Course Title: Research Proposal Writing

Course code: PA 3107

Research Proposal On
Peoples’ participation at grassroots levels’ development
projects: A case study at Union Parishad level in Bangladesh.

Submittd To,
Sangida Rahman,
Submitted By,
Assistant Professor,
Name; Asif Abdullah
Department of Public Administration,
Roll No:171902
Pabna University of Science and
Registration No:1195050 Technology,
Session; 2016-17
Pabna, Bangladesh.
rd st
3 year 1 Semester.

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 Certificate
I hereby certify that the research proposal entitled “Peoples’ participation at grassroots levels’
development projects: A case study at Union Parishad level in Bangladesh “ has been completed
under my direct supervision. This is an authentic record of the proposal carried out by the
candidate of the Department of Public Administration, Pabna University of Science and
Technology, Pabna.
To my best knowledge, this research proposal has not been submitted for the award of any
degree or award elsewhere.

Supervisor,

Sangida Rahman,
Assistant Professor,
Department of Public Administration,
Pabna University of Science and Technology,
Pabna, Bangladesh.

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 Contents
Serial No Contents Name Page no
1.1 Background of the study 3
1.2 Statement of the problem 3-4
1.3 Research Question and objectives 5
1.4 Significance of the study 6
1.5 Reviewing existing literature 6-8
1.6 Scope of the study 8
1.7 Research design and methods 8-12
1.8 Chapter Outline 12
1.9 Time plan 13
1.10 Limitations of the study 13
1.11 Concluding remarks 14
1.12 References 14

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 1.1Background of the study
People’s participation is a myth at the grassroots level in Bangladesh. It is also a recent
phenomenon all over the world. After failing the Growth model of development, the
need for people’s participation is felt fast. Moreover, USAID’s Foreign Assistance Act
(1966) was an emphasis on involving the local community in development projects.
Both globally and nationally, governments, donor agencies, and other development
agencies are continuously trying to increase the level of people’s participation not only
grassroots level but also at urban levels. In addition, people’s participation is one of the
most important indicators of good governance which has been a global concern for 80
decades. Furthermore, people’s participation is closely associated with implementing
good governance, sustainable development goals, and the Delta plan. This piece of
research will particularly look at equitable development, rural democracy,
decentralization, transparency and accountability of local institutions, government
approach towards grass root levels, mechanisms of implementing rural development
projects, and so on. Within this spectrum, this research is particularly focusing on my
research on the nature and trends of peoples’ participation of various sectors’ people at
grass root levels in Bangladesh.
1.2 Statement of the problem
Peoples’ participation is considered to be one of the most important instruments
for the proper implementation of any type of development project in rural areas.
Peoples’ participation is also known as the sine qua non for development. Without
meaningful peoples’ participation, hardly any development projects can produce
desirable outcomes. Development works without people’s participation failed to
alleviate poverty and suffer from a lack of sustainability. (Khawja, 2004)
empirical evidence suggests that community participation is an “unqualified
good” in terms of projects outcomes and sustainability. (Ishan, Narayan, and
Pritchil, 1955). International Aid agencies like UNDP and the World Bank have
introduced poverty reduction strategies in developing countries through
participatory development programs. (Eversole, Mcneish, and Cimadamore,
2006). This research is linked with some other issues that are already described
in the introduction section such as good governance, sustainable development,
and so on.
The latest Local Government (UP) Act 2009 has created an opportunity to ensure
greater participation of people in the process of development planning and
implementation. According to the UP Act 2009, there is a provision 13 standing
committee in the UP to support the Parishad in ensuring transparency,
accountability, and people’s participation in planning and implementation for
ensuring better governance and service. The standing committee, comprising
elected representatives from the UP, civil society members, socially respected

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 persons, and women representatives of that locality, is entitled to assist the UP in
ensuring better services and resolving different problems. However, these
standing committees are not active in about 80 percent of the Parishads. (Islam,
2021).
1.3 Research Question and objectives
Research questions

The study aims to answer some questions regarding grassroots peoples’

participation in various development projects. The answers to these questions are
going to explore the actual picture of peoples’ participation at grassroots levels
in development projects. There are two types of questions in this study such as;
principal objectives and auxiliary objectives.
Research objectives

Since the 1970s many donor agencies, development agencies, and government
are continuously working on involving grassroots people in development projects
at all levels. Though these continuous efforts of various organizations, peoples’
participation are not reached a satisfactory level. The general objective of the
study is to explore the trends and nature of peoples’ participation in the
development projects at grassroots levels in Bangladesh. There are also two types
of objectives such as general objectives and specific objectives.
Research questions and objectives are in the following table;
Research questions Research objectives

Principal question General objective

What are the nature and trends of peoples’ To identify the nature and trends of
participation at grassroots levels’ peoples’ participation at grassroots levels’
development projects? development projects.

