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Local authorities i.e. government officials working at the district level and below and elected representatives of municipalities are the steering body of local-level disaster response mechanism in Nepal. The effectiveness of response operation moreover depends on their competency. This paper investigates their disaster response knowledge, preparedness, and perception, and to identify gaps and suggest recommendations.The prevailing competency of Nepalese local authorities doesn’t warrant an effective response during the time of disaster. They lack awareness and preparedness. Amidst their positive perception towards the need of disaster response capacity building, in the void of an effective mechanism, the government has failed to enhance their competency.The national investment for disaster response competency building is meager in Nepal. The country heavily relies on foreign aid. The present capacity-building mechanism should be redressed from the newer dynamic.

How does agroecology, as a political and institutional project, take shape at the local scale? In this article, we analyze in which objectives and how local public actors implement agroecological initiatives. We draw on four initiatives developed in periurban municipalities of South of France. Our results highlight the implication of non agricultural local actors in the emergence of these initiatives, in particular elected representatives in particular elected representatives and environmental managers, in connection with associations of the civil society and environmental managers. These results point out a plural process of territorialisation of the agroecology and its effects on the greening of the agricultural practices.; Comment l’agroécologie, en tant que projet politique et institutionnel, s’invente-t-elle à l’échelle locale ? Dans cet article, nous nous proposons d’analyser dans quels objectifs et comment des acteurs publics locaux mettent en œuvre des initiatives agroécologiques. Nous nous appuyons pour cela sur quatre initiatives développées dans des communes périurbaines de deux départements du sud de la France. Nos résultats mettent en évidence l’implication de différents types d’acteurs locaux non agricoles dans l’émergence de ces initiatives, en particulier des élus et des structures gestionnaires de l’environnement, en lien avec des associations de la société civile et des structures gestionnaires de l’environnement. Ils rendent compte d’un processus pluriel de territorialisation de l’agroécologie et de ses effets sur l’écologisation des pratiques agricoles.

International audience; How does agroecology, as a political and institutional project, take shape at the local scale? In this article, we analyze in which objectives and how local public actors implement agroecological initiatives. We draw on four initiatives developed in periurban municipalities of South of France. Our results highlight the implication of non agricultural local actors in the emergence of these initiatives, in particular elected representatives in particular elected representatives and environmental managers, in connection with associations of the civil society and environmental managers. These results point out a plural process of territorialisation of the agroecology and its effects on the greening of the agricultural practices.; Comment l’agroécologie, en tant que projet politique et institutionnel, s’invente-t-elle à l’échelle locale ? Dans cet article, nous nous proposons d’analyser dans quels objectifs et comment des acteurs publics locaux mettent en œuvre des initiatives agroécologiques. Nous nous appuyons pour cela sur quatre initiatives développées dans des communes périurbaines de deux départements du sud de la France. Nos résultats mettent en évidence l’implication de différents types d’acteurs locaux non agricoles dans l’émergence de ces initiatives, en particulier des élus et des structures gestionnaires de l’environnement, en lien avec des associations de la société civile et des structures gestionnaires de l’environnement. Ils rendent compte d’un processus pluriel de territorialisation de l’agroécologie et de ses effets sur l’écologisation des pratiques agricoles.

International audience; The agroecological transition concept encourages a reflection upon more sustainable agricultural and food systems. How do local public actors grasp this concept at the scale of their territories ? In this communication, we examine agroecological initiatives implemented by local elected officials. We define agroecological initiatives as actions promoting an agriculture and food based on environmentally friendly practices. In France, while a number of studies focus on large cities (Soulard and Michel, 2017), agroecological initiatives implemented by small municipalities are poorly known. Although they transferred some of their prerogatives to intermunicipalities in which they are integrated, these small municipalities are still characterised by the actions of their elected representatives. What are they objectives for agriculture? What type of actions do they implement? We identified and analysed agroecological initiatives carried out by small municipalities located around two Mediterranean cities (Montpellier et Nîmes). Indepth interviews were held with elected officials. Their analysis enabled us to i) identify the representations they make of the agroecological political project, their motivations to act and the obstacles they encounter, ii) classify municipalities regarding agricultural and/or food projects that they set up, iii) have a better understanding of conditions of implementation of agroecological initiatives in these municipalities. Our results show that these elected representatives are key players in the development of a territorialized agroecology allowing to think more sustainable agricultural and food systems (Wezel et al., 2016). But the commitment of elected representatives is very heterogeneous and depends on the context. Their initiatives face a number of obstacles, in particular access to agricultural land, highlighting regulatory and financial issues. Their political will and ability to involve other actors also appear as key factors of success.

