For decades Bangladesh has struggled with a ‘governance crisis’ at both national and local levels. Tofail Ahmed’s ‘Bangladesh: Reform Agenda for Local Governance’ responds with a comprehensive reform package aimed squarely at the local tier.
The agenda is specific: constitutional guarantees for elected local government institutions, a uniform electoral reform formula, an organisational structure aligned with the parliamentary system, clear functional and expenditure assignments, a framework for inter-governmental resource transfer, and a plan for sustainable capacity development and staffing across all LGIs. Published by Prothoma Prokashon, the book is a working document for policymakers, researchers and anyone concerned with how local democracy in Bangladesh can be made to function.
