A tale of two wards: political participation and the urban poor in Dhaka city

Abstract

This paper presents findings from a case study of slumdwellers in two Wards of Dhaka City. The research was designed to determine the extent of political participation of the urban poor. The main objective was to gain an understanding of the following question: although constituting the majority of the electorate, what constraints prevent the interests of the urban poor from being reflected in the policy agenda? In the face of this relative neglect, with whom do slumdwellers interact to solve their social problems or advance their interests? In addition, the research aimed to analyse efforts made in the mobilisation of slumdwellers, through the Basti Basheer Odhikar Surikha Committee (BOSC) Programme run by Coalition for the Urban Poor. This aimed to illustrate the possibilities for the incorporation of slumdwellers into urban governance. The analysis of research findings is tentative and cautious. This paper portrays the results from a limited and small-scale research, and the author does not aim to draw city-wide conclusions from these findings.