Events

Inaugural Session | The Multi-Sectoral Mandate

Dr. Imran Matin (Executive Director, BIGD) opened the event by calling for a closer look at social protection through the lens of intergenerational mobility. Riffat Jahan Nahreen (Education Advisor, British High Commission, Dhaka) spoke on the importance of evidence and sustained partnerships, followed by Dr. Jena Hamadani (Emeritus Scientist, icddr,b), who highlighted Thrive’s work on early childhood development. Dr. Umar Salam (Principal Economist, Oxford Policy Management) then connected social protection with the broader challenges of poverty, education, skills, and labor markets.

The session set the stage for the day’s discussions on how social protection can help shape better life opportunities not only for people today, but for generations to come.

Session 1 | Contextualizing the Nexus

Chaired by Dr. A. K. Enamul Haque (Director General, BIDS), the session featured two presentations examining the links between social protection, human capital, and upward mobility in Bangladesh.

Dr. Mohammad Abdur Razzaque (Chairman, RAPID) presented on priorities for the next phase of social protection, highlighting gaps in targeting and the potential of the proposed Family Card to build a more coherent system.

Dr. Kazi Iqbal (Research Director, BIDS) followed with a presentation on human capital and upward mobility, exploring persistent gaps in learning, vocational education, and workforce training despite the strong returns to these investments.

The presentations pointed to the need for more effective and better-targeted investments that can address immediate vulnerabilities while expanding opportunities for upward mobility over the longer term.

Access the abstracts and presentations here.

Session 2 | The Data-Evidence Frontier

The session examined Bangladesh’s record on social mobility and the evidence needed to understand how opportunities are distributed across generations, under the chairmanship and moderation of Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman (Executive Chairman, PPRC).

Joining online, Professor Andy McKay (University of Sussex) presented comparative evidence on social mobility, distinguishing Bangladesh’s substantial progress in absolute mobility from its weaker performance in relative mobility.

Dr. Sheikh Touhidul Haque (Research Fellow, BIGD) built on the evidence with a presentation on Bangladesh’s social mobility paradox, highlighting persistent disparities in education, wealth, occupation, gender, and geography.

A panel discussion with Dr. Dipankar Roy (Joint Secretary and Project Director, Statistics and Informatics Division, Ministry of Planning), Dr. Atonu Rabbani (Research Director, General Economic Division, BIDS), and Dr. Munshi Sulaiman (Research Director, BIGD) brought attention to the limitations of existing data and the need for stronger longitudinal and administrative data systems. The exchange also considered how evidence from different sources can be brought together to provide a clearer picture of mobility in Bangladesh.

The moderator concluded by highlighting the importance of strengthening not only the country’s data infrastructure, but also its capacity to interpret evidence for policy.

Access the abstracts and presentations here.

Session 3 | Research in Action

With Marlies Morsink (Deputy Program Director, OPM) in the chair, this session brought together four strands of evidence on how outcomes can be shaped across the life course.

Dr. Shaila Ahmed (Head, Gender and Social Development Cluster, BIGD) examined the potential of affordable, home-based childcare to ease a key constraint on women’s employment while creating income opportunities for community caregivers.

Dr. Sheikh Jamal Hossain (Scientist, icddr,b) presented five-year evidence from a study combining cash transfers with parenting support, showing that the added psychosocial stimulation produced lasting gains in children’s reading and home learning environments.

Dr. Syeda Fardina Mehrin (Assistant Scientist, icddr,b) shared evidence from the SB3 program, focusing on the possibilities and challenges of embedding early childhood development within government primary healthcare.

Closing the presentations, Dr. Munshi Sulaiman (Research Director, BIGD) shared findings from a 17-year evaluation of the Ultra-Poor Graduation program, highlighting evidence of lasting improvements in household welfare and intergenerational gains for children exposed to the program.

Access the abstracts and presentations here.

Session 4 | The Policy-Practice Interface

The final session brought the day’s research into conversation with the realities of policy and implementation. Moderated by Dr. Fahmida Khatun (Executive Director, CPD), the panel featured Dr. Mohammad Abu Yusuf (Secretary, Ministry of Social Welfare), Dr. Selim Raihan (Executive Director, SANEM), Dr. Imran Matin (Executive Director, BIGD), Dr. Erum Mariam (Executive Director, BRAC IED), and Dr. Manzoor Ahmed (Chair, Bangladesh ECD Network).

The discussion focused on fiscal sustainability, coordination, accountability, and the challenges of translating policy into effective delivery. The Family Card featured prominently, alongside ECD, local implementation, community engagement, and the need for stronger, more grounded policy design.

Dr. Fahmida Khatun closed the session by emphasizing that research is only the first step toward meaningful policy change, while Dr. Umar Salam (Principal Economist, OPM) offered the closing synthesis for the event, highlighting the interconnected nature of social protection, ECD, education, skills, labor markets, and social mobility.