Civil society and propoor initiatives in rural Bangladesh: finding a workable strategy

This paper focuses on crafting a workable strategy for civil society advocacy in rural Bangladesh that can adequately represent the interests of the poorest groups. It shows how the poor and the poorest rely on patron-client ties, to avoid destitution and to survive, respectively, while arguing that the poor need to move beyond these inherently disempowering relationships. Recent agricultural progress will help such efforts, but elite domination must be expected to continue. Representatives of propoor groups should therefore ally initially with nonpoor groups to press for broader agendas that can gain widespread support, before pursuing more targeted agendas on behalf of their constituents.