Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

The Administrative System in Bangladesh: Reform Initiatives with Failed Outcomes

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Civil Service Management and Administrative Systems in South Asia

Abstract

The main objective of this paper is to provide an overview of the administrative structure of Bangladesh, highlighting the history of key administrative-reform attempts, New Public Management (NPM), and major trends in the country’s system of administration. Based on a review of secondary material, the findings of this paper suggest that several reform initiatives have been adopted by successive governments to streamline the administrative system, but that regrettably, most of them have not been implemented. Most importantly, reforms targeting the installation of different principles of NPM in the administrative system have not been successful. Due to these failures, Bangladesh’s administrative system still displays a high degree of politicization, bureaucratic dominance, incapacity—institutionally, technically, administratively—a chaotic political situation, and deteriorating law and order. NPM reforms are a dire necessity, for they could help the country overcome these features of poor governance. To implement NPM reforms, strong political leadership is required—one capable of building a solid institutional framework, sound rule of law, a proper control structure, and an effective civil service system. Otherwise, the ineffective administrative system could continue to hinder the process of overall development in the country.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
eBook
USD 16.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Retrieved from http://www.bpsc.gov.bd/site/page/4bc95017-18d6-412b-8c4f-76d3e1599d8e/%E0%A6%AC%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%B8%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%8F%E0%A6%B8-%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%B0%E0%A7%80%E0%A6%95%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%B7%E0%A6%BE, on 18 August 2017.

  2. 2.

    The eleven city corporations are Dhaka North, Dhaka South, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet, Comilla, Narayanganj, Gazipur, and Rangpur.

References

  • Ahmed, E. (1980). Bureaucratic Elites and Segmented Economic Growth: Pakistan and Bangladesh. Dhaka: University Press Limited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ahmed, S. G. (1972). Local Government in Bangladesh: Concerns and Priorities. Local Government Quarterly, 1(2), 23–32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ahmed, S. G. (1974). District Administration in Bangladesh. Local Government Quarterly, 3(3), 1–15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ahmed, S. G. (1982). A Typological Study of the State Functionaries Under the Muhgals. Asian Profile, 10(4), 334–339.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ahmed, S. G. (1986). Public Personnel Administration in Bangladesh. Dhaka: University of Dhaka.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ahmed, S. G. (2002). Public Administration in the Three Decades. In A. M. Chowdhury & F. Alam (Eds.), Bangladesh: On the Threshold of the Twenty-First Century (pp. 321–354). Dhaka: Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ahmed, T. (1998). Local Government Perspective. In M. Ahmed (Ed.), Bangladesh in the 21st Century. Dhaka: CDL.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ali, S. A. M. M. (2010). Civil Service Management in Bangladesh: An Agenda for Policy Reform. Dhaka: Dhaka University Press Limited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Azizuddin, M. (2011). Administrative Reform in Bangladesh: An Overview of Political Dynamics. Nepalese Journal of Public Policy and Governance, 27(1), 49–68.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bennington, L., & Cummane, J. (2000). The Road to Privatization: TQM and Business Planning. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 10(5), 364–376.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Caiden, G. (1991). Administrative Reform Comes of Age. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Common, R. (1998). Convergence and Transfer: A Review of the Globalization of New Public Management. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 11(6), 440–456.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DFID. (2004). Operationalising Pro-poor Growth: Bangladesh. Retrieved from www.dfid.gov.uk. Accessed 2 Feb 2016.

  • Ferdousi, F., & Qin, L. (2013). New Public Management in Bangladesh: Policy and Reality. iBusiness, 5(3B), 150–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fox, W., & Menon, B. (2008). Decentralization in Bangladesh: Change Has Been Illusive (International Studies Program Working Paper 08–29 (Dec)). Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Government of Bangladesh (GoB). (1977). Report of the Pay and Services Commission. Dhaka: Bangladesh Government Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Government of Bangladesh (GoB). (1982). Report of the Committee for Administrative Reorganization/Reform. Dhaka, Bangladesh.

