Selim Jahan

Selim Jahan is Director of the Human Development Report Office and lead author of the Human Development Report.

Should Bangladesh be worried about debt financing?

Dr Selim Jahan lays out all the facts about Bangladesh's debt financing situation.

Should Bangladesh worry about debt servicing?

Debt servicing has become a rising concern for developing countries in recent times.

Bangladesh can stay ahead of global inflation, if it acts now

“Inflation is as violent as a mugger, as frightening as an armed robber, and as deadly as a hitman”—these were the words of Ronald Reagan during his campaign for the US presidency at the beginning of 1980s.

An action agenda for fostering inclusive growth in Bangladesh

Analytically speaking, if economic growth is to be inclusive, it must fulfil three mutually synergetic criteria: it must be sustained and pro-poor; it must ensure equity in resource availability, access to basic social services and income distribution; and it must be accompanied by productive employment.

Bijoyphool: A symbol of our struggle and victory

It was a bright sunny morning in Vientiane, where I was visiting during the first week of December 2017.

Afghanistan faces a grim economic future after Taliban takeover

The Taliban have taken over Afghanistan—that is yesterday’s news. That thousands of distressed Afghans were crowding Kabul Airport to try and escape the country has also become an old fact.

Afghanistan under the Taliban: What should we expect?

Afghanistan is now under the reins of the Taliban. No, they have not come to power through the ballot box, rather they have accomplished it by implementing the famous saying of Mao Zedong: “political power grows out of the barrel of a gun.” Afghanistan is now a Shariah-based Islamic state.

How debate can help create a better world

From the beginning of human civilisation, people have loved to argue and debate. They argue on topics, trivial or important, and they debate on issues

Enhancing human development in Bangladesh: Strategies and actions

Addressing the human development challenges of Bangladesh—whether lingering, deepening or emerging challenges—require both policy options and institutional reforms. An objective assessment and recognition of problems, strong political will and an honest implementation of strategies are preconditions for the success of policies and strategies.

From gender inequality to climate change

As Bangladesh looks forward to its next 50 years, there remain significant human development challenges for the country.

We must focus on rooting out inequalities

Over the past 50 years, Bangladesh has undoubtedly made impressive progress in overall human development as well as on specific human development fronts.

Human development in Bangladesh: What do the statistics tell us?

This year, Bangladesh marks the Golden Jubilee of its independence. The whole nation is celebrating this milestone with joy and pride. In 1971,

Covid-19: The Makings of a Third World War

When we were growing up in the sixties during the time of the Cold War between the USA and the then Soviet Union, we would often hear about a possible

Ferdousi Priyabhashini: An artist and a social activist

I know of Ferdousi Priyabhashini, but I did not know her. We met a few times in Dhaka either at a seminar or a conference, or at the residence of late National Professor Kabir Chowdhury.

Women’s leadership in a Covid world

This year, the theme of International Women’s Day is “Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future for Covid-19 World”. When the United Nations chose this theme, the idea was to celebrate and recognise women’s leadership in confronting and tackling the challenges of Covid-19, both inside and outside the household.

The ethnic face of Covid-19 in UK

So far, the focus of the Covid-19, commonly known as coronavirus, in every country has rightly been on health issues— expanding testing, tracing the infected, how to deal with infection, and combatting deaths. Issues of disaggregated profiling of its various aspects including the diverse socio-economic impacts were put on the back burner.

Langa: What South Africa is this?

"Where am I?” is the first question I asked myself after getting out of the car. Bewildered, I looked around. With me, there were three black students from the University of the Western Cape, and the driver of the car was also a young black man.

On identity and extremism

A person may have multiple identities—he or she may be known by different traits. Just look at me. I am a person with more than one identity.

Technological revolution and the jobs of tomorrow

Today's technological revolution has given rise to a digital economy, which includes the Internet (fixed and mobile broadband), cloud computing, smartphones, smart cities, the Internet of Things and Internet of Everything, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning,

Violence against women: A zero-tolerance issue

The lack of women's empowerment is a critical form of inequality. And while there are many barriers to empowerment, violence against women and girls (VAW) is both a cause and a consequence of gender inequality.

Future Of Work - Yet An Evolving Territory

What will be the nature of work in the future? This million-dollar question is being discussed in cafes, schools and workplaces around the world right now.

A case of laudable progress

The 2018 update on the global human development indices and indicators was released on September 14. Covering 189 countries of the world, the update has revealed for these countries the levels of human development in different dimensions, their progress, the inequalities in human development achievements and the extent and nature of deprivations.

RIP to GDP? Not So Fast

Recently, David Pilling had a write-up entitled “Do we need to say RIP (Rest in Peace) to GDP?” The write-up draws on his latest book The Growth Delusion on which he recently spoke at the Oxford Literary Festival.

Counting what counts in development

To most people, “development” is best measured by the quantity of change – like gains in average income, life expectancy, or years spent in school. The Human Development Index (HDI), a composite measure of national progress that my office at the United Nations Development Programme oversees, combines all three statistics to rank countries relative to one another.