Democratic Legitimacy in South Asia and Beyond : Does Culture Matter?

Demokrati har fått verdensomspennende offentlig aksept som et ideelt system for styring. Forskere om demokrati utfører mye forskning, inkludert undersøkelser, for å identifisere kildene til legitimitet for demokrati. Denne avhandlingen har som mål å bidra til denne litteraturen ved å gi noen ekstra dimensjoner av demokratisk legitimitet fra kultur- og verdiperspektivet. Jeg bruker den forklarende sekvensielle blandede metoden for å analysere kvantitative resultater, og for å forstå og forklare funnene mer detaljert bruker jeg kvalitative casestudier. Først demonstrerer jeg at demokratiske verdier har ulike implikasjoner for demokratisk legitimitet på tvers av regimestrukturer ved å gjennomføre en global analyse med World Value Survey-dataene. Selv om implikasjonene er gunstige i alle regimer, er omfanget av effektene høyere i demokratiske regimer enn i andre regimer. Dette betyr at folk som bor i autoritære land som er orientert mot demokratiske verdier vil være mindre støttende for demokrati enn deres kolleger i demokratiske land. Blant flere mulige årsaker til dette fremhever jeg de kulturelle forskjellene mellom regimene som den dominerende årsaken til slik variasjon i implikasjonene. Jeg argumenterer for at autoritær kultur og verdier i autokratiske land fører til et lavere engasjement for demokrati blant folket. For å utforske funnene videre, vurderer jeg demokratisk legitimitet i tre defekte demokratier i Sør-Asia: Bangladesh, Nepal og Sri Lanka. Jeg bruker dataene fra Governance and Trust Survey med representative utvalg for de tre landene. Resultatene viser at folk i disse landene er fornøyde med demokratiet sitt når de er godt tjent, selv om politisk frihet og rene valg (dvs. kvaliteten på demokratiet) er fraværende på grunn av lavt nivå av integritet i styresett (f.eks. høy korrupsjon). Ytelsesvariablene ser ut til å være den viktigste kilden til legitimitet. Folk som er fornøyde med resultatene fra regjeringen deres overser underskuddene som kan eksistere i et demokrati. Viktigst er at kvaliteten på demokratiet og kvaliteten på tjenestene er mindre viktig for personer med en høyere autoritær kulturell orientering (ACO) enn for personer med en mer liberal orientering. ACO (Authoritarian Cultural Orientation) måles med ulike kulturelle normer som indikerer folks utvilsomme lydighet eller lojalitet til autoritet på sosiopolitisk nivå. Det liberale prinsippet om demokrati er basert på rettsstaten og ikke lydighet mot regjerende eliter. Resultatene avslører dermed at personer med høy ACO legitimerer autoritære eller mangelfulle demokratier. På samme måte finner jeg i en annen artikkel at folk i Sør-Asia, når de vurderer ytelsen til offentlige institusjoner i Covid-19-ledelsen, er mindre bekymret for demokrati og korrupsjon. Jeg gjennomfører to kvalitative casestudier for å undersøke dynamikken i autoritær kultur og demokratisk legitimitet i Bangladesh. I det første tilfellet undersøker jeg hvorfor demokratiet i Bangladesh faller tilbake selv etter å ha potensiale for demokratisk konsolidering. En vellykket ikke-voldelig motstandsbevegelse (NVR) i 1990 forvandlet Bangladesh til et demokrati. NVR (Non Violent Resistance) -kampanjer har iboende medvirkende faktorer for demokratisering, så landet hadde en mulighet for demokratisk institusjonalisering. Imidlertid har landet nå et hybridregime eller en ny form for et autoritært system. Jeg trekker på teorien om kultur og verdier for å forklare dette puslespillet. Etter å ha analysert historiske bevis og gjennomført intervjuer med eksperter fra sivilsamfunnet og politiske partier, finner jeg autoritær kultur som en av de avgjørende faktorene for dysfunksjonelt demokrati i landet. Den rådende autoritære kulturen har komponenter som reduserer eller til og med eliminerer en sivil motstandsbevegelses potensial til å øke sannsynligheten for demokrati; følgelig oppstår demokratisk tilbakegang. Siden den autoritære kulturen også gir støtte til det autoritære regimet, nyter politiske eliter i det regjerende partiet ubegrenset makt og utstrakt kontroll. I den andre casestudien viser jeg hvordan opposisjonsstyrkene til regimet enten er tause eller undertrykt av de rettshåndhevende byråene eller aktivister fra det regjerende partiet. Saken om et religionsbasert opposisjonsparti avslører tydelig den politiske undertrykkelsen og marginaliseringen av politiske motstandere i landet. Saken gjenspeiler også en autoritær holdning og en tendens til total kontroll fra de regjerende politiske elitene. Jeg forklarer hvordan opposisjonspartiet sliter og hvilke strategier det følger for å overleve i en kritisk politisk tilstand. Samlet finner avhandlingen at autoritær kultur og verdier i betydelig grad påvirker demokratisk legitimitet. Sosiopolitiske forhold i ikke-demokratiske samfunn er forankret i autoritære normer som rigid hierarki, blind lojalitet og ekstrem ulikhet. Modernisering og tilgang til utdanning setter imidlertid gradvis i gang en verdiforvandling; innbyggerne søker da mer autonomi og frihet, verdier som øker legitimeringen av demokratiet over hele verden. Likevel utgjør autoritær kultur og verdier en utfordring for demokratisering i autokratier og en trussel mot demokratiets overlevelse i svake