This paper is deliberately broad and ambitious, setting out to synthesise the available research on livelihoods, basic services and social protection in Nepal in order to establish our current level of knowledge as well as identify key gaps in our understanding. From a broad perspective, the review drills down into a set of three interlinked questions:

• What has been the impact of the 1996-2006 armed conflict on livelihoods and services?
• What are the policies and programmes supported by various government and international actors to improve people’s livelihoods and address their imminent needs in the post-conflict period?
• What have been the impacts of these interventions in Nepal’s post-conflict period?

It is hoped that this paper contributes to an improved understanding of the evidence base on livelihoods, basic services and social protection in post-conflict Nepal, and aids decision makers to develop appropriate evidence-informed policies and programmes.