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Abstract
This comprehensive analysis examines President Ziaur Rahman's approach to institution building for rural development in Bangladesh during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The article explores the conceptual framework and practical implementation of Zia's vision for transforming rural Bangladesh through the establishment of effective institutions. The research investigates the creation and evolution of key rural development institutions including the Bangladesh Rural Development Board (BRDB), the Swanirvar Bangladesh movement, and various local government structures. The study analyzes how these institutions were designed to address fundamental challenges in rural areas, including poverty alleviation, agricultural development, infrastructure improvement, and community empowerment. The article assesses the institutional mechanisms for popular participation in development planning and implementation at the grassroots level. The research also examines the integration of traditional community structures with modern development administration and evaluates the effectiveness of Zia's institutional approach in achieving sustainable rural transformation. Furthermore, the analysis considers the legacy of these institutional innovations and their impact on subsequent rural development strategies in Bangladesh.
Full Text
President Ziaur Rahman's approach to rural development represented a significant departure from previous models, with this article providing a detailed examination of the institutional frameworks he established to transform rural Bangladesh. The research begins by contextualizing Zia's rural development strategy within the broader historical background of development approaches in Bangladesh, including colonial administrative legacies and post-independence experiments. The analysis explores the philosophical foundations of Zia's rural development vision, examining how his military background, nationalist ideology, and development thinking shaped his institutional approach. The article investigates the establishment and evolution of key rural development institutions, including the comprehensive restructuring of the Bangladesh Rural Development Board and its innovative two-tier cooperative system. The study examines the Swanirvar (self-reliance) movement as both a philosophical orientation and an institutional mechanism for mobilizing rural communities and resources. The research analyzes the decentralization reforms that strengthened local government institutions, particularly the Upazila system that would later become a cornerstone of local governance in Bangladesh. The article assesses how these institutional innovations addressed specific rural challenges, including agricultural productivity enhancement, rural infrastructure development, cottage industry promotion, and human capital formation. The study investigates the mechanisms for popular participation in rural development, examining how traditional social structures were integrated with modern administrative systems. The research evaluates the implementation challenges faced by these new institutions, including bureaucratic resistance, resource constraints, and coordination difficulties. The analysis examines the outcomes of Zia's institutional approach, considering both quantitative indicators of rural development and qualitative assessments of institutional effectiveness. Based on the comprehensive assessment, the article considers the legacy of Zia's institution-building efforts and their influence on subsequent rural development policies in Bangladesh. The findings provide valuable insights into how institutional innovation can drive rural transformation in developing countries and contribute to understanding the relationship between political leadership, institutional design, and development outcomes.