demokratier.Democracy has received worldwide public acceptance as an ideal system of governance. Scholars on democracy conduct a lot of research, including surveys, to identify the sources of legitimacy for democracy. This dissertation aims to contribute to this literature by providing some additional dimensions of democratic legitimacy from the perspective of culture and values. I apply the explanatory sequential mixed method. First, I analyze quantitative results and to understand and explain the findings in more detail, I use qualitative case studies as follow-up explanations. At first, I demonstrate that democratic values have different implications for democratic legitimacy across regime structures by conducting a global-level analysis with the World Value Survey data. Although the implications are favourable in all regimes, the magnitude of effects is higher in democratic regimes than in other regimes. This means people living in authoritarian countries who are oriented toward democratic values will be less supportive of democracy than are their counterparts in democratic countries. Among several possible reasons for this, I emphasize the cultural differences between the regimes as the dominant reason for such variation in the implications. I argue that authoritarian culture and values in autocratic countries lead to a lower commitment to democracy among the people. To explore the findings further, I consider democratic legitimacy in three flawed democracies in South Asia: Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. I use the Governance and Trust Survey data with representative samples for the three countries. The results show that people in these countries are satisfied with their democracy when they are well served, even though political freedom and clean elections (i.e., quality of democracy) are absent due to a low level of integrity in governance (e.g., high corruption). The performance variables appear to be the most important source of legitimacy. People who are happy with their government's outputs overlook the deficits that may exist in a democracy. Most importantly, the quality of democracy and services are less important to people with a higher authoritarian cultural orientation (ACO) than to people with a more liberal orientation. The ACO is measured with different cultural norms that indicate people’s unquestioning obedience or loyalty to authority at the socio-political level. The liberal principle of democracy is based on the rule of law and not obedience to ruling elites. The results thus reveal that people with high ACO legitimize authoritarian or flawed democracies. Similarly, in another article, I find that people in South Asia, when assessing the performance of public institutions in Covid-19 management, are less concerned about democracy and corruption. I carry out two qualitative case studies to investigate the dynamics of authoritarian culture and democratic legitimacy in Bangladesh. In the first case, I explore why democracy in Bangladesh is backsliding even after having the potential for democratic consolidation. A successful non-violent resistance (NVR) movement in 1990 transformed Bangladesh into a democracy. NVR campaigns have inherent contributing factors for democratization, so the country was a likely case for democratic institutionalization. However, the country now has a hybrid regime or a new form of an authoritarian system. I draw on the theory of culture and values to explain this puzzle. After analyzing historical evidence and conducting interviews with experts from civil society and political parties, I find authoritarian culture to be one of the determining factors for dysfunctional democracy in the country. The prevailing authoritarian culture has components that reduce or even eliminate a civil resistance movement’s potential to increase the likelihood of democracy; consequentially, democratic backsliding occurs. Since the authoritarian culture also extends support to the authoritarian regime, political elites of the ruling party enjoy unconstrained power and widespread control. In the second case study, I show how the opposition forces of the regime are either silent or suppressed by the law-enforcing agencies or ruling-party activists. The case of a religion-based opposition party vividly reveals the political oppression and marginalization of political opponents in the country. The case also reflects an authoritarian attitude and a tendency for total control by the ruling political elites. I explain how the opposition party struggles and what strategies it follows to survive in a critical political condition. Overall, the dissertation finds that authoritarian culture and values significantly affect democratic legitimacy. Socio-political relationships in non-democratic societies are rooted in authoritarian norms such as rigid hierarchy, blind loyalty, and extreme inequality. However, modernization and access to education gradually initiate a transformation in values; citizens then seek more autonomy and freedom, values which increase the legitimation of democracy worldwide. Nevertheless, authoritarian culture and values pose a challenge to democratization in autocracies and a threat to the survival of democracy in weak democracies.Doktorgradsavhandlin

