When economic transformation outpaces institutional renewal anywhere in South Asia, the gap between aspiration and opportunity becomes fertile ground for frustration, alienation, and political discontent. Yet across South Asia, youth protests have increasingly become the first visible manifestation of deeper structural stresses. The economy expands at over 6 percent a year, yet nearly 83 percent of its unemployed are youth, most with secondary or higher education. Three decades of expanding higher education, digital transformation, and world-class infrastructure have raised aspirations faster than they have created secure jobs. Public institutions derive legitimacy not only from legal authority but from citizens' confidence that they operate competently and fairly.