    Google Scholar 

  • Government of Bangladesh (GoB). (2000). Report of Public Administration Reform Commission. Dhaka: Bangladesh Government Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Government of India. (2009). Organizational Structure of Government of India: Second Administrative Reforms Commission. Thirteenth Report.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, O. E. (1998). Public Management & Administration (2nd ed.). London: MacMillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huque, A. S. (1995). The Impact of Colonialism: Thoughts on Politics and Governance in Bangladesh. Paper presented at the Fourth Commonwealth and post-Colonial Studies Conference, Georgia Southern University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huque, A. S. (2010). Traditions and Bureaucracy in Bangladesh. In M. Painter & G. B. Peters (Eds.), Tradition and Public Administration. Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Huque, A. S. (2011). Accountability and Governance: Strengthening Extra-Bureaucratic Mechanisms in Bangladesh. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 60(1), 59–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huque, A. S., & Ahmed, F. (1992). Public Personnel Administration: Tradition, Problems and Issues in Bangladesh. Asian Journal of Public Administration, 14(1), 25–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huque, A. S., & Taiabur Rahman, M. (2003). From Domination to Alliance: Shifting Strategies and Accumulation of Power by the Bureaucracy in Bangladesh. Public Organization Review, 3(4), 403–418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hussain, A., Sarker, A. E., & Rahman, M. (1994). Governance in Bangladesh: An Analytical Review. Theoretical Perspective, 1(1), 165–179.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jahan, F. (2006). Public Administration in Bangladesh. Background paper prepared for the state of governance in Bangladesh in Collaboration with Research and Evaluation Division (RED), BRAC, Centre for Governance Studies, BRAC University, Dhaka.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jahan, F., & Shahan, A. M. (2008). Politics—Bureaucracy Relationship in Bangladesh: Consequences for the Public Service Commission. Public Organization Review, 8, 307–328.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jamil, I. (2007). Administrative Culture in Bangladesh (1st ed.). Dhaka: A. H. Development Publishing House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalimullah, N. A., Hassan, A. K. M. R., & Sarker, M. G. K. (2013). Administrative Reforms in Bangladesh. In M. Sabharwal & E. M. Berman (Eds.), Public Administration in South Asia: India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keuleers, P. (2004). Public Administration Reform in Bangladesh: Mission Report. Bangkok: UNDP, SURF.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan, M. M. (1991). Politics of Administrative Reform: A Case Study of Bangladesh. New Delhi: Ashish Publishing Home.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan, M. M. (1998). Administrative Reform in Bangladesh. Dhaka: University Press Limited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan, M. M. (2005). Civil Service Management Need for Reform. In H. Zafarullah & M. M. Khan (Eds.), The Bureaucratic Ascendancy Public Administration in Bangladesh: The First Three Decades. Dhaka: A.H. Development Publishing House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan, M. M., & Zafarullah, H. M. (1982). Public Bureaucracy in Bangladesh. In K. K. Tummala (Ed.), Administrative Systems Abroad. Washington, DC: Uni Press America.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan, M. M., & Zafarullah, H. (2005). Bureaucratic Reforms (1972–1981): Revitalizing the Civil Service. In H. Zafarullah & M. M. Khan (Eds.), The Bureaucratic Ascendancy Public Administration in Bangladesh: The First Three Decades. Dhaka: A. H. Development Publishing House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khan, Z. R. (2000). Decentralized Governance: Trials and Triumphs. In R. Jahan (Ed.), Bangladesh: Promise and Performance. Dhaka: University Press Limited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kickert, J. M. W. (Ed.). (1997). Public Management and Administrative Reform in Western Europe. Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, P. S., & Monem, M. (2009). Civil Service in Bangladesh: All Play but Hardly Any Work. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration, 31(1), 57–70.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Massey, A. (Ed.). (1997). Globalization and Marketization of Government Services: Comparing Contemporary Public Sector Developments. London: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Morshed, M. M. R. (1997). Bureaucratic Response to Administrative Decentralization. Dhaka: University Press Limited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Osborne, D., & Gaebler, T. (1993). Reinventing Government: How the Entrepreneurial Spirit Is Transforming the Public Sector. Ringwood: Penguin Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Panday, P. K. (2011). Decentralised Local Governance in Bangladesh: How Far Is It Decentralised? LexLocalis—Journal of Local Self-Government, 9(3), 205–230.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pollitt, C. (1995). Justification by Works or by Faith? Evaluating the New Public Management. Evaluation, 1(2), 133–154.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rahman, M. H. (1994). Participation in the Local Government in Rural Bangladesh: Whose Access? Journal of Asiatic Society, Bangladesh, 39(2), 77–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rashid, A. K. (2014). The Role of Bureaucracy in Policymaking in Bangladesh. Asia Pacific Journal of Public Administration, 36(2), 150–161.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarker, A. E. (1991). State Intervention in Rural Development: A Case Study of Bangladesh. Ph.D. Dissertation, University of Liverpool, UK.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarker, A. E. (2004). Administrative Reform in Bangladesh: Three Decades of Failure. International Public Management Journal, 7(3), 365–384.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sarker, A. E. (2009). The New Mode of Public Governance and Public Accountability in Developing Countries: An Analysis with Particular Reference to Bangladesh. International Journal of Public Administration, 32(13), 1101–1123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schick, A. (1998, February). Why Most Developing Countries Should Not Try New Zealand Reforms. The World Bank Research Observer, 13(1): 123–131.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Siddiqui, K. (2006). Towards Good Governance in Bangladesh: Fifty Unpleasant Essays. Dhaka: University Press Limited.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sossin, L. (2005). Speaking Truth to Power? The Search for Bureaucratic Independence in Canada. University of Toronto Law Journal, 55(1), 1–59.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Szanton, P. (1981). So You Want to Reorganize the Governments? In P. Szanton (Ed.), Federal Reorganization: What Have We Learned? (pp. 1–24). Chatham, NJ: Chatham House.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Constitution of Bangladesh. (1991). Dhaka: Government of Bangladesh.

