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Book III

Development Issues of Bangladesh-III: Human Development and Quality of Life

Edited by Muhammad Faizul Islam and Syed Saad Andaleeb

Published jointly by BDI and UPL (University Press Limited), Dhaka, Bangladesh in November 2006

Development Issues of Bangladesh-III has been written with the theme: human development and quality of life in Bangladesh. The two concepts, central to the evolution of a civilized society, are approached from a variety of perspectives that include key global indexes and their role in Bangladesh, various economic, social, and human aspects of development, governance and identity issues, class factions and the potential for democratization, empowerment and rights - especially of women, the role of a gender development index to account for women and their contributions, rural financial markets, health care, fertility, literacy and education and the potential for e-learning, environmental issues, as well as political economy and finance.

The sixteen articles in this volume provide a critical examination of the above issues and a rigorous analysis of empirical data that relate to human development and quality of life. This volume also attempts to provide policy prescriptions for problems centering on the main theme. The timely subject matter, objective analysis, and policy prescriptions are expected to prove useful to academicians, development practitioners and policy makers in Bangladesh, as well as in other developing countries.

Bangladesh Development Initiative (BDI), the sponsoring organization of this book, is a US-based think-tank of scholars and professionals devoted to the generation and dissemination of knowledge on development issues of Bangladesh. BDI�s efforts are focused on reaching policy-makers, academicians, politicians, diplomats, businessmen, students, and the wider constituency. Consistent with this objective, BDI has already published two volumes: "Development issues of Bangladesh" in November 1996 and "Development issues of Bangladesh - II" in April 2003. The University Press Limited in Bangladesh has published both volumes (follow the links for Book I & II).

About the Editors: Muhammad Faizul Islam is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at Southeastern University, Washington, D.C., USA. His academic interests involve open economy macroeconomics, financial and development economics. Dr. Islam joined the U.S. Department of Commerce as a full-time International Economist in March 1998. He is the Vice-President of Bangladesh Development Initiative (2004-2007), and General Secretary of the Association for Economic Development and Studies on Bangladesh (2005-2007).

Syed Saad Andaleeb is Professor and Program Chair of Marketing at the Sam & Irene Black School of Business, Penn State Erie, USA. He is also the editor of the Journal of Bangladesh Studies. His present preoccupation involves capacity development in research methods at the institutions of higher education in Bangladesh for which he has been supported once as a Senior Fulbright Scholar and twice as a Fulbright Senior Specialist.

Table of Contents
[ BDI Book III: Human Development and Quality of Life in Bangladesh ]

List of Contributors

List of Tables and Figures

Preface

Editor's Remarks

Chapter 1: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC-POLITICAL INDICATORS OF BANGLADESH VIS-A-VIS ITS FOUR SOUTH ASIAN NEIGHBORS

M. Faizul Islam

1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 A Comparative Analysis Based on Human Development Index 1
1.3 Comparative Analysis Based on the Index of Economic Freedom 11
1.4 A Comparative Analysis Based on Political Rights and Civil Liberties 14
1.5 A Comparative Analysis Based on Perceived Corruption Index 14
1.6 What's Wrong With Corruption? 18
1.7 How to Combat Corruption 20
1.8 Conclusion 23

Chapter 2: SOCIOECONOMIC AND HUMAN ASPECTS OF DEVELOPMENT IN BANGLADESH

Anisul M. Islam

2.1 Introduction 31
2.2 Methodology and Data 32
2.3 Economic, Social and Human Indictors of Development: Measurements 32
2.4 Economic, Social and Human Indictors of Development: Evidence 37
2.5 Summary and Conclusion 45

Chapter 3: DEMOCRATIZATION, VALUES AND LEADERSHIP

Zillur Rahman Khan

3.1 Introduction 57
3.2 Leadership Commitments 59
3.3 Identity Issue Revived 60
3.4 Values and National Interests 62
3.5 Values and Policy Implementation 64
3.6 Policy Options 65
3.7 Conclusion 67

Chapter 4: CLASS AND STATE IN BANGLADESH: POLITICAL ECONOMY OF AUTHORITARIAN DEMOCRACY

Habibul Haque Khondker

4.1 Introduction 71
4.2 Towards a Historically Embedded Theoretical Framework 73
4.3 Class and Consumption 84
4.4 Problems of Democracy and Civil Society 85
4.5 Class Basis of Authoritarian Democracy 86

Chapter 5: ENHANCING INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY OF PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION IN BANGLADESH: PRESENT STATE AND FUTURE DIRECTION

Mohammad Mohabbat Khan

5.1 Introduction 93
5.2 Public Administration and Institutional Capacity 93
5.3 Present State 94
5.4 Lack of Accountability and Transparency 96
5.5 High Level of Corruption 98
5.6 Lack of Partnership Among Three Sectors 100
5.7 Future Direction 101
5.8 Emphasizing Human Development 101
5.9 Ensuring Accountability and Transparency 103
5.10 Controlling Corruption 104
5.11 Encouraging Cooperation Among Three Sectors 106
5.12 Conclusion 106

