ABSTRACT
Governance allows for an analysis of the quality of political life in society and how this is both shaped by and shapes the structure and dynamics of power. One of the most common observations made about political life in Bangladesh contrasts the country's 'exceptional' performance in socio-economic terms with its poor performance in political or governance terms. In the analysis of the 2013 Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI), illustrate the extent of the contrast between Bangladesh's ambition to secure middle income status and its performance in governance terms. The 'governance agenda' effectively consists of a political programme established to help failing or lagging countries develop more modern political systems. Although many of the post-1990 elections have been nominally overseen by a caretaker government, political transitions in Bangladesh usually occur because of social protest and mobilisation. So far the post-2014 election era has been faithful to this script.
