About Jagorometer

In December 2008, the Awami League-led Grand Alliance won a landslide victory, largely leveraging on its attractive election manifesto, titled "Charter for Change".

While we feel that Awami League was sincere and thoughtful with their promises, and hope that they will try their best to turn all those promises into reality, history unforunately shows us many instances when manifestos were ignored the moment one came to power.

Jagorometer is an unbiased, non-partisan, citizen-driven platform to ensure that does not happen this time, and to keep the government accountable. Through Jagorometer, citizens (and especially youth) can interactively track the promises made in the "Charter for Change", in 17 areas that Jagoree has identified. Jagorometer will be guided by citizen's opinion polls, both online and offline, and analysis of articles in major Bangla and English newspapers.

While this is a serious venture that we intend to continue at least for the next 5 years, one must remember that Jagorometer is not a methodologically foolproof research initiative. The analyses and assessments presented here are often subjective, and can be debated and questioned openly. And in many ways, that is our intention. In the end, we believe Jagorometer will only be successful if it helps spark of debates and thereby raises awareness within the general citizenry, many of who would otherwise have stayed detatched from the political and policy directions of the country.

Jagoree also hopes that this initiative will help create a better political culture where parties prepare manifestoes and promises more sincerely and thoughtfully.

Issues being tracked

Awami League outlined 22 areas in its manifesto, out of which 5 were given top priority. Jagorometer is being launched with complete "meters" for 12 issues in phase 1, which include the 5 top priorities of Awami League and another 7 which we felt were also high priority. The remaining 10 issues will be added in the next phase when we can garner adequate resources.

The issues being tracked in phase 1 are:

1. Price Hike & Economic Stability
2. Corruption control
3. Energy and Power generation
4. Poverty and inequity alleviation
5. Good Governance
6. Agriculture, fisheries and food security
   
7. Local Government strengthening
8. Youth & Employment
9. Health & family welfare
   
10. Human Resource Development
11. Environment and water resources
12. Commerce and Industry

1. Communications & Infrastructure
2. Empowerment of women and child welfare
3. Labor Policy
4. Freedom struggle and freedom fighters
5. Religious minorities, disadvantaged people and underdeveloped areas
6. Freedom of mass media and information
7. Government and NGO
8. Foreign Policy
9. Defence
10. Culture & Sports