ABSTRACT
The paper seeks to evaluate women's political participation at the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh which emerged in 1971 as an independent country. The country has recorded notable development indicators in these years. Among such indicators, the example of two women holding the topmost positions in politics has often resulted in a misconstrued notion, implying that all women have a fair and just role in the country's politics. This study argues that stark societal contradictions seriously threaten women's political roles, participation and empowerment at all stage, as members of political parties, as elected representatives of the people and more significantly as voters. The research attempts to address the following questions: What are the roadblocks hindering women's political engagement at all the above-mentioned stages? What measures has the government adopted for increasing women's low representation in politics? What forward-looking strategies have been employed for enhancing women's participation in public life? The findings show that a lot has yet to be achieved because women's subordinated position in politics may be a result of low political institutionalisation and patriarchy, both in public and private spheres.
ABSTRACT
PurposeThe aim of this paper is to examine the changed nature of public accountability during a supreme emergency and explore how legal and auditing mechanisms have come to the fore, concluding that misappropriation of public monies is not an inevitable outcome.Design/methodology/approachThe paper explores an illustrative example, the UK government's procurement of personal protective equipment during the early stages of the Covid-19 pandemic.FindingsIn circumstances of a supreme emergency where parliamentary scrutiny and competitive contract tendering are suspended, other forms of public accountability come to the fore, with civil society actors becoming more evident.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper relies on illustrative examples based on the Westminster model of government. The study advanced the notion of deferred accountability and identifies areas for further study, potentially in different jurisdictions.Social implicationsThe paper highlights the need for a variety of active and engaged civil society actors.Originality/valueThe paper contributes an empirical case to how an account of government behaviour is established. The paper also contributes to a deeper understanding of the nature and role of legal and government audit accountability mechanisms.