This study examined the interaction of religion and politics in Bangladesh in light of the hypothesis that the nature of the particular process of Islamization of the state of Bangladesh, leading to its present semi-Islamic status, has been a function of three independent variables: the specific nature of Islam in the society; the configuration of political interests; and the international environment. The study found that the semi-Islamic status of the state in Bangladesh achieved under military rule is a consequence more of the manipulation of Islam by the military for the sake of legitimacy and of the influence of the Middle East, particularly the flow of remittances, rather than changes in the value orientation of the people of Bangladesh.

No description available.

In rural Bangladesh people drink water from an estimated 10-11 million tube wells, many with arsenic concentrations well above the national standard of 50µg/L. Characteristic skin lesions and more serious health effects are probable. The research reported here was designed to determine the relation between arsenic concentration and skin lesions on hands and feet controlling for education, use of tube well water, protein consumption and body mass index (BMI). The investigation included a well survey, a prevalence survey and a nested case-referent analysis. Studies were conducted in two villages (population 11670) in northern Bangladesh. In the well survey 1509 wells in use were identified and measurements of arsenic concentration made in 1422 (94%). Three estimates were made for each well, which yielded correlation among repeats = 0.93. The overall median was 47mg/L and the highest recorded 1760 mg/L. Paramedics examined soles and palms of 11087 individuals for skin lesions and identified 168 cases (1.5%). In the third phase, cases (over 16 years) were matched by age, gender and village to referents (target of 3) without skin lesions. Cases and referents were interviewed about protein in diet, use of well water, education and residential history. Conditional logistic regression was used to assess the effects of arsenic concentration, controlling for confounders. Subjects with lesions had a higher median concentration (250µg/L) than those without (47µg/L). Prevalence increased with both age and arsenic concentration, reaching 26.7% in those over 50 years of age and >500 µg/L. Of the 160 cases (≥16 years) 137 were interviewed, 127 with arsenic concentration measured in well water, together with their 504 referents. Cases were somewhat more likely to have lived in the villages throughout their lives and less likely to report using tube well water for cooking. The final model confirmed the high risk of lesions associated with arsenic concentrations. Using ≤50µg/L for comparison, an odds ratio of 15.2 (95%CI 7.2-32.2) was observed for those using tube wells with concentrations >500 µg/L, adjusting for use of tube well water in cooking and lifetime residence in the villages. The results from this research provide continuing support for the use of 50µg/L as a useful national standard. While the enforcement of this standard has immediate value, it cannot be considered final without comparable information on more serious health risks.

The poor in most developing countries are persistently marginalised in their living conditions, including their access to safe drinking water. The research objectives have been (1) to better understand why this state of affairs has endured despite decades of efforts and interventions, and (2) to propose more adequate alternatives. The central case study was concerned with drinking water in rural Bangladesh ?? a matter of grave urgency since the discovery of arsenic in the groundwater more than a decade ago. Millions of users are exposed to dangerous levels of contamination, and the implementation of solutions has been slow and inadequate. Little has been done so far to integrate the research on this complex humanitarian crisis. Many have argued that conventional views on development are ill-equipped to address the ??growing gap?? between rich and poor; the models often fail to interpret inequity beyond mere financial indicators. This thesis therefore puts forward a different analytical framework (based on the theoretical concepts of core-periphery and capital stock). This was designed to increase our understanding of marginalisation by taking into account unequal ownership of, entitlement to, and control over, ecological, technological, organisational and human assets. Through an action research methodology, this analytical framework was informed by a participatory programme that established safe drinking water supplies in several poor and arsenic-affected villages. The learning experience was then fed back into the programme. This pragmatic approach was also systemic, i.e., it emphasised the community level, which was framed within the context of external influences, various other programmes and national policies. This resulted in a clarification of the problem in terms of (1) lack of ownership of community land, resources, drinking water institutions and technical knowledge; (2) restricted access to (non-) governmental services and benefits from public or collective assets; and (3) exclusion from decision-making in new water sector developments. It was concluded that alternative strategies need to focus on vesting ownership, entitlement and control in marginalised communities. The steps to achieve this will have far-reaching ramifications for how organisations, policymakers and funding agencies perceive and plan development projects. The analytical and methodological approach of this thesis is relevant to other cases of marginalisation in different socio-economic contexts.

The poor in most developing countries are persistently marginalised in their living conditions, including their access to safe drinking water. The research objectives have been (1) to better understand why this state of affairs has endured despite decades of efforts and interventions, and (2) to propose more adequate alternatives. The central case study was concerned with drinking water in rural Bangladesh ?? a matter of grave urgency since the discovery of arsenic in the groundwater more than a decade ago. Millions of users are exposed to dangerous levels of contamination, and the implementation of solutions has been slow and inadequate. Little has been done so far to integrate the research on this complex humanitarian crisis. Many have argued that conventional views on development are ill-equipped to address the ??growing gap?? between rich and poor; the models often fail to interpret inequity beyond mere financial indicators. This thesis therefore puts forward a different analytical framework (based on the theoretical concepts of core-periphery and capital stock). This was designed to increase our understanding of marginalisation by taking into account unequal ownership of, entitlement to, and control over, ecological, technological, organisational and human assets. Through an action research methodology, this analytical framework was informed by a participatory programme that established safe drinking water supplies in several poor and arsenic-affected villages. The learning experience was then fed back into the programme. This pragmatic approach was also systemic, i.e., it emphasised the community level, which was framed within the context of external influences, various other programmes and national policies. This resulted in a clarification of the problem in terms of (1) lack of ownership of community land, resources, drinking water institutions and technical knowledge; (2) restricted access to (non-) governmental services and benefits from public or collective assets; and (3) exclusion from decision-making in new water sector developments. It was concluded that alternative strategies need to focus on vesting ownership, entitlement and control in marginalised communities. The steps to achieve this will have far-reaching ramifications for how organisations, policymakers and funding agencies perceive and plan development projects. The analytical and methodological approach of this thesis is relevant to other cases of marginalisation in different socio-economic contexts.

Megacities of over 10 million population are a phenomenon not seen before in human history. Among 19 Megacities, 14 are in developing countries and 11 are in Asia. Dhaka represents one of the most extreme examples of rapid Megacity growth having a mere 129,000 at the start of the 20th century, 417,000 by 1950 and more than 12 million in 2001. How can a city be governed that has increased 30 times in size over a person’s lifetime? This thesis makes a case for integrated Metropolitan Regional Governance (MRG) of the Extended Metropolitan Region of Dhaka. The growing problems of Asian Megacities in general and Dhaka in particular are outlined, showing how governance has developed in a sectoral and national way rather than being place oriented. This has fractured and become totally inadequate as a means of solving the deep environmental, social and economic problems of the Megacity. The governance issues of Megacities are traced to the primary problem of the need for integrative functions in strategic and statutory planning as well as development facilitation of the Extended Metropolitan Region (EMR). Ten core principles of Metropolitan Regional Governance are established. Without this, the Megacity’s functions of infrastructure, investment, housing, environmental management, employment etc. are not coordinated or prioritised in ways that lead to ‘common good’ sustainability outcomes. The ten principles are applied to four Asian Megacities – Metro-Manila, Tokyo, Bangkok and Jakarta – to confirm their relevance and application before applying them to Dhaka. The problems of Dhaka are outlined then an analysis of Dhaka governance options is attempted based on the ten core principles of MRG. Four possibilities are analysed and a way forward is suggested combining the options. The proposed structure will build on the present system with greater responsibilities for strategic planning, statutory planning and development facilitation. It will also build up municipalities through a more transparent and engaged local planning process and create partnerships for infrastructure development. The proposed governance structure would use the dynamism of the Megacity to create sustainable solutions and hope for the future of the city. The key to implementation will be finding the political solution to make such painful change, and training professionals in the broad integrative skills of urban sustainability and community engagement that are required for the region as well as the participation and partnership skills at local level.

Texte remanié de: Th. Ph. D.--Anthropol.--Maxwell school of Syracuse university, 1987. / Bibliogr. p. 191-198. Index.

The purpose of this thesis research was to understand the recovery and resilience of wetland-community to flash flood disasters and its associated risks in the north-eastern part of Bangladesh. I conducted my study using a case study approach following an interdisciplinary research paradigm. It was found that wetland-community is extremely vulnerable to flash flood hazards - both in biophysical and social terms. However, they possess certain coping thresholds, and are resilient to disaster losses. The adaptive capacity of the local communities has been severely curbed by a number of socio-ecological, economic, and political factors, leading to natural resource degradation, marginalization and exclusion of the poor from common pool resources by powerful groups. Response capacities of local institutions were severely constrained by their limited relative autonomy. For building resilience, i) effective management and access of the poor to natural resources, and ii) enhancing autonomy of local institutions are required. / February 2016

AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF MOHAMMAD DELWAR HOSSAIN, for the Master of Arts degree in Media Theory & Research, presented on May 7, 2010 at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. TITLE: FRAMING THE LIBERATION WAR OF BANGLADESH IN THE U.S. AND U.K. MEDIA: A CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE NEW YORK TIMES AND THE TIMES (LONDON) MAJOR PROFESSOR: Dr. Uche Onyebadi This study examined the framing of the liberation war of Bangladesh in the New York Times and the Times (London). To comprehensively look at the framing, the tones and sources of news in the newspapers have also been studied. The results suggest that both newspapers used three frames most frequently: military-conflict frame, prognostic frame and human interest frame. The findings also show that both newspapers published news stories with more neutral tone than positive and negative tones. The New York Times and the Times (London) relied mostly on official sources as the primary sources in publishing news. The present study is not only the first research on the framing of the liberation war of Bangladesh by the international print media but also a systematic research on the area. Therefore, this study is expected to open up ways of understanding the role of the international print media, especially in the U.S. and U.K., about the war. This study is also a major contribution in the field of framing research and more broadly in understanding how newspapers frame wars in their reports.

Targeting the ultra poor (TUP) is an integrated, grant-based, anti-poverty intervention in rural Bangladesh. It combines productive asset grants (mainly livestock), confidence building, enterprise training, healthcare, cash and social security support for protecting the ultra poor's consumption, promoting their wealth accumulation and preventing the negative effects of illness. This thesis examines TUP's effects on health (i.e., physical, behavioural, psychological and promotional) and well-being (i.e., food consumption) of ultra poor people. It analyses the impact dynamics (i.e., short-, medium- and long-terms) of health and well-being, food consumption vulnerability to shocks and TUP's differential effects on well-being. The thesis examines these issues constructing a more reliable matched panel from the BRAC's original balanced panel dataset, which is quasi-experimental in nature. The estimates using conditional difference-in-difference (DID) approach with household fixed effects indicate that TUP has had beneficial effects on health and well-being including reduced illness, healthcare sought from modern practitioners, self-reported health improvements, clean water, safer sanitation and improvements in overall wellbeing. However, these health outcomes are not sustained in the long-term (even decay) because of the program design and the lack of household preferences to maintain and invest in health outcomes (e.g. sanitation). In contrast, findings confirm the long-term beneficial effects on well-being. It also suggests the use of BRAC's original sample may lead to a downward bias in TUP's impact assessment on health and well-being as it does not adequately control for the differences in initial conditions among the treatment and control households. Analysis reveals that both health and non-health shocks are prevalent to ultra poor households and are associated with their food consumption vulnerability. However, TUP smooths food consumption through direct and indirect mitigating effects. The results also suggest that being a TUP household improves access to NGOs for shock-induced borrowing. However, food consumption insurance role does come at the cost of production efficiency. Further empirical investigation using the quantile treatment effects (QTE) and the conditional quantile difference-in-difference (QDID) approaches point to a minor differential effect on well-being in the medium- and long-terms. Finally, the QDID approach shows that though TUP works best for the poorest of the ultra poor, it impacts well-being positively from the lower to the upper tail of the food consumption distribution. Therefore, estimation methods used to the matched panel confirm a positive and lasting impact of TUP on food consumption, which supports the extreme poverty-alleviating effects of TUP in rural Bangladesh.