Overview
- Goes beyond treating NGOs as the only CSOs and considers all types of traditional, conventional, and modern associations and organizations to broadly assess their influence on development and democracy in a developing country like Bangladesh
- Targets, professors, researchers, and students who are interested in civil society in Bangladesh, South Asia, and other areas
- Serves as a text and resource book for courses in South Asia, development, and civil Society as well as for research
Part of the book series: New Frontiers in Regional Science: Asian Perspectives (NFRSASIPER, volume 46)
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About this book
This book is the first of its kind to offer an understanding, analysis, and prediction of the state of civil society in Bangladesh in relation to development and democracy. It is a research attempt to reveal the paradox found in developing countries like Bangladesh where there are numerous and active civil society organizations (CSOs) that have had almost no influence in consolidating democracy. This book, however, also qualifies the normative assumption on the positive relationship between civil society and democracy asserted by the mainstream neo-Tocquevillean School that has a profound influence on donor policies. Readers are introduced to civil society in Bangladesh from a broad perspective. Rather than confining the analysis to NGOs, chapters explore the origin, nature, and function of both modern and conventional CSOs, which helps to provide a more authentic understanding of the genuine state of civil society in relation to other actors in the political system. Combining survey data analyses and empirical observations with carefully chosen case studies, the book reveals that CSOs participate very actively in social services. This research also reveals that these highly active CSOs in the field of social development lack the necessary attributes for ensuring participation, proper interest articulation and monitoring of the state. Through systematic analysis, the book shows that political structures—and for Bangladesh, particularly political parties—along with vertical social relationships such as clientelism, patronage, nepotism, and corruption have contributed to a non-vigilant civil society in Bangladesh, although it often is spoken of in different terms. This book is highly recommended for researchers, students, and development practitioners interested in South Asia as well as in understanding the potentials and limitations of civil society in relation to development and democracy.
Farhat Tasnim's book is a comprehensive treatment of civil society in Bangladesh. It will serve as a useful resource for future researchers in this field for a long time to come.
Harry Blair, Yale University, USA
Farhat Tasnim provides in this book a new perspective on one of the essential cases of civil society study, Bangladesh. Her penetrating analysis of the relationship of civil society organizations and democracy in Bangladesh should attract a wide readership. This is an important book not only for students of Bangladesh, but for scholars and practitioners interested in the relationship of civil society organizations and democracy.
Robert J. Pekkanen, University of Washington, USA
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Keywords
Table of contents (7 chapters)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Farhat Tasnim is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. She received her Ph.D from the University of Tsukuba, Japan and was awarded the Japan Society for Promotion of Science Foreign Scholars Fellowship to conduct post-doctoral research at the same university. Her research interest covers, civil society, community participation, democracy and sustainable development. She contributed research articles and book reviews in refereed journals by leading publishers. Professor Tasnim supervises graduate students, mostly in the field of civil society, governance and democracy and offers courses in International Politics, Political Theory, Civil Society and NGOs, Social Research Methodology at Graduate and Post-graduate levels.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Civil Society in Bangladesh
Book Subtitle: Vibrant but Not Vigilant
Authors: Farhat Tasnim
Series Title: New Frontiers in Regional Science: Asian Perspectives
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-33-4404-4
Publisher: Springer Singapore
eBook Packages: Political Science and International Studies, Political Science and International Studies (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-33-4403-7Published: 14 February 2021
Softcover ISBN: 978-981-33-4406-8Published: 14 February 2022
eBook ISBN: 978-981-33-4404-4Published: 13 February 2021
Series ISSN: 2199-5974
Series E-ISSN: 2199-5982
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XXVI, 187
Number of Illustrations: 2 b/w illustrations, 13 illustrations in colour
Topics: Public Policy, Democracy, Asian Politics, Development and Social Change, Regional/Spatial Science