Value of people's participation for good governance in developing countries

Purpose – The objective of this research is to find out the barriers to people's participation for good governance in developing countries. The specific objective is to explore the attitude of stakeholders responsible for ensuring people's engagement with local development programs. Design/methodology/approach – Two rural development projects in each of three local government institutions in Bangladesh were selected for this research study. Qualitative methods were used to investigate how actors related to these projects valued people's participation while implementing and using outcomes of these projects. Findings – The findings showed that the meaning of the notion of good governance through effective people's participation that has been imported from the developed democratic economies through international aid agencies remains somewhat unclear and ambiguous in a country such as Bangladesh. Practical implications – This study has revealed that one of the major barriers to people's participation in local government affairs is the traditional attitude of related stakeholders. This study thus, unlocked the practical knowledge about making people's participation effective in implementing development programs, specifically in the developing countries. Originality/value – This paper offers originality and new insight into the participatory governance in developing countries