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Administrative Decentralization seeks to redistribute authority, responsibility and financial resources for providing public services among different levels of government. Administrative Decentralization is the transfer of responsibility for the planning, financing and managing of certain public functions from the central government and its agencies to field units of government agencies. This paper will search for a common theoretical framework of decentralization, then analyzes and assesses the initiatives for decentralization of administration that have been constructed after the emergence of Bangladesh. The major issues and problems of implementation of the decentralization policies in Bangladesh are also discussed suggesting policy measures. This paper is analytical in nature.

This article aims to examine the COVID-19 pandemic management system in Bangladesh and the role played by various bureaucratic leaders both at national and local levels. Particularly, attention is paid to the interface between the health sector and administrative leaders. The role played by front-line public servants and their superiors are also examined. Also, an attempt is made to encapsulate lessons learned from the crisis and the ways to prepare for the next one.

This study is based on secondary data and observation by the author as well as insights from the author's 36 years of experience in the Bangladesh bureaucracy. Administrative leadership is conceptualized as bureaucrats appointed to administrative positions and discharging administrative duties both at the national and local levels.

A disfunctionality in the COVID-19 management system is observed, which is a direct consequence of the administrative leaders' preference for leading from behind. Some structural constraints in the system are also uncovered.

It draws on observations, experiences and insights from the author's long association with the Bangladesh administrative system. Its intended users are researchers and practitioners of public leadership.

This paper aims to examine accountability arrangements in Bangladesh and to identify strengths and weaknesses, as well as potentials for improvement.

The study is based on review and analysis of published documents and data and information obtained on field visits to Bangladesh.

The administrative system in Bangladesh is driven by complex rules and procedures with weak institutional support. Internal mechanisms of accountability in administrative organizations have become ineffective due to existing political, economic and social conditions. Therefore, the external mechanisms of accountability must be strengthened to ensure good governance in Bangladesh.

A weak system of accountability renders the task of public management difficult and the establishment of good governance unattainable. Improvements in social conditions can be expected with the strengthening of accountability mechanisms.

The value of this paper lies in the identification of factors such as institutional disharmony, politicization and corruption as the most formidable barriers to accountability and good governance in Bangladesh. It presents a fresh analysis of the factors and points to the potentials for improvement.

It is recognized worldwide that an ombudsman system makes the public administration more transparent and accountable to the public. This paper aims to examine the provisions of the Ombudsman Act 1980, as well as the position, role and necessity of the Office of the Ombudsman in Bangladesh. It also evaluates how the ombudsman institution can act as a gateway for citizens of Bangladesh to resolve complaints against the maladministration of public administration in the country.

The study is basically qualitative in nature where both primary and secondary sources have been used. As well, a combination of analytical methods and current legislative methods, together with future legislative techniques, was used in the study.

This study finds that the ombudsman is a vital institution for Bangladesh to eliminate maladministration, nepotism and abuse of human rights, as well as abuse of the power of the public administration. Going forward, Bangladesh needs to amend the existing Ombudsman Act 1980 and then take proper steps to firmly establish the Ombudsman Office to ensure and increase public confidence, operational effectiveness and good governance and human rights throughout the country.

The main implication of this study is that it will play an important role for the development of the rule of law and human rights in Bangladesh. This study will make its readers and particularly the citizens of Bangladesh aware of the importance of the “Office of the Ombudsman” in Bangladesh and the existing loopholes in the current Ombudsman Act 1980. This research also provides a new avenue for scholars to contribute their knowledge and wisdom toward nation-building by further researching the Office of the Ombudsman in Bangladesh. In this way, scholars in this field can share their experiences of the role of the ombudsman to a wider audience.

The study will facilitate policymakers and the government to enact an effective new law or to amend the existing law relating to the ombudsman.

The paper sets out the proposed amendment to the Ombudsman Act 1980. Hence, it will be of interest to policymakers, government, organizations of civil society and those developing countries that have not taken steps toward forming an ombudsman institution.