Reflections on public administration education with a case of Bangladesh

The paper aims to review public administration education in the higher education institutions in Bangladesh, and their role in ensuring modern public services. Most universities in the country offer public administration degrees; however, minimal contributions to nationbuilding have been observed. The study asks: what are the pitfalls behind this? How to address the limitations? This is a qualitative study with gleaned data, using inductive content analysis to investigate the phenomenon with three case universities indicating the link between curriculum and learning delivery at the universities in Bangladesh. The research finds that poor development-oriented public administration education has little correlation to national development. The education system is traditional, where typical cultural features are nonchalance and indifference towards domestic demands. The discipline cannot create a distinctive identity and position in academia, which has consequences for the advancement of the administrative system in a developing country like Bangladesh. A research-informed curriculum with innovative pedagogical approach might be an alternative. The paper enlightens both academics and practitioners, as literature on public administration education in Bangladesh has been scarce. It calls for higher education institutions to reassess public administration education, teaching methods and research for national development.publishedVersio

Activity-Based Costing (ABC) – An Effective Tool for Better Management

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Comparative Study of Internet Usage Among University Students: A Study of the University of Dhaka, Bangladesh

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Gendering cross-border networks in the Greater Mekong Subregion: drawing invisible routes to Thailand

"This article discusses human trafficking within the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) in relation to the strengthened inter-state economic and infrastructural co-operation and connectivity, taking the life history of sex workers in Thailand into account. Over the last decades, Thailand became known as a hub of entertainment sectors. Traffickers often use socio-economic integration in the GMS to their advantage. A large number of trafficked women ends up in the Thai entertainment industry doing sex work in confined conditions similar to slavery. Poor women are often lured by false promises of well-paid jobs abroad and pay exorbitant fees to agents for such an opportunity. Intermediaries introduce family members to agents who promise to make arrangements for the relevant documentation and transportation across borders. Traffickers use their own marked routes to transport their prey which are more invisible than generally could be imagined." (author's abstract)"Der vorliegende Beitrag betrachtet den Menschenhandel in der Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) unter Berücksichtigung der Stärkung zwischenstaatlicher wirtschaftlicher und infrastruktureller Kooperation und Vernetzung. Dabei nimmt er Lebensgeschichten Prostituierter in Thailand genauer unter die Lupe. Im Laufe der Jahre wurde Thailand als Drehscheibe des Unterhaltungssektors berühmt. Es ist jedoch weitgehend unbekannt, dass eine Großzahl der Opfer des Menschenhandels in der Sexarbeit und in der Sklaverei ähnlichen Arbeitsverhältnissen landet. Menschenhändler nützen die sozioökonomische Integration in der GMS zu ihrem Vorteil. Diese Studie zeigt, dass von Armut betroffene Frauen in der Regel durch falsche Versprechungen gut bezahlter Arbeitsplätze ins Ausland gelockt werden und für solche Gelegenheiten exorbitante Gebühren an ihre Agenten bezahlen. Vermittler bringen Familienmitglieder und Agenten zusammen, welche die entsprechenden Unterlagen vorbereiten um den Transport über den Grenzübertritt möglich zu machen. Menschenhändler nutzen eigene markierte Routen, um ihre Beute zu transportieren - Wege die unsichtbarer sind, als man sich allgemein vorstellt." (Autorenreferat