Auxiliary questions Specific objectives

Why don’t people participate in grassroots To find out the reasons, why people don’t
levels development programs? participate in the grassroots levels
development projects.

How peoples’ participation can be To figure out actual reasons for increasing
increased at grassroots levels developments peoples’ participation at grassroots levels’
projects? development projects?

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 1.4 Significance of the study
Meaningful peoples’ participation ensures smooth implementation of national
policies as well as government taken projects in the rural areas. Fahmida Khatun,
executive director of CPD, Said “If people are not involved in economic
policymaking, economic benefits will not be equally shared among the people.
She also added that the marginalized people and the backward population should
be included in the journey of development. Peoples’ participation is greatly linked
connected with good governance, sustainable development goals, policymaking,
policy implementation, implementation of the Delta Plan, implementation of
megaprojects, and so on. This research helps to minimize the gap between the
peoples’ expectations and government projects. My research findings can give
some inputs for the smooth implementation of governments’ projects like ADP
and so on. This research also identifies the reasons\ barriers of peoples’
participation at grassroots levels’ development projects. Most importantly, this
research will be tremendously helpful for policymakers.
1.5 Reviewing existing literature
There are several research works available where intellectuals and researchers
discussed peoples’ participation. Based on those findings a brief review is
presented.
Concept of peoples’ participation

The concept of peoples’ participation in development endeavors has been defined

and implemented differently by different users of the term across the globe.
Emphasis on involving the local community in development projects started with
USAID's Foreign Assistance Act (1966) and has, since then, been followed by all
International aid agencies. However, the parameters of real participation have
been debated along with various criteria such as involvement of the local
community in decision making, implementation strategies, sharing of direct and
indirect benefit... and monitoring and evaluation of the projects. Similarly, the
participants have also been debated based upon the nature of their stakes in the
common goals of the community. The functional modalities of participation such
as leadership, managerial skills, legal rights, and responsibilities are considered,
equally, important for invoking meaningful participation. (Firdausi, 2005).
World Bank (1996) defines, Participation is as a process through which people
influence and share control over development initiatives and the decisions and
resources which affect them.

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The United Nations Economic and Social Council (UNESCO) for example, in
1975, defined people's participation as "active and meaningful involvement of
masses of people at different levels.
Finally, People`s participation can be defined as the participation of people in the
government decision-making process.
Reviewing some papers

“Real development has not been achieved because in a top-down method, the
demand felt by the people is not reflected and there is no participation and sharing
of the people in making plans. In this context, importance has been given in local
level participatory planning as well as national planning” (NILG, 2003:225)
This study revealed that people’s participation in development projects through
local government is still a misnomer. The inclusion of local people in the PIC, as
part of culturing participating practices is political maneuvering. In this way, the
UP chairman has to accommodate other UP members and local elites to diffuse
factionalism and strengthen his power. Such inclusion did nothing but fulfill the
requirements of rules and regulations. The same study also revealed that the
patron-client relationship pervades the political relationship, resulting in factional
politics. These specific clientelist rural politics provides ground for the national
leaders for developing a clientelist network with the rural factional leaders. This
chain of relationships has implications for development intervention. Thus the
UPs remain under the domination of these local elites who usurped the
development resources for personal aggrandizement. To materialize their desire,
they are always dead against the mass people’s involvement in local development
projects. (Khan and Asaduzzaman, 1995).
Asaduzzaman (2008) found that people’s participation in development projects
is still an ‘elusive golden deer’ that the nation sought persistently but could not
find during the last three decades or more. His study, however, emphasized that
clientelism which is a direct product of the undemocratic political culture of
Bangladesh is a major threat to people’s participation in local development
programs /projects. In addition, the study also identifies political reluctance and
bureaucrat resistance as major challenges to people’s participation in
development intervention in Bangladesh.
Hossain et al. (1978) examine that people’s participation in planning and
implementation of development projects has been very limited.
Siddiquee (1995) observes the same findings in his study. His study also reveals
that poor people are hardly included in PICs. Committees are mostly dominated
by people with a strong socio-economic or political background. In addition,
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project committees have largely been used as mechanisms of patronage
distribution. Development projects have been a means for the local
representatives to build a future for themselves. He further identifies that
prevailing socio-economic and political contexts act as important deterrents to
grassroots’ participation in the development process.