For the people of Bangladesh, mostly in rural areas, a new disaster is emerging. Two‐thirds of the deep tube wells installed over the last three decades – roughly 3 million in total – contain arsenic concentrations above the permissible levels set by the WHO. These wells were installed to contribute to a secure and reliable drinking water supply, and put an end to various contagious diseases from the use of surface water. In itself that goal has been reached. It is therefore a bitter observation that it is this very approach that has led to the widespread arsenic poisoning of drinking water. Most rural development programs cannot meet the demand of the community because of the absence of appropriate institutional mechanisms, and most programs simply cannot reach the large low‐income groups. It is time to rethink the existing institutional set‐up and redefine the roles of communities, the private sector, NGOs, local government institutions and the central government. An initiative from several Bangladeshi organisations has resulted in international co‐operation – the Arsenic Mitigation and Research Foundation (AMRF). Participation of the local community is one of the guiding principles of AMRF. Local priorities will be a significant component in the decisions made regarding mitigation activities. Given the institutional weakness of governmental bodies in solving problems within a reasonable time, it is natural to look for local solutions based on local experience, knowledge and capacity. Focuses on institutional development and community participation related to arsenic contamination in drinking water and broadly in sustainable development policy and practice in Bangladesh. Looks into possible comprehensive frameworks for the implementation of sustainable drinking water systems, facilitating a basic development strategy for people's participation. Discusses ways to ensure a greater role for the community in achieving a sustainable rural water management system, involving formal institutions as well as informal networks at village community level.

With the simultaneous increase of natural hazards and land- and resource-vulnerable women in the rural coasts of Bangladesh, large- and medium-scale infrastructure and livelihood programmes by government and non-government-organisations have been plenty. Yet, gender-responsive and livelihood-integrated infrastructure for these women's adaptation against increasing coastal vulnerabilities has been scarce. This paper outlines an infrastructure framework for improving their livelihood resilience in the scarcity of similar research.

A case study approach was assumed for this research. Based on a conceptual framework, in-depth interviews and focus-group-discussions with vulnerable women and key-informant-interview of NGO/government respondents were primarily used for data collection at Latachapli – a disaster-vulnerable coastal village in Southwest Bangladesh. Findings were derived primarily through inductive thematic coding.

Rural coastal women's livelihood vulnerabilities result from the lack of adequate, spatial/infrastructural and integrated (socio-economic) facilities and institutions. There is a clear need for a community-level and gender-responsive spatio-physical platform to create income generation/livelihood diversification opportunities irrespective of seasonalities, skill/capacity development and sharing/networking possibilities.

Due to case-specificity, research findings are representative but not generalisable. Further research is needed, especially at the intersection of gender, inequality and infrastructure design/planning regarding vulnerable women's resilience.

This proposed infrastructure framework can be considered for similar disaster-vulnerable rural coastal settings as a development policy and a physical infrastructure.

This case study's in-depth probing into vulnerable coastal women's livelihoods contributes to a growing body of knowledge, highlights their complex needs, and re-conceptualises gender-responsive infrastructure in similar communities' sustainable development. Piecemeal funding for social services will be more effective if coordinated with and allocated to appropriate engineering infrastructure. With access to proper community facilities and diverse livelihood opportunities all around the year (in this case, a multipurpose gender-sensitive infrastructure), communities would be more empowered to self-organise and support each other in delivering necessary soft services.

Decentralised administrative arrangements and the active function of local government organisations are essential to tackle crisis effectively. Using Bangladesh as a case study, this paper examines the central and local government administrative arrangements during COVID-19 pandemic.

This study applies qualitative content analysis and interviews to explore the local government’s role in Bangladesh’s COVID-19 management by interviews of 18 participants including government officials, experts, non-government organisations (NGOs) representatives, and the general public. This paper also analysed academic papers, policy documents and other publicly available documents, including newspaper reports.

The Constitution of Bangladesh intensified the active participation of local government in each administrative unit through decentralised administrative management. This paper however reveals that the administrative arrangement during the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh was primarily a centrally led system. The local government was not sufficiently involved, nor had it integrated into the planning and coordination process. This indicated the absence of active decentralised administration.