Caractérisation et évaluation de textiles antifongiques

Hypothèse: L’impression sur textile d’une formulation de microparticules lipidiques avec un principe actif (éconazole nitrate) permet de conserver ou d’améliorer son activité pharmaceutique ex vivo et in vitro. Méthode: Une formulation de microparticules d’éconazole nitrate (ECN) a été formulée par homogénéisation à haut cisaillement, puis imprimée sur un textile LayaTM par une méthode de sérigraphie. La taille des microparticules, la température de fusion des microparticules sur textile et la teneur en éconazole du tissu ont été déterminées. La stabilité de la formulation a été suivie pendant 4 mois à 25°C avec 65% humidité résiduelle (RH). L’activité in vitro des textiles pharmaceutiques a été mesurée et comparée à la formulation commerciale 1% éconazole nitrate (w/w) sur plusieurs espèces de champignons dont le C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. kefyr, C. luminisitae, T. mentagrophytes et T. rubrum. La thermosensibilité des formulations a été étudiée par des tests de diffusion in vitro en cellules de Franz. L’absorption cutanée de l’éconazole a été évaluée ex vivo sur la peau de cochon. Résultats: Les microparticules d’éconazole avaient des tailles de 3.5±0.1 μm. La température de fusion était de 34.8°C. La thermosensibilité a été déterminée par un relargage deux fois supérieur à 32°C comparés à 22°C sur 6 heures. Les textiles ont présenté une teneur stable pendant 4 mois. Les textiles d’ECN in vitro ont démontré une activité similaire à la formulation commerciale sur toutes ii espèces de Candida testées, ainsi qu’une bonne activité contre les dermatophytes. La diffusion sur peau de cochon a démontré une accumulation supérieure dans le stratum corneum de la formulation textile par rapport à la formulation Pevaryl® à 1% ECN. La thermo-sensibilité de la formulation a permis un relargage sélectif au contact de la peau, tout en assurant une bonne conservation à température ambiante.Hypothesis: Textile imprinted with a formulation of microparticles of a drug (econazole nitrate) can maintain or improve its pharmaceutical activity ex vivo and in vitro. Methods: A formulation of econazole nitrate microparticles was made by high shear homogenization then printed on a LayaTM textile by screen-printing. The size of microparticles, melting temperature of microparticles on textile and econazole nitrate content were determined. The stability of the formulation was followed for 4 months at 25°C with 65% residual humidity (RH). The in vitro activity of pharmaceutical textiles was measured and compared to the commercial formulation econazole nitrate 1% (w/w) in several species of fungi including C. albicans, C. glabrata, C. kefyr, C. luminisitae, T. mentagrophytes and T. rubrum. Temperature sensitivity of the formulations was studied by in vitro tests in Franz diffusion cells. Dermal absorption of econazole nitrate was assessed ex vivo on pig skin. Results: Econazole microparticles were 3.5±0.1 μm in diameter. The melting temperature was 34.8°C. The thermosensitivity of the system was determined by a release test at 32°C compared to 22°C over 6 hours. Textiles showed stable levels for 4 months (97±0.3 μg/cm2). ECN textiles on in vitro tests showed similar activity to the commercial formulation on all Candida species tested, as well as good activity against dermatophytes. Ex vivo tests on pig skin showed a higher accumulation of ECN on the stratum corneum for textile formulation as compared to the Pevaryl® iv formulation. The thermo-sensitivity of the formulation permits a selective release in contact with the skin, while ensuring good storage at room temperature

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The people of Bangladesh are now becoming fashion conscious. The demands for product of boutique houses are increasing. Customers are leaning towards local and traditional cloths and accessories and they prefer local boutique houses. This paper examines the customers’ attitude determinants for boutique houses and positioning of different boutique houses. Customers of Rang, Shadakalo, Bibiana, Anjans, Nipun and K-kraft have been surveyed for the study.  A sample of 50 respondents has been selected based on judgmental sampling for the study. Multiple Regression analysis and multidimensional scaling technique have been conducted for the purpose of the analysis. The finding of the research suggest that price, location, brand name, staff behavior, and exclusive collection of cloths are the variables that affect the customer’s attitude towards boutique houses. Keywords: Boutique House, Customers’ attitude, Positionin

Clients Attitudes toward WiMAX Services In Bangladesh: A Multivariate Analysis

The goal of this research is to identify key variables that can be used to evaluate WiMax internet services from the clients’ perspective. Two hundred twenty one respondents were selected by convenience sampling procedure for the study. A multivariate analysis technique like “Factor Analysis” was used to identify the factors. The results shows that operating system and promotion, signal and speed, availability of cards and service and network and usage limit have emerged important factors for selecting WiMax internet services. Keywords: wimax internet services, clients’ experience, factor analysi

Health Beliefs of Muslim Women and Implications for Health Care Providers: Exploratory Study on the Health Beliefs of Muslim Women

Abstract: Purpose: This study investigated specific health beliefs of Muslim women and their decision to access and follow through with health care provider evaluation and treatment. Design and Methods: This was a cross-sectional prospective research design aimed at exploring the beliefs, perceptions, and attitudes of Muslim women living in USA toward health. A purposive sampling of fourteen (n=14) Muslim women who volunteered to take part in this study completed a survey of health beliefs, attitudes, and perceptions constructed from Purnell\u27s cultural competence model. Results: Results suggest that Muslim women perceive specific health beliefs as important and may have an effect on their participation in medical and health evaluation and treatment. Conclusion and Discussion: Health beliefs of Muslim women should be considered and future research explored in for health care practice