    Google Scholar 

  • United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (2004). Public Administration Reform in Bangladesh. Bangkok, Thailand: SURF.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank. (1996). Government That Works: Reforming the Public Sector. Dhaka: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • World Bank. (2002). Taming Leviathan: Reforming Governance in Bangladesh: An Institutional Review. Washington, DC: World Bank.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zafarullah, H. (1988). Recruitment and Training: Bureaucratic Intervention. In H. Zafarullah & M. M. Khan (Eds.), Bureaucratic Ascendancy: Public Administration in Bangladesh: The First Three Decades (pp. 125–148). Dhaka: AHDPH.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zafarullah, H., & Huque, A. S. (2001). Public Management for Good Governance: Reforms, Regimes, and Reality in Bangladesh. International Journal of Public Administration, 24(12), 1379–1403.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zafarullah, H., & Rahman, R. (2008). The Impaired State: Assessing State Capacity and Governance in Bangladesh. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 21(7), 739–752.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zafarullah, H. M. (1987). Public Administration in the First Decade of Bangladesh: Some Observations on Developments and Trends. Asian Survey, 27(4), 459–476.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zafarullah, H. M., Khan, M. M., & Rahman, M. H. (2001). The Civil Service System of Bangladesh. In J. P. Burns & B. Bowornwathana (Eds.), Civil Service Systems in Asia (pp. 24–78). Cheltenham, UK: Edward Elgar.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Administration, University of Rajshahi, Rajshahi, Bangladesh

    Pranab Kumar Panday

Authors
  1. Pranab Kumar Panday
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Ishtiaq Jamil

  2. Central Department of Public Administration, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal

    Tek Nath Dhakal

  3. Public Administration Campus, Central Department of Public Administration, Tribhuvan University, Kirtipur, Nepal

    Narendra Raj Paudel

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

See Table 10.3.

Table 10.3 Commissions and committees formed by the government of Bangladesh
Full size table

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2019 The Author(s)

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Panday, P.K. (2019). The Administrative System in Bangladesh: Reform Initiatives with Failed Outcomes. In: Jamil, I., Dhakal, T., Paudel, N. (eds) Civil Service Management and Administrative Systems in South Asia. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90191-6_10

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation