This book explores the impact of Bangladesh's Local Government Act of 2009 on the functioning of the local governments or Union Parishads (UP), with a particular emphasis on people’s participation and accountability. Throughout the chapters, the authors review the existing legal framework of UP and its relation to social accountability, examine how much of the social participation is spontaneous and how much is politically induced, question the success of the Citizen's Charter and Right to Information acts as mechanisms for social accountability, and present suggestions to remedy some of the problems facing people's participation and accountability in the UP. This book fills existing gaps in the discourse by adding new information to the literature on development research and legal reforms in Bangladesh, specifically in how those legal reforms have led to strengthening or weakening people's participation in local government. The target audience for this book are students and researchers in Asian studies , international development studies, and public administration, as well as practitioners working in the local governments discussed.

This book traces the roots of local government in Bangladesh and examines the contemporary issues and challenges which have limited the role and effectiveness of the concerned institutions. With the help of rich empirical data, it looks at the problems at various levels of local government. The volume analyses the issues with community policing, dispute resolution, participation of women and the question of gender equality, food security, and disaster and environmental management in rural areas, among others. It also delves into the debates around social security for the poor in Bangladesh, the 2030 agenda and the implementation and localization of sustainable development goals. The author offers insights into the level of participation of the economically weak and marginalized in local and regional government bodies like the Union Parishad and the steps which can be taken to improve policies, services, and participation in local government. Detailed and comprehensive, this book will be useful for scholars and researchers of political science, public policy, public administration, development studies, governance, regional development, South Asian studies, and rural sociology, particularly those interested in Bangladesh.

Since its Independence in 1971, Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in terms of reducing poverty levels, achieving high levels of economic growth over a sustained period of time, and meeting its Millennium Development Goals (MDG) targets set by the United Nations. With some justification, Bangladesh is considered an international development success story, and the country appears to be well on track to meet its policy target of becoming a middle-income country by 2021, the same year the country will celebrate 50 years of Independence. This book explores the central issue of Bangladeshi politics: the weakness of governance. The coexistence of a poor governance track record and a relatively strong socioeconomic performance makes Bangladesh an intriguing case which throws up exciting and relevant conceptual and policy challenges. Structured in four sections - Political Settlement, Elites and Deep Structures; Democracy, Citizenship and Values; Civil Society, Local Context and Political Change; Informality and Accountability – the book identifies and engages with these challenges. Chapters by experts in the field share a number of conceptual and epistemological principles and offer a combination of theoretical and empirical insights, and cover a good range of contemporary issues and debate. Employing a structurally determinist perspective, this book explains politics and society in Bangladesh from a novel perspective. Academics in the field of governance and politics in developing countries, with a focus on South Asia and Bangladesh will welcome its publication.

This book analyses efforts of Bangladeshi government and NGOs to strengthen local governance, and identifies the challenges posed by collaboration with NGOs. Presenting a dominantly qualitative study, the analysis explores whether engagement between the Sharique project to strengthen local governance and the Union Parishads has translated into success. In doing so, it argues that evidence points to a positive impact on institutionalising good governance and fiscal autonomy through widening participation in planning and decision-making, reinforcing accountability of functionaries and enhancing tax collection. Furthermore, this book demonstrates that the collaboration has aided the process of development of social capital between officials of councils and NGOs, as well as amongst the community members, encouraging future partnership governance. However, with the phasing out of the project as a propelling force, it also shows that the results fall short of being sustainable and, as such, that statuary support, unequivocal political commitment, and incentivising engagements are required to stabilise outcomes. Bridging a gap in the Development Studies literature, this book presents new findings on the collaboration of NGOs at the local level. It will be of interest to academics working in the field of South Asian Studies, Development Studies, and Asian Politics.

It Is Usually Assumed That Local Government Was Basic Form Of Government In South Asia Till 5Th Century B.C. Available Evidence On The Power And Functions Of Local Government In Ancient Bengal Is Extremely Scanty.The Present Book Encompasses Important Readings On Local Self Government In Bangladesh.Major Topics Given Elaborate Treatment Herein Are: Local Government; Local Government Problem And Reform; Functions Of Local Government; Community Development And Local Government; The Council Structure Of East Pakistan; Pattern Of Financing Of Local Government; Gram Sarkar; Problem Of Participation; District Administration And Politics; District Administration: Framework And Pattern Etc.It Is Hoped, The Matter Contained Herein Will Prove Of Utmost Use To New And All Concerned.

Selected bibliography pp. 329-360.