Eleventh Global Studies Conference

Abstract

A growing body of literature in South Asia, finds that participation in community-based groups increases participation in political activities, such as making claims on the state. The literature in sociology and political science has continued to emphasize the importance of claim-making as a process of “democratic deepening” as laws rarely implement themselves and democratic development requires that the marginalized sectors of society mobilize, claim, and exercise their rights to have them enacted. Bangladesh presents an interesting case given that it has been progressing rapidly on the social development front (maternal and child health, access to basic education), compared to wealthier neighbors such as India and Pakistan. Yet, the quality of governance remains low and grassroots mobilization is nearly absent. Little is known about how participation in community-based groups may affect political engagement at the grassroots, and how this may differ for men and women. In this study, I examine whether participation in community-based groups influences the agency of men and women in the public sphere in rural Bangladesh. I broadly define agency in the public sphere as the capability to exercise voice as citizens. Using data from two rounds of the nationally-representative Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey conducted in 2011 and 2015 and multi-level regression methods, I examine whether participation in community-based groups affects several dimensions of agency of men and women in the public sphere. For all individuals, I examine whether participating in groups affects their ability to exercise voice as citizens by protesting corruption by public officials, demanding implementation of public-works programs, and participating in decision-making regarding public infrastructure.