The Asia Foundation

Expertise: Program development and management in decentralization and local governance, rule of law, access to justice, and human rights, and in conflict and post-conflict situations; public policy research and analysis; political, environmental, social, and economic issues in Afghanistan, Nepal, and South Asia.

George Varughese is The Asia Foundation's country representative in Nepal. Prior to this position, he was The Asia Foundation's country representative in Afghanistan, where he was responsible for all aspects of development and management of programs there, including: institutional capacity building in central and sub-national government, governance research, electoral management capacity building, women's advancement, and public education and discourse on democratic political processes. In 2006, 2007, and 2008 he spearheaded the largest public opinion surveys ever conducted in Afghanistan, the findings of which present an important view towards Afghan's perceptions of their country's progress in recent times. He also directed the 2006 and 2008 surveys' companion studies on state building and progress in Afghanistan, which examine areas of intense, current interest in Afghanistan, and describe how Afghans view the security situation, democratic values, trust in formal and informal institutions, political progress, and the role of women in society.

Dr. Varughese formerly served as deputy country representative in Nepal, working on programs that strengthen the capacity of democratic institutions to assure good governance and the rule of law; provide access to justice, particularly through alternate dispute resolution; encourage greater respect for human rights, particularly during conflict; and support policy reforms in the economic sector with regard to small business.

Dr. Varughese has worked in the fields of political economy of development, social science research, and management in Afghanistan, Nepal, India, Madagascar, and the U.S. for more than 18 years. Prior to joining the Foundation in 2000, he was country program advisor for the United Nations Development Program in Nepal.

Dr. Varughese’s publications include, among others, “Practical Challenges: Conducting Survey Research in Afghanistan” Public Opinion Pros, LFP Editorial Enterprises, LLC, www.PublicOpinionPros.com (April 2007); “The Contested Role of Heterogeneity in Collective Action: Some Evidence from Community Forestry in Nepal,” World Development Vol. 29, no. 5 (May 2001); and “Population and Forest Dynamics in the Hills of Nepal: Institutional Remedies by Rural Communities” in People and Forests: Communities, Institutions, and the Governance of Forests (2000), Cambridge: MIT Press.

Education: Ph.D., Indiana University, Bloomington.