Factors affecting inter-organisational coordination: a case of policy implementation in rural Bangladesh

ABSTRACT

This article explores factors affecting coordination among actors involved in policy implementation at the upazila level in Bangladesh. Based on qualitative studies in 2009 and 2016, it suggests that inter-organisational coordination has been problematic at the upazila level due to the lack of use of both formal and informal procedures of coordination. Delayed execution, lack of quality, and wastage of resources are significant symptoms of when coordination of policy implementation is lacking among implementing actors. The article argues that formal procedures are required in combination with informal procedures to ensure better coordination.

KEYWORDS:

• Governance and public policy
• South Asia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

A.H.M. Kamrul Ahsan is an Associate Professor of Public Administration in the University of Rajshahi. He has a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Rajshahi, an M.Phil from the University of Bergen, Norway, and is currently undertaking his PhD at the University of Rajshahi. His research interests include local government, electoral behaviour, public policy, and environmental health.

Notes

1 Upazila is one of the tiers of field administration in Bangladesh. On average, each upazila consists of nine unions, and a population of around 0.3 million live in an area of 320 square kilometres of an Upazila. An upazila is run by a council called Upazila Parishad, which is headed by a chairman and composed of different categories and number of members: two vice-chairmen – one male and one female; chairmen of all union parishads, mayor of Pourashava (if there are any within the upazila territory); and one third of women members of union parishads and Pourashava (if any), elected from reserved seats. The chairman and vice-chairmen of the Upazila Parishad are elected by universal adult franchise. The Upazila Nirbahi Officer serves as secretary of the Upazila Parishad but is not accountable to it.

2 UNO is the Chief Executive Officer, who belongs to the administration cadre of Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS), a junior level civil servant and senior assistant secretary in status. LGED is a department with a pivotal role in rural infrastructure development; it works at upazila level under the control and guidance of the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives.

3 Union Parishad is the lowest tier of local government in Bangladesh.

4 Civil servants who belong to administration cadre of the Bangladesh Civil Service and have a general understanding on all matters are known as generalists (upazila level generalist is known as UNO). Civil servants who belong to different cadres and have specialisation in a particular field of knowledge like medicine, agriculture, engineering and so on are known as specialists (at upazila level specialist officials are UAO, ULO, UFO, UH&FPO, etc.).