Weekly Bangladesh Policy Outlook: Analysis, Truth, Debate.
This article examines a recurring pattern in Bangladesh’s cultural life: the state’s tendency to honour its artists only after they have died. Using the examples of Azam Khan, Ayub Bacchu, Helal Hafiz, and Rudra Mohammad Shahidullah, it questions why recognition so often arrives as a postscript rather than a timely tribute, and what this delay…
Purpose The purpose of this report is to assess how Bangladesh can strengthen cross-border memoranda of understanding and non-disclosure agreements used in international trade, brokerage, technology transfer and foreign investment. It considers legal enforceability alongside counterparty verification, trade execution, payment security, information governance and international dispute resolution. Executive summary MOUs and NDAs should be treated…
Read More “Bankable by Design: Strengthening Cross-Border MOUs and NDAs in Bangladesh” »
A Demographic Shift That Demands Attention Bangladesh is entering a demographic transition that requires urgent attention. Around ten percent of its population (nearly sixteen million people) is now aged sixty or older. By 2050, senior citizens are expected to make up more than twenty percent of the population, exceeding thirty-five million people. Yet the country…
Read More “Ageing with Dignity: Rethinking Elderly Care in Bangladesh” »
The flooding of 7,400 fish farms and ponds across Chattogram, with losses already exceeding Tk 39 crore, is not merely a seasonal misfortune. It is a structural reminder that Bangladesh’s fisheries sector, its second-largest export earner after garments, operates on foundations that cannot withstand the climate realities now upon the country. The damage figure, as…
Read More “Impact of July 2026 Floods on the Fisheries Industry” »
The proposal to merge Bangladesh’s four principal investment agencies, the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority, the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority, the Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority, and the Public-Private Partnership Authority, into a single body called the Unified Investment Development Authority (UIDA) is being pitched as a structural reform that will simplify investor services, reduce bureaucratic fragmentation,…
Read More “Investment Agency Merger in Bangladesh: Too Big to Fail?” »
The July floods have once again demonstrated the vulnerability of many regions of Bangladesh to widespread flooding and its associated public health consequences. While immediate rescue and humanitarian assistance are essential, the period following a flood often presents even greater health risks due to contaminated water, disease outbreaks, food insecurity, disrupted healthcare services, and deteriorating…
This article examines why imported goods become substantially more expensive in Bangladesh after arrival and outlines practical reforms that can reduce these costs, improve competitiveness, strengthen trade efficiency, and lower prices for consumers and businesses. The price a Bangladeshi consumer pays for an imported product bears little resemblance to its international market value. By the…
Read More “Reducing Bangladesh’s Import Costs: A Roadmap for Competitive Trade” »
This article examines Bangladeshi media’s limited commitment to educational programming, highlighting why these matters for national development. It identifies lessons from respected public interest media organizations to help create a culture of knowledge, heritage, and scientific awareness. Mass media shapes how citizens understand their country. In Bangladesh, television, newspapers, and digital platforms prioritize politics, crime,…
Post and Telecommunication Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam’s declaration that the government has no plan to sell Teletalk, Bangladesh’s sole state owned mobile operator, is framed as a safeguard for market competition. The minister warned that without Teletalk, private operators could arbitrarily raise service charges and insisted that keeping the operator under government control is necessary…
Read More “Is the Government Decision to Retain Teletalk timely (and correct)?” »
Bangladesh faces a substantial mental health crisis, with pooled prevalence estimates for depression, anxiety, and stress reaching 47%, 47%, and 44% respectively during the COVID 19 pandemic. Rather than prescribing positive behaviours to adopt, this article synthesises evidence on the everyday habits that actively erode psychological wellbeing in the Bangladeshi context, arguing that eliminating these…
Read More “Mental Health in Bangladesh: Reasons or Habits?” »
