Introduction

In 2021, Bangladesh ranked 147 among 180 countries in the Corruption Perception Index (CPI) by the international corruption watchdog Transparency International with a score of 26 on their 100-point scale. In the control of corruption sub-category of the Worldwide Governance Indicator, Bangladesh has remained static at the 16.83 percentile from 2018 through 2020. Bangladesh has been named a “highrisk” country on the TRACE Bribery Matrix since 2014.

The project consists of several components, including an exploration of commitments and actions regarding democracy, governance, transparency, accountability, and corruption by various trade groups. In addition, surveys of households and SMEs capture the perception and nature of the corruption they face. These surveys will be followed by eight focus group discussions with SME stakeholders (representatives of the SMEs and trade bodies, independent entrepreneurs, incubators, members of local civil society mobilize them into a non-partisan movement dedicated to the cause of a corruption-free government system in Bangladesh. This project has been envisioned in the context of widespread corruption in the country.

Objectives of the report

organizations, and public officials) and a national dialogue which will bring local and national stakeholders as well as policymakers, media, and political leaders, to draft a charter for addressing the ways and means to curb corruption.

In partial fulfilment of the project objectives, this report’s intended objectives are:

(a) to provide a comprehensive picture of the SME sector in Bangladesh drawing on the available literature;

(b) to provide information about the level of commitment to anti-corruption efforts of the private sector, particularly the largest business support organizations in the country;

(c) to provide business leaders and experts’ insights on the issues of democracy, governance, transparency, accountability, and corruption at the national level and sub-national level. .

Methodology

The assessment report employed two methods: analysis of secondary sources and Key Informant Interviews (KII). KIIs are in-depth qualitative interviews conducted with experts and leaders of the various trade bodies.

In Bangladesh, business support organizations (such as sectoral business groups, chambers of commerce, and trade associations) wield considerable power. They primarily represent large, politically-linked corporations and boast substantial access to Dhaka’s power centers. However, data on their level of commitment to anti-corruption measures remains scarce. To fill this information gap, we analyzed key organizational documents from the country’s most prominent business support organizations and conducted KIIs with their leadership to gather information on the power dynamics that generate, support, and sustain corruption by rewarding corrupt practices.

Using online and physical resources, we gathered a total of 152 publications from 10 national and regional trade organizations to study available information regarding their stated goals, plans, and programs. All pertinent topics from the publications were subsequently identified and summarized (Appendix 1). These documents were gathered between February 2021 and February 2022.

After identifying individuals related to the national and regional trade bodies, we conducted 15 KIIs between December 1, 2021 and March 15, 2022. This list included leaders of business support organization, academics, and experts (Appendix 2). These interviews were semi-structured around a set of conversation-steering questions that were pretested in December 2021 and received necessary revisions before other interviews were scheduled. These interviews were conducted in Bangla, and transcriptions were made for every interview. In addition, project partners made summarized and contextualized English translations that highlight the salient points of each conversation.

This report includes the main issues discussed by the respondents. Challenges faced during the KII process included Bangladesh’s third wave of COVID-19 in December 2021, which delayed in-person interviews, and the overall reluctance of interviewees to discuss corruption. Interviewers observed several subjects respond cautiously, avoiding language that might be construed as politically sensitive to the government.