Reforms in Local Government: Experiences from Bangladesh.

Modern concept recognizes local government as an ancient institution and it is said to be good for national democracy, development and good governance. Local government has many roles including welfare of local people and development of rural areas and a general expectation is that it tends to provide the best services to the local people. The prime trend of emerging developing countries is to strengthen its local government and create economic impetus locally through effective local administrations. However, democratic decentralization helps to create social harmony, community spirit and political stability. Thus, many countries prefer to reform at the local level. The history of local government in Bangladesh shows that it has been established through reforms at different periods at different times. The study focuses on some objectives. How local government has developed through the forty years in Bangladesh; how governments have treated it in different periods; and whether the developments or reforms done were for the benefit of the mass people or political leaders? The paper also attempts to identify the problems to implement the reforms at local level. The current study seeks to provide basic information related to reforms in local government during the tenure of different governments at the rural level. Through an extensive review of literatures, this article attempts to shed light on the reforms of local government with a view to explore the linkages between all central government and their political attitudes. The paper would help to understand the transformation of local government in Bangladesh and take initiatives to strengthen it in future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]