Since its inception in 2005 the Institute of Governance Studies (IGS) has endeavoured to understand the governance complexities and constraints facing Bangladesh. The ‘flagship’ research undertaken by IGS has been the annual The State of Governance in Bangladesh reports. These reports, three so far, have become the only governance assessment of Bangladesh emanating from Bangladesh, and largely undertaken by Bangladeshi scholars. These reports, together with the policy notes, have put forward an indigenous explanation of the oft-repeated ‘conundrum’ of respectable economic growth in Bangladesh in the setting of governance crisis. IGS’ research so far has re-enforced our initial belief that in the context of a developing country like Bangladesh, studying governance is not an academic exercise but a means to understanding if and how the openness, transparency and accountability of the system will impact the effectiveness of services delivered to the poor and the disadvantaged. We intend to continue with this exercise in the years to come.
IGS has also pursued vigorously its other objective of equipping the nation's leaders with innovative tools to better understand and manage governance processes. To answer this need, the Institute integrates the social sciences and the professional disciplines into its academic programmes. IGS believes in partnership is meeting the capacity building needs of Bangladesh – we have partnered with various public sector institutions in designing and delivering training courses for different cadres of civil servants.
Recently, IGS has embarked on two new initiatives to encourage greater demand for good governance in Bangladesh and South Asia. The Affiliated Network for Social Accountability (ANSA) and the Journalism Training and Research Initiative (JATRI) have developed their own pioneering activities. I urge you to visit their websites for more information on their respective agendas. I also hope that you have noticed the new look of IGS’ website – feedback would be appreciated.
Director
Manzoor Hasan
