The data published by successive Bangladesh governments and the World Bank from 1971 until 2020 were used for the study titled ‘Aspirational Momentum: The Development Story of Bangladesh’
Published : 17 Oct 2022, 02:08 AM
A recent study by a Bangladesh government-supported think tank has coined the phrase “incredible and unique” while describing the significant development the country achieved in the last five decades in sectors like income per capita, neonatal and maternal mortality rate, and female employment.
Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies, or BIDS also thanked the political parties behind every government in the last five decades for this progress.
The study, co-authored by Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, the prime minister’s energy adviser, and Mahir A Rahman, a research associate of BIDS, was unveiled at a restaurant in Dhaka on Sunday.
The researchers used data published by the Bangladesh government and the World Bank from 1971 until 2020 for the study titled ‘Aspirational Momentum: The Development Story of Bangladesh’
The focus of the study was to theorise the country’s continuing social development progress during the aforementioned timeline.
The study findings highlighted that Bangladesh’s success rate in growing income per capita, reducing infant and maternal mortality, and female education and employment are significantly better than its neighbours - India and Pakistan.
FINDINGS OF THE STUDY
The researchers narrowed their focus on four specific sectors- income per capita, neonatal and maternal mortality, female education and electrification.
According to the study, Bangladesh’s income per capita by 2020 has risen to over $2,000, which is greater than India and Pakistan.
Bangladesh’s neonatal and maternal mortality tally was reduced to 50 out of 1,000 cases, which was over 200 right after the birth of the nation in 1971.
The number of high school-going girls rose to 80 percent by 2020, which was at 50 percent before the turn of the century.
The most astounding growth was achieved in the electrification sector, the findings stated, which is over 90 percent by 2020. The rate was a mere 20 percent in 1996.
While presenting the findings, lead author Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi said: “The World Bank and other development partners have run many successful immunisation programmes for infants as well as awareness programmes for women to engage them in economic activities. If they continue funding such programmes, Bangladesh’s development saga will continue.”
‘ALL CREDIT TO THE PEOPLE’
Dr Binayak Sen, director general of BIDS, while endorsing the findings at the unveiling ceremony, said people under the poverty level in Bangladesh made this progress happened with their “zealous pursuit of reaching affordability”.
“Overall, strong social belief, cultural values and lack of race and sectarian division in the country were key drivers behind this achievement,” he said.
Dr Sen said he believes the political parties behind the governments in the last five decades had significant roles to play in attaining this progress.
“All the governments running this country in last few decades had formulated policies to support different social sectors to grow. There were hardly ever any differences of opinion or controversy regarding these policies. Bangladesh’s ‘miraculous progress’ is the culmination of these development-friendly policies,” he said.
Echoing the BIDS chief, Emeritus Professor Dr Md Abdus Sattar Mandal, former Vice-Chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University, said the trend of continuous endorsement of social development-focused policies by successive governments is a blessing.
Speaking at the ceremony, Dr Wahiduddin Mahmud, chairman of the Economic Research Group, said the culture, beliefs, agricultural system and people’s positive attitude acted as key drivers in developing the economy.
“People under the poverty level didn’t hesitate to adopt new things - oral saline and new agricultural technique and equipment. The awareness of hygiene sense and interest in learning new things among people made for such rapid growth possible,” he said.
Economist Dr Monzur Morshed had a slightly different view.
During his speech, Dr Monzur said Bangladesh could have been at the same level as emerging economies like Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam had it executed all the opportunities that came its way.
In his chief guest’s speech after the Q&A session, Dr Mashiur Rahman, the prime minister’s economic affairs adviser, said: “Many have described Bangladesh’s astonishing growth as a paradox. To me, the metamorphosis of the ‘basket case’ to a developing nation is the real paradox."