The <i>mohol</i>: The hidden power structure of Bangladesh local politics

Ruud, Arild Engelsen

doi:10.1177/0069966720914055

Cited by 13 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…In addition, the participation of a significant number of women in the CMC is disrespectful to the traditional "Samaj" system, which is characterized by a patriarchal structure that makes it difficult for women's opinions to be taken into consideration (Devine andWhite 2013, Masud-All-Kamal andNursey-Bray 2021). It is extremely difficult for (poor) women to be sustained as a collective or to become "change agents" (Huang 2017) because of social inequality and power structures in rural communities dominated by wealthy male elites and patron-client relationships (Karim 2011, Dewan et al 2014, Ruud 2020. Without taking any measures to improve women's ability to contribute to CMCs, their engagement will merely lead to "participatory exclusion" (Agarwal 2001(Agarwal :1623.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although women cannot remain a collective or become "change agents" (Huang 2017), co-management adopts the same "counter-elite tactic" as other community-based projects (Wong 2010). In rural areas, affluent male elites and patron-client connections reduce the effectiveness of addressing disadvantaged women (Karim 2011, Dewan et al 2014, Ruud 2020). As a result, no upper-class community member is ready to cooperate with "poor women" or participate in female-led projects (Sultana 2014, White 2017).…”

Section: Co-management Success May Be Hindered By Disregarding Local ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluating co-management in the Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh: success and limitations from local forest users’ perspectives

Siddique,

Hossain,

Rashid

et al. 2024

E&S

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The relatively rapid expansion of protected areas (PAs) has outpaced their effective governance, monitoring, and evaluation processes, resulting in a knowledge gap, particularly in relation to the impact and efficacy of co-managed protected areas in conserving biodiversity globally. Bangladesh, like numerous other nations, is expanding its existing co-management model to incorporate additional PAs while simultaneously making only limited modifications to the management of these protected areas. Evaluations, however, are relatively rare throughout the world, including Bangladesh, despite their potential to improve PA quality and effectiveness. The purpose of this article is to examine current co-management practices at two sites in Bangladesh's Sundarbans to identify significant challenges and the efficacy of co-management initiatives through the establishment of a novel evaluative framework. The primary empirical data collection methods included key informant interviews, stakeholder consultation in focus group discussions, and uncontrolled personal observation. Despite significant progress in terms of policy and legislative reforms, many issues remained unattended, such as a goal of balancing conservation and development, increasing locals' say in decision making, access to resources, and establishing strong institutions. This addition is believed to aid in reconciling the local community and the government. We also need to give more weight to such things as accounting and transparency, income diversification, and showing respect for preexisting social norms. The problems raised in this article are thought to be significant in bridging the gap between management plans and actual management of PAs, not just in Bangladesh but also in other regions of the world that use co-management to achieve sustainability.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Co-management Success May Be Hindered By Disregarding Local ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating co-management in the Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh: success and limitations from local forest users’ perspectives

Siddique,

Hossain,

Rashid

et al. 2024

E&S

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“…According to Ref. [97], adopting participatory conservation projects has resulted in the emergence of new organizations that "fight" for the financial incentives derived from these resources.…”

Section: Salient Issues and Challenges Of Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some NGOs are bypassing local institutions to form communities, and in doing so, they try to involve female participants but ignore the class-based, hierarchical, and gendered rural unit, locally known as "samaj." The efficacy of focusing on disadvantaged women is limited by class divisions and power structures in rural areas controlled by wealthy male elites and patron-client interactions [63,97]. Due to hierarchical and gendered societal conventions, persons of the upper stratum of society are unwilling to cooperate with "poor women" or participate in project activities headed by women [98,99].…”

Section: Salient Issues and Challenges Of Sustainabilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

Co-Management Practices by Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) in Selected Coastal Forest Zones of Bangladesh: A Focus on Sustainability

Khan

Choudhury²,

Rashid

et al. 2022

Sustainability

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There has been an upsurge concerning the concept and application of “co-management” in the governance of natural resources in Bangladesh in recent years. Notwithstanding the popularity of co-management, however, the overall approach to implementation has been overtly technical in nature; and there has been limited attention to sustainability dynamics. This article aims to explore aspects policy and practice withinco-management based on several purposely selected cases in the coastal forest zones of Bangladesh. It also identifies the major challenges and issues concerning its sustainability. The lessons generated by this study may be relevant to both policy makers and practitioners. A qualitative research approach was adopted with empirical data collection methods including key informant interviews, focus group discussions, documentary research, and unstructured personal observation. The article begins with a recapitulation of the concept of co-management and its associations with sustainability, followed by an overview of the major co-management practices in Bangladesh. The discussion subsequently raises lessons learned and key issues relating to sustainability, including: the need for sorting out land-related tenurial complications and institutions used in co-management; unequal awareness of the concept of co-management and varying levels of participation of community organizations; the political interface and accountability of co-management institutions; issues of “ownership” at the community level; and the role of “external” support and facilitation. As a recently developed concept and practice, co-management seems to be rapidly taking root and displaying signs of gradual consolidation in Bangladesh. Considerable progress has been made in terms of required policy and legislative reforms, community level institution building, and a degree of change in the mindset of the government agencies to accommodate and nurture co-management. However, numerous issues (e.g., tenurial rights, effective community participation, equity, political dynamics, adequate financial support, accountability, and transparency) still need to be resolved if sustainability is to be fully achieved and satisfy the hopes and needs of local communities both now and in the future.

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“…Their fathers and husbands are former powerful figures and their sons are under grooming to inherit the political structures. Both woman and their families have retained the control of Bangladesh's two leading political parties, the Bangladesh Awami League and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (Hindustan Times, 2013; Ruud, 2020;Basu, Devine & Wood, 2018;Ruud & Mohammad, 2016). In Pakistan, slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was daughter to former President and Prime Minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.…”

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confidence: 99%

Patrons and Clients

Saka

Busari

2023

Comp. Sociol.

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Godfatherism as a phenomenon has been in existence since time immemorial and continues to feature in many human endeavors. It is a sui generis practice that depicts political might, political survival and power sustenance. In Nigeria, it indicates political relevance and significance that guarantees meteoric rise in political careers. This dominant political culture has been sustained by a privileged few that have held sway over the political directions and fortunes within Nigeria’s polity. Drawing case studies from Northern and Southern Nigeria, this study explores the characteristics of presumed godfathers in Nigeria’s political sphere. It details the basic information about godfathers, their ideology, the goals that inform their kind of politics and their primordial engagements with the phenomenon. The study has major policy implications for the seemingly uneven gradation that party politics has assumed in Nigeria.

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The mohol: The hidden power structure of Bangladesh local politics

Cited by 13 publications

References 22 publications

Evaluating co-management in the Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh: success and limitations from local forest users’ perspectives

Evaluating co-management in the Sundarbans mangrove forest of Bangladesh: success and limitations from local forest users’ perspectives

Co-Management Practices by Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) in Selected Coastal Forest Zones of Bangladesh: A Focus on Sustainability

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