Democratizing Bangladesh: Political Transition and the Politics of Digital Governance

• In Event: Student Forum Roundtables Session
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Roundtable 8: AI and Digital Governance

Abstract

Bangladesh’s digital landscape has long been shaped by autocratic practices such as the criminalization of dissent and surveillance mechanisms. However, the 2024 mass uprising that overthrew the fifteen-year-long Awami League (AL) regime created a fragile opening for democratic renewal (Chowdhury 2025). While existing scholarship has extensively examined the violation of digital rights under the AL government (2009–2024) (Bari and Dey 2019; Shams 2024), it now requires urgent attention to investigate how digital governance reforms unfold following regime change. This uncertain moment raises some crucial questions. First, what kind of democratization processes is Bangladesh envisioning in this fragile moment of transition, and to what extent are these efforts shifting from repression toward the protection of human rights? Second, how can Bangladesh democratize its institutions, especially those governing digital life, when the foundations of those institutions are rooted in coercion, opacity, and elite capture, structures that systematically generate and sustain inequality? It is within this uncertain terrain that this paper seeks to understand how digital governance becomes a contested site where democracy can either be rebuilt or slowly undone after regime change. To address these questions, the paper draws on six semi-structured interviews, one public webinar hosted by George Mason University’s Center for Social Science Research, Movement Engaged Research Hub (2025), and qualitative document analysis of legal texts, media reporting, and publications by human rights organizations surrounding the reform processes. This paper argues that state-led reforms, while necessary, are inadequate on their own unless accompanied by bigger structural changes. The findings hold broader relevance for analyzing reform politics in other transitional and post-authoritarian settings within developing countries as they navigate rapid technological transformation.

Author

• Jeba Humayra, George Mason University