Tracking a Complaint: Administrative Handoffs in Rural Water-Service Repair

Karim, N., & Fernandez, L. (2025). Tracking a Complaint: Administrative Handoffs in Rural Water-Service Repair. Journal of Social Science DIU. https://jssdiu.org/articles/tracking-a-complaint-administrative-handoffs-in-rural-water-service-repair-81d90246

Karim, Nabila, and Lucia Fernandez. “Tracking a Complaint: Administrative Handoffs in Rural Water-Service Repair.” Journal of Social Science DIU, 2025, https://jssdiu.org/articles/tracking-a-complaint-administrative-handoffs-in-rural-water-service-repair-81d90246.

Karim, Nabila and Lucia Fernandez. 2025. “Tracking a Complaint: Administrative Handoffs in Rural Water-Service Repair.” Journal of Social Science DIU. https://jssdiu.org/articles/tracking-a-complaint-administrative-handoffs-in-rural-water-service-repair-81d90246.

Karim, Nabila and Lucia Fernandez. “Tracking a Complaint: Administrative Handoffs in Rural Water-Service Repair.” Journal of Social Science DIU (2025). https://jssdiu.org/articles/tracking-a-complaint-administrative-handoffs-in-rural-water-service-repair-81d90246.

Karim, N. and Fernandez, L. (2025) ‘Tracking a Complaint: Administrative Handoffs in Rural Water-Service Repair’, Journal of Social Science DIU. Available at: https://jssdiu.org/articles/tracking-a-complaint-administrative-handoffs-in-rural-water-service-repair-81d90246 (Accessed: 4 November 2026).

N. Karim and L. Fernandez, “Tracking a Complaint: Administrative Handoffs in Rural Water-Service Repair,” Journal of Social Science DIU, 2025. [Online]. Available: https://jssdiu.org/articles/tracking-a-complaint-administrative-handoffs-in-rural-water-service-repair-81d90246

Karim N, Fernandez L. Tracking a Complaint: Administrative Handoffs in Rural Water-Service Repair. Journal of Social Science DIU [Internet]. 2025 Oct 23 [cited 2026 Nov 4]. Available from: https://jssdiu.org/articles/tracking-a-complaint-administrative-handoffs-in-rural-water-service-repair-81d90246

@article{karim2025tracking,
  author = {Karim, Nabila and Fernandez, Lucia},
  title = {{Tracking a Complaint: Administrative Handoffs in Rural Water-Service Repair}},
  journal = {Journal of Social Science DIU},
  year = {2025},
  month = {oct},
  publisher = {Dhaka International University},
  url = {https://jssdiu.org/articles/tracking-a-complaint-administrative-handoffs-in-rural-water-service-repair-81d90246},
  keywords = {public service delivery, complaint handling, rural water, administrative coordination, union parishads},
  abstract = {Rural residents often report water-service failures through several offices before a repair is authorised. This study follows complaint handling in twelve union parishads across two Bangladeshi districts to identify where administrative delays accumulate. Researchers reconstructed 173 repair cases from registers, interviewed 39 officials and residents, and observed service desks for eight weeks. Event-history analysis distinguished time awaiting inspection, approval, procurement, and final verification. Cases requiring confirmation from more than one office remained unresolved longer, even when recorded repair costs were similar. Interviews showed that residents frequently carried documents between offices because staff lacked a shared way to track responsibility. A locally maintained referral ledger shortened some handoffs but did not resolve shortages of replacement parts. The findings connect service delays to fragmented information as well as material constraints. Incomplete registers may underrepresent complaints that were abandoned early. Improving rural maintenance requires clear ownership of referrals, accessible progress information, and separate monitoring of administrative waiting time and procurement delays.}
}

TY  - JOUR
AU  - Karim, Nabila
AU  - Fernandez, Lucia
TI  - Tracking a Complaint: Administrative Handoffs in Rural Water-Service Repair
JO  - Journal of Social Science DIU
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/10/23
PB  - Dhaka International University
UR  - https://jssdiu.org/articles/tracking-a-complaint-administrative-handoffs-in-rural-water-service-repair-81d90246
KW  - public service delivery
KW  - complaint handling
KW  - rural water
KW  - administrative coordination
KW  - union parishads
AB  - Rural residents often report water-service failures through several offices before a repair is authorised. This study follows complaint handling in twelve union parishads across two Bangladeshi districts to identify where administrative delays accumulate. Researchers reconstructed 173 repair cases from registers, interviewed 39 officials and residents, and observed service desks for eight weeks. Event-history analysis distinguished time awaiting inspection, approval, procurement, and final verification. Cases requiring confirmation from more than one office remained unresolved longer, even when recorded repair costs were similar. Interviews showed that residents frequently carried documents between offices because staff lacked a shared way to track responsibility. A locally maintained referral ledger shortened some handoffs but did not resolve shortages of replacement parts. The findings connect service delays to fragmented information as well as material constraints. Incomplete registers may underrepresent complaints that were abandoned early. Improving rural maintenance requires clear ownership of referrals, accessible progress information, and separate monitoring of administrative waiting time and procurement delays.
ER  -