People’s participation in local government at the grassroots level in Bangladesh: An exploratory analysis
An efficiently managed local government is characterized by active citizen participation and competent leadership that effectively steers the institutions under its jurisdiction toward their primary goal. In its pursuit of establishing itself as the economic center of South Asia, Bangladesh is dilig...
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Institute of Industry and Academic Research Incorporated
2025-03-01
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| Series: | International Review of Social Sciences Research |
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| Online Access: | https://iiari.org/journal_article/peoples-participation-in-local-government-at-the-grassroots-level-in-bangladesh-an-exploratory-analysis/ |
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| _version_ | 1850182148997251072 |
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| author | Md Nahidul Islam Mostafizur Rahaman |
| author_facet | Md Nahidul Islam Mostafizur Rahaman |
| author_sort | Md Nahidul Islam |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | An efficiently managed local government is characterized by active citizen participation and competent leadership that effectively steers the institutions under its jurisdiction toward their primary goal. In its pursuit of establishing itself as the economic center of South Asia, Bangladesh is diligently striving to establish a robust and dynamic municipal government. A new paradigm centered on grassroots democracy is supplanting the traditional mode of public participation in governance via elected officials. This research aims to identify the many avenues via which individuals from underrepresented groups might engage in local government in Bangladesh. It also seeks to evaluate the extent to which each of these avenues contributes to the empowerment of these groups. To gain a thorough grasp of the dynamics of participation without resorting to direct primary data collection, this study utilizes secondary data to conduct a qualitative investigation into people's involvement in grassroots local government in Bangladesh, specifically in the context of the Union Parishad. The study reveals that while Bangladesh’s local government mechanisms promote public participation, engagement remains largely symbolic due to limited influence over decision-making. Despite efforts like elections and community meetings, active involvement is minimal. The results highlight a disconnect between the established public participation mechanisms and citizen engagement in Bangladesh. Despite efforts like local elections and public forums, participation remains largely symbolic due to a lack of perceived influence. This suggests a need for reforms to foster meaningful public involvement and strengthen local governance. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-75fbd0cad44b448186e789c9cb2fe0cf |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2782-9227 2782-9235 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Institute of Industry and Academic Research Incorporated |
| record_format | Article |
| series | International Review of Social Sciences Research |
| spelling | doaj-art-75fbd0cad44b448186e789c9cb2fe0cf2025-08-20T02:17:41ZengInstitute of Industry and Academic Research IncorporatedInternational Review of Social Sciences Research2782-92272782-92352025-03-015118120710.53378/irssr.353152People’s participation in local government at the grassroots level in Bangladesh: An exploratory analysisMd Nahidul Islam0Mostafizur Rahaman1Department of Public Administration, Comilla UniversityDepartment of Law, CCN University of Science & TechnologyAn efficiently managed local government is characterized by active citizen participation and competent leadership that effectively steers the institutions under its jurisdiction toward their primary goal. In its pursuit of establishing itself as the economic center of South Asia, Bangladesh is diligently striving to establish a robust and dynamic municipal government. A new paradigm centered on grassroots democracy is supplanting the traditional mode of public participation in governance via elected officials. This research aims to identify the many avenues via which individuals from underrepresented groups might engage in local government in Bangladesh. It also seeks to evaluate the extent to which each of these avenues contributes to the empowerment of these groups. To gain a thorough grasp of the dynamics of participation without resorting to direct primary data collection, this study utilizes secondary data to conduct a qualitative investigation into people's involvement in grassroots local government in Bangladesh, specifically in the context of the Union Parishad. The study reveals that while Bangladesh’s local government mechanisms promote public participation, engagement remains largely symbolic due to limited influence over decision-making. Despite efforts like elections and community meetings, active involvement is minimal. The results highlight a disconnect between the established public participation mechanisms and citizen engagement in Bangladesh. Despite efforts like local elections and public forums, participation remains largely symbolic due to a lack of perceived influence. This suggests a need for reforms to foster meaningful public involvement and strengthen local governance.https://iiari.org/journal_article/peoples-participation-in-local-government-at-the-grassroots-level-in-bangladesh-an-exploratory-analysis/local governmentbangladeshunion parishadpeople’s participationempowerment |
| spellingShingle | Md Nahidul Islam Mostafizur Rahaman People’s participation in local government at the grassroots level in Bangladesh: An exploratory analysis International Review of Social Sciences Research local government bangladesh union parishad people’s participation empowerment |
| title | People’s participation in local government at the grassroots level in Bangladesh: An exploratory analysis |
| title_full | People’s participation in local government at the grassroots level in Bangladesh: An exploratory analysis |
| title_fullStr | People’s participation in local government at the grassroots level in Bangladesh: An exploratory analysis |
| title_full_unstemmed | People’s participation in local government at the grassroots level in Bangladesh: An exploratory analysis |
| title_short | People’s participation in local government at the grassroots level in Bangladesh: An exploratory analysis |
| title_sort | people s participation in local government at the grassroots level in bangladesh an exploratory analysis |
| topic | local government bangladesh union parishad people’s participation empowerment |
| url | https://iiari.org/journal_article/peoples-participation-in-local-government-at-the-grassroots-level-in-bangladesh-an-exploratory-analysis/ |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mdnahidulislam peoplesparticipationinlocalgovernmentatthegrassrootslevelinbangladeshanexploratoryanalysis AT mostafizurrahaman peoplesparticipationinlocalgovernmentatthegrassrootslevelinbangladeshanexploratoryanalysis |