Administration In Bangladesh Research Articles

Does e-Governance bring accountability in rural local administration in Bangladesh?

Does e-Governance bring accountability in rural local administration in Bangladesh?

Some Neglected Aspects of Performance in Field Administration in Bangladesh

Performance of public service personnel does not depend solely upon their qualifications and level of training. Rational organization of activities and division of work with effective work processes are important, and it is necessary to ensure that employees have appropriate qualifications and training for performing the tasks assigned to them. Rules and procedures help facilitate their work and provide flexibility to innovate. Attractive terms and conditions of service, and other intangible rewards such as opportunities for contribution to the mission of the organization, participation in decision-making, and recognition by the employer and the clients of public service are also important. Based on data collected from sub-district level public agencies in Bangladesh, this article argues that performance at the field level is affected by a number of additional organizational, political, and social factors. They include personnel turnover, procedural delays, multiplicity of tasks, decision pattern and behavior, politician-administrator interaction, dual loyalty of officials, inadequate facilities for fulfilling family obligations, and attachment to major urban centers for health and educational services. These elements need to be integrated in the framework for assessing performance of public service personnel in developing countries. It is necessary to look beyond the commonly known causes for dealing with performance problems.

Does the judiciary matter for accountability of administration in Bangladesh?

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to analyze the role of the judiciary in ensuring legal accountability of government officials and its impact on governance in the context of Bangladesh. Although, the judicial system of Bangladesh comprises Supreme Court, subordinate courts and tribunals. However, this study focuses Supreme Court only to keep the study in a manageable extent.Design/methodology/approachThe study is qualitative in nature and based on content analysis. Dhaka Law Report (DLR), which is a monthly published report on case laws[1] decided by the Supreme Court has been selected as content for this study. Some case laws selected from DLR (2004‐2008) were analyzed using purposive sampling method, with a view to evaluating the effectiveness of judiciary (as an external but formal mechanism of accountability) in accountability of government administration and management and its impact on overall governance.FindingsThe most important finding of this paper is that the judiciary is very effective for ensuring legal accountability of government officials, which ultimately contributes to human rights and good governance. However, a major problem found was that until and unless an affected person files a case against a government authority, maintaining the required procedures of judiciary, it (the judiciary) has no scope to settle any disputes. Though there is a provision of Suo Muto (by own initiative) rule of the Supreme Court, this practice is very rare in Bangladesh. Furthermore, the executive is responsible for implementing the verdict of the judiciary. Therefore, if the government has not enough respect for, or does not care to implement judiciary's verdict, justice and rule of law will not be ensured. This study also found some cases like this.Research limitations/implicationsThis work does not address detailed issues of governance and is not based on empirical data.Practical implicationsThis is a mixed study of judiciary and public administration, which is very rare in Bangladesh. Therefore, it will be brought into line with current practice by the concerned researchers and policy makers in public administration and judiciary.Originality/valueThis paper will be of interest to legal practitioners, policy makers, academicians and those in the field of governance.

Does the Judiciary Matter for Accountability of Administration in Bangladesh?

Does the Judiciary Matter for Accountability of Administration in Bangladesh?

People’s attitude and use of forestland: Co-evolution of forest administration in Bangladesh

This paper explores the influence over time of past policies on people’s attitudes towards the use of forestland in Bangladesh. The discourses of the attitudes of people were captured from the observed social tradition towards forest resources. Forests were reserved systematically and solely through the Forest Department. The conservation processes were not participatory, and rights and tenure were strictly controlled. People were socially excluded and alienated from the forest, and the socio-political factors stimulated negative attitudes among people. Forests were considered to be government property, and therefore managing forests was the responsibility of the government. People only used forest resources to meet their own requirements, either with formal permission or illegally. This situation continued even after the independence of Bangladesh in 1971. As a result, the forests of Bangladesh have been degraded heavily in recent decades.

PUBLIC MANAGEMENT FOR GOOD GOVERNANCE: REFORMS, REGIMES, AND REALITY IN BANGLADESH

Bangladesh, a relatively young country, emerged with expectations of charting a new course in departing from its traditional and rigid system of public administration that prevailed during its existence as a part of British India and later as a province of Pakistan. The evolution of public administration in Bangladesh was profoundly influenced by the legacy of Pakistani rule, and subsequent efforts at reform hardly had any impact in breaking up the domination of the bureaucracy, which thrived under a pseudo-democratic and military-led government. Several factors contributed to the breakdown of administrative governance and the problem was reflected in poor performance, high incidence of corruption, and a lack of direction in the administrative system. A number of internal and external factors have exerted pressure for improving the system, but all efforts have yielded little result. Consequently, the achievement of good governance remains a distant dream in the absence of a vital and effective tool of public management.

Teaching Public Administration in Bangladesh

Teaching Public Administration in Bangladesh

National Administration in Bangladesh: An Analysis of Organisational Arrangements and Operating Methods

The administrative system in Bangladesh suffers from dysfunctions resulting from organisational and procedural complexities extant in both political and bureaucratic structures. The relationship between the two, not clearly defined, further complicates the governmental process and can lead to problems in coordinating and integrating policy-making and implementation. At the administrative level, overlap and duplication of functions, oversight of regulations, inconsistent and contradictory rules, inefficient information flow, insufficient inter-agency consultation, inadequate delegation of authority, and delays in decision-making, combine to affect both policy and administrative performance. Reforms have been mainly externally-induced but the government has been sluggish in applying them.

Public administration in Bangladesh: Reflection on reforms1

(1996). Public administration in Bangladesh: Reflection on reforms. Asian Journal of Political Science: Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 85-97.

The Quest for Accountability: Parliament and Public Administration in Bangladesh

This article examines the scope and limits of parliamentary control over public administration in Bangladesh. It adopts a comparative approach, focusing on the use of surveillance techniques by members of Bangladesh’s first, second, and fifth parliaments. The evidence presented here shows that the three JSs, as a natural rule, have fared differently in scrutinising the activities of the government and administration. But the data do not always reveal any positive correlation between the nature of partisanship and the performance of the parliament in overseeing governmental activities. Furthermore, the various surveillance techniques do not generally appear to be very effective in probing into the operations of the government. Two factors that account for this are first, the intransigent attitude of the bureaucracy; and second, the lack of willingness and ability of MPs to seriously enquire into government policies and operations. The article suggests that the traditional control mechanisms be supplemented...

Problems of co-ordination in upazila administration in Bangladesh

The present government of Bangladesh has extensively reformed the administrative system and upgraded the previous thana to upazila (sub-district) to serve as the focal point of development administration. A new tier of local government called Upazila Parishad (UZP) has been created and a large number of functions have been devolved to this institution along with the placement of central government employees at its disposal. The reformers argue that the present system will remove the inadequacies of the previous administrative system and will bring about an improvement in the co-ordination of field services at the upazila level. However, the actual situation represents a totally different picture. The desired integration— both vertical and horizontal—and co-ordination in local level planning is non-existent due to the absence of any clear direction from the central government. Proper co-ordination among the field services in the upazila administration does not exist due to the anomalous relation between the upazila and the national government, including excessive central control; the involvement of multiple agencies of the central government in guiding and supervising; ambiguity in government thinking; the absence of clarification from the ministries concerned and agencies on the timing of different development programmes; and conflict over the allocation of resources. There is also conflict between the different tiers of local government in respect of authority and resources. Relations between public representatives and officials at the upazila level are strained because a clear allocation of authority to political executives is lacking; areas for co-operation among different agencies have not been clarified; and public representatives and government officials lack mutual respect.

Politics and Administration in Bangladesh: Problems of Participation.

Politics and Administration in Bangladesh: Problems of Participation.

Experiments in Local Government Reform in Bangladesh

Since it assumed power in March 1982 the government of General Ershad has undertaken a number of measures to reform local government and administration in Bangladesh. The measures were introduced on the recommendations (June 1982) of the Committee for Administrative Reorganization/Reform (CARR) and provide, inter alia, for abolishing the subdivision as a tier of administration, democratizing the rural local government, devolving adequate authority and responsibility to various local councils, and enhancing popular and political control over the local bureaucracy. To the protagonists of reform, these represent a big leap toward designing a new governmental system in rural Bangladesh. The main objective of this article is to examine the important features of the Ershad government reforms and to assess their politico-administrative implications, focusing upon three issues. First, the article identifies the areas in which the new measures differ from local government reforms carried out in the past. Second, it elaborates some of the major problems that cropped up during the process of implementation of reforms, and third, it identifies a number of drawbacks that are likely to limit the potential of the reforms. Before we examine the issues in detail, a brief overview of experiments in local reform during the first decade of independence will provide perspective against which judgments on new reforms can be made.

Decentralization for Development: Experiment in Local Government Administration in Bangladesh

Decentralization for Development: Experiment in Local Government Administration in Bangladesh

Decentralization for Development: Experiment in Local Government Administration in Bangladesh

This paper seeks to analyze the working of the policy of decentralization as a means to improve the local government administration and development in a developing political system. The term local government is used to mean participatory institutions under popular control which are dependent on the national government for resource allocation and utilization. The article is divided into three parts. First, the different interpretations of the concept and practice of decentralization are reviewed. Second, the elements in the Bangladesh approach to decentralization are discussed in the context of the administrative reforms carried out since 1982. Third, an attempt is made to assess the impact of the decentralization process. The interpretations of decentralization discussed in this article are those of Fesler, Conyers and Rondinelli. Fesler views decentralization as a complex issue, both as a concept and in practice; he looks at it from four perspectives: decentralization as a doctrine, as political process in a given political setting, as an administrative problem, and finally as an administrative process involving forced choices and changes in the functional and area-based administration, and between the regulatory (law and order) and development functions of appointed and elected officials.1 Conyers, like Fesler, notes that discussion on decentralization can easily become confused because of analytical problems surrounding the concept

The illusion of decentralization: local administration in Bangladesh

The illusion of decentralization: local administration in Bangladesh

Framework of Personnel Administration in Bangladesh

Framework of Personnel Administration in Bangladesh

Agricultural administration in Bangladesh—A note

The main purpose of this paper is to point out the loopholes in the administrative machinery of Bangladesh agriculture, particularly its crop husbandry. It examines how the activities of administrative personnel are affecting the growth of agriculture by keeping the agricultural experts out of the decision making process. The paper concludes that to develop the country's agriculture all tasks of policy formulation and implementation should be assigned to the agricultural personnel instead of generalists.