Decentralisation and the Local State 1 2 the Problematic of Studying Local Government

Decentralisation and The Local State 1 2 The Problematic of Studying Local Government Decentralisation and The Local State Decentralisation and The Local State 3 4 The Problematic of Studying Local Government Decentralisation and The Local State Political Economy of Local Government in Bangladesh Tofail Ahmed Decentralisation and the Local State : Political Economy of Local Government in Bangladesh :: by Tofail Ahmed First Published: February 2012 Published by Osman Gani of Agamee Prakashani 36 Bangla Bazar, Dhaka-1100 Bangladesh. e-mail: [email protected] Copyright Author Cover Design Abdullah-Al-Mamun Printing by Sawarbarna Printers 18/26/4 Shuklal Das Lane, Dhaka Price: Tk 00.00 only Agamee Prakashani ISBN 978 984 04 1473 4 Decentralisation and The Local State 5 6 The Problematic of Studying Local Government Dedicated to My Wife Masuda A Chowdhury Whose quite sacrifices blossomed into my loud successes Decentralisation and The Local State 7 8 The Problematic of Studying Local Government lumpenisation as far as the political behaviour is concerned. Similarly, income poverty situation of the masses also in general improved with no substantial qualitative impact on the nature of the Preface class composition and class nature of the state. Due to consistent economic growth (albeit of peripheral nature) new social forces are This is a matter of immense pleasure to write a preface for the emerging but these forces are to a large extent swallowed or revised edition of the book. I am grateful indeed to all the people absorbed within the clientlist structure of the central state. There are who appreciated the work and encouraged me to initiate a revised conflicts, tensions and crisis of endemic nature. The central state edition. I was very sceptical from the very beginning about the passes through a continuous crisis situation; big crisis comes acceptability of the approach and the method used and the contents cyclically more or less in every 10 years. Local Governments at the book contain. It was completely a new theoretical terrain ever times become the first casualty of the crisis as more and more deployed in social science studies in Bangladesh. Decentralisation is centralisation tools are deployed as a solution to ease the endemic well understood here in Bangladesh from its institutional and crisis of the regimes. developmental perspectives. The political economy of The commitment for greater decentralisation, strengthening Decentralisation as embedded in the nature of social formation, local government and autonomy for the local state still remain a far mode of production, state ,class and crisis of capitalist accumulation cry in Bangladesh. To address the issues of ‘local governance’ from of different dimensions, and lastly situating the whole analysis the context of decentralisation, a new chapter is added with the within a new theoretical framework ‘Local state’ together is never main book as post-script. I believe the interested persons may get done in the local and national contexts in Bangladesh. That was one another round of analysis with some recommendations(albeit from of the risks undertaken while initiating the work in the early nineties institutional perspectives) in the new chapter for making some and bringing new edition after a long gap of almost 17 years is even forward looking reform agenda in local governance. a more formidable challenge. Many of the readers may naturally look for the analysis based on the latest information. I believe, the I should gratefully acknowledge the debt of my teachers, enlightened readers will accept my apology in this regard. It was not colleagues and friends who helped in various ways to materialise possible to update the empirical data as it involves huge expenses the project in the late eighties. It was basically my Ph.D. and I also did not feel very strongly that the new set of empirical dissertation later developed as a book. Professor Suranjit Kumar data is at all required to substantiate the arguments already made in Saha and Professor Chris Gerry (Centre for Development Studies, the study, as empirical as well as objective socio-political situation Swansea, University of Wales, UK) were my philosopher, guide have not changed substantially. and friends during my five year study period in UK. The amount of time, efforts, wisdom and sympathy they extended to me is The class nature of Bangladeshi state, the political crisis it unthinkable and unforgettable. The foreword contributed by encounters and the way the central political and social classes try to Professor Saha in the first edition of the book bears a testimony mould, shape and reshape the local state have not changed in a towards that end. Besides, other teachers and scholars of Swansea substantive way compared to the situation already analysed (1960- Collage of the University of Wales were also of tremendously 1990) in the book. Moreover, there are signs of deterioration while supportive