Beyond the State: Fragmented Sovereignty and Informal Governance in Post-Conflict Nepal

Abstract

This study reconceptualizes sovereignty in post-conflict contexts by examining how authority in Nepal is dispersed across formal institutions and informal networks. It addresses the limits of state-centric frameworks in explaining governance dynamics where power is neither unified nor exclusively institutionalized.The article adopts a conceptual and theory-building methodology grounded in critical political sociology. It synthesizes contemporary scholarship on sovereignty, informality, and post-conflict governance, and develops an integrated analytical framework that draws on relational theories of power, hegemony, and political economy. The approach is interpretive and comparative, with Nepal serving as an illustrative case to refine broader theoretical claims.The analysis demonstrates that sovereignty in post-conflict Nepal operates as a fragmented and negotiated phenomenon rather than a centralized authority. Informal actors including political networks, local intermediaries, and socio-economic elites play constitutive roles in governance, often complementing or contesting formal state structures. This produces a hybrid system where legitimacy and control are continuously reconfigured.The study advances a novel conceptual framework that integrates fragmented sovereignty with informal governance, moving beyond conventional dichotomies of strong versus weak states. It contributes to critical state theory by offering a more nuanced understanding of authority in the Global South.The findings have implications for governance reform, peacebuilding strategies, and development policy by highlighting the need to engage with informal institutions as integral components of political order rather than as deviations from it.