Having been reviewed this literature, this research finds that all research only
focus on the why and wherefore of peoples’ participation. However, this research
focuses on the nature and trends of people's participation at various stages’
society.

1.6 Scope of the study

Peoples’ participation in the development process is now considered an area of
interest for policymakers and development practitioners across the globe. Various
research has been conducted to explore the level of peoples’ participation at
grassroots levels in Bangladesh. The scope of this study is set to study various
stages of peoples in the society such as teachers, students, Chairman & members
of Union Parishad, respected peoples of the society, day labor and the like. From
the geographical point of view, the areas of this research are 3 Union Parishads
of a district.

1.7 Research design and methods

Location and the respondents’ profile

The prime focus of this study is to explore the level of peoples’ participation in
the development projects at grassroots levels in Bangladesh. Therefore, the study
focuses on union levels development projects. Three Union Parishad of Kalihati
Upazilla in Tanagail district has been selected for the research named Balla
Union, Nagbari Union, and Kok Dohora Union. These areas of research will use
to select for the collection of primary data from various stages’ of people of
society. Such as Chairmen and members of these three union Parishads, teachers,
students of undergrad, respected persons. Weaver and the like. Each union has a
unique nature. Balla Union is an industrial area, Nagbari Union is an agrarian area
and Kok Dohora Union is a mix of industrial areas and agrarian areas.

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Main research approach

This research is going to use a mixed-method approach. Both qualitative and

quantitative approaches are followed. But this particular piece of research will
mainly be dominated by the qualitative approach.
There are several internationally recognized research already completed on this
particular piece of the topic by following qualitative approach i.e. Peoples’
participation in the Physical Planning Activities: A case study of Khulna
Development Authority By Sabrina Ahmed and Muhammad Shahidul Hasan
Swapan.
Research Method

There are 4 types of research approaches that are followed all over the world.
Such as experimental, survey, case study, and ethnographic. In social science, the
case study is very popular. This study resort to the case study method.
Data Collection Method

Data will have collected from November 2022 to January 2023. Primary and
secondary, both types of data will be collected.
Primary data
Focus group discussion

A focus group discussion (FGD) is a discussion of a group of a person guided by

a facilitator, also called a moderator, during which group members talk freely and
spontaneously about certain topics fixed in advance in a group environment. A
focus group generally includes 6-10 persons selected by the researchers. (Islam,
2008) This study will be used to apply this method to collect data from teachers,
students, and respected persons in the society of those 3 unions.
Observation

The observation method is a technique that involves systematically selecting,

watching, listening, reading, teaching, and recording behavior and characteristics
of the living being. (Islam, 2008) This study is going to use this method to collect
data from three union parishads chairmen and members.
Key informants interviews

Some people who have huge knowledge about contemporary issues,

administrative mechanism and the like. They are respected in society. I think their
knowledge and experience will be helpful. In this research, they perform as key

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informants. Such as political leaders, religious leaders, prominent businessmen,
and so on.
Personal interview methods

A personal interview of face-to-face interview methods is one of the employs a

standard structured question (or interview schedule) to explore that all
respondents are asked the same set of questions in the same sequences. It is a two-
way conversation initiated by an interviewer to obtain information from a
respondent. The questions, the wordings, and their sequence to define the
structure of the interview and the interview is conducted face to face. . (Islam,
2008) In this research, this method is going to use to collect the data from day
labor, farmers, weavers, and businessmen
Secondary data
Secondary data will be collected from journal articles, published books,
government documents, policy papers, manuals, related Acts/Rules/Regulations,
research reports, internet documents through content analysis.

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Sampling

There are two types of sampling such purposive sampling and probability
sampling. In this research, I will use purposive sampling. The population is in
following:
Respondents’ name Balla Union Nagbari Union Kok Dohora Total
(Quantity of (Quantity of Union (quantity
people) People) of people)
Chairman 1 1 1 3
Male members 9 9 9 27
Female members 3 3 3 9
Secretary of UP 1 1 1 3
Respected persons 10 10 10 30
Farmers - 10 5 15
Businessmen 15 - 5 20
Teachers 10 10 10 30
Students 10 10 10 30
(male+female)
Fishermen - 5 5 10
Weavers 8 3 - 8
Day labors 5 5 5 15
=200

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Data process, analysis, and validation

