Pranab Panday - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Pranab Panday

The main purpose of this paper is to identify actors involved in the process of policy formulatio... more The main purpose of this paper is to identify actors involved in the process of policy formulation in urban governance in Bangladesh and analyze the roles of dominant actors in the process of policy formulation. The study employed a case-oriented qualitative research method. Rajshahi City Corporation was selected as the unit of analysis. The available data substantiates that among three actors i.e. state, society and corporation council (parishad), the council is playing the dominant role in policy making. This study has also found that the Mayor is the most dominant actor in the council as the mayor draws support from the majority of ward commissioners in his/her favor. This informal network of relationship indicates that the mayor nurtures and resembles patron-client relationship where the mayor dominates councilors by dint of the political linkages and administrative position, and acts as patron to dispense favor and reward to ward commissioners and other members in the network.

Considering the importance of good governance, the article explores the governance situation of t... more Considering the importance of good governance, the article explores the governance situation of the lowest local government tier (Union Parishad) in Bangladesh. Through the application of four good governance indicators—leadership, people’s participation, transparency and accountability and equity—the expectation is that the findings would add a new dimension to the existing knowledge of local governance. Based on empirical data collected from the field, the study findings suggest that the governance situation at the local level is not conducive for the establishment of good governance and strong local democracy in the country. Despite incorporation of different provisions (ward shava, open budget, citizen charter and right to information) in the Local Government (Union Parishad) Act of 2009, the government has failed to ensure participation, accountability, good governance and transparency. Against this backdrop, the governance of local government bodies has been characterised by reluctance of local government leaders in ensuring development, lack of people’s participation, transparency and accountability and unequal distribution of services.

This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the power decentralisation process at the lo... more This paper aims to provide a better understanding of the power decentralisation process at the local level in Bangladesh. More specifically, this paper intends to explore whether or not the much needed autonomy has been built into the decentralisation process. The paper is basically based on the review of secondary materials. However, efforts have been made to consult all the available local government commission reports. The study findings suggest that, despite having Constitutional recognition of the establishment of a strong and independent local government system, the political leadership of Bangladesh has initiated different reforms to bring changes to the structure of the Local Government Institutions (LGIs) in the name of decentralisation. However, the main intentions behind most of the reforms have been to strengthen their political base in the particular area. As a result, these institutions could not be established as a focal point of development where people would have the power to monitor and control their constituencies.

Tliis paper aims to build a modest effort to deepen our understanding about the organization beha... more Tliis paper aims to build a modest effort to deepen our understanding about the organization behaviour and change from the viewpoint of different approaches of organization. The study is exploratory in nature. It is basically based on the review of primary and secondaiy literature. Relevant information is also collected through internet browsing. In the analysis it is found that. rational approach views organizations as actions performed by purposeful and coordinated agents with focus on internal interactions and an emphasis on organizational order and control and the change in the organization is top-down. The natural system perspective views organizations as first and foremost social collectivities whçse primary interest is the su m va I of the system and change is always based on bargaining and negotiation. Open approach stresses on the organization s interaction with the environment and change adaptive.

Reviewing the history of women’s movement, this article expects to find a large role of women’s o... more Reviewing the history of women’s movement, this article expects to find a large role of
women’s organizations in the process of change that has helped to increase participation of
women in local government political process of Bangladesh. While there is considerable support
for the presence of the women’s movement, there is much ambivalence as to the specifics
of such influence: its objects, means, and magnitude. The difficulty in assessing influence may
stem from the reliance on informal channels, which makes tracing and tracking influence
a great challenge, and calls for more grounded research to expose the intricate interactions
between actors.

