Reports on hunger and food insecurity are unnerving. The 2025 state of food security and nutrition in the world (SOFI) report finds that 673 million people constituting 8.3 per cent of the global population faced acute hunger in 2024. The SOFI is an annual publication by five important United Natio
For much of the past decade, Bangladesh has been celebrated as a development model-an economy that expanded rapidly while reducing poverty and improving social indicators. Yet, behind the glow of growth figures, a harsh reality has been unfolding. The latest findings from the Research and Pol
A landslide victory brings with it not only power, but scrutiny. After the Bangladesh Nationalist Party's sweeping win in the 13th parliamentary elections on 12 February, public attention has swiftly shifted from celebration to expectation. Among the most pressing tests facing the incoming governme
Undeniably, the July uprising has radically changed the public's view on what future governments should be like. The Dr Yunus-led interim administration's role has been more than just arranging the 13th parliamentary election. In fact, its job has been to do the groundwork for the next elected gove
Though the services sector has become a leading source of growth and employment in the least developed countries (LDCs), it has yet to provide adequate, productive, and formal jobs. Instead, service-centric jobs in these countries are clustered in low-productivity and informal sectors, leading to l
Why is the price of gold swinging so sharply in Bangladesh? The most common explanation is both simple and unsatisfying. Prices move because the global market moves. Since Bangladesh neither sets nor significantly influences international prices, its domestic market ends up following what happens a
That Bangladesh is world's 13th most corrupt country among the 182 states assessed by the Berlin-based Transparency International (TI) is disgraceful. Only more so because the improved ranking from 2006 to 2017 could not be maintained! The highest ever score for the country was 28 in 2017. Du
As Bangladesh goes to the polls today, a whiff of fresh air dispels the gloom. Lingering speculation and conspiracy theories over the fate of the election are finally giving way to cautious optimism. Hope surges for the revival of democracy. Since the country's independence in 1971, the journey to
The country continues to witness steady growth in outbound migration, accompanied with record-breaking remittance earnings. Yet behind the encouraging headline figures lies a significant blind spot: the absence of comprehensive data on returnee migrant workers. The lack of systematic information on
As Bangladesh heads toward the February 12 parliamentary elections, foreign policy has emerged -- at least on paper -- as an important area to focus on by the two main power contenders, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami. Both parties have devoted space in their election man
A local think tank, the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), last Saturday (February 9) presented the findings of a survey it conducted on what the voters as well as political party representatives and candidates understood by the word 'development'. The result of the survey, as expected, was like thi
Notwithstanding various efforts and policy supports, inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) in Bangladesh is still nominal. The annual average net inflow of FDI stood at $1.60 billion in the last 10 years which is less than one per cent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). Like m
On the same day voters choose their representatives in the upcoming national parliamentary elections, a crucial and arguably more consequential vote on constitutional reforms will also take place. This referendum could well prove to be a turning point for democracy. Yet while the election dominates
