The ‘Strengthening Local Governance’ (SLG) Project is a joint initiative undertaken by BRAC and the Hunger Project Bangladesh (THP), with the aim of strengthening the system of local governance at the Union Parishad (UP) level. As the lowest administrative unit of Bangladesh’s highly centralized public administrative system, UPs face a lot of challenges in terms of insufficient administrative and financial autonomy and resources, deep rooted corruption, and the lack of people’s participation in the governance process. All these factors together have created a local government system that is not transparent and effective in local service delivery, and in many ways, is inaccessible to the very people it is meant to serve. To address these challenges, the SLG project pursued an inclusive model of local governance that is led ‘by the community for the community’. This project was evaluated through both a baseline and end line study, over the course of a year. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used. It was later found that a lack of clear communication between the UP representatives and their constituents was posing quite a challenge for community-driven governance. The lack of knowledge and interest within the local community also leads to a lack of participation in the ward Shavas. Despite some shortcomings, it is quite clear that the inclusive model has had a positive impact on the knowledge, attitudes, and practice of both the UP and the community.
Authors: Ahmed, Tofail; Munrat, Sabeth; Naher, Mst. Kamrun
Type: Working Paper
Year: 2016
