The limits of foreign aid in Strengthening Bangladesh's Parliament analysis of the u.n.'s Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy project

Asian Survey

Volumn 50, Issue 3, 2010, Pages 474-496

  Rahaman, Muhammad Mustafizur ^a  

^a OSAKA UNIVERSITY   (Japan)

Author keywords

Bangladesh jatiya sangsad; Foreign aid; Lack of strategy; Strengthening parliamentary democracy project; Vested interests

Indexed keywords

AID REFORM; DEMOCRACY; GOVERNMENT RELATIONS; INTERNATIONAL AID; UNITED NATIONS;

BANGLADESH;

EID: 77954283926     PISSN: 00044687     EISSN: 1533838X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1525/as.2010.50.3.474     Document Type: Article

References (72)

1. For details, see Muhammad Mustafzur Rahaman, "Parliament and Good Governance: A Bangladeshi Perspective, " Japanese Journal of Political Science 9:1 (April 2008), pp. 39-62.
2. This is the SPD's development objective as specified in the Project Document (Revision 2003).
3. The Bangladesh JS has a full-fledged committee system patterned after the Westminster model. Committees constituted in the Bangladeshi JS can be categorized into general standing committees, financial committees, and standing committees on ministries (SCMs). General standing committees and financial committees are fixed by the Rules of Procedure (RoP) of Parliament, but the number of SCMs differs from time to time. For example, the Eighth JS had 37 such committees, whereas the Fifth and Seventh JS had only 35. Among the committees, the SCMs and financial committees are crucial for ensuring the accountability of government.
4. The RoPs are fundamental guides for conducting parliamentary business. They provide ground rules for legislative procedure and oversight activities of Bangladeshi JS. The present RoP are composed of 29 chapters containing 318 rules. Please see Rules of Procedure of Parliament of the People's Republic of Bangladesh (Dhaka: Parliament Secretariat, 2001), for details.
5. G. Shabbir Cheema, Building Democratic Institutions: Governance Reform in Developing Countries (Bloomfield, Conn.: Kumarian Press, Inc., 2005), p. 73.
6. The MDGs, as adopted by the Millennium Declaration of the U. N. General Assembly in 2000, are a set of targets for certain human development variables, such as the eradication of poverty, the achievement of universal primary education, the promotion of gender equality, the reduction of child mortality, the improvement of maternal health, the combating of HIV/AIDS and other diseases, the promotion of environmental sustainability, and the encouragement of a global partnership for development. Please see, United Nations, "United Nations Millennium Declaration, " Resolution A/55/L.2 (New York: United Nations, 2000), Section 1.5.
7. World Bank, World Development Report 1997: The State in a Changing World (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997).
8. Dennis A. Rondinelli, "Governments Serving People: The Changing Roles of Public Administration in Democratic Governance, " in Public Administration and Democratic Governance: Government Serving Citizens, ed. Dennis A. Rondinelli (New York: United Nations, 2007), pp. 1-32.
9. According to neo-classical theory, institutions play no independent role in economic performance. In contrast, the "new institutional economics" school argues that institutions comprise formal rules and informal norms that determine economic performance. For further elaboration, see Manuel Pastor and Carol Wise, "The Politics of Second-Generation Reform, " Journal of Democracy 10:3 (July 1999), pp. 34-48
10. as cited in Carlos Santiso, "Toward Democratic Governance: The Contribution of the Multilateral Development Banks in Latin America, " in Democracy Assistance: International Cooperation for Democratization, ed. Peter Burnell (London: Frank Cass, 2000), pp. 177-78.
11. United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, World Public Sector Report: Globalization and the State (New York: United Nations, 2001), pp. 79-80.
12. Refer to the UNESC, The Critical Role of Public Administration and Good Governance in Implementing the United Nations Millennium Declaration: Institutional Capacity Development (New York: UNESC, 2002).
13. Philip Norton, Does Parliament Matter? (London: Harvester Wheatsheaf, 1993), p. 203;
