Five core issues - reduction in child mortality, increasing girls’ schooling, access to electricity, population density and an aggressive nationwide investment in infrastructure – have played a key role in Bangladesh’s development momentum.
This has been revealed in a research conducted by Prime Minister’s Energy Advisor Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury and Mahir A Rahman, a research associate at Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).
The research findings titled: “Aspirational Momentum: The Development story of Bangladesh” were presented at a seminar, organised by the BIDS at city hotel on Sunday.
With BIDS Director General Binayak Sen in the chair, the seminar was also addressed by Prime Minister’ Economic Advisor Mashiur Rahman, eminent economist DrWahidudin Mahmud, Prof Barkat-e-Khuda and Prof Abus Sattar Mandol.
Making a joint presentation with Mahir A Rahman on the issue, Tawfiq Elahi said the development path of Bangladesh can be explained by focusing on family at the core decision-making.
He said when the family decision-making process is linked with the aspirational momentum of a nation this accelerates its development process.
Read: Shaping a "Bangladesh model" for development
“This happened in Bangladesh and it keeps us ahead of other similar nations”, he told the seminar.
Mahir said the research collected data from 26 countries where economic conditions were similar to Bangladesh and analysed their data.
Mashiur said though Bangladesh could not make good in employment creation, the public investment in infrastructures played a significant role in the development of the country.
Wahiduddin said Bangladesh’s development should not be explained only through basics of the traditional economic theory.
“Rather, its unique characteristics should be taken into consideration”, he said adding, the women came out of the home for employment, child mortality rate dropped, family planning was adopted, rural roads were developed and there was no communal conflict—these all yielded combined result in development.
Binayak observed that all the governments since independence continued some common policies in developments that played a vital role.