Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.31297/hkju.26.3.3

Informal Grievance Handling Practices in the Nepali Civil Service: Evidence from Civil Servant Experiences

Saroja Shakya ; Nepal Administrative Staff College
Nabina Malekar ; Nepal Administrative Staff College
Anil Kumar Gupta ; Nepal Administrative Staff College

Abstract

Public administration often reveals a clear gap between the formal rules and informal practices that govern daily organizational life. This study explores this gap through the case of grievance handling in Nepali civil services. Interviewed civil servants reported that grievances are addressed primarily through informal, verbal channels rather than written or institutionalized mechanisms. This reliance on informality is not simply a cultural preference but a calculated response to formal systems perceived as ineffective, risky, and subject to patronage. Leadership practices that dismiss grievances or justify inequities as “tradition” further reinforce informal practices and undermine efforts toward merit-based reform. The Nepali case highlights that informal grievance handling remains a neglected aspect of public administration, which weakens procedural justice and institutional trust, even where formal systems exist. These insights are also relevant for understanding similar challenges in other transitional contexts, including post-socialist Europe.

Keywords

civil service; grievance handling; informal communication; justice; Nepal

Hrčak ID:

352682

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/352682

Publication date:

28.10.2026.

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