It’s time to challenge what we know
Vision 2021 laid out a clear path to Bangladesh becoming a middle-income country by its 50th anniversary. At the heart of this vision lay Digital Bangladesh, an ambitious plan to accelerate the use of ICTs across the country and drive growth across all sectors. But Digital Bangladesh represented more than hardware, software and connectivity. Instead, it embodied the very spirit of Vision 2021 – innovation, resilience and resourcefulness. Most significantly, both Vision 2021 and Digital Bangladesh were models of people-centric development. They were developed with an intricate understanding of the needs, capacity and characteristics of the population they were designed to benefit. …Read more >>
Bangladesh’s agro-revolution
Bangladesh has been one of the fastest-growing economies in the world over the past decade. It is among the best performers on poverty and food insecurity reduction, which makes its growth-inclusive. This owes to its demographic dividend, foreign remittances and strong ready-made garment exports. Stability on…
Can inflationary policy violate human rights?
Why could families before live on one income but can now barely scrape by on two? Monetary economist Edin Mujagić poses this question at the start of his book Money Murder. He claims that central banks across the world have destroyed wealth by systematically pursuing…
Hiring in Bangladesh is now digital-first
Nothing sums up the impact of covid-19 on businesses quite like digitalisation. Not only has the pandemic pushed companies towards digital technologies and online channels, it has also changed the hiring process to one that is digital-first. This shift is evident in Bangladesh. Traditionally offline…
In search of good data in Bangladesh
Statistics on development indicators are useful to politicians, policy-makers and technocrats as well as international development partners. Accurate information has a direct impact on a country’s policy-making and also in maximising its tax collection. The need for accurate statistics is well documented; nonetheless, inaccurate statistics…
Community radio is countering voice-poverty in Bangladesh
Community radio is an alternative radio broadcasting method to commercial and public broadcasting. Community stations serve the interests of communities at grassroots level. They broadcast content that is popular and relevant to a local, specific audience but that commercial or mass media broadcasters often overlook.…
Of migrants and middlemen
The title of this article is inspired by American author John Steinbeck’s famous novel Of Mice and Men. The plot of this novella captures the thesis for this piece. The two men in Steinbeck’s novella were migrant ranch workers, although from a different era, situated…
Fresh perspectives – A policy briefcase
On international labour migration Emigration Ordinance Bangladesh’s entire migration management has been envisioned under the regulatory framework of the Emigration Ordinance 1982. This replaced the previously existing colonial era Emigration Act from 1922. It provides the legal provisions for regulating the recruitment and placement of…