Bangladesh governance reforms: Citizen engagement and accountable policymaking

In August 2024, after public protests, the government led by ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was replaced by an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus. The interim government wants to prioritize political, institutional and social reforms before Bangladesh elects its next government and has expressed favourable views towards contributions from civil society during the reform process.

This project engages directly with concerns about policymaking under the former government and will propose options for reforms to support the country’s political transition to an accountable, inclusive and democratic government. The project will conduct a pulse survey to develop insights on public perceptions of trust and accountability with a focus on youth and women’s participation in politics and policy reforms. Additional surveys will focus on unemployment and insights from public perceptions about the reform process. Finally, the project will produce a state of government report and policy reform insights, through an analysis of historical data, ethnographic approaches and comparative country case studies.

The research outcomes will bring contributions from the people of Bangladesh and develop strategies for civil society actors to contribute to reforms in political systems, institutions and local governance.