The Role of Social Accountability in Poverty Alleviation Programs in Developing Countries: An Analysis with Reference to Bangladesh

In spite of different approaches being experimented over the past six decades, poverty alleviation programs in the developing world have largely failed to improve poverty situation. Of all the factors responsible for the growing trend of poverty, the accountability of public officials remains an intriguing one. The relative ineffectiveness of conventional accountability mechanisms has given rise to social accountability practices. This paper aims to explore the terrain of social accountability and its role in poverty alleviation programs in Bangladesh. The paper argues that despite the great potentials, social accountability mechanisms work with difficulties in Bangladesh owing to contemporary socio-economic and political realities.