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Statistics show that Bangladeshi women have come a long way in terms of economic and social empowerment. Yet beneath these encouraging statistics, there exist unexpected anomalies that call for serious attention. What are they? And what can do to solve them? Nusrat Jahan, Head of Business Development and Knowledge Management, shares her opinion in this thoughtfully-written article by drawing insights from BIGD’s nationally-representative survey on the Bangladesh youth.
For many, work is their whole life, and because of that, our workspace is also where we spend most of our waking hours. A workspace devoid of joy and life dampens our potential to give our best; whereas a vibrant, playful workspace inspires our imagination and boosts our productivity. BIGD’s own office space used to be of a dull and mechanical nature. How did the institute transform it into a colorful, organic oasis? And how can you transform yours? In this article, Nusrat Jahan will walk you through the process.
The share of people in the old age group is on the rise in many countries across the globe. Bangladesh is one of them. By 2050, 22% of the population in Bangladesh will be old (60+), which is just 8% at present. The sustained economic growth of the country seems to have little effect on its older population. A UK-based think tank, HELPAge International, ranks Bangladesh 67th out of 96 countries in The Global Age Watch Index 2015, which covers four domains: Income security, health status, capability, and enabling environment. Bangladesh performs the worst in income security — sixth from the bottom. A study conducted by Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), Brac University, in the 13 poorest districts in northern Bangladesh, finds that the shares of old people among those who are extreme poor (per capita daily income of $1.90 or less in terms of purchasing power parity, or PPP) and those who are not are roughly the same — 7% vs 6%.
NON-PERFORMING loans have become an overarching threat to the economy of Bangladesh. The plundering of money from banks is a common phenomenon in the financial sector these days. As of June 2019, the total amount of defaulted loans in the banking sector, according to the central bank, stood at 11.7 per cent of all the loans disbursed, which was 10.41 per cent in the corresponding period the year before. By the end of the 2018–19 financial year, non-performing loans stood at 4.43 per cent of the gross domestic product. In other words, if the defaulted loans were tightly controlled, the GDP growth rate would have been 4.43 per cent higher, a local think tank has claimed.
Imagine being a Bangladeshi mother. Assume the customary dogmatism, the role that the Bangladeshi society assigns to a mother – a caregiver and a housekeeper, applies to you. Now, crank the difficulty up a notch by imagining yourself holding a nine-to-five job. This puts you in a position where you have to juggle your job, household chores, looking after children, and so on. After spending a third of your day at the office and a couple more hours in commuting, it is difficult, to say the least, to stuff much within the remaining hours you are awake. This is why many women in Bangladesh remain as “housewives” even when they are capable of working and earning.
গত ২৩ জানুয়ারি ব্র্যাক বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের গবেষণা ইনস্টিটিউট, ব্র্যাক ইনস্টিটিউট অব গভর্ন্যান্স অ্যান্ড ডেভেলপমেন্ট সংক্ষেপে বিআইজিডির উদ্যোগে একটা পাবলিক লেকচার আয়োজন করা হয়েছিল। এ পাবলিক টকের মূল বক্তা ছিলেন লন্ডন স্কুল অব হাইজিন অ্যান্ড ট্রপিকাল মেডিসিনের প্রফেসর থমাস শেক্সপিয়ার। পাশাপাশি অন্য আলোচকরা বাংলাদেশের পরিপ্রেক্ষিতে ‘প্রতিবন্ধিতা’ নিয়ে আলোচনা করেন। এমন আলোচনায় উপস্থিত থেকে যে বিষয়টা অনুধাবিত হয় তা হলো, প্রতিবন্ধিতা একটি জটিলতর বাস্তবতা, যার বহুমাত্রিকতা নিয়ে আলোচনা করতে গেলে অসংখ্য বিষয় সামনে চলে আসে।
Tax compliance means registration of a taxpayer in the system, timely filing of tax returns, completion of accurate reporting and payment of taxes on time. It can be voluntary or enforced. There are two dimensions of voluntary compliance: committed compliance and creative compliance. Committed compliance is the willingness to discharge tax obligations by taxpayers without grumbling. On the other hand, creative compliance refers to any act by a taxpayer aimed at reducing taxes by reducing one’s tax liability. With the tax-GDP ratio of 9.3 per cent, Bangladesh’s tax-GDP ratio is much below the average of developing countries (15 per cent). This is mainly because of poor tax compliance rate in both income tax and value-added tax (VAT), which contribute about 85 per cent of the revenue collection of the National Board of Revenue (NBR).
Dhaka residents have to spend an exorbitant sum of money per year in order to make the water in the capital safe for consumption. A recent study conducted by the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) revealed that 80% of water in rooftop and underground reservoirs of Dhaka is contaminated with coliform bacteria.
The report titled ‘State of social accountability and deliberative democracy in Bangladesh: Current Dynamics and Future Pathways’ is a flagship publication of BIGD. The report says that the key reason for the dysfunctionality of these institutions is the local government member’s strong tendency to avoid accountability.
BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) and BRAC University jointly conducted a youth survey in last August. The survey finds out that 57 per cent female and 42 per cent male graduates want to get government jobs. Referring to BRAC’s youth survey, BIGD executive director Imran Matin said, most of the youth search for government jobs as long as they have the required age. They opt for private jobs after expiry of the age limit for government jobs. Moreover, the private sectors suffer as a big chunk of eligible candidates go for government jobs, he added.
