Notes & updates.
Can Bangladesh Afford to Pay Garment Workers a Basic Wage of 30,000 Taka?
Workers cannot live on 12,500 taka and factories cannot sell a T-shirt at the price a monthly wage of 30,000 taka would require. Factories can pay part of it. The state and buyers must cover the rest
Bangladesh Cannot Wait Two Years to Manage its Energy Demand
Finance Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury recently acknowledged that Bangladesh needs at least two years to stabilise its energy sector and the wider economy. The admission is sobering, but also useful. It raises a question that deserves more attention: if adequate supply cannot be restored soon, how will the country manage with scarce energy during […]
Bengal Delta Conferece: Human Capital and Bangladesh’s Global Competitiveness
Bangladesh must prioritize quality employment featuring living wages and robust labor protections. To boost global competitiveness as artificial intelligence transforms traditional production and job markets, he advocates expanding human-centered services like healthcare while shifting education toward core human strengths such as empathy, creativity, imagination, and interpersonal capabilities. Jyoti Rahman, Chairman of Panam Institute, discusses the […]
Does Bangladesh Gain from ‘Renewed’ Ties with Pakistan?
New engagement offers Bangladesh lessons in digital infrastructure, but a widening trade imbalance, unresolved historical grievances and Pakistan’s reluctance to open its market raise questions
Trendspotting Ep 2: A State of Economic Emergency
Where is Bangladesh’s economy heading? What is the way out of high inflation, weak investment, mounting debt pressure, and the uncertainty and crisis of economic growth? In this episode of the Trendspotting, Panam Institute addresses the critical issues facing Bangladesh’s current monetary and fiscal landscape.
What Does the Seemingly Minor Incident of 85 People Being Arrested at a Party Have to Do with Bangladesh’s Economic Crisis?
During the interim government’s tenure, there was a sustained campaign of criticism against Prothom Alo and The Daily Star — some justified, some unjustified — along with calls for the newspapers to be shut down and even attacks on their offices. At the time, many of us argued that instead of attacking newspaper offices, those who […]
The Real Test of Bangladesh’s 25 Crore Tree Pledge
The gap between planting a seedling and keeping it alive is the real test of the pledge to plant 25 crore (250 million) trees in five years. The Prime Minister formally launched the programme on 13 June at the Malumghat reserved forest in Cox’s Bazar. According to the progress report prepared for the implementation cell’s […]
বিআরটি প্রকল্প বাতিল: দায় কি শুধু রাজনীতিকদের, আর কারও নয়
রাজনৈতিক সরকার আসে, যায়; যাঁরা সম্ভাব্যতার প্রত্যয়ন লেখেন, তাঁরা থেকে যান। তাঁদের জবাবদিহির আওতায় আনাই হবে আসল উন্নয়ন।
Why do Foreign Governments and Lenders Still Want to Invest in Bangladesh?
Size is the reason an economy like Bangladesh always has room to turn around
A State of Economic Emergency
The government should call the situation what it is: An economic emergency. That calls for urgency, transparency about the losses in the banking system, and a public discourse around austerity.