The Politics of the Public Food Distribution System in Bangladesh: Regime Survival or Promoting Food Security?

Abstract

This paper attempts to examine the politics of the public food distribution system (PFDS) in Bangladesh. Conventional literature mainly reveals the inherent weaknesses of the system, focusing on its ‘targeting errors’ and ‘leakage errors’. In contrast, this study demonstrates that successive regimes purposefully fostered target and leakage errors through politically motivated projects and programs. By offering a historical−political analysis, this paper argues that leakage and target errors are merely the mechanism of regime survival through the distribution of opportunities by using state resources. It is only through examining political motivations that a more nuanced study of PFDS can be undertaken.