Book Chapter (BRAC Institute of Governance and Development)

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Public transportation for a livable and competitive city: people expectations and reality in Dhaka, Bangladesh
(Springer Nature, 2025) Hossain, Shanawez; Ahamed, Raihan
Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, occupies an area of 1528 square kilometers and is home to approximately 18 million people (Swapan et al., 2017). Over the past 25 years, the city has experienced a significant population increase of more than 10 million people, presenting a considerable challenge due to its limited capacity. As a result, the livability of the city has been declining, with various issues affecting its quality of life. Among these challenges, the poor quality of public transport stands out. This chapter is from the open access book, Inclusive Cities and Global Urban Transformation: Infrastructures, Intersectionalities, and Sustainable Development.
Diaries of Red July: our emotional footprints
(BRAC Institute of Governance and Development, 2025) Khan, Fatima Ara; Khondokar, Zarine Anan
Diaries of Red July: Our Emotional Footprints is an initiative by BIGD to understand how individual citizens relate to a political rupture of a massive nature, and how personal emotions turned into a collective experience. This was done by capturing the personal stories and emotional struggles of individuals during this time. A group of young researchers was initially invited to contribute, with six ultimately submitting complete diary entries covering the period from June to August 2024. While most contributors were not on the frontlines, their daily lives were deeply disrupted by the events unfolding before them. Using emotional mapping methods, this initiative charts the shifts in emotions, ranging from fear and grief to solidarity and hope against the backdrop of a national movement. The resulting narratives offer an intimate lens on how ordinary people lived through, experienced, and made sense of a historic struggle for justice.
Youth employment: A key to future human development of Bangladesh
(UPL, 2021-12) Matin, Imran
This book chapter was published in the National Human Development Report 2021 by the Economic Relations Division (ERD) of the Ministry of Finance, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. Access to decent employment for youth is one of the key elements for their development, which determines the prospect for the country’s labour market. However, youths face dual challenges in the job market − both in cases of employability and employment opportunities. Employable skills among youth also remain a major challenge. Youth employment in Bangladesh has been significantly affected by the COVID-19 induced economic slowdown. The book chapter discusses the development of the country’s youth as human capital, which could contribute to the current and future development of the country.
Water scarcity in coastal Bangladesh: Search for arsenic-safe aquifer with geostatistics
(Springer Link, 2022-02-01) Hassan, M. Manzurul; Shaha, Anamika; Ahamed, Raihan
This chapter is from the book titled 'Climate, Environment and Disaster in Developing Countries', which is part of the book series 'Advances in Geographical and Environmental Science.' Water scarcity is a common phenomenon in coastal Bangladesh due to the elevated levels of arsenic and salinity concentrations in groundwater. Since arsenic is a documented carcinogen, this paper mainly seeks to explore arsenic-safe drinking water sources at different depths of shallow and deep aquifer. Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) method along with the Geographical Information Systems (GIS) was used to fulfil the objectives of this research. The relevant arsenic concentrations in tubewell water were collected with field-testing kits (FTK), tubewell attributes with field observation and questionnaire survey, and spatial data with Geographical Positioning Systems (GPS) from Magura union of Satkhira district in the southwestern part of coastal Bangladesh. The study site covers about 27.58 km2 of area with a total population of 20,375 and a total of 2650 tubewells. About three-quarters of the study site is contaminated following the level of Bangladesh Drinking Water Standard (BDWS) of 50 µg/L. The study identified a few scattered areas for arsenic-safe water “pockets” at different depths in the northeastern part of the study site. The findings could be helpful in formulating a policy to achieve “Clean Water and Sanitation” (Sustainable Development Goal 6) to some extent with exploring the safe aquifer.
In search of justice: Untold tales of domestic violence survivors
(BRAC Institute of Governance and Development, 2022-03-01) Sultan, Maheen; Akter, Marufa; Mahpara, Pragyna; Pabony, Nuha Anoor; Tasnin, Fariha; Hossain, Sara; Titir, Abdullah; Siddiki, Esrat Jahan; Antor, Sadiul Islam
This is the English translation of the book titled ন্যায়বিচারের সন্ধানেঃ পারিবারিক সহিংসতার শিকার নারীদের অব্যক্ত উপাখ্যান, published by BIGD and GIZ. Domestic violence is pervasive in Bangladesh. While there are remedies in place for domestic violence—protective and punitive measures—and institutional mechanisms for responses, access to justice remains a challenge. This report presents twelve case studies drawn from a wider study, exploring in depth each woman’s complex justice journey during the pandemic. It is intended to allow readers—academics, practitioners, and those supporting women and girls who are survivors of domestic violence—to reflect on their individual and institutional roles and responsibilities, and to strengthen strategies of response. The original study titled “Access to Justice During COVID-19 for Survivors of Domestic Violence” was carried out by the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), between November 2020 and April 2021, to understand the experiences of domestic violence survivors in seeking justice during the pandemic, their coping mechanisms, how they sought to deal with adversity and their complex justice journeys during COVID-19. The study aimed to examine the lived experiences of vulnerable married women with limited education and financial means, who had faced violence by their husbands and in-laws and sought assistance from legal service providers. It was commissioned by the Rule of Law Programme, GIZ Bangladesh, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), and carried out in collaboration with three non-governmental organizations (NGOs), namely BRAC, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), and Rangpur Dinajpur Rural Service (RDRS) Bangladesh.
