This book analyses the challenges and possibilities connected to resource mobilisation in local government systems within South Asia; the book focuses on Bangladesh while placing the nation's experiences within the larger regional context alongside India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
Local governments in South Asia operate within intricate political and administrative structures often marked by centralisation, limited financial autonomy, and socio-economic inequalities. Through case studies, surveys, and interviews, the book offers qualitative and quantitative data to provide a detailed investigation of resource mobilisation, and the chapters offer actionable solutions with practical illustrations for enhancing local government structures. The comparative approach acknowledges particular socio-economic and political contexts while identifying regional trends and transferable lessons for improving fiscal sustainability and governance reforms.
The book will be of interest to academics and postgraduate students working in South Asian politics, Asian development, and public policy and governance studies more broadly. Scholars will benefit from relevant analysis examining decentralisation, fiscal federalism, and good local governance in contemporary policy debates.