Building resilience for an uncertain future
The global shocks of the past two years have shown that a key issue facing policy-makers is how to build resilience. Disease, war and climate change have thrown up challenges that countries, both rich and poor, are struggling to deal with. Bangladesh’s successful response to the covid-19 pandemic surprised many but the country cannot rely simply on more of the same. In this issue of WhiteBoard, we look at a range of policy interventions that can help Bangladesh grow in an era of global uncertainty. …Read more >>
Bangladesh’s overseas borrowing concerns
Discussions around foreign aid or investment, technically known as official development assistance (ODA), and the consequent debt liabilities have gained renewed traction with developments in 2022 around the world, including in Bangladesh. The impacts of the Russia–Ukraine war, at a time when the Bangladesh economy…
Mapping the maritime role of Bangladesh
For centuries, the sea, or ‘maritime space,’ has been used as a site for cultural and religious exchange. The seas have been platforms for ideas and commerce but also sites for warfare. Powerful nations have used the ocean to extend their empires. Aside from all…
Protecting creativity in Bangladesh
A founding base of Bangladesh is its identity – meaning its language and culture. Bangladesh is overwhelmingly Bengali. It is said that Bengalis gain their strength from their culture! And to advance in the field of culture is to innovate in today’s technological revolution. For…
Tech-targeting for social security in Bangladesh
Before the covid-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Bangladesh’s poverty rate was 20.5% and its extreme poverty rate was 10.5%. The country was one of the best poverty reducers in the world, thanks to planned policy implementation. Like all countries, however, its progress on this indicator…
Reskilling for the 21st century
The world of work is changing. To be successful in the 21st century, economies will need to create workforces that can learn new skills. Labour markets will be propelled by domestic socioeconomic shifts and technology-driven globalisation. Many people born in the 21st century, tens of…
Why labour theories fail in Bangladesh
Youth participation in a labour force and in the country’s development outcomes is intertwined. It affects growth, human capital and social norms. Labour force participation rates by youth are just one indicator and do not give the full picture of their impact on the labour…
Building resilience – A policy briefcase
Official development assistance Economic Relations Division Bangladesh’s dealings with development partners are done by its nodal agency the Economic Relations Division (ERD). ERD is housed in the Finance Ministry. It mobilises and coordinates the allocation of all foreign assistance in line with the country’s…