Delivering public services to the satisfaction of the citizen is an important challenge confronted by democratic governments everywhere in the modern world. Unlike authoritarian rulers who may conveniently ignore public opinion, democratic governments can do it at their peril. As a natural rule, they have to be responsive to legitimate claims and demands of their citizen.
It is, however, now widely recognized that the government alone cannot make available different kinds of services that people may need. Although the responsibility for making macro-level policies and legislation regarding different kinds of services rests mostly with the government, there are several other actors such as local government, NGOs, and the private sector that are involved in the delivery of services. Alternative mechanisms such as public-private partnership, government-NGO collaboration, and government and local government cooperation in service delivery are more often noticed now than in the past. The extent to which one is superior to the other is difficult to ascertain.
This edited volume explores a number of important issues related to the planning and delivery of public services in Bangladesh. It examines the role of national level institutions in planning and policymaking (e.g. parliament, party and bureaucracy) as well as institutions directly responsible for delivering services on the ground (e.g., government departments, local councils and NGOs).
The book should be of interest to academics, policymakers, practitioners, researchers, students, donors and civil society representatives.
Author Nizam Ahmed is Professor of Public Administration at the University of Chittagong, Bangladesh. He graduated with Honours and obtained a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Dhaka. He also has a Master of Social Science (Administration) degree from the University of Tasmania, Australia and a PhD from the University of Melbourne, Australia.
His fields of interest are legislative behavior, local government, party politics and comparative administration. He has published several books are numerous articles in leading journals. His publications include 40 years of public Administration and Governance in Bangladesh (Dhaka: UPL, 2014), The Bangladesh Parliament: A Data Handbook (Dhaka: IGS, 2013), and Aiding the Parliament of Bangladesh: Experience and Prospect (Dhaka: UPL, 2012).
TABLE OF CONTENTS Part 1 Introduction
Chapter 1 Introduction – Nizam Ahmed
Part 2 Parliament
Chapter 2 Parliament and Democratic Consolidation in Bangladesh – Nizam Ahmed
Chapter 3 Parliament and PRSP: The Bangladesh Experience – Nizam Ahmed
Chapter 4 Do Constituency Relations Matter? An Anthropology of MP–Constituent Relations in Bangladesh – Zahir Ahmed
Part 3 Public Policy
Chapter 5 Change and Stability of Public Policies in Bangladesh: An Alternative Model of Policy Process – Asif Shahan and Ferdous Jahan
Chapter 6 Participatory Policy Process in Bangladesh: Efforts in Search of Participatory Governance? – Rizwan Khair
Chapter 7 Environment Policy of Bangladesh: An Assessment of the Institutional and Implementation Challenges – Salahuddin M. Aminuzzaman
Chapter 8 ICT Policy for Digital Bangladesh: Status of Compliance and Challenges – Sadik Hasan
Part 4 Local Government
Chapter 9 Local Government and Public Service Delivery in Bangladesh: The Role of the Union Parishad – Jamie Boex and Ferdous Arfina Osman
Chapter 10 Politicians, Bureaucrats and the Working of Upazila Parishad in Bangladesh – Pranab Kumar Panday
Chapter 11 Participation and Accountability in Urban Local Government in Bangladesh: A Study of the Paurashava – Mobasser Monem
Chapter 12 Party-Based Vs. No-Party Local Elections in South Asia – Background, Ramifications and Consequences: Theoretical and Historical Perspectives – Najmul Abedin
Part 5 Public-Private Partnership and Public Service Delivery in Rural Bangladesh
Chapter 13 Public-Private Partnership and Inclusive Local Governance in Bangladesh: Factors, Issues and Prospects – Mohammad Mohabbat Khan and Md. Shahriar Alam
Chapter 14 Delivery of Primary Health Care Services in Rural Bangladesh: A Political Economy Perspective – Ferdous Arfina Osman
Chapter 15 Policing as Public Service: Can the Police Deliver it Alone? – Chowdhury Abdullah Al Hossinie and Anwara Begum
Chapter 16 Public-Private Partnership and Delivery of E-Services in Rural Bangladesh: A Study of Union Digital Center (UDC) – Shah M. S. Safiul Hoque and K. M. Mahiuddin
Chapter 17 Government-NGO Collaboration in Public Service Delivery in Bangladesh: A Critical Evaluation – Amir M. Nasrullah and Md. Arifur Rahman