City Corporation (CC): An Analysis of Evolution, Structure, Functions, Election, and Finance

This chapter focuses on the historical biography of urban local government and its paradigm shifts in Bangladesh, with particular emphasis on the City Corporation (CC). Two key aspects are explored, providing a comprehensive understanding of the local government system. The first section provides a concise overview of the evolution of Bangladesh’s local government system, highlighting its structure and composition, specifically in the context of CC. In the second section, the chapter sheds light on the current state of City Corporation’s fiscal power and responsibilities, revenue collection and allocation mechanism under the legislative foundation of 2009. The chapter discusses the policies and practices regarding division of urban administration and finance from the historical notes containing the British and Pakistan period. A few years after independence, government of Bangladesh started to become more financially flourished with the blooming growth of urbanization and industrialization. In addition, it is needless to say that industrialization and urbanization have been growing around municipal areas and cities in this country. On the basis of these dynamics, Bangladesh government has enacted the Local Government (City Corporation) Act of 2009 which has broaden the scope of providing a greater public service to the wider section of population in the urban areas. Today, a lion’s portion of Bangladesh's economic development is dependent on the expansion of urban local government entities. This chapter raises critical concerns regarding City Corporation’s power and capacity in mobilizing its local resources with the provisions of the Act 2009. It becomes crucial to explore the extent to which the City Corporation can enjoy fiscal, financial autonomy over deciding budget, collecting local revenue and allocating them. By unravelling the level of fiscal autonomy of City Corporation along with examining the rhetoric and reality of mobilizing CC’s resources, this chapter also uncovers the multifaceted challenges and opportunities associated with the current state of mobilizing mechanism.