POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE

Gono Bishwabidyalay provides graduate (BSS (Hon’s) and higher level degrees (MSS) in Politics and Governance which is an internationally recognized field of study in Social Sciences. One of the main preoccupations of this discipline is with regard to politics which includes the study of the matters concerning allocation and distribution as well as the transfer of power. Another significant area of study is governance which examines the multifaceted and multilayered factors at work that contribute to good or bad governance. The scope of the subject has been broadened to include areas of knowledge like Political Theory, Public Administration, Public Policy, Comparative Politics, International Relations, Public Law and Political Economy. It needs to be noted that such an inclusive discipline contributes to understanding the relationship between local through to global events and explaining the way that formal and informal political power and authority shape human wellbeing. It includes governance as a major focus to generate critical understanding of how important decisions are made at the international, national and local levels by both governmental and non-governmental organizations as well as the roles of state and non-state actors. It is noteworthy that as the discipline is primarily concerned about studying the interaction between the people and the state, it has designed the curriculum in the context of courses including History, Philosophy, Sociology, Anthropology etc. This inclusiveness is important because these subjects in Social Sciences have common ground in their quest to explain how political system works and how politics and governance play themselves out.

Politics and Governance at Gono Bishwabidyalay has emphasized the subjects of development and social change as fields of study. This approach of seeking knowledge is justified because the world today is experiencing drastic economic, cultural, political, technological and environmental changes. This is especially true for developing countries like Bangladesh where these changes are posing challenges for human development. These changes have far reaching implications for poverty, economic growth, social harmony and political stability. Why do only a few developing countries succeed to improve governance and achieve economic growth? Why other political economies remain stuck in poverty and weak governance? In order to answer these questions the discipline has included courses on Political Economy, Development, Gender, Environment, Human Rights and Poverty. It leads to the understanding that effective governance is a key to sustained economic growth. When a country has a well functioning bureaucracy, competent law enforcing agencies and a capable judiciary, it means that the country would grow economically through the functioning of a business-friendly bureaucracy. Thereby, the study of Politics and Governance gives the learners the ability to influence and persuade the authorities to conform to broad developmental thrusts and to steer the direction in which the government is headed. The forces of globalization have enhanced the necessity for such knowledge.