Repositioning urban bias: Non‐state providers' use of spatialised networks in Bangladesh
| Published date | 01 February 2023 |
| Author | Aeshna Badruzzaman |
| Date | 01 February 2023 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/pad.2003 |
Received: 14 December 2021
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Revised: 13 December 2022
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Accepted: 18 December 2022
DOI: 10.1002/pad.2003
RESEARCH ARTICLE
Repositioning urban bias: Non‐state providers' use of
spatialised networks in Bangladesh
Aeshna Badruzzaman
Center on the Developing Child at Harvard
University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Correspondence
Aeshna Badruzzaman, Center on the
Developing Child at Harvard University,
Cambridge, MA, USA.
Email: aeshna_badruzzaman@harvard.edu
Funding information
Northeastern University
Abstract
Urban bias theory predicts urban areas of developing countries receive dispro-
portionately more resources than rural areas due to their concentration of
numerically large, politically important “vote banks.” This has not been the case in
Bangladesh. This study finds that this variation occurs due to non‐state providers
(NSPs) changing the landscape of resource allocation. Operating on the premise that
state control leads to more services in urban areas, urban bias fails to account for
NSPs as critical service providers. Employing a grounded theory strategy to explore
urban‐rural dynamics in service provision and to build on urban bias theory, this
research highlights interactions between state and non‐state actors. It argues that
spatialized political networks, networks of formal and informal leadership more
difficult to access in urban areas, influence the locality of service provision. Though
NSPs recognize increased need in urban areas of Bangladesh, their interventions in
those areas remain peripheral due to differing structures of government account-
ability and differing levels of community acceptance facilitating these networks. The
need for NSPs to adapt their activities to restrictive governance mechanisms re-
flects the changing space for NSPs in the context of semi‐democratic regimes.
KEYWORDS
development, non‐governmental organizations (NGOs), non‐state providers, south Asia, urban
bias
1
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INTRODUCTION
Bangladesh is experiencing rapid urbanization. The sheer number of
individuals living in Bangladesh's urban areas has increased, and the
economic composition of the population has changed—so much so
that the country's poor population is expected to become predomi-
nantly urban within this generation (Davis, 2006). Rapid urbanization
has led to massive increases in informal housing settlements (in
relation to a shortage in low‐cost housing), with the urban poor in
these settlements lacking access to basic services and political pro-
cesses, and living constantly under threat of eviction (Ahmed, 2014;
Panday, 2020). Despite increased population, poverty, and inequality
in urban areas, development activities in Bangladesh overwhelmingly
target rural populations, to the detriment of urban‐focused issues
(Banks, 2016; Banks et al., 2011; Gauri & Galef, 2005). Key govern-
ment policy documents, such as the Poverty Reduction Strategy
Papers, fail to adequately address urban poverty, only issuing minor
acknowledgment following outside government advocacy work
(Banks et al., 2011; Panday, 2020). There are few national social
assistance programs for the urban poor and as a result, urban pop-
ulations benefit comparatively less from government poverty
reduction policies (Banks et al., 2011). Non‐state providers (NSPs)
are critical service providers in Bangladesh, but urban populations
are also deprived of their services. For example, despite recognition
of a housing crisis for the urban poor in Bangladesh, and the gov-
ernment's calls for assistance from NSPs in alleviating this crisis,
housing programs initiated by non‐governmental organizations
(NGOs) (a subset of NSPs) in urban areas have been extremely
Public Admin Dev. 2023;43:49–59.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pad© 2023 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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