Pranab Kumar Panday Libri

Focusing on urbanization and poverty, this book explores slum development initiatives in South Asia, particularly Bangladesh, through the lens of global upgrading efforts. It examines various aspects of urban poverty and highlights best practices for slum development while addressing the challenges faced in implementing these programs. By providing insights for governments and development partners, it aims to inform strategies that enhance living conditions for slum dwellers and effectively reduce urban poverty.

Focusing on the impact of institutional reforms, this volume examines the dynamics of gender-related policies and the roles of various actors in enhancing women's political participation in Bangladesh. It highlights the significance of the 1997 Local Government Act, which reserved one-third of seats for women in local government, marking a pivotal shift in political engagement. The discussion is framed by the commitments made during the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women, exploring the necessity and context of these reforms and their effects on women's roles in local governance.

This book provides an analysis of the urban government system in Bangladesh, focusing on its upper tier, the City Corporation (CC), and the institutional and legal frameworks within which it operates. Along with a discussion of the scale and magnitude of urbanization, the book presents a comprehensive analysis of the reform agendas of CCs including their functional assignments, local political leadership, local control over administration and service delivery, local fiscal autonomy and local financial management, and local participation and accountability mechanisms. Very few efforts have been taken to analyze the comprehensive reform agenda required to make the CCs effectively discharge their duties and responsibilities in the context of Bangladesh. This book therefore not only fills this gap in the literature, but also provides recommendations on each reform agenda.