Towards a Sustainable Rural Development Initiative: Good Practices and Learning of Local Governance Support Project (LGSP)

Abstract

This study is a product of the experiences gained from the rural development project known as Local Governance Support Project (LGSP), jointly funded by The World Bank and the Government of Bangladesh. This project has already completed its first two phases (2006-2011 & 2011-2016) and is now in its third phase (2017-2021) with a one-year extension. Each phase of the project has a duration of 5 years. The LGSP-1 was first initiated in 2006 with the aim of financing all Union Parishads (UP) of Bangladesh. The Ups are the lowest tiers of Local Government Institutes in rural Bangladesh. The Ups originated during British rule in the Indian subcontinent. The country currently has 4571 UPs where financial support from the project is provided on specific formula base policies. The study aims to discuss the project's initiatives to strengthen rural local government institutes as well as how the project has developed a mechanism to implement different schemes adequately. For this, the study is based on the review of information collected from secondary sources—published books, articles, research reports, journal information, and newspapers.