Fund Allocation Between the Central and Local Government and Its Impact on the Local Public Service Delivery: The Case of Chittagong City Corporation, Bangladesh

Abstract

This study examines how Central–local relations, mainly the financial control of the Central government, impact the local public service delivery of the local government institutions, particularly the city corporation in Bangladesh. The case study method has been employed to study the impact for which the semi-structured questionnaires for interviews were used mainly to collect qualitative data from one of the oldest city corporations in Bangladesh, Chittagong City Corporation (CCC). A total of 117 respondents were included from three diverse groups: elected representatives, government officials and citizens from the survey area. The study reveals that central–local relationships, particularly the Central government’s financial control, severely impact the CCC’s service delivery in five significant sectors: waste management, streetlighting, infrastructure construction and maintenance, education and health care services. This research concludes with some policy recommendations that will be helpful to the policymaking community not only in Bangladesh but also in other South Asian countries.