Rumki Basu is Professor of Public Administration, formerly Head of the Department of Political Science, and Director of the Women’s Studies Centre at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India. A prolific author, she has published on issues of public policy and governance, international organisation and political economy of development in India.M. Shamsur Rahman is former Professor and Chairman of Political Science and Public Administration Departments, Rajshahi University, Bangladesh. He was the first Vice-Chancellor of Jatiya Kabi Nazrul Islam University in Trishal, Mymensingh, Bangladesh, from 2006 to 2009. He has authored many books and articles in national and international journals.

• Introduction 1 Religion and culture in nation building and governance of South Asia Priyanka Jha 2 Civil service reforms and development of professionalism: a case study of Bangladesh A.T.M. Obaidullah 3 Public service guarantee acts in Indian states: tools of accountability and ethical governance Rumki Basu 4 Information technology as a key to good governance in Pakistan: a case study Sarfraz Khawaja and Jahanzeb Waheed 5 Women empowerment in Kerala: a model in South Asia Ahamed Kabeer M. 6 Natural disasters and women dependent on agriculture in India’s rural areas Manika Kamthan 7 Climate change mitigation through whole tree planting: a case study in India Kapil Kumar Joshi, Vinay Sharma and Parag Madhkar Dhakate 8 Forest governance in north-east India and the role of the judiciary Harsha S. and Dijamani Sarmah 9 Occupational health and safety in the ship-breaking industries of Bangladesh Mahfuzul Haque 10 Climate change and its adaptation policies in Bangladesh: a synoptic view M. Shamsur Rahman and Shahriar Shams 11 Model villages in the context of state, civil society and the market: emerging paradigm in India E. Venkatesu 12 Labour motivation in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act/Scheme in India Asif Hasan and Anwar Imam 13 Role of social audit in curbing corruption in India Nitin Dhaktode

Rumki Basu is Professor of Public Administration, formerly Head of the Department of Political Science, and Director of the Women’s Studies Centre at Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India. A prolific author, she has published on issues of public policy and governance, international organisation and political economy of development in India.M. Shamsur Rahman is former Professor and Chairman of Political Science and Public Administration Departments, Rajshahi University, Bangladesh. He was the first Vice-Chancellor of Jatiya Kabi Nazrul Islam University in Trishal, Mymensingh, Bangladesh, from 2006 to 2009. He has authored many books and articles in national and international journals.

• Introduction 1 Religion and culture in nation building and governance of South Asia Priyanka Jha 2 Civil service reforms and development of professionalism: a case study of Bangladesh A.T.M. Obaidullah 3 Public service guarantee acts in Indian states: tools of accountability and ethical governance Rumki Basu 4 Information technology as a key to good governance in Pakistan: a case study Sarfraz Khawaja and Jahanzeb Waheed 5 Women empowerment in Kerala: a model in South Asia Ahamed Kabeer M. 6 Natural disasters and women dependent on agriculture in India’s rural areas Manika Kamthan 7 Climate change mitigation through whole tree planting: a case study in India Kapil Kumar Joshi, Vinay Sharma and Parag Madhkar Dhakate 8 Forest governance in north-east India and the role of the judiciary Harsha S. and Dijamani Sarmah 9 Occupational health and safety in the ship-breaking industries of Bangladesh Mahfuzul Haque 10 Climate change and its adaptation policies in Bangladesh: a synoptic view M. Shamsur Rahman and Shahriar Shams 11 Model villages in the context of state, civil society and the market: emerging paradigm in India E. Venkatesu 12 Labour motivation in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act/Scheme in India Asif Hasan and Anwar Imam 13 Role of social audit in curbing corruption in India Nitin Dhaktode