Good Governance in Rural Development: A Case Study on a Selected Government Project

Abstract

Rural development programmes and projects aim at improving the quality of life of the rural people. Improvement in the quality of life depends on increased productivity and income which include regular employment of landless or near landless section of rural populace. For this it needs a comprehensive policy guideline. Moreover, it needs a sound governance system to achieve objectives set for rural uplift. This research study explores the governance system in rural development programmes and projects which are being implemented under Bangladesh Rural Development Board (BRDB). The study reveals that all the programmes and projects are designed on the basis of top-down approach. But at the implementation stage, there is very close provision for involvement of target group people at field level. Taking a government run rural development project as the case study, this research study deeply explores project design approach and governance system. It finds that policy, programmes and projects are taken by the choice of policy makers in the name of target people, especially rural poor people who have nothing to do regarding project acceptance or rejection. But they have to accept it willingly or unwillingly. At the stage of decision making, the first step of project formulation, the target people have no scope for participation. However, the study quests for good governance focusing participation and accountability in the rural development project. The study reveals that there is lack of good governance in term of participation and accountability. Participation by stakeholders’ especially rural poor people, the target group of the project, is almost absent in every sphere except in the stage of implementation of the project activities. Although there is a provision for participation of the beneficiary group, it is not functioning properly. The rural development project, Rural Livelihood Project (RLP), is a cooperative based rural development project. The main objective of this project is to alleviate poverty through sustainable income generation and employment creation in the agriculture and non-agriculture sectors of the target people. The project was on track earlier. But now it is deviated from the track due to lack of good governance. The activities of the project are now stagnant except providing micro-credit only to its members of the primary societies. It cannot ensure accountability due to lack of participation by the stakeholders. It is happening owing to various governance problems. For example, the project coordinating committees situated at upazila and district levels are not functioning at all. For the last one decade, no meeting of upazila coordinating committee of Puthia upazila is held which is supposed to be held at least one meeting with the time interval of two months. Training programme which is considered as vibrant tool of the project has been suspended for long due to shortage of funds. Training is meant a way of participation, communication and it can ensure accountability through skill development as well as awareness creation. However, the managing committees of the primary societies as well as central cooperative association are not functioning properly. A six-member managing committee of primary societies is responsible to run these samabaya samities properly. But it is not happening due to lack of good governance particularly participation. Members of the primary societies are not interested to participate at different meetings. On the other hand, a 12-member managing committee of central cooperative association is in fact ineffective. Among the 12 members, 8 members are government nominated and most of them do not know about their membership. So, it appears that there is lack of participation as well as accountability in term of responsibilities of the stakeholders in the rural development project. In conclusion, the study puts some recommendations to ensure good governance particularly participation and accountability to achieve the objectives set for rural development. It makes suggestions including restructuring the managing committee of central cooperative association and vibrating it. The coordinating committees should be effective for reviving the project activities. Last but not the least participation of target people should be ensured in different capacities with the project activities and it is considered that it will ensure accountability.