ন্যায়বিচারের সন্ধানেঃ পারিবারিক সহিংসতার শিকার নারীদের অব্যক্ত উপাখ্যান
(BRAC Institute of Governance and Development, 2023-06) Sultan, Maheen; Akter, Marufa; Mahpara, Pragyna; Pabony, Nuha Annoor; Tasnin, Fariha; Hossain, Sara; Titir, Abdullah; Sidddiki, Esrat Jahan; Antor, Sadiul Islam
পারিবারিক সহিংসতা সারা বাংলাদেশে ব্যাপকভাবে বিস্তৃত। নারীর অর্থনৈতিক সীমাবদ্ধতা, পর্যাপ্ত জ্ঞ্যানের অভাব, আইনের ফাঁক এবং দীর্ঘদিন ধরে চলে আসা নারী-পুরুষের সম্পর্কের সমাজে প্রচলিত সাধারণ ধারনা নারীদের পারিবারিক সহিংসতা থেকে পরিত্রান পাওয়া করে তুলেছে। এই গ্রন্থে পারিবারিক সহিংসতার মধ্য দিয়ে বেঁচে থাকা বাংলাদেশের তিনটি জেলার বারো জন নারীর কথা উপস্থাপনা করা হয়েছে। অতিমারির সময় নারীদের জটিল বিচারিক পথচলা, নানান পরিস্থিতিকে সামলানোর কৌশলসমূহ, সামাজিক ও প্রাতিষ্ঠানিক প্রতিবন্ধকতা মোকাবিলা করার মনোবল এবং আইনি সহায়তাকারীদের ভুমিকা এই কাহিনিগুলোর বিষয়বস্তু। এই গ্রন্থটি গবেষক, শিক্ষার্থী, মাঠপর্যায়ের অনুশীলনকারী এবং পারিবারিক সহিংসতার মধ্য দিয়ে বেঁচে থাকা নারী ও মেয়েদের সহায়তাকারীদের উদ্দেশ্য করে রচিত। এটি তাদের নিজেদের কাজ, প্রাতিষ্ঠানিক ভূমিকা ও দায়িত্বপালন সম্পর্কে ভাবতে এবং এ ধরনের কাজের গতি বাড়ানোর কৌশল পূনরনির্ধারণে সহায়ক হবে।
Urban community response supported by government: The case of COVID-19 management in Dhaka
(Taylor and Francis, 2023-06-15) Ahmed, Shamael; Rabbani, Mehnaz
Livelihood of slum-dwellers: Findings from baseline survey of ultra-poor program
(BRAC Research and Evaluation Division, 2016-07) Jimi, Nurat Abedin; Rahman, Atiya; Ahmad, Sibbir; Ara, Jinnat; Bhattacharjee, Anindita
The groundbreaking program of BRAC titled “Challenging the Frontiers of Poverty Reduction-Targeting the Ultra Poor (CFPR-TUP)” commenced in 2002 with the intention to meet the challenge to reach and help the ultra-poor. The main purpose of this report is to have a thorough documentation and understanding of the profiles of the ultra poor population covered by the Urban CFPR-TUP program. For the purpose of comparison of the targeted ultra-poor households with other households and also for assessing spillover effects, information was also collected on non-participant households from the same community. Information on the livelihood indicators of national urban population have been collected from Household Income and Expenditure Survey, 2010 and other relevant national data sources. The report explores numerous findings in great detail. Among others, the average household size for the four groups has been found to range between 3.54 and 4.31, and in terms of issues of food consumption and expenditure, we see that there are no significant differences between STUP and OTUP households regarding food expenditure, food consumption, and calorie and protein intake. On the other hand, the nutritional status of children under 5 years is quite unsatisfactory across all the groups, with high prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight among the children of the community.
