Youth, politics, and youth-led political violence in Nepal

Abstract

This article examines how participation and mobilization of youth in politics has led to an unintended consequence: youth-led violence. We define youth-led violence as a particular form of political violence that emerged from an interplay between political power, domination, and rent-seeking behavior. To elaborate on youth-led violence between 1990 and 2018 in Nepal, we identified and analyzed push and pull factors that explain the dynamics and dimensions of why youth participate in politics and how it creates a condition where political violence is accepted and normalized.