This first article in a three-part series argues that Bangladesh’s celebrated growth story was always more fragile than it looked. Now that growth is slowing and investment is yielding less, the hidden costs of that model are becoming harder to ignore.
An extended war would not only upset the oil market, but could also disrupt development projects. Our workers, mainly in construction, cleaning and other blue-collar professions, are thus at high risk of mass layoffs.
The war shut down every long-term supplier in a week. But the permanent damage may not be Bangladesh’s problem.
The transition from cash to digital is not merely a technological shift; it is an institutional reform. It requires aligning incentives, building trust, and modernizing infrastructure. But the alternative -- continuing cycles of raids, fines, allegations of harassment, and persistent opacity -- offers little hope for sustainable market discipline.
A prolonged conflict in the Middle East would likely trigger a slump in consumer demand in Western markets, leaving the RMG sector vulnerable to the dual blow of dwindling orders and the logistical nightmare of disrupted maritime routes.
Irrespective of whether LDC graduation is delayed or not, we must face the music sooner or later. It is time to bite the bullet and focus on productivity. Understanding how firms increase productivity must be at the top of our agenda.
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Society needs a new compact to rein in the empire of corporate giants. This is as true for Bangladesh as it is for the rest of the world. Else we will all descend into the servitude of a new feudal system headed by giant corporations and the handful of their beneficiaries.
The global shortage is real. The demand is guaranteed. The opportunity is enormous.
This is the quiet evolution of empire -- from military enforcement to financial automation. The dollar isn’t dying, at least not anytime soon. It’s being privatized.
20% is better than 35, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done if Bangladesh wishes to remain competitive in the global marketplace
Without urgent steps to make Bangladesh Bank truly autonomous and accountable, meaningful economic reform will remain incomplete.
Bangladesh's future prosperity depends in large part on enhancing our productivity, but we still lag behind when it comes to gathering the data needed to address the issue, let alone making it a policy priority
Identifying the real problems and who should solve them
The DP World deal could be a game-changer for Bangladesh. We need to not let vested interests or shallow nativism trip us up.