Chapter 6: DEVELOPMENT REVISITED: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE STATUS OF WOMEN IN BANGLADESH

Elora Shehabuddin

6.1 Introduction 112
6.2 Targeting Women 113
6.3 Towards a Broader Notion of "Development" 126

Chapter 7: A BLUEPRINT FOR AN AUGMENTED GENDER DEVELOPMENT INDEX

Farida C. Khan

7.1 Introduction 139
7.2 Early Development Indicators 140
7.3 Amartya Sen's Capabilities Approach 141
7.4 HDI and GDI 143
7.5 The GDI in Bangladesh 145
7.6 An Alternative Index 150
7.7 Conclusions 155

Chapter 8: APPLICATION OF LINKAGE BANKING MODELS TO MOBILIZE RURAL SAVINGS FOR FINANCIAL INTERMEDIATION IN BANGLADESH

Md. Kabir Ahmed and M. Kabir Hassan

8.1 Introduction 162
8.2 Theoretical Framework 164
8.3 Overview of Financial Architecture of Bangladesh: Relevance for Application fo Linkage Models 169
8.4 Development and Applications of the Linkage Models in the Existing Framework of Bangladesh 172
8.5 Applications of the Linkage Models in the Existing Framework of Bangladesh 178
8.6 Conclusion 183

Chapter 9: SOCIAL CONTROL OF HEALTH CARE IN BANGLADESH

Syed Saad Andaleeb

9.1 Healthcare Scenario in Bangladesh 189
9.2 Basic Requirements for Delivering Health Services 193
9.3 Bringing Change: Social Control Mechanisms 197
9.4 Rating Responsibility 200
9.5 Public Hearings 201
9.6 Certification Requirements 201
9.7 Citizen's Action Committees 202
9.8 Additional Considerations for Change 203
9.9 Conclusions 205

Chapter 10: THE DYNAMIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN FERTILITY RATE AND ITS PROXIMATE DETERMINANTS IN BANGLADESH

Mohammad S. Hasan

10.1 Introduction 209
10.2 Literature Review 210
10.3 The Model and Data 212
10.4 Empirical Results 214
10.5 Conclusions 215

Chapter 11: ENHANCING EDUCATION THROUGH E-LEARNING IN BANGLADESH

Badrul H. Khan

11.1 Introduction 221
11.2 A Description of the National Virtual Education Plan 222
11.3 An Outline of NVEP for Bangladesh 227
11.4 Conclusion 228

Chapter 12: I-PRSP OF BANGLADESH: A CRITICAL REVIEW THROUGH AN ENVIRONMENTAL LENS

Mizan Khan and Saleemul Huq

12.1 Introduction 230
12.2 Basic Postulates of the I-PRSP Bangladesh 231
12.3 Critical Review of the I-PRSP 232
12.4 Environment-Poverty Nexus and the I-PRSP 234
12.5 Indicators of Natural Resource Management: A Suggested List 248

Chapter 13: THE ENVIRONMENT AND POLICY-MAKING IN BANGLADESH

Khorshed Alam

13.1 Introduction 253
13.2 The Environment in Decision-making in Bangladesh 254
13.3 Methodological Issues of Economic Valuation 256
13.4 Non-market Valuation in Bangladesh: A Review 259
13.5 Consequences of Ignoring Non-market Benefits 261
13.6 Conclusion 263

Chapter 14: FUELWOOD ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN IN BANGLADESH

A.H.M. Mustain Billah

14.1 Introduction 269
14.2 Land Use and Fuelwood Consumption 270
14.3 Demand and Supply of Fuelwood 275
14.4 Environmental Implications of Fuelwood Use 278
14.5 Summary and Conclusion 282

Chapter 15: CHITTAGONG HILL TRACTS PEACE ACCORD IN BANGLADESH: RECONCILING THE ISSUES OF HUMAN RIGHTS, INDIGENOUS RIGHTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE

Ashiqur Rahman

15.1 Background 287 15.2 Why Do We Need to Reconcile the Issues of Human Rights, Indigenous Rights and Environmental Governance? 291
15.3 Obligations Under the National Constitution and International Conventions and Pressure to Solve the Problem 293
15.4 Origin and Purpose of the Peace Accord 294
15.5 Salient Features of the Peace Accord 295
15.6 Conflicts Regarding Peace Accord and Its Implementation Status 296
15.7 A Critical Analysis of the Peace Accord form the Point of View of Reconciling the Issues of Human Rights, Indigenous Rights, and Environmental Governance 298
15.8 Recommendations for Effective Implementation of the Peace Accord 300
15.9 Conclusion 301

Chapter 16: TRAFFIC CONGESTIONS IN DHAKA AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN BANGLADESH: SOME MICRO- AND MACRO-LEVEL CONNECTIONS

Ansar Ahmed

16.1 The Issue, Rationale, and Focus 305
16.2 What Do Traffic Congestions Do? 307
16.3 A Word on Resource Imbalance 308
16.4 So, What Can Be Done? 309
16.5 What will These Accomplish? 313
16.6 Modeling and Simulations 315
16.7 Conclusions 316