14. Robert A. Packenham, "Legislatures and Political Development, " in Legislatures in Developmental Perspective, eds. A. Kornberg and L. Musolf (Durham, N. C.: Duke University Press, 1970), pp. 3-32.
15. Niaz Ahmed Khan, Muhammad Mustafzur Rahaman, and A. N. M. Munir Ahmed, "Jobabdihita, Nitinidharan, and Sangsadia Committee: Bangladesh Prasanga" [Accountability, policy making, and parliamentary committees: A Bangladesh perspective], in Unnayn Bitarka 18:2 (June 1999), p. 72.
16. Bert A. Rockman, "Legislative-Executive Relations and Legislative Oversight, " Legislative Studies Quarterly 9:3 (August 1984), p. 414.
17. World Bank, Bangladesh Government Tat Works: Reforming the Public Sector (Dhaka: University Press, Ltd., 1996), p. xxii.
18. Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat (BPS), Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy: Technical Assistance Project Proposal (Dhaka: BPS, 1997), p. 3.
19. UNDP, Human Development Report 1990 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1990).
20. G. Shabbir Cheema, "A Governance Approach to Development: New Role for Development Co-operation, " in Governance: South Asian Perspectives, ed. H. A. Hye (Dhaka: University Press, Ltd., 2000), pp. 513-43.
21. Jane A. Lindley, Assessment of the Manpower Requirements and Proposed Restructuring of the Jatiya Sangsad Secretariat: Report to the Speaker and the Secretary (Dhaka: Asia Foundation, 1993).
22. The Parliament Secretariat is the basic structure of Parliament for administering its activities. It provides support to legislators in making policy and overseeing governmental activities. It prepares relevant documents and records, and also both prints and distributes house and committee proceedings and minutes. In addition, it maintains records of parliamentary activities, preserves books and official documents, and provides research support to MPs.
23. Nazma Chowdhury, Strengthening Parliament (Dhaka: UNDP, 1997).
24. Author interview with Anwarul Islam, deputy secretary of the Parliament Secretariat, June 25, 2007, Dhaka.
25. It is, however, noteworthy that both leaders have been elected as party chiefs by party delegates in their national conventions held in 2009.
26. Moudud Ahmed, Democracy and the Challenge of Development (Dhaka: University Press, Ltd., 1996).
27. Upazilla, district, and divisions are administrative units. An upazilla comprises a number of unions (lowest tier of administration), a district is constituted by a number of upazilla, and a division constitutes a number of districts.
28. Nizam Ahmed, "From Monopoly to Competition: Party Politics in the Bangladesh Parliament (1973-2001), " Pacific Affairs 76:1 (March 2003), p. 72.
29. GPRB (Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh), The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh (Dhaka: GPRB, 1998), p. 23.
30. Adjournment motion is a proposal for adjourning the business of the house for the purpose of discussing a matter of recent and urgent public importance.
31. These data have been extrapolated from the Bangladesh JS, Law Section 1 (Dhaka: Parliament Secretariat, 2006). Calculations have been made by the author.
32. Nizam Ahmed, The Parliament of Bangladesh (Burlington: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2003), p. 117.
33. David Watson and David Williams, Support to Parliamentary Committees: Briefing to DFID/BHC (Dhaka: DFID, 2000), p. 1.
34. Linda Buchanan and Dr. Nizam Ahmed, Final Report: Advisor to Parliamentary Committees (Dhaka: SPD, 2004), p. 27.
35. Linda Buchanan and Dr. Nizam Ahmed, Final Report: Advisor to Parliamentary Committees (Dhaka: SPD, 2004), p. 27.
36. The JS had an institutional library that was renamed as the LIC by the SPD. Strengthening the LIC was viewed as being an important step in transitioning from a manual library system to a computerized one. The SPD equipped the center with approximately 32 computers, three printers, three servers, internet access, and modern furniture. It also bought various sets of reference books and trained librarians in order to increase research access for MPs and their staffs.
37. Malcolm Shaw, "Parliamentary Committees: A Global Perspective, " Journal of Legislative Studies 4 (1998), pp. 225-51;
