The contradiction between economic policy and practices
How much can declared policy intentions be taken at face value when simultaneous administrative and political steps signal different intentions?
All about fair and unfair elections
The current political uncertainties work out, the road to a fair election appears neither certain nor easy.
Is Bangladesh at a triple crossroad?
Bangladesh has always battled and progressed through crises. But what future awaits us?
How much do we know about our emerging ‘new rural’?
“New rural” will be a critical player in the next chapter of Bangladesh’s transformation.
‘Louha tribhuj’ and the political economy of development
A political economy lens is needed to understand the current situation of Bangladesh.
The challenge of democratising the ‘middle income’ dream
Fifty years ago, the dominant concern of citizens and observers alike was about the economic future of newly independent Bangladesh.
Development and political leadership: China’s Wang Huning and new perspectives
We have all become accustomed to the economic story of China, its astonishing success in reducing poverty, its emergence as the economic powerhouse of the 21st century and its infrastructural ambitions expressed through the Belt and Road Initiative.
May 5, 2020
Opinion: A time for truths
It is 58 days since the first Covid-19 infection was recorded in Bangladesh. February now feels like a distant memory, even early March.
November 12, 2019
Women must have the right to choose
First there was Mexico City in 1984. Then there was Cairo in 1994. Now there is Nairobi in November 2019. The global community has dealt with the issue of population in these mega-conclaves.
October 27, 2019
Poverty’s Third Frontier
When Bangladesh gained independence nearly five decades ago, poverty was the default condition for over 80 percent of the population.
July 10, 2019
The truths about the budget that we fail to see
The recently-concluded budget season had to play second fiddle to the cricket season. And why not? Cricket is about passion, budget rarely so. The new finance minister has a foot in both of these worlds holding, as he does, the Comilla Victorians franchise. Mr Mustafa Kamal
June 14, 2019
Are policy blind spots driving the urban mess?
Accelera-ting urbanisation is the defining story of contemporary Bangladesh. Projections show that by 2050 urban population will overtake rural population. As Bangladesh hurtles towards its urban future, what a storyline of contradictory hues is unfolding!
March 3, 2019
A 'new normal'?
In its 48th year, Bangladesh faces a new existential question to ponder. What now passes as “normal”?
August 12, 2018
The Crisis is Impunity
Howsoever one tries to explain it, the death of Dia and Rajib, the two students of Shaheed Ramiz Uddin Cantonment College, on the Airport Road ten or so fateful days ago, can never be called an “accident”.
December 13, 2017
Middle-income Bangladesh has to be a healthy Bangladesh
Economic progress is meaningless if the people are not healthy enough to enjoy the progress. As Bangladesh pursues its dream of becoming a middle-income country, this dream must also be one of a Healthy Bangladesh.
December 12, 2016
Health challenges are more complex than ever
Though billed as a successor to the widely-known Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the new global goals — SDGs or Sustainable Development Goals — push humanity's ambitions much further and much wider.
July 8, 2015
REPORT CARD ON MR. MUHITH
AL'S affable finance minister is a lucky man having done the national budget more number of times than any other finance minister.
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