The data will be collected, accumulated, categorized, and analyzed keeping in

mind the objectives of the study. MS Excel, Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSC) will use to analyze quantitative data.
For qualitative data narrative or tabulated form will be used. Graphs, charts, and
tabulated presentations will also be used in the study. The quantitative method
will use to generalize and identify prevalence from the data provided by the
respondents. The qualitative method will also use to explain the significant
phenomenon, realities, and experiences. This two combination of method helps
to collect reliable and valid data. The combination of both methods that
mentioned as the logic of triangulation by O’Donoghue and Punch (2003) is
considered as one of the best methods invalidation of data
1.8 Chapters Outline
This total research will be divided into six chapters which are in the following:
Chapter 1
The First Chapter outlines the topic and background of the research. It sheds light on research
questions and objectives, significance, scope, literature review, and limitations of the study.
Chapter 2
The second chapter will contain the methodology adopted to pursue the study. It will discuss
the methods and techniques applied for data collection and analysis.
Chapter 3
The theoretical and analytical framework will present in the third chapter. It will survey the
literature that discusses the prevailing concept of “participation” and its nature and trends at
grassroots levels in Bangladesh.
Chapter 4
The Fourth chapter will specifically deal with exploring the trends and nature of peoples’
participation at grassroots levels’ development projects in Bangladesh. It also shows the
relevance to implement development projects.
Chapter 5
This chapter will look at the 3 Unions’ study and present the findings and subsequent analysis
of the study.
Chapter 6
In fine, this chapter will obtain the recommendations for improvement of people’s participation
at grass-roots level development projects in Bangladesh. In addition, it will come up with the
study by giving a general summary of this study including the direction for future research.

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 1.9 Time plan
Description of the plan Time frame Duration
Course work 1 Sep 2021- 31 Aug 2022 12 month
Field inspections, 1 Sep 2022- 31 Oct 2022 2 month
formulation of the
questionnaire and pretest
modification and finalizing
Data collection, sorting, Nov 2022 1 month
and processing (phase 1)
Data collection, sorting, 01 Dec2022 to Jan 31, 2 month
and processing (phase 2) 2023
Data analysis 01 Feb 2023- 31 Mar 2023 2 month
Preparing draft dissention 01 Apr 2023 to 31 Jun 3 month
and pre-submission 2023
seminar
Drafting, editing, July 2023 1 month
improving, and preparation
of final dissention
Submission of Final Thesis August 2023 1 month

1.10 Limitations of the study

Collecting primary data from any rural area in Bangladesh is a hard nut to crack.
Yet to make the study effective, I will do my level best. Apart from these, some
issues can be hampered in our research.
I. Research cost
As I’m a student, whether it’s a big amount or not is a burden for me.
II. The misconception of rural people
Rural people have a lot of misconceptions about research. That’s why sometimes
they don’t help researchers.
III. Womens’ participation
This research will not focus on womens’ participation as equal men rather it will
focus on people of various stages’ society.

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 1.11 Concluding remarks
Peoples’ participation is considered as one of the most effective instruments for
ensuring transparency, accountability as well as good governance. Without
meaningful people's participation, most concerning issue sustainable
development goals will not be implemented appropriately. Furthermore, peoples’
participation provides a link between development projects and peoples’
expectations. This research will help to understand the nature and trends of
peoples’ participation at grass root levels’ development programs. It will make
development practitioners and policymakers formulate more people-oriented
development programs and policies than ever before.
1.12 References
Islam, D.M.T.(2021 February 19). Citizen Participation in Rural Sustainable Development. The Daily
Star, P -7
Isham, J, Narayan, D & Pritchett, L 1995, 'Does Participation Improve Performance? Establishing
Causality with Subjective Data', The World Bank Economic Review, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 175-200.
Khwaja, AI 2004, 'Is Increasing Community Participation Always a Good Thing?', Journal of the
European Economic Association, vol. 2, no. 2-3, pp. 427-36.
Eversole, R, McNeish, J-A & Cimadamore, AD 2006, Indigenous Peoples and Poverty: An
International Perspective, Zed Books, London
Asaduzzaman, M. (2008), “Governance in Practice: Decentralization and People’s Participation in the
Local Government of Bangladesh,” Published PhD Thesis, University of Tampere Press
Khan, S. and Asaduzzaman, M. (1995), “Politics of People’s Participation: A Focus on a Government
Development Project,” The Journal of National Institute of Local Government, Vol 24 No.2 July-
December
NILG (2003) Union Parishad Training Manual, Dhaka: National Institute of Local Government
Siddiqui, K. (2005), Local Government in Bangladesh, University Press Limited, Dhaka
Islam, M.N.(2008). An introduction to Research Methods(2nd edition), Dhaka: Mullick Brothers
Firdawsi, D.A.A. (2005), Peoples’ participation a frame work, Asia Pacific Institute of management ,
New Delhi, 1 (1) 9-17

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