The minority communities have been victimised in most of the countries of the sub-continent. Like... more The minority communities have been victimised in most of the countries of the sub-continent. Like other countries of the subcontinent, the minorities in Bangladesh have been subject to exploitation at times. This study explores the dynamics of the enact-ment of the Vested Properties Act 1974 from the historical perspective, identifying factors influencing the enactment of the Act in Bangladesh. The impact of the Act on the exploitation of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh is assessed. The study finds that as governments played political games with the Act, Hindu communities were systematically robbed of land using its provisions. Keywords Vested Property Act (vpa) – minorities – struggles – politics – Bangladesh

The paper analyzes factors that impede inter-and intra-organizational coordination in urban gover... more The paper analyzes factors that impede inter-and intra-organizational coordination in urban governance in policy implementation. The unit of analysis is the Rajshahi City Corporation, one of six large municipalities in Bangladesh. Inadequate institutional rules and regulations, ambiguous system for financial management and shady practices create a large degree of discontent amongst officials and impede both inter-organizational and intra-organizational coordination in implementing urban infrastructure policy. In addition, central-local relations, different modes of operation and patterns of accountability act as barriers to sound working relationships between the city corporation and other government departments and autonomous agencies operating within the jurisdiction of the city corporation.

Institutional change is considered as one of the important mechanisms to ensure gender main-strea... more Institutional change is considered as one of the important mechanisms to ensure gender main-streaming in politics since after the Beijing Conference in 1995. The significance of institutional changes is immense in a country where society is dominated by patriarchy and males and institutions are not women-friendly. Under such a circumstance, the paper tries to explore the importance of institutional change in mainstreaming gender in the political process of the local government in Bangladesh and its impact on the state of women's participation. Based on both empirical and secondary data, the finding of the study has come out with the conclusion that it is really difficult to ensure women's greater participation in politics without bringing changes in the institutional rules. Institutional changes that have been brought through different reforms have become successful in ensuring the presence of more women in the local government political process , but those have failed to ensure real participation of women in the decision-making process. This has made them play an " ornamental " role in the decision-making process.

Ever since it emerged as a sovereign State, Bangladesh has been in t h e g r i p of power politic... more Ever since it emerged as a sovereign State, Bangladesh has been
in t h e g r i p of power politics. Coups have been common, the
military has infiltrated the political process, and the political
scene is marked by a patron-client culture, one in which black
money plays a major role in elections and mastans (goondas) are
extensively relied upon to do the bidding of their political masters.
Political leaders draw their strength by donning the mantles of
the slain charismatic leaders - Sheik Mujibur Rahman and Ziaur
Rahman; they care little for inner-party democracy, are distanced
from the people, and are caught up in an ‘enemy discourse’, in
which each political party reviles the other. Bangladesh’s political
leaders must work for a genuine democratic culture in the
country.

Bangladesh had been passing through a crisis, acute and unprecedented, for a considerable time. L... more Bangladesh had been passing through a crisis, acute and
unprecedented, for a considerable time. Lawlessness,
misadministration, corruption at every level and smuggling had
brought the country to the brink of the abyss. It was not possible for
the police to restore law and order in the country for a number of
reasons, one among which was that a section of them are extremely
corrupt and reportedly connive in giving shelter to violent terrorists,
drug traders and smugglers. Finding no other alternative, the
Government of Bangladesh deployed the army on 17th October, 2002,
in a campaign against crime. The operation was given the
nomenclature ‘Operation Clean Heart’. ‘Operation Clean Heart’ sent
fear into the hearts of those who ruled our lives by fear and held us
captive in their reign of terror. It also brought us a sense of relief
that is comparable to that of the people when liberating forces enter
occupied territories. All said and done, the army campaign has
loosened the noose of crime around our necks, however short-lived
it may be. This goes counter to the view that programmes which
require major organisational changes will be difficult to carry out
and are unlikely to be successfully implemented

The present study intended to explore role of intra-organizational coordination in policy impleme... more The present study intended to explore role of intra-organizational coordination in policy implementation in urban Bangladesh. In doing so, an attempt was also made to investigate why and how problems of intra-organizational coordination take place in policy implementation. The study was basically based on empirical data gathered during 2003–2004. The available data substantiated that intra-organizational coordination is an important factor for policy implementation. Problems of coordination within organization in urban Bangladesh take place owing to lack of institutionalized rules and regulation and problematic financial management. Once coordination within organization is problematic, policy implementation is hampered which resulted in delay in project completion, increase of cost and unsatisfactory public service delivery.

