Economics, Politics and Public Policy in East Asia and the Pacific
Author: Iftekharul Bashar, RSIS
The number of incidences of political violence in Bangladesh surged in the first quarter of 2013.
Activists of the country’s largest Islamist political party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami (BJI), clashed with the police in several parts of the country, leaving at least 87 people dead and thousands injured.
Author: Andrew Rowell, CARE Australia
The UN Commission on the Status of Women met again in New York on 4–15 March 2013, with a particular focus this year on prevention of gender-based violence.
In this context, it is timely for policy-makers to contemplate the full social and economic costs of gender-based violence on women, families, communities and nations. Read more…
Authors: Manish Vaid, ORF, and Tridivesh Singh Maini, New Delhi
Bangladesh’s vulnerability to climate change is the main reason behind its number six ranking on the 2011 UN World Risk Index — the highest within South Asia.
UN projections indicate that a sea level rise of 0.5 metres could see Bangladesh lose approximately 11 per cent of its land by 2050, which would affect around 15 million people. Read more…
Author: Syeda Naushin Parnini, University of Malaya
In Bangladesh, the government’s recent willingness to intervene in a verdict handed down by the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) indicates that the state is in dire need of robust and neutral institutions to safeguard its fragile democracy.
Author: Robert G. Wirsing, Georgetown
If one were on the lookout for the region with the most meagre potential for cooperative management of its transboundary river basins, South Asia would be a strong contender.
Author: Sandy Gordon, ANU
The Indian economy continued to struggle through 2012. Growth remained sluggish at about 5.3 per cent of GDP for the September quarter (year on year).
Although starting to fall, inflation — always politically sensitive in India — remains high.
Author: Sandy Gordon, ANU
Some 48 people were killed in the Indian state of Assam in late July following clashes between the Bodo ethnic group (a Tibetan-Burmese people who are now predominantly Christian and Hindu) and Muslim Bengali immigrants, mainly from Bangladesh and its previous incarnations.
Approximately 400,000 people have also been displaced from their villages. These are by no means the first such ethnic clashes in Assam. Read more…
Author: Pranab Kumar Panday, Cornell University and Rajshahi University
Though Myanmar is a close neighbour, the government of Bangladesh has refrained from establishing close bilateral relations due to the long-term military rule in Myanmar.
Of course, Bangladesh is not alone in shunning the junta. Most democratic countries around the world have tried to maintain their distance from the regime, particularly after Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was not allowed to form government after a landslide victory in the 1990 general elections. Read more…
Author: Scott French, Macquarie University
The recent G20 summit held in Los Cabos, Mexico, focused on the plight of developing economies. The agenda included several items of interest for developing nations, including financial inclusion and microfinance.
Better microfinance mechanisms will contribute to the reduction of global poverty and assist developing nations in sustaining their economies without foreign aid. Read more…
Author: Pranab Kumar Panday, Cornell University and Rajshahi University
The longstanding maritime dispute between Bangladesh and Myanmar came to an end after the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea gave its final verdict on 14 March 2012.
The procedure began back in October 2009, when Bangladesh eventually brought the issue before the international tribunal, having exhausted attempts to reach a bilateral agreement.
Author: Syeda Naushin Parnini, University of Malaya
Since Bangladesh achieved independence from Pakistan in 1971, democratic consolidation has faced various challenges.
Military and quasi-military governments have ruled the country for 15 of the 41 years since independence.
Author: Sourabh Gupta, Samuels International
On 7 September 2011 in Dacca, the prime ministers of India and Bangladesh signed a landmark protocol to their 1974 Land Boundary Agreement, providing for final settlement of their long-pending boundary issues.
Given that instances of territorial dispute settlement in this sovereignty-conscious region have been few and far between, this exercise in statesmanship is both commendable and long overdue. Read more…
Author: Pravakar Sahoo, IEG
Since Bangladesh achieved independence, seceding from Pakistan in 1971, India has been its major trading partner.
But since 2002 China’s trade with Bangladesh has increased many times over, surpassing that of India. Read more…
Author: Nina Merchant-Vega, The Asia Foundation
Since the 1980s, microfinance institutions in Bangladesh have touted the success of women micro-entrepreneurs in starting and operating thousands of microenterprises throughout the country.
While this is certainly an achievement, Bangladeshi women have not achieved the same level of success in the small and medium sized enterprise (SME) sector. Read more…
Author: John D. Conroy, ANU and FDC
The removal of Muhammad Yunus as Managing Director of Grameen Bank now seems irrevocable.
The Bangladesh Finance Ministry is reported to have prepared a ‘14 point plan’ that will ‘transform the Nobel winning micro-lender into another state-owned bank’, with the government likely looking to increase its equity stake in Grameen (currently less than 4 per cent of paid capital) to restructure the board and ‘establish control over its lucrative sister firms’. Read more…
