Selim Raihan

Dr Selim Raihan is professor, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and executive director, South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (Sanem). Email: [email protected]

There is no consistency or logic in the targets set in the budget

We should have focused on addressing the macro-fundamentals, which would create a launching pad for the coming year’s fiscal flow.

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When hunger strikes

Addressing the inflationary pressure and the resulting food insecurity of the poorer households need to be the top priority now.

Shocks and shields: Economic resilience during turbulent times

Bangladesh’s economic growth performance has been encouraging, but questions remain regarding the drivers and quality of said growth.

Do we really know how hundi works?

A more comprehensive analysis is needed to gather a complete picture of the hundi business.

One of his finest strengths was his ability to communicate at all levels. He could comfortably address a roomful of diplomats, academics and policymakers, and not miss a beat when speaking to them about his dreams. He could mix with ordinary people from all walks of life, speak in their local dialects, and relate to their problems just as easily.

Coping with the twin shocks of inflation and depleting forex reserves

Dealing with these two major challenges is essential for macroeconomic stability

We can bypass inflation effects if we act smart

The volatility of commodity prices in both global and local markets has put ordinary people in Bangladesh in an uncertain situation.

How should we address our core labour market challenges?

We need a strategy to deal with youth unemployment and improve women's inclusion into the economy

Why is our public spending on education still so shockingly low?

Since it boosts individual productivity and produces a trained labour force, education is seen as a crucial road to economic progress.

The anatomy of macroeconomic challenges in Bangladesh

Despite the macroeconomic success, Bangladesh faces several long-standing challenges.

Economic challenges that budget 2022-23 must address

The current global political, economic and trade situations are not favourable for a developing country like Bangladesh.

Here’s what the 2022-23 budget must address

The national budget for the next fiscal year will be the third since the start of the Covid-19 crisis in March 2020. Can we expect it to address the current realities, contexts and challenges of Bangladesh?

Looking beyond the official arithmetic of inflation

Do the official inflation figures in Bangladesh reflect the actual inflation faced by the economically marginalised households in the country?

The path to development is riddled with challenges

As we continue to celebrate 50 years of Bangladesh’s independence, there is a need for an elaborate discussion about the development challenges we are about to face in the days to come. Bangladesh’s development challenges are associated with its larger development goals.

What should be our development strategies during Covid?

Seeing the varying degrees of Covid that the world has experienced over the last one and a half years, we can safely assume that this pandemic is here to stay.

Challenges facing SMEs during pandemic

In Bangladesh, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have heterogeneous characteristics, which are evident from their diverse business activities. However, the discussion on SMEs has a fundamental problem related to the definition and scope.

Covid-19 recovery: Contexts and priorities in Bangladesh

Around a year and a half have passed since the onset of the Covid crisis.

Expectations from budget

This year’s national budget will be the second to be implemented amid the ongoing unprecedented economic and social crisis brought on by Covid-19.

Stimulating private investment in times of pandemic

In Bangladesh, despite the gradual rise in the investment-GDP ratio over the past three decades, private sector investment, in proportion to GDP, had remained stagnant for years even before the onset of Covid-19. The Covid-19 crisis intensified the problem.

Strategies to address Covid-19 induced labour market challenges

Covid-19 deeply affected the labour market in Bangladesh. It intensified some of the existing challenges and brought about a new set of problems. A large number of people either lost employment or income and many are also experiencing intense job insecurity and uncertainty.

Regional integration in the Bay of Bengal: In search of a new agenda

Academics, policymakers and other stakeholders in the Bay of Bengal region and beyond agree on the need for greater integration in this region.

How much has the labour market recovered?

Despite signs of recovery in the economy, there is no denying the fact that the impact of Covid-19 on the labour market can be far reaching.

Strategies to tackle pandemic induced poverty in Bangladesh

The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in an unprecedented rise in poverty in Bangladesh in a very short time span.

Setting development priorities right in 2021

As the Covid-19 pandemic left a deep dent on the development trajectories of Bangladesh, the country must set its development priorities right in 2021. Bangladesh aims to achieve the stiff Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, and it aspires to become an upper-middle-income country by 2031.

Covid-19 and the road to recovery in Bangladesh

Covid-19 has generated hugely distressing effects on the economy of Bangladesh.

Eight new development challenges triggered by Covid-19

Covid-19 has brought about an unprecedented crisis in human history in terms of its dimension and scale.

