The Politics of the Public Food Distribution System in Bangladesh

Regime Survival or Promoting Food Security

Bibliographic Data

ID2308331
AuthorsMohammad Mozahidul Islam (0000-0002-6148-6396, Jahangirnagar University)
Year2015
Volume50
Issue6
Pages702-715
Publication date2015-12-01
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Asian and African Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0021-9096 • E-ISSN: 1745-2538
PublisherSAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1177/0021909614541082
OpenAlexW2329184459
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited9

This paper attempts to examine the politics of the public food distribution system (PFDS) in Bangladesh. Conventional literature mainly reveals the inherent weaknesses of the system, focusing on its 'targeting errors' and 'leakage errors'. In contrast, this study demonstrates that successive regimes purposefully fostered target and leakage errors through politically motivated projects and programs. By offering a historical−political analysis, this paper argues that leakage and target errors are merely the mechanism of regime survival through the distribution of opportunities by using state resources. It is only through examining political motivations that a more nuanced study of PFDS can be undertaken

Biology · Development economics · Distribution (mathematics · Economics · Food security · Leakage (economics · Macroeconomics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Public distribution system · Public economics · Sociology · Strengths and weaknesses · Agriculture, Land Use, Rural Development · Bangladesh Politics, Society, and Development · Child Nutrition and Water Access · Psychology · Ecology · Law · Social Psychology

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