This study fills the research gap of the administrative pattern and local relations in COVID-19 management by exploring the local government’s role during the catastrophic situation and highlights the importance of decentralised administrative actions in managing the crisis.

The main aim of this paper is to analyze judicial system of Bangladesh, which comprises all courts and tribunals that performs the delicate task of ensuring rule of law in the society. The paper depicts the history and evolution of the judicial system in Bangladesh from ancient period to present day.

The study is qualitative in nature and based on secondary sources of materials like books, journal articles, government orders, rules, acts, newspaper reports, etc. Relevant literature has also been collected through internet browsing.

The major findings of this paper are: there is a well‐organized court system in Bangladesh which is in fact the replica of the system introduced by British rulers and it is widely accepted in the original Constitution of Bangladesh. The ancient judicial system was not based on rule of law rather on caprice and caste consideration. The executive branch of government always attempts to control the judiciary through different mechanisms, which include the appointment, tenure and discipline of judges from ancient period. Therefore, the independence of judiciary is vulnerable from ancient time to present day and even after separation of the judiciary from the executive (November 2007) the interference of the executive over the judiciary is still continuing.

This paper opens a new window for the policy makers and concerned authorities to take necessary steps for overcoming the existing limitations of judiciary.

The paper will be of interest to legal practitioners, policy makers, members of civil society, and those in the field of judicial system in Bangladesh and some other British colonial common law countries.

The purpose of this paper is to explore and analyse the factors influencing the relative success and failure of new public management (NPM) initiatives in the developing world, with particular reference to Singapore and Bangladesh.

Secondary materials have been extensively used, interpreted and reinterpreted to substantiate the arguments. The analysis has been confined to two countries. However, the experiences of NPM initiatives of other countries have also been analysed to strengthen the arguments.

There are some critical factors such as the advanced level of economic development, the existence of a formal market economy, the rule of law, the advanced level of administrative infrastructure and state efficiency for the success of NPM‐oriented reforms. To a large extent, Singapore fulfills these conditions. Bangladesh is lagging behind these conditions, and has achieved very little in NPM initiatives. The findings also indicate that there is still a greater role of the state in socio‐economic transformation in general and implementation of market‐oriented reforms in particular.

The Singapore case offers ample lessons for low‐income developing countries such as Bangladesh who are struggling with their administrative reforms.

The value of the paper lies in clearly delineating the factors of success and failure and relating these to concrete cases on a comparative basis. More importantly, analyses of the Bangladesh case could be of immense value to state decision makers of Bangladesh and countries with similar socio‐economic and political standings.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate organisational accountability to less economically powerful stakeholders in the absence of formal corporate social reporting (CSR) guidelines. In addition, this study emphasises the role of administrative and institutional reforms in empowering stakeholders in a developing country context, namely, Bangladesh.

Consistent with prior literature, this qualitative study collected data through semi-structured interviews with 23 representatives from NGOs, media, civil society, customers, regulators, trade union leaders and employees who are considered as less economically powerful stakeholders. This paper draws on the demand for administrative reforms along with an institutional support structure (Owen et al., 1997) to enhance CSR and corporate accountability.

The empirical evidence shows that there is a need for a stand-alone mandatory CSR to achieve stakeholder accountability. It also shows that there are demands from “stakeholders to right to know” about the company’s social and environmental performance along with stakeholder engagements. There is a perceived demand for administrative reform along with institutional supports that can contribute to the CSR development in Bangladesh. These administrative reforms would encourage transparent corporate social and environmental practices. Given the socio-economic and vulnerable environmental conditions of Bangladesh, stakeholders in this study suggested contextually relevant CSR guidelines towards greater accountability.

This paper is one of the few engagement-based studies which explore the perceptions of less economically powerful stakeholders towards CSR developments in an emerging economy – Bangladesh. The findings of this study using the theoretical lens of accountability with administrative and institutional reforms lead us to conclude that companies in Bangladesh have low level of CSR towards stakeholder accountability and stakeholder engagements.

The paper contributes to the CSR literature by highlighting the needs of CSR from the stakeholder’s accountability perspective.