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Good governance is now widely recognized as the most important factor for successful development. Bangladesh has done well in terms of economic growth and diversification and various social goals, such as the Millennium Development Goals. However, it suffers from political instability and poor quality of civil administration and could grow faster with improved governance. Analyzing Bangladesh´s governance problems and placing them firmly within a broader international perspective, this book makes a series of policy recommendations to improve governance for faster development; these include switching to proportional election, shortening the government-term, and rationalizing salary and size of the civil service. The book analyzes the prospects of the proposed reforms and suggests strategies for gaining support and implementing them. Although the book focuses on Bangladesh, its policy recommendations are relevant to many other developing countries.

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1. Politics and Governance in Bangladesh
2. Bangladesh Politics: A Brief History
3. Salient Features of Bangladesh Politics
4. Approaches to Improving Bangladesh Politics
5. Proportional Representation as a Way to Stabilize Democracy in Bangladesh
6. Reduction of the Government Term
7. Governance and Civil Service in Bangladesh
8. Salary Rationalization as Key to Effective Civil Administration
9. Prospects of Reforms

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S. Nazrul Islam is Senior Economic Affairs Officer at the Development Policy Analysis Division (DPAD) of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). He has taught economics at Harvard University, USA, Emory University, USA, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Kyushu University, Japan, and made significant contribution to the economics of growth, development, and transition. Over the years, he has written six books on Bangladesh development issues. His other recent publications include Resurgent China: Issues of the Future (2009) and Financing Overcoming Economic Insecurity (2015, with Rob Vos).

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