International audience; Urban growth leads to decreases in area of farmland. In France, considerable attention is paid to this problem, including in frequent public policy debates. In this article, we explore issues associated with agriculture in 24 French periurban municipalities. We compare the treatment of agriculture in municipal policies by analysing urban planning documents and conducting in‐depth interviews with elected representatives. Our study reveals a high level of congruence between these two sources of information, confirming that planning documents are a sound proxy to identify municipalities' agricultural strategies. The study also shows both diverse degrees of municipal commitment to agriculture, which range from ignoring it to strongly supporting it, and diverse issues about agriculture that depend on local context and concerns.

En France, la légitimité politique de l’agroécologie est posée dans le cadre de la loi d’avenir pour l’agriculture, l’alimentation et la forêt du 13 octobre 2014, qui la définit comme un projet de société. Les différents échelons institutionnels et politiques s’en emparent progressivement. Dans cette communication, nous nous interrogeons sur la diffusion du projet agroécologique, en tant que projet politique à l’échelle des petites communes. Comment les élus, et sur la base de quelles représentations, se saisissent-ils de l’injonction à l’agroécologie ? Font-ils de l’agroécologie un réel projet pour leurs territoires ? L’étude que nous avons menée dans 15 communes périurbaines des départements de l’Hérault et du Gard a pour objectif d’explorer cette question. Elle s’attache à définir la nature de la relation des actions agroécologiques mises en place aux territoires municipaux étudiés, à savoir comment elles participent au projet communal : sont-elles à l’origine du projet ou en sont-elles seulement une composante ?, In France, the political legitimacy of agro-ecology is set as a society project within the Statelevel Law on agriculture, food and forest from the 13th of October 2014. Since then, the different institutional and political levels have been seizing it gradually. In this communication, we question the dissemination of agro-ecological projects at the scale of small municipalities. How do elected representatives grasp this issue? On the basis of what representations? Do they make agro-ecology a real project for their territories? The study which we led in 15 outlying municipalities of the Hérault and Gard French departments aims at exploring these questions. It attempts to define the nature of the relation between agro-ecological actions and municipal territories, how they actually participate in the municipal project: are they at the origin of the project or only a component?

In democracies, innovative political institutions have opened up scope for direct public participation often in the form of talk: citizens talking to the state and mutual talk among citizens on matters concerning community development. A prominent example is the Indian gram sabha, or village assembly, which occurs in a highly stratified context. This paper undertakes a talk-centered analysis of the gram sabha with a focus on examining the oral participation of women in general and women affiliated with microcredit self-help groups who have access to an associational life. The qualitative analysis of 255 gram sabha transcripts from four South Indian states finds that women associated with microcredit self-help groups employ a wider variety of narrative styles and utilize a more multilayered structure to convey their messages compared with all women taken together. Thus, the difference is not so much in the numerical instances of talking or in the types of issues raised, but rather in the quality of participation. The paper makes an important theoretical contribution by proposing the concept of oral democracy as an alternative to deliberative democracy, and urges an analytical focus on the oral or oratory competency of subordinated groups as they participate in these important institutions.

Voters commonly face a choice between competent candidates and those with policy preferences similar to their own. This paper explores how electoral rules, such as district magnitude, mediate this trade-off and affect the composition of representative bodies and policy outcomes. The paper shows formally that anticipation of bargaining over policy causes voters in elections with multiple single-member districts to prefer candidates with polarized policy positions over more competent candidates. Results from a unique field experiment in Afghanistan are consistent with these predictions. Specifically, representatives elected in elections with a single multi-member district are better educated and exhibit less extreme policy preferences.

Статья посвящена изучению различных подходов к трактовке понятия парламентаризма в зарубежной политической науке и определению его универсальных характеристик. The article is devoted to the study of various approaches to the interpretation of the concept of parliamentarism in the foreign political science and the definition of its universal characteristics.

The article is devoted to the study of various approaches to the interpretation of the concept of parliamentarism in Russia's political science and the establishment of its universal characteristics. Статья посвящена изучению различных подходов в трактовке понятия парламентаризма в российской политической науке и определению его универсальных характеристик.

The aim of this study is to convince national and multilateral policy makers of the importance of the public sphere concept for democratic governance and strategic post-conflict assistance planning with the objective of positive and sustainable change in current post-conflict assistance policy and practice. The study introduces the conceptual thinking underlying the public sphere framework and, citing evidence from different countries, highlights its relevance and calls for its application in post-conflict environments. For practitioners the study provides a public sphere assessment toolkit and a toolbox for interventions. It also offers concrete examples and recommendations on how to address the specific governance challenges identified through a public sphere analysis in three countries: Timor-Leste, Liberia and Burundi.