Nepal struggles to enter the information age: Creating a national IT policy brings together government and private sector

This study is an evaluation of Nepal?s Information Technology Policy in 2000 ? how it was developed and its relative significance within the policy process. The evaluation is part of a set of case studies commissioned by IDRC?s Evaluation Unit as part of a larger study which looks at the influence of IDRC-supported research on public policy, in the countries where it works. IDRC supported this activity through its PAN Asia R&D Grants Program, which helped to fund research, consultancies, a workshop, and the eventual publication of the workshop proceedings and resultant policy. The policy was developed in a participatory fashion, involving a large number of actors from the IT sector in Nepal, including the Government, private sector, and civil society. Policy development is visible evidence of influence, however it is not the ultimate goal, nor does it signal the ?end? of the policy process. The Government must possess the political will, and sufficient resources to enact the policy, to ensure that it is effectively used. The mere existence of policy does not guarantee such a scenario, and it is therefore important when pushing for policy change/development to consider the necessary prerequisites for implementation, which are particular to a case.