Political Participation and Civic Engagement in Kathmandu: An Empirical Analysis with Structural Equations

Researchers generally accept the thesis that strong relationships exist between civic engagement and political participation. However, the specific nature and magnitude of the relationships are yet to be ascertained empirically. Operationalizing political participation in terms of electoral and other forms of participation, this article uncovers a large degree of political and civic inequality across different demographic and socioeconomic groups in Kathmandu. Findings suggest that civic engagement encourages participation in other political activities, which in turn contributes to electoral participation. The identification of the specific characteristics of political and civic participants provides important policy implications for maximizing electoral participation.