Covid-19 and the challenges of trade for Bangladesh

The Covid-19 induced economic crisis has affected the export and import of Bangladesh by large margins. The economic crisis has been exacerbated by the closure or limited operation of businesses during the lockdown at home and abroad.

The budget falls short to be Covid-19 responsive

The fundamental objective of the budget for the next financial year (FY21) should have been to resolve the unparalleled health and economic threats raised by the Covid-19 pandemic, and to restore economic stability. Though the budget has acknowledged the context, it falls short to be a Covid-19 responsive budget.

Four key areas that need urgent attention

The economic crisis caused by Covid-19 is deepening in Bangladesh every day.

Case for a united South Asian response to Covid-19

The effects of Covid-19 on the national economies and the global economy are going to be unprecedented.

How the SDG costing exercise can help meet the targets

The Sustainable Develop-ment Goals (SDGs) are some ambitious development objectives with a total of 17 goals with 169 targets spanning economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.

It is our ‘competitiveness‘ which is holding us back

There are two contrasting contexts as far as the competitiveness of Bangladesh economy is concerned. On the one hand, the economic growth rate in Bangladesh has been increasing since 2013;

Three cases of ‘policy paralysis’ in Bangladesh

“Policy paralysis” can be described as a situation where critically important laws and reforms are not undertaken or, even if undertaken, not implemented as a result of a lack

The political economy of the fourth industrial revolution

There have been four waves of industrial revolution so far in the history of mankind. The first industrial revolution (from the mid-seventeenth century to the mid-eighteen century) took place in Europe and the United States. Dr Selim Raihan is Professor, Department of Economics, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Executive Director, South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM). Email: [email protected]

Expanding social protection

One major challenge faced by policymakers in most developing countries is that though conventional measurements of poverty are useful in identifying the poor people in general, these measurements fail to capture the critical sections of the population who are

Addressing our growing inequality using fiscal policy

Economic growth with the reduction in poverty and inequality are important development objectives in the policymaking process in Bangladesh.

Prioritise investment in human capital

Education and health play key roles in human capital formation. Investment in human capital formation is considered a means of improving the quality of life and sustaining economic growth. Education and health are regarded as critical pathways to economic development as they increase the productivity of individuals and generate skilled labour force.

Hiccups of 'Development Surprise'

Bangladesh's economic growth and development performance over the past two decades have been impressive.

The need for the 'correct' politics of development

Despite diverging economic and political trajectories, South Asian countries share commonalities in terms of emerging development challenges in the wake of the new world and regional dynamics.

Creating new employment opportunities

Bangladesh's economic growth and development experiences over the past four and a half decades since independence in 1971 have generated a lot of interests among academics and development practitioners both from home and abroad.

Six macroeconomic challenges

Today, there are six major macroeconomic challenges for Bangladesh's economy. First, accelerating economic growth and maintaining high economic growth over the coming years will remain a big challenge.

The challenging economics of climate change

Global climate change has become one of the dominant discourses in the scientific and public policy arena.

Why isn't private investment growing faster?

The long-term trend of GDP growth rate of Bangladesh shows that the country has continued to improve its rate of growth steadily over the past 46 years after independence in 1971.

The world cannot afford a full-scale trade war

The idea of globalisation and free trade has gained prominence in the world over the past three decades. Despite some limitations, globalisation and free trade regime are seen as beneficial for economic development, poverty reduction, and enhanced integration among countries.

Our road to rapid industrialisation

Experience from successful industrialised countries suggests that industrialisation brings significant structural change in the economy which leads to considerable reduction in poverty, large-scale job creation and substantial improvement in the welfare of the people of a country.

Can Bangladesh sustain its growth momentum?

What is the future economic growth prospect of Bangladesh? An analysis of Bangladesh's past economic growth in a comparative perspective can help find an answer to this question.

An anatomy of 'jobless growth' in Bangladesh

According to the official statistics, between 2013 and 2016-17, on average, gross domestic product (GDP) in Bangladesh grew annually by 6.6 percent, and there has been a net increase of 2.8 million new jobs on top of the 60.7 million jobs that existed in the economy in 2013.

Is LDC graduation a panacea?

Bangladesh has successfully met all three criteria for LDC graduation in the first review in March 2018. It is expected that Bangladesh will be able to meet the graduation criteria in the second review in 2021 and will finally graduate from the LDC status in 2024.

June 1, 2023