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Maliha Rahanaz is a PhD candidate at the School of Economics, University of Kent, and a lecturer at the Department of Economics and Social Sciences at Brac University. She completed her MSc in Economics and Development Economics from the University of Nottingham and her Bachelor’s in Finance and Accounting from North South University. Maliha is a recipient of the Developing Solutions Scholarship from the University of Nottingham, awarded to students creating positive impacts in developing countries. Her research focuses on development economics, women’s economic empowerment, migration, and education. Currently, Maliha is involved in a project titled Empowering Poor Urban Women in Bangladesh through Digital Financial Services: Does Wage Payment via Mobile Money translate into Economic Empowerment?, which investigates the role of digital financial services in enhancing the economic empowerment of female domestic workers in Bangladesh.

The WEE-DiFine team sat down with Maliha and learned about her passion for research, interests outside of research, her ongoing project in Bangladesh, and much more.

What motivated you to specialize in development economics and women’s economic empowerment?

Before starting my PhD at Kent, I worked with various government bodies, international, and national partners in designing and implementing large-scale poverty reduction projects across Bangladesh, Cambodia, and India. My role was focused on management, so I had little scope to participate in the research design, methodology, and overall empirical work. But that was where my heart and soul was—in research!

The things I would see during fieldwork, the conversations I would have with children and women about the deprivations they face, helped me understand the economic and social constraints that add to the various dimensions of poverty. Engaging in conversations with women made me realise the different aspects they consider important and what they considered as empowerment. These dialogues immensely helped me understand my research participants and how we can align program goals and objectives to meet their needs.

I was motivated to pursue a PhD in Economics not only to conduct research, but also to learn from other researchers around me. I believe that during my PhD I would be able to further my knowledge regarding the challenges of overcoming poverty and working toward improving the welfare of those living in the developing world.

What are some key milestones or achievements in your career that you are particularly proud of?

I consider the start of my teaching career at Brac University to be one of my very special key achievements. Just before joining Brac University, I completed my master’s in economics and development economics. I learned so much in that one year that I wanted to bring that knowledge back to Bangladesh. My students at Brac University have made my teaching experience very rewarding and I would love to continue to teach there in the future!

What drives your passion for research in development economics and women’s economic empowerment?

Growing up, my parents made sure I was well-connected to my roots. Hence, I spent a considerable portion of my life traveling and residing between two villages—Shovandandi in Chittagong and Rajbari in Faridpur. During my visits, I would engage with the local culture, traditions, and communities. I would attend women’s self-help group meetings. There I observed how women spoke about their finances, what they planned to do with their savings, the types of pressure they faced in sharing their savings, and what strategies they employed to resist this pressure. I also learnt about the different forms of conflict and violence they faced and how they would escape from these on a daily basis. Many constraints that women face may not necessarily feature in traditional economic models, yet women bring them up continuously.

My passion for research in this area developed largely because of this knowledge from the field. I form hypotheses by paying close attention to the factors that people think most affect their own lives and by observing people’s everyday behaviors in their social and economic environments. My commitment to this field is rooted in a deep respect for the resilience and resourcefulness of the women I’ve encountered and a desire to amplify their voices in economic discourse.

What inspired you to undertake the project Empowering Poor Urban Women in Bangladesh through Digital Financial Services and how did you develop your research focus?

I was inspired by the work of HelloTask, particularly on the ground, to improve the economic conditions of female domestic workers. Gig platforms like HelloTask can enable women to overcome significant barriers to their livelihoods, thereby enhancing the demand for financial services. I wanted to learn more, but I also saw that there was a lack of rigorous data and evidence on this population.

I had countless discussions with HelloTask on their experience of what worked for them and what didn’t. I was on the field with their team to observe the day-to-day lives of female domestic workers and how they were engaging with the platform and how they were using their mobile money accounts. I would share anything I found interesting with my supervisors and seek their insights and own experiences to further help refine my research focus.

What did you learn from your collaboration with HelloTask and Data Analysis and Technical Assistance (DATA) regarding forming strong partnerships?

It’s important to come up with contingency plans and align these plans with the partners’ needs. I have learnt that, among other benefits, this helps in building rapport, trust, and commitment. During our project meetings, in addition to the project deliverables, we also discussed the possible challenges that could hinder these deliverables. This allowed us to think of strategies as a team, take feedback, and have solutions ready ahead of time. This strategy of thinking ahead, which is often overlooked, equipped us with the necessary tools we needed to pull off this project.

What research findings surprised you the most in your study on the relationship between digital financial services and women’s economic empowerment?

The preliminary findings of the research indicate that digital financial training is effective at improving knowledge and changing economic behaviour of female domestic workers, notably in the areas of savings and labour decisions, even with prior experience with mobile money accounts. These findings are interesting and suggest that to enhance financial inclusion for marginalized groups, digital financial training should target not only potential new users but also those who have already adopted the technology, such as women working on gig platforms. Nonetheless, I am just very excited to share more of our research findings with everyone!

What areas of research do you plan to focus on in the future, especially in relation to women’s economic empowerment?

I want to continue to deepen my understanding of women engaged in the gig platform and their use of DFS. There is still so much to unravel! Particularly, I want to understand how women perceive transaction costs between different DFS/MFS providers and what factors they consider when choosing different types of providers. Also, I want to work with DFS/MFS providers to help them innovate and design the features that work for women and vulnerable populations.

How do you think your work in Bangladesh can be applied or adapted to improve women’s economic empowerment in other developing countries?

What I find most rewarding about development work is the chance to explore diverse topics and adapt to new data and methods. This dynamic field introduces fresh challenges and opportunities over time. I believe that the survey instruments we’ve developed to measure women’s economic empowerment, particularly in the context of digital financial services, can provide a solid foundation for evidence-based policies in other developing countries. We can gradually adapt and scale solutions to address local needs effectively by testing and refining these tools and programs in different contexts while building on successful elements from Bangladesh.

What advice would you give to young researchers who are interested in development economics and women’s economic empowerment

Be great listeners and observers. By listening to women, I have learned about their struggle with lack of privacy, which prevents them from hiding their income and resisting the pressure to share it. At the same time, I have observed how incredibly difficult it is for them to achieve this in highly challenging living conditions, where five to six household members are cramped into a 10 square meter room. The key to both the scenarios is to be able to understand what is really being said and to be able to translate between the two. Real-world complexities often defy simple explanations, and it takes time to fully grasp the nuances of people’s lives.

What is your long-term vision for your research and its impact on society?

My long-term vision for my research is to drive systemic change that enhances economic opportunities and fosters greater equity, particularly for women and marginalized communities. I aim to develop evidence-based insights that inform policies and practices, bridging gaps between research and real-world applications. Women’s participation in the gig sector is rapidly rising and so is their engagement with various DFS/MFS products and services. Hence, to fully leverage their potential, it is crucial to align efforts between the private sector, digital financial services, and relevant government bodies. This collaboration is also essential to identify and address the barriers these women face in accessing their full income-earning potential.