How Do Political Debate Programmes Influence Political Participation? A Case Study from Nepal

"...[T]he study found that listening to Sajha Sawal was significantly associated with an increase in political participation. How much a person was exposed to Sajha Sawal was also a factor: the greater the exposure, the greater the increase in political participation and discussion."

This research briefing summarises research conducted by Chris Larkin and Rhian Were (See Related Summaries below.) on an evaluation of the Nepali radio debate programme Sajha Sawal (Common Questions). The research was designed to measure the likelihood that audience members would be politically active and discuss politics as a result of exposure to the programme. "These findings contribute to a growing body of evidence suggesting that debate and discussion programmes can have an impact on political participation and political discussion."

The briefing reviews the two-way communication (a "dialogic format") of debates and differentiates the Sajha Sawal format from a campaign debate in that it is a 45-minute radio and TV debate where, since 2007, each week, "different political leaders and government officials appear before a live audience to answer questions from the public....The programme is designed to foster political awareness and dialogue among Nepali citizens and to encourage them to engage in politics. Broadcast in 73 of Nepal’s 75 districts on 163 radio stations, it is also shown on TV, and more than 16,000 people have joined Sajha Sawal’s live studio audience." The research was designed to inform the BBC's United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID)-funded multi-country programme of governance work both building capacity of local media and organising a combination of different broadcast formats - to address the specific governance priority outcomes identified in each country, particularly political debate programmes on radio and television in a range of developing countries - including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Kenya, Nepal, and Palestinian Territories.

In order to evaluate whether the programme influenced public deliberation (in this case, "mediated deliberation") - "[w]here the public cannot physically engage with leaders, the media facilitates public discussion and the other functions of a deliberative process" - the study looked for formal and informal political participation. It used multiple regression analysis, a statistical technique that predicts values of a variable in relation to two or more other variables. Included in political participation and deliberative discussion were:

• Signing a petition
• Taking part in a peaceful demonstration
• Attending a political meeting or rally
• Contacting, or attempting to contact, a local leader or politician to express personal views
• Contacting or appearing in the media/a political programme to express personal views
• Being part of a community group or non-governmental organisation (NGO) to resolve problems in the local area
• Discussing political issues with others

In addition to the increased discussion and political participation associated with exposure to Sajha Sawal in Nepal, "the analysis showed that programme exposure was not the only thing related to citizens’ political participation and discussion - other characteristics were also linked to increased political participation and discussion." A chart under "Findings" lists those characteristics. Those characteristics were factored into the analysis, and findings showed that the more exposure the audience had to the programme "the greater the increase in political participation and discussion."

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