ABSTRACT
The linkage between democracy and globalisation on one hand, and democracy and sustainability on another, is well known and has been explored in many contributions, both at academic and political level. This chapter aims to explore the relationship between democracy and trade growth in developing countries, using Bangladesh’s clothing industry as a case study and discusses the prevalent assumptions on the relationship between democracy and trade performance. The governance-growth literature assumes that democracy is the only regime type that offers voice and accountability to citizens, and promotes democracy as a must for economic growth. The available literature dealing with democracy and its impact on trade mostly studies democracy as an impetus for liberal trade policies instead of studying how it contributes to trade performance. Dysfunctional democracy failed to adopt the necessary policies for rapid industrial growth and involve the state in the development process.
