Public Policy Initiatives for Poverty Reduction in Bangladesh: A Case Study of Dhanbari Upazila, Tangail District

Abstract

Higher level of poverty rate of a country stymies its economic progress and influences socio-economic condition of people. Bangladesh is no exception. Redistributive public policies are needed to improve people’s wellbeing and their living conditions. The Bangladesh government has taken several initiatives focusing on poverty reduction. The objectives of the study are to investigate how these policy interventions contribute to reduce poverty and the effects on livelihood of the poor in Bangladesh. The unique feature of this research is its data collection area, as no previous research on this topic has been conducted in any Upazila of Bangladesh, including Dhanbari. The study followed qualitative research methods to capture the real scenario of the stakeholders through twenty-six key informant interviews. A total of twenty direct beneficiaries including eight females of Dhanbari Upazila (Sub-district) of Tangail district and six policy implementers were interviewed. Content analysis was used to analyze and data presentation. The study revealed that policy initiation and its effective implementation mechanisms significantly contributed to poverty reduction. It is evident that target-based initiatives for the group, direct contact and connecting the poor through ICT, inclusiveness in development, constitutional obligation, policy continuation, incremental budget allocation and
strong institutional framework helped increasing income, creating employment and enhancing social status of the poor ensemble.

Keywords: Bangladesh, Poverty Alleviation, Socio-Economic Development, Targeted Policy Initiative