Trials Tremors and Hope Political Economy of Contemporary Nepal

In the book, author Mahat writes about the various ups and downs Nepal went through regime changes, the promulgation of new constitutions, armed insurgency, the peace process, and 2015-earthquakes. The book has also highlighted the economic agenda that Nepal has implemented so far and has also pointed out some issues that Nepal should follow to enhance its economic development. Ram Sharan Mahat, a distinguished economist and senior political leader elected as a member of parliament and the Constituent Assembly from 1994 to 2017 has held the position of Minister of Finance for six times and the Minister of Foreign Affairs once, under four prime ministers of Nepal at varying durations. A leading architect of economic reforms in Nepal after 1990, as the Deputy Chair of the National Planning Commission (19911994), he was the principal author of Nepal''s Eighth Plan (1992-1997) which ushered in major policy changes to steer the Nepali economy in a new liberal direction. Dr. Mahat had also served briefly as a university teacher and as a development professional for nearly a decade at the United Nations Development Program in Kathmandu, New York, and in Pakistan with responsibility for the cross-border humanitarian programs in Afghanistan. He resigned from the UN job to join electoral politics in Nepal after the restoration of democracy in 1990. He has several publications to his credit including the acclaimed book In Defence of Democracy: Dynamics and Fault Lines of Nepal''s Political Economy (2005), and Capital Market, Financial Flows and Industrial Finance in Nepal (1981). Dr. Mahat, one of the senior leaders of the Nepali Congress, was steeped into democratic politics since his early student days as a dissident student leader imprisoned several times by the autocratic Panchayat regime. A Ph. D degree holder from the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune, India in 1979