AN OPEN DIALOGUE

The role of spreadsheets in Brexit

As the UK prepares to leave the European Union on January 31, there are two important issues still unresolved: the monetary cost of Brexit, and the future of UK’s trade relations with the EU.
Bangladesh in 2020: Where are we now after 25 years?

It was the winter of 1995, or maybe 1996. Let me only say that it was a memorable moment for me, a quarter of a century ago in the city of Dhaka.
Is Trump choking off free trade and decimating WTO?

Two recent trade pacts—one between the US and China, and the other among US, Mexico and Canada—have given the economists plenty of reasons to worry.
Boris Johnson’s victory: What it means for the British economy

The outcome of Britain’s recent parliamentary elections should not come as a surprise to anyone. The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and the Conservative Party had sought a clear mandate from the people to “get Brexit done”.
What to expect on the world stage in 2020

Americans celebrate Thanks-giving Day (on the last Thursday of November) for many reasons but personally, I look forward to this holiday for the opportunity to reflect on the happenings of the past year, and to plan for the next one.
The mounting pressure on Myanmar and its sum total effect

Last week, for the first time I heard an eminent Burmese citizen and a former advisor to the military government admit that massacre and atrocities were committed against the Rohingyas. He also acknowledged that Rohingya villages were burned in Rakhine.
On the road to prosperity

Bangladesh has made phenomenal progress in the last two decades in terms of improving the standard of living of the masses.
The quest for a better life

Thirty-nine migrants seeking a better life perished in a refrigerated van, and their bodies were found in an industrial site about 25 miles east of central London.
Making the SDG goals a reality

Bangla-desh has expressed its interest to participate in next year’s SDG voluntary national review (VNR) which will be placed before the UN in July 2020.
The battle against privation

The 2019 Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to a trio who came from three different continents to teach and work together in Cambridge, USA. Abhijit Banerjee hails from India, Esther Duflo grew up in France, and Michael Kremer was born and brought up in the USA and finished his undergraduate and graduate degrees at Harvard. Their research focuses on poverty alleviation, and more specifically on the design of policy to guide development practitioners and government.
Why a no-deal Brexit may spell disaster for Britain

In Ian McEwan’s “Sweet Tooth”, a novel based on the social life of London in the early 1970s, we see a vivid description of conditions that prevailed in the UK which was then facing several crises on different fronts, and was completely torn apart by industrial and social unrest with slowing economic growth and rising unemployment.
Is poverty a dirty word?

In most countries in the world, barring a few, poverty appears to be a dirty word. Even in rich countries such as the USA and UK, it is difficult to find any reliable statistics on the existence of poverty, the level of poverty, or a headcount of poor people. It has recently
How to boost FDI

At some of the conferences on Bangladesh held in the USA, particularly at Harvard University, I have noticed that introductory speeches often mention Henry Kissinger and his infamous remark about Bangladesh being a “basket case” or “bottomless basket”.
Brexit: How will Boris Johnson play this game of strategy?

I am sometimes asked by my family members and confused friends to explain Brexit and the drama that is unfolding every day in the United Kingdom.
World leaders fiddle as global economy (and Amazon) burns

Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7), comprising the world’s largest economies, met for three days in Biarritz, France on August 24-26 but failed to address any of the important global issues including climate change, trade war(s), the looming economic slowdown, etc.
Repatriation of Rohingyas: Evidence of Myanmar’s lack of preparedness

The Rohingya repatriation is now rumoured to start in a few days, on August 22 to be specific. “Repatriation [of Rohingyas] is always on the table.
An economist’s campaign against age-obsessed billionaires

It is well-known that once you become rich, you can stay rich with little effort. Some of the super-rich in today’s world, for example, Microsoft’s Bill Gates, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, and Jack Ma of Alibaba have accumulated an enormous amount of wealth already and are likely to get richer in future. In the parlance of business, the super-rich or billionaires are on a path to exponentially increase their “net worth”.
‘Name and shame’ as an antidote for non-performing loans

Right after he took office as the new Finance Minister of Bangladesh (FM), AHM Mustafa Kamal declared at a meeting in Dhaka on January 10, 2019, “From today no more money will be added to the defaulted loans and it will gradually decrease from now on.”
Dhaka and the cities of the future

National Geographic (NatGeo), the international news magazine, dedicated its April 2019 issue to the challenges of urban living and the progression of big cities.
Rohingya negotiations through the lens of ‘game theory’

The Rohingya population in Bangladesh continues to grow. There are now over one million Rohingyas living in Bangladesh, and with each passing year, their number is increasing by approximately 20,000.
The proposed budget and its impact on vulnerable groups

In the proposed budget for fiscal year 2019-20, the government plans to spend Tk 74,367 crore, or 14.21 percent of the total expenditure, for social safety net programmes (SSNPs).
Why are bumper crops such a headache for Bangladesh?

A bumper crop used to be good news for Bangladesh in the past. For farmers who have to wait for almost four to six months after the sowing season before they can see the fruits of their labour,
Elevating the rank of Dhaka University

The Dhaka University Alumni Association of New England (DUAANE) organised a seminar in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA on February 24, 2019 to discuss and debate the low standing of Dhaka University in the global academic arena.
Are vested interests influencing our economic policies?

Is Bangladesh heading in the direction where a few at the top control all the levers of power? A story published in this newspaper voices concerns about the harmful effects of influence-peddling at the highest levels of government in Bangladesh.
Why do bombs fall on the hungry poor?

In Angola, an oil-rich country in Africa, over 2.3 million people are now on the brink of starvation due to drought. In Yemen, the United Nations warned that 13 million people are facing the prospect of famine.
US Central Bank fights back executive manipulation

If you live in the US, it is hard to miss the ongoing tug of war between the White House and the US central bank, The Federal Reserve System (the Fed).
Garment workers' struggle to find affordable housing

The garments industry plays a crucial role in our economy. The welfare of the 4.2 million workers in this industry is vital for our achievement of middle-income status.
Linking inequality to social unrest: Can UN turn the tables?

In a speech at the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) on March 6, 2019 in Geneva, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet spoke forcefully for combating inequalities in income and wealth.
Facebook, please change your business model!

Facebook is one of the largest technology companies in the world. However, the year 2018 was not the best one for Facebook,
Why redefining the 'poverty line' is necessary

As the new government in Bangladesh seeks to implement some of the promises it made during the last election campaign, this is an opportune moment for us to review some of our collective aspirations.