This book offers a rigorous examination of the implementation of the Citizen Charter in Bangladesh’s urban local government system. Drawing on extensive mixed-method fieldwork conducted in the Rajshahi City Corporation and Khulna City Corporation, the book investigates how a reform intended to promote timely, accountable, and citizen-centred public service delivery became largely disconnected from administrative practice and public awareness.

Situating the Citizen Charter within Bangladesh’s broader New Public Management reform agenda, the book traces the origins, adoption, and implementation of the policy, highlighting the crucial role played by civil society organisations in its development. Through five analytical lenses, namely policy standards and objectives, resource allocation, citizen awareness, information access, and legal mandate enforcement, it provides a detailed account of the factors that limited the charter’s effectiveness.

Beyond the Bangladeshi case, the book contributes to wider debates on policy transfer, institutional reform, and governance in the Global South. It examines the challenges of transplanting administrative models developed in different political and institutional contexts without adequate adaptation. Combining empirical evidence with theoretical insight, The Charter on the Wall makes a significant contribution to scholarship on public administration, urban governance, development policy, and South Asian politics, while offering a critical reflection on the gap between policy design and policy implementation.

Dr. A. H. M. Kamrul Ahsan is a Professor in the Department of Public Administration at the University of Rajshahi in Bangladesh. His expertise focuses on local governance, policy implementation, public accountability, and resource mobilization in South Asia. He has published several books and journal articles from international publishing houses.

Dr. Pranab Kumar Panday is a Professor in the Department of Public Administration at the University of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. He also served as an Adjunct Professor at Central Queensland University, Australia, for three years. He was a Senior Fulbright Fellow at Cornell University in the USA in 2012. His main research areas include public policy, social movements, NGOs, social accountability, public sector management, governance, and gender studies. He has written extensively for reputed international publishers.