Youth Development through Civic Engagement: Mapping Assets in South Asia

With approximately 700 million of its citizens falling in the 15-24 age range, south Asia is faced with the opportunity to harness the power of this enormous youth demographic. This study provides a framework through which youth engagement in Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India may be increased and sustained through existing institutional assets such as political systems, civil society, civic culture, and socio-economic and demographic features. One by one, each of the aforementioned countries is examined in the areas of historical and socio-economic features, the policy environment and implications for youth civic engagement, the state of civil society, the culture for civic engagement, and features of youth civic engagement organizations in the given country. Recommendations, both regional and country-specific, are made for those interested in increasing youth civic engagement.