38. Jean Blondel, Comparative Government (Rossendale, Great Britain: Philip Allan, 1990), p. 249.
39. Norton, "Does Parliament Matter?" p. 100.
40. Ahmed, "Te Parliament of Bangladesh, " p. 152.
41. Rahaman, "Parliament and Good Governance, " p. 53.
42. Rahaman, "Parliament and Good Governance, " p. 53.
43. Rahaman, "Parliament and Good Governance, " p. 53.
44. This statistic is based on 268 meetings officially convened by 39 committees. In the case of six sample committees, the number includes their total meetings, but, in other cases, the number includes only some of those meetings conducted in 2004. Calculations have been made by the author.
45. Nelson, Silva, and Chowdhury, Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy, p. 11.
46. Khondoker Abdul Haque Miah, Comparative Matrix on the Revision of the Rules of Procedure of the Jatiya Sangsad (Dhaka: UNDP, 2002), pp. 1-19.
47. Peter Aucoin and Mark Jervis, Modernizing Government Accountability: A Framework for Reform (Ottawa, Canada: Canada School of Public Service, 2005), pp. 9-10.
48. GPRB, "The Constitution, " p. 23.
49. Nelson, Silva, and Chowdhury, "Strengthening Parliamentary Democracy, " p. 5.
50. Author interview with Abdul Hamid Siddiqui, deputy speaker of the Eighth JS, July 10, 2007, Dhaka.
51. An "opposition day" is a day when parliamentary business will be decided by the opposition. The objective of introducing opposition days in Parliament is to give opposition MPs sufcient opportunity to express their views in the JS.
52. Tony Killick, "Principals, Agents, and the Limitations of BWI Conditionality, " World Economy 19:2 (March 1996), pp. 211-29;
53. Richard Sandbrook, "Democratization and the Implementation of Economic Reforms in Africa, " Journal of International Development 8:1 (January 1996), pp. 1-20;
54. A. G. Dijkstra and J. K. Van Donge, "What Does the 'Show Case' Show? Evidence and Lessons from Adjustment in Uganda, " World Development 29:5 (May 2001), pp. 841-63.
55. Tomas Carothers, Aiding Democracy Abroad: The Learning Curve (Washington, D. C.: Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, 1999);
56. Wahidudin Mahmud, Monitoring Donor Support to Poverty Reduction Strategy in Bangladesh: Rethinking the Rules of Engagement (Dhaka: Economic Research Group, 2006).
57. Author interview with Wahiduddin Mahmood, professor of Economics, Dhaka University, May 1, 2007, Dhaka.
58. Interviews (December 2006-January 2007) with a number of staff of the Parliament Secretariat and an expert on the Parliament of Bangladesh revealed that the committee chairman was criticized by the highest level of the ruling party.
59. William Easterly, The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill and So Little Good (New York: Penguin Press, 2006), p. 195.
60. Author interview with a Parliament Secretariat official who wished to remain anonymous, February 4, 2008, Dhaka.
61. Killick, "Principals, Agents, " p. 219.
62. C. Roche, Impact Assessment for Development Agencies: Learning to Value Change (Oxford: Oxfam GB with Novib, 1999), p. 21.
63. Author interview with a high profile officer of the Parliament Secretariat who wished to remain anonymous, February 4, 2008.
64. Author interview with a Parliament Secretariat official who wished to remain anonymous, January 13, 2008, Dhaka.
65. For contrasting viewpoints, one more optimistic than the other, see Cheema, "Building Democratic Institutions, " p. 244;
66. and Easterly, "The White Man's Burden, " pp. 166-69, respectively.
67. Carothers, "Aiding Democracy Abroad, " pp. 260-64;
68. Easterly, "The White Man's Burden, " pp. 166-69, 341-49;
69. Deepa Narayan, The Contribution of the People's Participation: Evidence from 121 Rural Water Supply Projects, Environmentally Sustainable Development, Occasional Paper 1 (Washington, D. C.: World Bank, 1995);
70. World Bank, Assessing Aid: What Works, What Doesn't, and Why (New York: Oxford University Press, 1998), p. 53;
71. James Bovard, The Continuing Failure of Foreign Aid, Cato Policy Analysis, no. 65 (Washington, D. C.: CATO Institute, 1986), p. 1;
72. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Study of Donor Practices in Vietnam-Grant Aid and Transition Costs: Listen to the Voice of the Recipient (Tokyo: JICA, 2003).