Purpose The purpose of this paper is to provide a model that demonstrates how some organizational factors are linked to the proactive transparency behavior and outward accountability orientation of frontline public bureaucracies. Design/methodology/approach The model is developed on the basis of literature review. Findings It is shown in the model that some dimensions of organizational culture are linked to the “value for proactive transparency,” which, in turn, is linked to the “proactive transparency behavior” of frontline public bureaucracies. The proactive transparency behavior is also influenced by organizational structure and organizational endowment. Finally, the proactive transparency behavior determines “outward accountability” orientation. Originality/value This paper contributes to the understanding of the frontline public bureaucracy’s transparency behavior and outward accountability orientation from the perspective of organizational factors such as culture, structure, and endowment.

This chapter discusses the practice of organizational culture by the frontline bureaucrats in Bangladesh. Culture scholars argue that organizational culturecommonly defined as the beliefs, values, attitudes, and practices of the members of an organization-is a powerful force in determining the health and well-being of an organization. Scholars also suggest the existence of different dimensions of organizational culture. Although they do not agree in naming these dimensions, commonalities are found in their understanding. How organizational culture is practiced by the frontline bureaucrats in Bangladesh has not been studied much. A study was designed to know how the frontline public bureaucrats practice organizational culture and how they differ in their practices along their service lines. Four dimensions of organizational culture-power distance, uncertainty avoidance tendency, participation, and team orientation-were considered. The chosen culture dimensions impact the overall management of any public sector organization. Three hundred and twenty-six frontline public bureaucrats were studied using a survey questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential statistics have been used for analyzing the collected data. Findings from independent samples t-tests revealed that the frontline bureaucrats significantly differ along their service lines in practicing the culture dimensions.

This study focuses on the future ridership of Dhaka’s under-construction metro rail. Dhaka offers an exceptional context with the world’s highest density of population. How the sociocultural condition of the city’s population would impact the future ridership of the metro rail was an interesting question. The data for the study were collected through a structured questionnaire by the participants of a training programme designed for the Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited officials and implemented by the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre. The respondents were randomly chosen from six catchment areas of a part of the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) Line-6. This paper presents the survey findings using descriptive and inferential statistics. The implications of the findings are discussed. The study findings substantially contribute to the scientific knowledge of urban transportation governance regarding rapid-transit facility development. Moreover, the findings carry policy implications for city planners.

Citizens enjoy protections and different kinds of rights in a country as its nationals. The stateless people,who are denied citizenships to any country, are deprived of such kinds of protections and rights, even thefundamental human rights. Among all the minority groups of the world, the United Nations considers theRohingyas of the Arakan in Myanmar as one of the most persecuted one. They have been deprived ofcitizenship of their country for long. They see a bleak future for them when the people of the Associationof Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are eagerly waiting for a greater regional identity. The Rohingyasare deprived of fundamental human rights and are victims of state persecution policies. This factcontradicts with the regional value creation endeavors of the ASEAN. This paper is based on a review ofthe relevant literature on the issue. It looks into the origin of the so called ‘statelessness’ of theRohingyas, examines the international legal framework for the protection of the stateless people ingeneral, and the commitment of the individual ASEAN member countries to that legal framework as wellas the ASEAN’s role as a regional forum.

As part of its reorientcztion of economic and Joreign policy, Bangladesh adopted 'look east' policy to engage with the countries to the east (ASEAN+3) to increase trade nnd investment relations with them. Geographical proximi& with ASEAN entertains Bangladesh of a greater scope o f mutual cooperation with these cotlntries. These 13 nations have achieved (I higher degree of economic development in the last three decades and experts believe flint these countries will continue to register higher economic growth in tlze next tllree decades as well. It is asstrmed that Bangladesh's engagement with East Asia will economically benefit the country and enhance mutual cooperation. Seenzingly, tlie 'look emt'policy has made a boom in tlie imports of Bangladesh porn tile ASEAN cotmtries. Btit its exports to these countries have remained unchanged. Banglndesh needs to divers& its export items ensuring better quality pladticts to increase exports to ASEAN. The country should seek interim co/zcessionaiy trade arrangement witk ASEANfor reducing the existing huge trade gaps that at present favour the ASEAN countries. On the other hand, integration witk the ASEAN economies sl~ould be a long-term policy aim of Bangladesh. Bangladesh shares common historical and culttiral heritage with tlze ASEAN nations. Its overall economic and social indicators are not bad compared to those of the new members of ASEAN. Bangladesh's economy is ~zlmost equal to the size of' the combined economies o f t h e new members of ASEAN and so does tlze size of its poptilation. Moreover; the countly links LIP ASEAN with a comparatively vast market of South Asia. Therefore, ASEAN sho~lld consider some collaborative arrangements with Bangladesh with a view to making a future bridge between the two historical sub-regions of Southeast Asia anti South Asia.' This article is a shortened form of an MA thesis report of the writer. The thesis report was submitted to Chulalongkom University, Bangkok, Thailand for his MA degree in Southeast Asian Studies.