to me. I like to express my profound gratitude to empowerment of the masses is considered. There are certain Professor Alen Rew, Mike shepperdson, Jim Whetton, Ian Cleg and definite changes in the economic domain. The petty-bourgeoisie David Marsdon for their sincere help and cooperation during my absolutely in economic term are more consolidated in size, volume studies in Swansea. Professor Mohammad Mohabbat Khan of DU and magnitudes compared to the situation existed in 20 years back; and Diana Conyers of IDS, Sussex contributed reviews of the book but politically still they belong to the same petty-bourgeoisie. They in Economic and Political weekly (Bombay) and Public do not behave like bourgeoisie proper in spite of upward economic Administration and Development (UK) Journals respectively. mobility. They are still very much embedded in the process of Professor B.K. Jahangir arranged a discussion session at CSS, DU Decentralisation and The Local State 9 10 The Problematic of Studying Local Government in 1992 on the book. I am very grateful to these three distinguished academics of high international reputation for their generous support and appreciation. Professor Aka Firowz Ahmad, Chairman of Department of Public Administration, DU and Professor Muslehuddin Ahmed (former vice-chancellor of Shahjalal University) encouraged me to bring out a revised edition of the book. Mr. Saifuddin Ahmed of the Dept. of Peace and Conflict Studies, DU and finally Mr. Bidhan Chandra Pal a cultural activist volunteered the overall supervision of the publication and made my life easier. Mr Osman Goni the proprietor of the Agami Prokashani gladly accepted the responsibility of publishing the book. I express my profound gratitude to them all. Besides, I also acknowledge the sincere encouragement of our friends and colleagues from BARD, Comilla and in the Political Science and Public Administration Departments of Chittagong, Rajshahi, Sylhet (SUST) and Kustia (Islamic University) to bring out the revised edition of the book. I am not sure, how the new generation academics will accept the work? I am eagerly waiting to see their attitude towards this publication. I will be failing in my duties if I do not mention two other names; my wife Masuda A. Chowdhury and our daughter Shadia Ahmed whose relentless endurance and unconditional support enabled me to devote endless amount of time in all my academic pursuits. However, as author I will remain responsible for all the limitations and shortcomings of the work. No other person or institution but the author alone will also remain liable for the opinion expressed in the book. Tofail Ahmed Decentralisation and The Local State 11 12 The Problematic of Studying Local Government The book also represents an act of courage. It was written at a time when the government in Bangladesh was still controlled by the Foreword military, which was not particularly tolerant to the views it regarded as unhelpful. Tofail demonstrates, yet again, that scholarship in this subcontinent will not be muffled by autocratic regimes. It has been my proud privilege to be associated with the development of ideas which find expression in this book. I first got to know Tofail In writing this book, Tofail has made a major contribution for When he registered here as a Ph.D study fellow and I was nominated advancing the cause of the continuing struggle for empowerment by the by the University to be his Supervisor of Studies. What had begun as a broad masses of Asia, Africa and Latin America in general and the people of Bangladesh in particular. He combines vision with realism routine relationship between a teacher and a student soon matured into and creates a paradigm of action for building new institutions of power at least for me, an immensely enriching partnership of minds and which will be the agencies for securing the interests of the broad shared perceptions. Tofail's Ph.D. work had turned out to be a focus for masses currently excluded from the equations of power. The book us to engage in a series of discussions in which we often questioned deserves to be read widely by academics, researchers as well as and challenged each other's ideas and views. During this three year practitioners of politics and public administration. long period of our partnership, Tofail had contributed at least as much, and probably' more, to the development and shaping of my views of the realities and implications of the shifting contours of class Suranjit K Saha configurations in South Asia, than I might have had to his. I would be Centre for Development Studies failing in my professional duties if I did not publicly acknowledge that, University College of Swansea, UK. on many aspects of the discourse on the nature of states and social formations in South Asia, he was constantly helping me to find new insights, thus enabling me to move my ideas forward from the blind and sterile alley-ways of the theoretical terrain in which some of them had got locked in.

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