Openings and resistances: Women in the Bangladesh Civil Service
(Routledge, 2016) Sultan, Maheen; Jahan, Ferdous
Over the past decades, women’s labor force participation (LFP) rate has risen from 26.1 percent in 2002/2003 to 36 percent in 2010. While employment is an important aspect of women’s empowerment and of national development, women’s active participation in decision making is not only important for ensuring equality and justice for themselves as citizens but also so that the institutions in which they are employed become more responsive and capable of addressing the needs of women as well as those of men. This chapter will identify and analyze factors that account for the successful advancement of women to senior positions in the Civil Service of Bangladesh (BCS) and the measures – such as quotas – that have been taken to ensure the increased recruitment of women. It also explores the reasons why women have not made as much progress as one would expect. The chapter will argue that although the overall representation of women in the Civil Service has increased, the presence of women at the higher level positions is still low, which is indicative of the existence of certain barriers to the advancement of women. It will use the concepts of diversity and representative bureaucracy to discuss the presence and role of women in the bureaucracy.
The citizen’s charter and public service delivery in Bangladesh
(Routledge, 2016) Razzaque, Farhana
The Constitution of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh provides that “all powers in the Republic belong to the people . . . every person in the service of the Republic has a duty to strive at all times to serve the people” (GoB 2011). The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has employed nearly one million people (UNDP 2007) to manage its public services. In Bangladesh the bureaucracy with its British colonial legacy is often perceived as apathetic to the needs of the people and even unwilling to listen to them. It tends to resist change and often remains reluctant to accept new ideas and innovations. Citizens are increasingly becoming dissatisfied with the poor quality of service delivery of the government offices. Common people have to wait for a long time in the public offices to get a small clerical job done. They face many difficulties (in terms of demands for bribes, lobbying by influential people, etc.) in getting a job done by public employees. Zafarullah and Siddiquee (2001), for instance, have noted that the public sector of Bangladesh not only rides with various dimensions of corruption such as bribery, rent-seeking and misappropriation of funds, but also the performance of public organizations is adversely affected by excessive lobbying, delays in service provision, pilferage and larceny, irresponsible conduct of officials, bureaucratic intemperance, patronage and clientelism. According to the UNDP (2007), while trying to receive public services, people experience unnecessary harassment and discourteous behavior of civil servants who keep customers waiting for hours before attending to their needs. Since independence in 1971, the GoB has constituted several commissions and committees to recommend measures to reorganize and reform the Civil Service. Nothing substantial, however, has so far been achieved, mainly because of lack of political will, bureaucratic resistance and lack of demand from citizens. Even the last major reform initiative, the PARC Report of 2000, has remained largely unimplemented (Azizuddin 2011). Thus, despite significant efforts, the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) is still largely entrapped in traditional concepts of public administration and civil service (UNDP 2007). The members of the Civil Service are, by and large, unwilling to correct mistakes, and often make unabashed approaches for pecuniary benefits. However, in recent years some strategic inventions have been made by the GoB for changing the traditional system of service delivery, one of the most important of which is the Citizen’s Charter (CC). The military-backed caretaker government of Fakhruddin Ahmed (2007-2008) pioneered the innovation. A government decision declared on May 8, 2007 required that every ministry, division, wing and attached department formulate and publish its CC on its premises and websites as a tool for enhancing public service quality and ensuring good governance as a whole. The second Shiekh Hasina government (2009-2013) launched the Second-Generation Citizen’s Charter (SGCC) in 2009. At present, approximately 80 percent of public offices display their CCs as a condition set by the government (JICA 2009). The main objective underlying the introduction of the CC is to make public servants more accountable, transparent, responsive and people-friendly. It also aims at bringing changes within the service delivery mechanism by introducing the notion of service choices, a culture of consultation, and practicing the essential mechanism of redressing grievances. Proponents of the CC argue that it will reduce harassment of people and make them aware of their rights by disseminating information about the process and privilege of obtaining public services. The extent to which this innovation has been successful in improving the delivery of services and bridging the gap between the public and public servants has not yet been properly ascertained. The main objective of this chapter is to evaluate the effectiveness of the CC program in terms of delivering public services in Bangladesh and to assess the challenges of making it a success. It explores and analyzes the factors and actors that affect the effectiveness of the CC program in public organizations of Bangladesh. The chapter provides a case study of the Department of Immigration and Passports (DIP), examining different dimensions of the CC introduced in it. Data for the study were collected in 2010. A mixed approach was adopted to conduct this research. Both open-and close-ended (with predetermined options) questionnaires were used to collect information. Three categories of respondents – customers of the DIP, service providers and experts in the relevant fields – were interviewed to gain a first-hand impression about their views of the way the system of the CC worked in the DIP. The total number of respondents was 52. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used to analyze and interpret the data. The chapter is organized into several sections. The following section provides a general introduction to the CC, exploring its different dimensions including a review of relevant literature. The third section describes the CC in the context of Bangladesh along with examples from the DIP. The final section critically analyzes issues that are considered substantial for making the CC program successful in Bangladesh.
