Challenges of Local People's Participation in Ward Shava and Open Budget Session: A Case Study on Different Union Parishads at Trishal Upazila
The Journal of Local Government, 47 (1), 47-63. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10450389
Challenges of Local People's Participation in Ward Shava and Open Budget Session: A Case Study on Different Union Parishads at Trishal Upazila
Tanjil Ahmed*, Tamanna Akter**
The active involvement of people is of paramount importance in establishing a robust governance framework in Bangladesh. Employing active citizen engagement, individuals have the opportunity to share their perspectives on the process of governmental decision-making. From this perspective, this study investigates the impediments to active community involvement in Ward Shava and Open Budget Sessions within various Union Parishads in Trishal Upazila. The study was conducted based on a quantitative approach. A total of 300 local residents from different Union Parishads (Amirabari, Bailar, Baliparar, Dhanikhola, Mathbari, Rampura, Sakhua, and Trishal) under Trishal Upazila participated in the cross-sectional survey. The findings of the study reveal that a significant majority, i.e., 80% and 83% of the respondents, did not actively engage in this initial and final phase of the budgeting process, respectively, whereas only 39% of individuals residing in rural areas actively engaged in the Ward Shava. The results also show that several related factors, such as low levels of awareness, low rates of literacy among rural populations, political influence, intimidation and fear, distrust, bureaucratic complexity, etc., significantly impede people's participation in Ward Shava and Open Budget meetings. In this vein, addressing these challenges requires a concerted effort to raise awareness through community education, capacity building, and inclusive decision-making, promote accountability and transparency, and establish effective communication between local authorities and the community. However, the study findings incorporate theoretical and practical contributions to the field of local government.
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