Local Governance Crisis in Bangladesh: Perspectives from the Public, Private and Non-Profit Institututions Mohammed Asaduzzaman, PhD Department of Management Studies, University of Tampere, Finland . International Conference on: Challenges of Governance in South Asia Kathmandu, Nepal December 15-16, 2008

Guidelines Background Objectives Methodology Theoretical Notes Empirical Overview Comparative Scenario Crisis/Threats Lessons Recommendations

Background Local Governance Institutions in Bangladesh Reforms Dilemma/Tiers Dilemma , Three Tiers: District, Thana & Union Council , Four tiers: District, Thana, Union Council & Gram Sarker , Three Tiers: Distric, Upazila & Union Council , Two Tiers: District & union Council , Four Tiers: District, Upazila, Union Council & Village Council , Four Tiers: District, Upazila, Union Council & Gram Sarker onward, Three Tiers: District, Upazila & Union Council

Background contd Impacts of Tiers Dilemma – Questions of Decentralization and People’s Participation Remains in Theory – Bureaucrats are Empowered – Weak Local Government Institutions – Corruptions – Massive poverty

Background contd-- NGOs and Private Sectors has Emerged------

Objectives To Examine the Performance of LGIs— – To Explore the Ground Realities/Unheared Voices How do they work? What are the Ground Realities? How do the Grassroots People Perceive?

Methodology Qualitative Research – Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) (7 PRA Sessions, 172 participants) – Participants Observation Normative Ethical Standard Research Unit (Five Villages in an Union Council) Data Collection Period, April-June 2005

Theoretical Notes Local Government is a Political Institution Which is Responsible for Providing State Services to the Locality (Stewart 1983:1) ‘the concept of local self-government refers to a political sub-division of a nation or state which is constituted by law and has substantial control of local affairs, including the power to impose taxes or exact labour for prescribe purposes. The governing body of such an entity is elected or otherwise locally selected’ (UNDP in Siddiqui 2005:4) In this paper, local governance is viewed as a networking and partnership based governance system, where all actors and sectors of the state such as public, non-profit, private and the civil society would work together to provide the benefits of the state to the local inhabitants in ensuring good governance and sustainable development of the developing world.

Empirical Overview Performamce of Union Council (Public Institution) UP Officials Serves the Interests of Three Groups Ruling Party Members Local Bureaucrats & Local Elites Centre of Mismanagement/Corruption Democracy Dilemma: Soft vs Hard Ground Realities Confirm that the Existing Crisis of UP is more contextual rather than Structural Merits of UP: Grassrots Views Heart of the State Important Unit for PP and Empoerment

Empirical Overview contd---- Performance of NGOs – Good Gift of Nature – Not Penacea but Preventive – Non-Bureaucratic, Non-Corrupted, Friendly, Cooperative, flexible, participatory

Empirical Overview contd-- Performance of Local Private Institutions – Good Services – Friendly – Profit Making

Comparative Scenario Poor Performance of the Public Institutions has paved the way for NGOs and Private Institutions to Play Important role in Rural Society (Sarker 2003:534). NGOs are More Effective than the Public Institutions in Reaching the Rural Poor (World Bank Appraisal Team 1995). private sector employment norms are more transparent to the central authorities and the general public, as well as to the international financial agencies (Bhaskar and others in Islam and Farazmand 2008:41).

Crisis/Threats Major Factors – Political & Bureaucratic Interventions Minor Factors – Weak Institutional Framework – Lack of Resources – Lack of Coordination & – Inadequate Knowledge etc.

Lessons  Minor factors can not be eliminated untill the major factors are managed and removed effectively  Strong public institutions can not work properly given their various malfunctioning practices whereas relatively with the weak institutional structures, NGOs are able to work effectively due to their good practices even in a dire political and administrative situation in Bangladesh.

Recommendations Partnership Based form of Local Governance – Public-Private and Non-Profit Institutins G. Peters (1996) four models of governance Werlin’s (2003) Political Elasticity Theory

Recommendations contd---- Jamil Jreisat (2004:1006) more precisely states that for any national governance system to succeed in an increasingly interconnected, rapidly changing world, it needs to develop a governance system based on a learning and decision-making process, in order to be able to grow and adapt to citizens’ expectations, as well as to operate effectively across shifting boundaries. Frederickson (1999) Public administration has been started to moving towards the theories of cooperation and networking to achieve the challenges of 21 st century

Recommendations contd---- Cooperative effort based on mutual respect Must be practical and contextual in the world of fact

THANK YOU (KIITOS)