On 6 June, Mr Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali became the third finance minister since 2009 to present the budget. The budget was presented when Bangladesh had been facing significant stress due to external and internal factors. These factors have led to macroeconomic instability, depleted foreign exchange reserves, inflation, and challenges in managing external debt. The […]
Quarterly Update on the Major Economic Trends in Bangladesh: May 2024
Bangladesh’s economy has faced significant challenges in the early months of 2024. Economic growth has decelerated, particularly in the export sector, while inflation has remained high. Policy adjustments are being made to address inflation and stabilise the external sector, but careful consideration is required to prevent a potential sharp downturn later in 2024. The country’s […]
Bangladeshi Diaspora Journalists Push Back Against Democratic Backsliding at Home
In December 2022, the Bangladeshi High Commission in Canada issued a statement that sent shockwaves through the Bangladeshi Canadian community. The statement urged all “peace-loving and patriotic Bangladeshi-Canadians to be aware of those spreading anti-Bangladesh propaganda from Canada” and warned that individuals and media involved in such activities would not receive consular services. This announcement has had […]
How India, the US, and China Can Impact Bangladesh’s Impending Election
In December 2013, Bangladesh’s Awami League (AL) government faced a crisis of legitimacy ahead of the general election. The largest opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and its ally, the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh (JIB), announced a boycott of the election, following the government’s rejection of their demand to hold elections under a neutral caretaker government. […]
Three Things to Note from Josep Borrell’s Response to the European Parliament Letter on Bangladesh
In response to the much talked about letter from the six Members of the European Parliament led by Ivan Štefanec MEP, the Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell Fontelles has underlined three areas that the European Union, the organisation of 27 European states, would be observing in the coming days. The letter was […]
Kin of Forcefully Disappeared People in Bangladesh Demand Answers
While Bangladesh is internationally lauded for its economic growth and development under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, international human rights organizations are slamming it for its dismal human rights record. Under Hasina, the Bangladeshi elite paramilitary force, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and other Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies are alleged to be responsible for more than […]
Why India Needs To Support the Quest for Restoring Democracy in Bangladesh
Shaon Prodhan, Shahidul Islam Shaon, Nayan Mia, Maqbul Hossain and others like them were working class and self-employed young men in Bangladesh – rickshaw pullers, vegetable vendors, welders, factory workers, tailors, and so on. They risked violence from the ruling Awami League workers and law enforcement agencies to attend rallies and meetings of the Bangladesh […]
Why are energy prices rising in Bangladesh
With the Bangladesh government raising the electricity tariff for a third time in two months, and Nasrul Hamid, the country’s energy minister, making it clear to the media that the government will be “adjusting” the price on a regular basis until the global crisis recedes, it is justified to ponder what has gone wrong in Bangladesh’s energy […]
Bangladesh economy remains unstable with inappropriate policy settings
This is the seventh edition of our set of 18 charts about the Bangladesh economy, with three months of further data. For more about the purpose and background of the charts and about the significance of each indicator, read the first article from March 2021 here. The last instalment in November 2022 showed that the […]
Sanctions help bring accountability in Bangladesh
On 10 December 2021 – International Human Rights Day – the Biden administration in the United States levied sanctions against the Bangladeshi elite force, the Rapid Action Battalion. The punitive measures, in support of US Global Magnitsky human rights sanctions, targeted six of RAB’s former officials, including current and immediate past heads of the Bangladesh […]
