Abstract

Bangladesh’s parliamentary elections in December 2008 witnessed a landslidevictory for an alliance led by Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League following two years of a caretaker government backed by the military. The country’s beleaguered population faced the twin challenges of natural disasters and pervasive poverty. One of the key factors influencing trust in the government of Bangladesh is stability, which has been in short supply because of confrontational politics between the two largest parties and accompanying violence. This paper considers efforts to rebuild trust by examining the work of a social movement, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), at two levels: strengthening the pillars of the national integrity system (with a specific focus on parliament), and holding public bodies to account for corrupt practice in delivering key services. People’s experiences of services delivered through schools, hospitals and local government have resulted in a complete collapse in trust in public bodies. Thecommitment of the democratically elected government to tackle corruption at all levels will be a key determinant of whether trust and stability can emerge from the volatility of Bangladesh’s politics.