Research on remittance, RMG advised

Cutting-edge research on remittance and the readymade garment sector were vital for policy making , says veteran economist Prof Nurul Islam.

“Garment workers and expatriates have kept our economy going for a long time. But there has been no thorough research on these sectors. I believe quality research on these two sectors is needed for appropriate policy decisions,” said the first deputy chairman of the Planning Commission on Sunday.

Islam, research fellow emeritus at United States’ International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), was speaking at a discussion on challenges in economic research organised by Bangladesh Bank and Bangladesh Economist Forum.

Planning minister AHM Mostafa Kamal and former finance minister M Saiduzzaman were also present.

“The recent researches on the garment sector are centered on security issues. But there can be research on many other matters such as government’s role and subsidies for this sector.”

He said he has so far not seen any significant research on remittance patterns or the socio-economic profile of expatriate Bangladeshis, who send back home a lot of money.

“The literacy rate is going up but there are doubts about the quality of education. I believe insufficient and incompatible data is a big barrier for research in Bangladesh.”