The mimicry of the state as a state practice : the regulation of rickshaw licenses in Dhaka (Bangladesh)

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The mimicry of the state as a state practice : the regulation of rickshaw licenses in Dhaka (Bangladesh)

Bert Suykens UGent (2018) CRITICAL ASIAN STUDIES. 50(3). p.422-441

Around half a million cycle rickshaws are currently active in Dhaka, Bangladesh. With only 86,000 official licenses available, different types of organizations supply licenses to most rickshaw drivers. These non-official licenses mimic the language of the state. This article argues that while these licenses appear as part of nonstate, hybrid, or twilight institutions, they in fact constitute a state practice. Based on approximately 200 semi-structured interviews at six locations in Dhaka and offering a conceptualization of the Bangladesh state as a party-state, the article shows that the operation of non-official rickshaw licenses and the mimicry entailed is an inherent part of party-state governance, one which is not morally neutral. While most respondents saw the everyday benefits of non-official licenses in the absence of sufficient official ones, the latter remained the most prized and, if made available, respondents agreed that the former would become redundant.

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