Field administration and rural development in Bangladesh : the collector's role

This is a study on the role of the Collector in the process of rural development in Bangladesh within the conceptual framework of comparative field administration. The Collector occupies a pivotal position in field administration that is comparable to that of the Prefect. Research suggests that (a) the role of the Collector is bound up less with supporting stability than with generating popular enthusiasm for rural development and (b) the formal structure does not reveal the functions of the Collector in the sphere of rural development. Collector's role in rural development is alluded to in the literature of field administration but is yet to be researched. This role cannot be explained by static models of field administration or by an approach that views the Collector as a paradigm of political field administrator concerned with regulatory functions. Evidence suggests that the role has a continuity that is best explained by an analysis of the Collector's relationship with the rural development process in terms of interaction among national political leadership, the field administrative system and participation by the villagers. Chapter I deals with the origin of field administrative system and analyses the circumstances that led to the mix between regulatory and development functions. Chapter II analyses the crucial role played by the Collector in the process of building up institutional framework for rural development during the years 1950 to 1971. Chapter III describes the continuity of the Collector's role in rural development, the failed attempt to introduce District Governor system and the relationship between the Collectoral pattern and development ministries during the years 1976 to 1979. Chapter IV deals with the role of the Collector in evocating popular enthusiasm for voluntary participation in labour-intensive schemes between the years 1974 to 1979. Chapter V argues the case for a micro-level under-standing of the cruciality of the Collector's role in the process of rural development based on voluntary labour-utilisation strategy. Chapter VI explains the theme of incompatibility of the colonial pattern of field administration in generating popular enthusiasm for development in terms of its relationship with the rural society, summarises the major points from the perspective of comparative field administration and indicates the most recent trends with regard to the future role of the Collector.