The State of Democratic Governance in Bangladesh

Abstract

<p><em>The principal objective of this paper is to analyze the state of democratic governance in Bangladesh. Towards this end, this paper examines the state of democratic governance during different regimes in Bangladesh. This paper begins with a conceptual analysis of democratic governance and then identifies some of its key elements. This paper explains the state of democratic governance in Bangladesh in terms of some key themes/elements of democratic governance, which include developing democratic institutions and processes, strengthening electoral and legislative systems, improving access to justice by ensuring separation of powers, promoting citizen participation, accountability, transparency, promoting democratic values, and respect for human rights.&nbsp; </em></p> <p><em>The study demonstrates that democratic governance in Bangladesh have been impeded by a number of factors, such as authoritative behavior of the government, lack of political commitment and consensus, absence of independent judiciary, absence of independent electorate, lack of accountability of elected and appointed government officials, lack of democratic practices within political parties, lack of participation or engagement of citizens in political process, and widespread corruption. Finally, the paper recommends for reforming the electoral system, reforming judiciary, reforming the constitution for holding inclusive elections, changing the mindsets of political leaders for holding dialogues to promote democratic atmosphere, and reforming the political institutions to promote transparency, accountability and responsiveness in all branches of government.</em></p>

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