1The failure of globalist pushes towards ‘modernization’ through the transfer of Western practices in public administration (PA) and governance using aid-driven means has led to accepting that there is no one single best practice in PA for the world. Yet, the pressures from globalization and the all-pervasiveness of digital technologies continued to influence policies in the Global South. Nepal was from the late 1900s to the early 2000s transitioning to ‘modernity’ through policy reforms, political turmoil and regime changes, while also adapting to economic transformations and technological advances. Between all this, a major earthquake that devastated the country in 2015 also sparked some interesting questions as challenges to heritage governance and community ownership of heritage surfaced alongside the question of the native cooperative governance institution associated with heritage in the Kathmandu Valley. Against the backdrop of this case, using the framework of Non-Western Public Administration and Governance (NWPA), this thesis tries to contribute to answering the question of how non-standard localized practices may generally affect governance in the Global South vis-à-vis the effects of information and communication technology (ICT). The thesis is guided by some additional theoretical concepts such as Migdal’s ‘State in Society’ concept, affordance, structuration and enactment of technology.

2The thesis dwells on the explorative study of the guthi, an institution of cooperative self-governance among the Newars in Kathmandu Valley and an (arguably) typical form of a Buddhist cooperative. The study showed that traditional practices in organizing and governing that have continued for centuries have some intrinsic value despite the forces of globalization. Three themes emerged from the study. The first theme questioned the dignity of the local communities in having to restrict themselves in adopting aid and the conditions that come with them. While donors emphasize the use of the so-called ‘best practices’, there are restrictions to the use of native practices, which have the potential for generative native capacities. The second theme focuses on the parallels and reinterpretations. In the Nepali case studied here, parallel concepts coming from Global-Western discourses, such as heritage, commons and community participation, have been internalized by the local communities and reinterpreted as suited for their context. More yet, ‘modernization’ and ‘development’ has come to be reinterpreted to have a negative connotation while traditionality has become trendy. Thirdly, ICT has formed a synergy with the guthi institution, with the Newar guthi members adopting the use of ICT for the purposes, which has not only rejuvenated the institution but also transformed it producing new iterations of the institution – a truly digital transformation.

3A paradoxical process exists with the transformation of the guthi. At the same time, the traditional institution transformed toward global-Western normative priorities, and ICT has also emboldened vernacular cultural elements which are typically non-Western. This non-linear process of ‘non-Westernization’ has a complex interplay within three overlapping spheres: 1) ornamental, 2) instrumental, and 3) persistent. This complex interplay calls for a pragmatic approach to undertaking governance in the non-West in practice.