Academic and Reference Books

Governance in theory and practice has been the subject of intense discussion and indepth study both in the developed and developing countries for quite sometime. Though improvement in the quality of governance has been slow in coming, there is now a fair degree of agreement over the major issues involved and the reform measures called for. This anthology reflects these issues from the South Asian perspectives based on the experiences of the past and the imperatives of the present.

Tradition and modernity are perhaps the two poles against which women of South Asia are pitted. The main elements of tradition seem to be comprised of religion. Religion occupies a somewhat difficult position in the largely secular terrain that speak of the empowerment of women. This fascinating volume explores the role that religion, culture and society play in the social and political positioning of women.

This book focuses on issues critical to the contemporary emphasis on gender sensitive health care for the poor pregnant women in Bangladesh. The core of the book explores the differing perspectives between rural women and health care providers regarding childbirth care and practices. The study attempts to understand women's perceptions of birthing care and their practices, the role of culture, socio-economic factors, and household dynamics as they influence women and their family's health-seeking behaviour.

Political, economic and policy models are undergoing drastic changes in LDC’s where market reforms are being implemented. In this context, the subject of governance has attracted increasing attention and debate, marked though by conceptual confusion and lack of solid analysis. Fuzzy Governance sets to examine the subject in its historic conceptual and paradigmatic connotations, with special reference to Bangladesh. The author provides the elements of an operational framework for systematic analysis and discussion of the current problems of governance in transitional phases.