Economics
Silent role of MFS to keep the economy going
With the advancement of the pandemic, the citizens of Bangladesh are leaning more and more towards adopting Mobile Financial Service (MFS) as their method of money transfer, buying products and services, buying mobile balance and making bill payments.
Navigating the socioeconomic perils of Covid-19 in Bangladesh
Despite the depressing state of major indicators such as negative export-import growth; large revenue deficit; falling private sector investment; rising non-performing loans recorded in the last quarter of 2019
Stimulus for Bangladesh’s export-oriented enterprises
On March 25, 2020, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced, in her address to the nation, that the government would provide an incentive package of Taka 5,000 crore for export-oriented industries.
Financial mobility in an immobile world
The recent outbreak of Covid-19 is an unprecedented global issue, leading many to contemplate difficult questions that are plaguing all of humanity.
COVID-19 has exposed the fragility of our economies
The human dimensions of the COVID-19 pandemic reach far beyond the critical health response. All aspects of our future will be affected—economic, social and developmental. Our response must be urgent, coordinated and on a global scale, and should immediately deliver help to those most in need.
Economic threats in the time of corona
What will the impact of Covid-19 be on the Bangladesh economy? Overall, it seems inevitable that the GDP gains that were expected to be realised in the current fiscal year are likely to be wiped out.
COVID-19 and Bangladesh’s macroeconomic challenges
The world economy is now on lockdown because of the global coronavirus pandemic. Governments and their central banks around the world are wasting no time in dealing with the health and economic implications of this crisis.
Implementing SDG 6: Watering the seeds of development
Nothing is more useful than water. Ironically, hardly anything can be obtained in exchange for water.
Extreme poverty: Special measures or solved by growth?
In material development terms Bangladesh has changed a lot, and has made much progress since I first arrived just over 44 years ago.
Bangladesh Apparel Industry: Naive negotiation and a rat race
The quote "Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate", from John F Kennedy is a mantra that should be adopted by all of us working in the readymade garment (RMG) sector of Bangladesh when entering into price discussions with our trading partners.
Elections and the economy
An interesting theory regarding pre-election periods is the theory of “opportunistic political business cycle,” by which incumbent politicians cause temporary economic expansions before the elections.
How is Bangladesh faring?
The idea of inclusive growth emerged after high rates of growth in national income had failed to generate sustained improvements in human welfare.
The spectacular rise of East Asia
When the history of our times is written, the spectacular rise of East Asia will be a towering landmark.
The need for equitability
The Bangladesh government proudly promotes the notion that the country is going through a rapid spell of socio-economic development—encapsulated by real GDP growth rates of over seven percent since 2016.
Another global financial crisis for developing countries?
George Soros, Bill Gates and other pundits have been predicting another financial crisis. In their recent book, Revolution Required: The Ticking Bombs of the G7 Model, Peter Dittus and Herve Hamoun, former senior officials of the Bank of International Settlements, warned of "ticking time bombs" in the global financial system waiting to explode, mainly due to the policies of major developed countries.
The value of a woman's time
The word “economics” originates from the Greek “oikonomikos”, which roughly means management and care of the household. From this etymology, it may appear that women, who are often in charge of managing and caring for the household, would be highly regarded in the discipline of economics. Yet in conventional economics, the unpaid housework of women is completely disregarded.
Fixing our current account deficit
If it was for a large, resource-rich country like the United States or Germany, a current account deficit of around USD 10 billion would be nothing. But for a small developing economy like Bangladesh, a current account deficit of USD 10 billion or four percent of GDP is definitely big enough to sound the alarm.
Sanchayapatra: The scapegoat of our financial sector problems?
Playing the blame game is one of our oldest rituals. When a crisis strikes it's always easier to lay the blame on someone that appears, only on surface, to be the “bad guy” without admitting to more fundamental causes. Sanchayapatra is just that: the scapegoat of our growing economic and financial sector challenges.