Pattern and Performance of Rural Leadership in Bangladesh

Abstract

The challenges in rural areas are increasing in frequency, with complexity, and intensity, requiring the need for effective rural leadership that is practical and capable of addressing multifaceted issues. Rural leadership is a principal means of developing capacity building for rural development. This leadership is serving as an effective device for mobilizing and organizing villagers to achieve development. Rural leaders are also innovators, carriers of new ideas, norms and values to the rural people. Bangladesh is a developing country, which is socially committed to achieving different goals where leadership can play very important role. Moreover, a large number of people are backward and longing for development which has made leadership more unavoidable. Leadership is viewed in this study not as a set of individual skills alone, nor simply as a particular role in the local authority but rather as a set of social processes of influencing and motivating individuals and groups and of shaping goals and outcomes through influence, persuasion and negotiation. Leadership in this study has been conceptualized to cover the formal leaders the individuals, occupying a position with a status which confers on them the right to take decisions, exercise authority, initiate action and direct or control the activities. In the context of the present study, the researcher has followed the positional approach to identify rural leaders. So, by rural leaders we have meant the elected chairmen and the members of UPs of Bangladesh. UP is the grassroot level local government institution in Bangladesh. The chairmen and the members are directly elected by the people in UPs on the basis of universal adult franchise. They have not only the legal recognition but also sufficient prestige and influence in the rural areas. The government considers them as a liaison between the masses on the one hand and the government agencies on the other. At UP most of the development works are being carried out by them. In fact, leadership of these UPs is expected to play a vital role in the successful implementation of the development programs aimed to ensure equity and social justice. For the crucial importance of these elected leaders in the development programs, it becomes necessary to see what sort of people assume leadership role in these parishads and how seriously they take up their responsibilities of building UP as a viable local government unit. Considering these circumstances, we have attempted to raise some research questions in this study i.e., who are the people emerging as leaders of UP? From which section of the society do they come? What socio-economic traits help them attain them f position? What is the level of performance of leaders at UP? How much the performance of leaders depends upon their pattern? Which factors are hindering Rural Leaders in playing vital role at UP? What are the ways to diagnose weak performance of Rural Leaders at UP? All these questions are pertinent and imperative to the discussion of pattern and performance of rural leadership. Following the research questions, the main objective of this study is to know the pattern and the performance of rural leadership, through comparative discussion among the different UPs. So, that we can see whether or not, and to what extent, Rural Leadership has emerged as a catalytic agent of development and as an instrument for social change to build it as a viable local government unit. For this study both primary and secondary sources of data have been applied. Before this an intensive literature review has been carried out in mid-2010 aiming to summarize the state of existing knowledge and identify the gaps. Following the literature review, a field action plan has been taken for collecting data. Field data have been collected from six UPs in mid-2011 at Mithapukur Upazila in the district of Rangpur. Both qualitative as well as quantitative approaches have been used to carry out the research. Structured and semi-structured questionnaire have been used for quantitative analysis. Content and record analysis, in-depth interview with key informant, and FGD methods have been used for qualitative analysis. A total 378 respondents have been interviewed in different locations. I have spent many hours with some leaders discussing their own problems at work as well as what they feel to the problems of rural people with possible solution. At the stage of analysis both quantitative and qualitative findings have been appropriately incorporated. This study is divided into eleven chapters. First, we have explained our research methodology, used in the study to know the detailed framework of the unit of analysis, data gathering techniques, sampling focuses and its interpretation strategies and analysis plan. Second, we have presented theoretical conceptualization about leadership, rural leadership, and UP to develop a significant conceptual framework for analyses. Third, we have described socio-economic background of rural leaders to ascertain their position in the hierarchy of social system as an index of changing power-structure within the social system. Fourth, we have illustrated political background of rural leaders by studying the process of political socialization, political participation, political recruitment, political affiliation and political aspiration. Fifth, we have depicted the level of political knowledge of rural leaders to enhance their confidence and skill, to improve their capacity and to learn, innovate and share knowledge and expertise. Sixth, we have specified the level of political communication of leaders with the development actors to know the process by which rural leaders can transmit public welfare relevant information from one part of local political system to another, so that they can work together to mitigate the local problems. Seventh, we have highlighted the political culture of rural leaders to ascertain the views of leaders on the working of UP, performance of leaders, their willingness to sacrifice for the cause of people and the degree of their devotion to the cause of local government and community development. Eighth, we have assessed the performance of rural leaders to quantify their progress toward maintenance of goals and objectives and to make them more effective at UP in Bangladesh. Ninth, we have focused on comparative discussion between the pattern and performance of rural leaders of different UPs to find out whether there is any relation or not. If positive, then how many areas and how much strong relationship exist between them. Tenth, we have traced the constraints faced by rural leaders in functioning at UP. Eleventh, we have presented key findings, recommendations and conclusion of the study. The findings have revealed that there are manifold problems to the pattern of rural leadership. Firstly, the study has found that most of leaders are with the age group of 31-40 years, illiterate or near illiterate and occupationally engaged in agriculture with the ownership of small size of land. Most of them belong to middle size nuclear family with Semi-Pucca house. Secondly, Outcome of the survey has revealed that a very low percentage of rural leadership are aware of the key issues of UP i.e., knowledge of village court, standing committee, development project, resource mobilization, women empowerment, participatory budgeting etc. Thirdly, findings of the survey has disclosed that the communication level of rural leaders with the main actors of UP (communication with Electorate, MP, UZC, UNO, UEO, USWO, PIO, NGO Officials, Civil Society and Local Journalists) is very low. Fourthly, through this research we find that the nature of political culture of rural leaders is not so good. Most of leaders are not serious to attend at UP meetings, to pay their household tax, to involve with social organization, to communicate with their stakeholders etc. Fifthly, by measuring their performance it is found that the performance of rural leaders is not sound. Based on these findings this research has recommended many things to overcome the barriers. These are to increase the awe mess of leaders about their assigned role and responsibilities; to enhance mass awareness by campaigning in various forms like electronic media, print media, poster, using local dish media etc.; to increase the communication level of leaders with the main actors of UP by launching various programs like get-together, seminar, meetings, training etc.; to disseminate political affiliation, political linkage, political professionalism, political socialization, political development etc., among the leaders and to engage GO & NGO bodies, political parties, political leaders, pressure groups, rural elite members of civil society etc., to these activities. In this study we have seen the most of leaders try to build their political career on the basis of people's needs. They avoid their other leadership qualities which is indispensable for them. An analysis in this context will help us assess the extent of rural leadership capability to meet the demand of a developing society like Bangladesh, characterized by widespread poverty and sharp inequality.