Effects of food assistance: Evaluation of a food-for-training project in South Sudan
(Practical Action Publishing, 2017) Sulaiman, Munshi
This chapter is part of the book titled What Works for Africa's Poorest: Poverty Reduction Programs for Extremely Poor People, which contains a unique cross-section of country-specific case studies from across Sub-Saharan Africa, combined with cross-country analyses of important programs, written by practitioners, academics and advisers. Food assistance programs are often criticized for their possible effects of creating disincentives to work and crowding out private transfers. On the other hand, nutrition-based efficiency wage theory predicts that food assistance can increase the ability to work and the labour supply of the poor. This experimental research assesses the effects of a food-for-training program on household labour supply, informal transfers, and welfare in South Sudan. We do not find any significant effect on the hours of work or the type of economic activities undertaken by adult members. However, there was a significant negative impact (about 20 per cent) on per capita household income. This decline came about mostly through a reduction in child labour, coinciding with positive impacts on school enrollment of girls. Furthermore, we find positive impacts on consumption of durable goods, especially on housing.
Livelihood, cash Transfer, and graduation approaches: How do they compare in terms of cost, impact, and targeting?
(International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), 2018-10) Sulaiman, Munshi
Social protection initiatives in Africa increasingly aim to institutionalize systems that guarantee assistance for the poor and protect the vulnerable against livelihood risks. Through direct and indirect income effects, social protection programs can also play an instrumental role in promoting agricultural development and, more broadly, economic growth. The 2017-2018 Annual Trends and Outlook Report (ATOR) takes an in-depth look at social protection in rural Africa to address these three questions, which are particularly relevant as Africa embarks on the implementation of the Malabo Declaration commitments and the African Union’s Agenda 2063. First, the contributed chapters summarize and synthesize the available evidence on successful implementation of social protection programs in rural Africa. Second, the report fills in knowledge gaps on how to maximize the role of social protection in reducing vulnerability and increasing resilience of rural households. Third, the report highlights policy implications to guide the design and roll-out of national social protection programs for rural Africa. Chapter 8 provides a comparative analysis of 48 graduation, livelihood, and cash transfer programs. Using income and consumption as the primary metrics of impact and focusing on long-term outcomes, the author assesses the sustainability of impact of these programs and compares both costs and impacts across the three types of approaches.
Barriers to institutional education for refugees: A case-study of Rohingya community in Bangladesh
(Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020-03-10) Mahmud, Erina; Mehelin, Nalifa
This chapter is part of the book titled Business, Economics and Sustainable Development The Emerging Horizons, authored by Manipadma Datta. The massive influx of refugees in recent times is daunting. On one hand, the international communities are struggling to propose a sustainable solution to this havoc; on the other hand, securing the rights of these stateless people are posing significant challenges. Under current circumstances, refugee education, despite being strongly advocated, faces numerous barriers. Defining the corresponding terms, the primary objective of this paper is to identify those existing barriers and investigate the extent of those barriers. In this chapter, institutional education is limited within primary education, i.e. from grades 1 to 5. This case study is based on the Rohingya community in Bangladesh. The extensive secondary research methodology is applied to extract the results which circumnavigate the following potential areas—the financial condition of the refugees, language and curriculum barriers, and current refugee education policies. Limitations of the approach are fittingly identified.
Role of regional cooperation and integration in resolving energy insecurity in South Asia
(Asian Development Bank Institute, 2020-04) Sarkar, Tapan; Hossain, Shanawez; Islam, K. M. Nazmul
This chapter is part of the book titled Energy Insecurity in Asia: Challenges, Solutions, and Renewable Energy, which provides insightful case studies and offers practical policy recommendations for solving energy insecurity in Asia and in other regions. Energy security is a critical issue due to its limited availability, uneven distribution, ever-increasing demand, and the energy dependency of all sorts of economic developments around the world. Asia is poorly placed in terms of energy security; while there is a lack of conventional energy resources, wide disparity also exists in Asia in terms of energy security across regions and between and within countries. The last 3 decades have witnessed a growing interest in fostering regional integration in Asia, with the establishment of institutions such as the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation forum, the Free Trade Area, ASEAN, and the ASEAN Regional Forum. However, developing Asia still lacks conceptual frameworks, as well as practical action frameworks, at the national, subregional, and regional levels for enhancing long-term energy security. This study proposes a mixture of frameworks through the active participation of both private and public sectors at different levels, like enhancing regional cooperation for sharing both “soft (knowledge, R&D, technology, etc.) and hard (money and other physical resources) infrastructure” in the energy sector. At the same time, increasing the capacity at the national and subregional levels by improving governance and sharing knowledge and technology is crucial to promote resource-centred strategies for enhancing energy security in Asia.

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