This article assesses the effectiveness of the employment generation programme for the poorest (EGPP) and its impact on ensuring employment opportunities and employability of targeted beneficiaries in rural areas in Bangladesh. In particular, it examines the appropriateness of targeted beneficiaries, selection, and the impact of the programme on changing their livelihood and economic indicators. Respondents were selected from 12 unions of four districts of the Chattogram division, and data were collected using the interview method and key informant interview. First, the findings suggest that accurately selecting beneficiaries and households was a challenging task owing to inappropriate wage rates, social context and political influences. Besides, misappropriation of the selection process of beneficiaries is one of the main concerns of this programme. Second, the EGPP has improved the income levels of a significant number of beneficiaries and made a positive impact on their certain basic needs and livelihood indicators. Despite drawbacks in the implementation, the study concludes that the provision of adequate measures of employment generation programmes based on equity and geographical demands will notably contribute to ensuring the employability of the unemployed and marginalised sections of the country.
The study analyzes the underlying reasons and ensuing consequences of Chattogram city's development in Bangladesh, which diverges from the principles of sustainable development. This research employs mixed-method approaches incorporating primary data to achieve its objectives. The primary data is based on a survey, interview, the author's experience, and participatory observation in Chattogram city. Furthermore, it critically examines the existing literature to develop a theoretical understanding of Chattogram city's sustainable development and its sustainable environmental nexus.The results indicate that the expansion of Chattogram city's urbanization and industrialization is proceeding at a rapid pace; however, it is occurring in an uncoordinated and unsustainable manner that neglects environmental protection. Consequently, the city's development falls short of aligning with environmental sustainability and is liable to induce negative ramifications on the environment, human health, biodiversity, and climate. The study pinpoints several factors contributing to environmental degradation, including environmental mismanagement, non-existence of a master plan, environmental illiteracy, absence of carbon emission objectives, and haphazard industrialization and urbanization. Importantly, the issue has been exacerbated due to the inadequate focus on sustainability in the developmental process. Therefore, the findings of this research indicate that a sustainable development perspective is required to comprehend and address the issue of environmental degradation in Chattogram city. In addition, the comprehensive sustainable development strategy and policy recommendations proposed in this study are likely to be efficacious in curbing environmental degradation in Chattogram and other developing cities.
The article aims to assess the governance of the social safety net programme in Bangladesh. The data were collected from the beneficiaries and stakeholders of the employment generation programme for the poorest scheme of the government of Bangladesh. A total of 150 respondents were selected randomly, and data and information were collected using a structured questionnaire for interviews and a guideline for focus group discussions. The analysis shows that beneficiaries and stakeholders of the programme are mostly satisfied with the quality and timeliness of work, beneficiaries selection and benefits distribution process, but many respondents expressed their dissatisfaction with monitoring and wage rates. Furthermore, the research reveals several factors that contribute to establishing poor governance, such as weak monitoring, absenteeism, proxy work and inappropriate project selection. The finding suggests that it is necessary to make local-level institutions fully operational, determine district-wise wage rates and enhance the monitoring process to achieve the programme objectives.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.