This paper is intended to shed some light on the development of urban governance in Bangladesh by... more This paper is intended to shed some light on the development of urban
governance in Bangladesh by highlighting the issue of coordination. It addresses the
question of whether there is any mechanism through which urban government bodies can
ensure coordination on matters of dispute between different government organisations.
The paper is based on a review of secondary literature as well as on primary data drawn
from a case study on a city corporation. The available data substantiates the view that the
process of urban service delivery in Bangladesh has lacked proper coordination
mechanisms from its very inception. Successive governments since the independence of
Bangladesh have experimented with the structural design of urban government bodies
without considering the need for a proper mechanism to ensure sound coordination among
actors involved in implementing the various policies of these bodies. Although an attempt
was made by the then Awami League1 (1996–2001) government to establish a highpowered
coordination committee under the chairmanship of the minister in charge of the
Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (LGRD&C) Ministry for each
city corporation, in order to ensure better management of services and to settle disputes
between various government agencies, the initiative was perverted upon the change of state
power in 2001. As a result, these bodies continue to suffer from problems of coordination.

What is the present state of women's political participation at the local government level in Ban... more What is the present state of women's political participation at the local government level in Bangladesh and India? What factors led both governments to initiate several affirmative actions for the enhancement of women's participation? What factors impede their participation in the political arena? And what happens to women of both the countries once they participate in the local government bodies? This study seeks to answer these questions and is based mainly on secondary research. The available findings suggest that despite undertaking affirmative actions by both governments, women are still victimized by structural, religious and cultural impediments. The finding also suggests that once they make their way into the political process, they are not cordially accepted by their counterparts. Although few NGOs and women's organizations have been vocal in favor of women's equal rights their initiatives remain inadequate. Another important finding is that women members cannot exert any influence in decision making at the local level. Once they ask for their legitimate rights, they are very often victimized, assaulted, and harassed.

The main concern of the present paper is to examine the adequacies of the urban poverty alleviati... more The main concern of the present paper is to examine the adequacies of the urban
poverty alleviation strategies of the Hong Kong and China governments. It has
been found that the Comprehensive Social Security Allowance and the Minimum
Living Standard Scheme or Dibao are the main strategies adopted by both the
governments towards alleviation of urban poverty. The available data substantiates
that the Comprehensive Social Security Allowance is targeted to solve
immediate concrete social problems in the short term instead of solving the longterm
poverty problem. More specifically, the welfare policy is designed to
alleviate the political pressures and social conflicts and is a tool to avoid social
confusion. On the other hand, Dibao reflects the state’s general economic
orientation, which has emphasized rapid growth and neglected effective
redistribution measures. At best, Dibao is likely to provide short-term relief
from urban poverty and inequality, rather than make a significant impact on
poverty reduction.

Women in Bangladesh are victims of discrimination in all spheres of society. The present paper in... more Women in Bangladesh are victims of discrimination in all spheres of society. The present paper intends to explore to what intent women have been empowered socially through enactment of refonvs at the local level in Bangladesh. The study is based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative data collected from 107 elected women members of Union Parishad (lowest local govemment tier) from Rajshahi Distrcit of Bangladesh. Findings of the study suggested that women have not yet been empowered socially even 12 years after enactment of the refomn of 1997. It has been obsen/ed that the attitude of the majority of males toward women has remained conservative, their movement outside the home has not increased, their access to education and infonvation has remained limited. Of course, one significant finding is that membership in the Union Parishad has brought some sort of changes in their attitude. However, underlying causes of such satisfaction lie in the fact that in a society where deprivation and victimization are prevalent, the women feel already satisfied and encouraged if they gain something, no matter how little it may be, and their level of understanding is very low, so they are not familiar with the different levels of satisfaction.

This article provides an overview of the state of inter-organizational coordination and corruptio... more This article provides an overview of the state of inter-organizational coordination and corruption
in urban policy implementation in Bangladesh. Based on a study carried out in one of the
seven large cities in Bangladesh, the available data illustrate that there are major coordination
problems between the Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) and other government departments.
This is due to a lack of formal coordination mechanisms, partisan leadership, and a fragmented
organizational culture of patron-clientage, which dispenses undue favor and involves
nepotism. These pathologies breed corruption and seriously impede inter-organizational
coordination. Ordinary citizens suffer as a result.