succeed (or fail) to include them in government policies? and 3) what representative functions do the tolebhela and the local representatives serve particularly to include minorities in municipal governance?