Nusrat Jahan

Head of Communications and Initiative Director

jahan.nusrat@bracu.ac.bd

Nusrat Jahan is the Head of Communications and the Director of two BIGD research initiatives, WEE-DiFine and WEE-Connect.

Before joining BIGD, Nusrat worked as a Research Coordinator at the Bangladesh office of Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) for three years and was involved with fundraising, advocacy, and research communication. Earlier, she worked for five years with Traidcraft Exchange—a UK-based charity—as a Program Manager. Nusrat writes extensively to inform the general audience and policymakers on diverse human development issues.

Her experience in managing poverty reduction programs and exposure to development research, combined with her passion for writing, have shaped her interest in promoting evidence-based development interventions and made her effective at bridging the gap between research and practice.

Nusrat holds a Master’s in Public Administration-Development Practice from the School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA), Columbia University. She completed her Bachelor’s degree from the Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka.

Evidence and Insights

Can Words Bridge Gaps? Exploring the Effects of a Communication Intervention Between Parents and Adolescents on Child Marriage

Date: 2024

Author(s): Hossain, Marjan; Islam, Md. Rohmotul; and Jahan, Nusrat

Publisher: BIGD

Evidence and Insights

Child Labour: Action-Research-Innovation in South and South-Eastern Asia

Date: 2024

Author(s): Aktar, Taslima; Mamun, Saklain Al; Sultan, Maheen; and Jahan, Nusrat

Publisher: BIGD

Report

How Effective is the BRAC Ultra-Poor Graduation Programme? An Impact Evaluation of 2019 Cohort

Date: 2023

Author(s): Jahan, Nusrat; Mozumder, Tanvir Ahmed; Hsu, Sam; Arman, Md. Raied; and Arif, Akmam Binte

Publisher: BIGD,Innovations for Poverty Action

Journal Article

Economic Recovery of the New Poor Created by COVID-19: Evidence From Bangladesh

Date: 2023

Author(s): Gomes, Mohima; Jahan, Nusrat; Shatil, Tanvir; Tahsin, Nabila; Das, Narayan; Matin, Imran.

Publisher: Development in Practice

Policy Brief

Online Freelancing: A New Frontier for the Youth in the Developing World

Date: 2023

Author(s): Jahan, Nusrat; Huq, Lopita; Arman, Md. Raied

Publisher: BIGD

Journal Article

Building an Equitable Future? BRAC’s Star Program and Young Women’s Economic Empowerment in Bangladesh

Date: 2023

Author(s): Banks, Nicola; Jahan, Nusrat; Rahman, Tasmiah; Tabbassum, Asma; Roy, Joydeep Sinha; Shakil, Shifur Rahman

Publisher: Development in Practice

Report

A Timely Response for the Sudden Poor An Early Evaluation of BRAC’s New Poor Program

Date: 2022

Author(s): Gomes, Mohima; Shatil, Tanvir; Jahan, Nusrat; Tahsin, Nabila; Das, Narayan C; and Matin, Imran

Publisher: BIGD

Journal Article

Bangladesh and COVID-19: Reversals and Resilience

Date: 2022

Author(s): Rahman, Atiya; Jahan, Nusrat; Matin, Imran; Rahman, Hossain Zillur

Topic(s): COVID-19

Publisher: IDS Bulletin

Policy Brief

Livelihood Transitions of Women Workers During COVID-19: The Case of Domestic Workers in Dhaka

Date: 2021

Author(s): Huq, Lopita; Sultana, Razia; Ashravee, Firoza; Jahan, Nusrat

Topic(s): Social Transformation, COVID-19

Publisher: BIGD

Policy Brief

Evidence to Action: COVID-19 and the Deepening Learning Crisis – How Can We Build Forward Better?

Date: 2021

Author(s): Atiya Rahman, Eradul Kabir, Nusrat Jahan, and Md Saiful Islam

Topic(s): COVID-19, Skills and Jobs

Publisher: BIGD

Report

Challenges and Prospects of Youth Employment in the Post-COVID Scenario

Date: 2021

Author(s): Tabassum, Asma; Ahmed; Md Shakil; Jahan, Nusrat

Topic(s): COVID-19, Skills and Jobs

Publisher: BIGD

Report

Skills and Jobs for Inclusive Development – BIGD Focus Note

Date: 2021

Author(s): Jahan, Nusrat

Topic(s): Skills and Jobs

Publisher: BIGD

Policy Brief

Digital Literacy in Rural Bangladesh: Survey 2019

Date: 2020

Author(s): Jahan, Nusrat; Matin, Maria; Zahan, Iffat; Islam, Md. Saiful

Topic(s): Digitization

Publisher: BIGD

Report

Phase I: Livelihoods, Coping and Support During COVID-19 Crisis

Date: 2020

Author(s): Rahman, Hossain Zillur; Das, Narayan; Matin, Imran; Wazed, Mohammad Abdul; Ahmed, Shakil; Jahan, Nusrat; Zillur, Umama

Topic(s): COVID-19, Economic Development

Publisher: BIGD,Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC)

Report

Youth of Bangladesh: Agents of Change? Youth Survey 2018

Date: 2019

Author(s): Matin, Imran; Bhattacharjee, Anindita; Ahmed, Md Shakil; Das, Narayan C; Jahan, Nusrat; Morshed, KAM; Rahman, Mohammad Azad; Islam, Md Mazedul; Hamid, Nimmi Nusrat

Topic(s): BRAC Programs, Economic Development, Skills and Jobs

Publisher: BIGD

The Quiet Scholar: Remembering Professor Tofail Ahmed’s Lifelong Vision

Year: 2025

Topic(s): Governance and Politics, Humanitarian, Social Transformation

BIGD’s Pulse Survey Was About Voicing Citizens’ Hopes and Concerns, Not Predicting the Election Outcome

Year: 2025

Topic(s): Governance and Politics, Social Transformation

Our Gender Pay Gap Is Fixable

Year: 2023

Topic(s): Gender Justice, Skills and Jobs, Social Transformation

Impact of the Rohingya Crisis: Supporting the Extreme Poor in Cox’s Bazar

Year: 2023

Topic(s): Humanitarian

A Case for ‘Counterfactual’ Thinking in Policymaking

Year: 2022

The widening gender gap in digital era: A rural Bangladesh scenario

Year: 2021

Topic(s): Digitization, Gender Justice, Social Transformation

How is ICT worsening the inequality in education?

Year: 2021

Topic(s): COVID-19, Digitization, Social Transformation

How Social Norms are Increasing the Digital Divide Between Genders

Year: 2021

Topic(s): Digitization, Gender Justice, Social Transformation

High Cost of Migration and the Woes of Our Workers

Year: 2020

Topic(s): Economic Development, Skills and Jobs

The Great Digital Divide and Why We Should Care

Year: 2020

Topic(s): Digitization, Economic Development, Skills and Jobs

A Case for ‘Counterfactual’ Thinking in Policymaking

Year: 2020

Topic(s): COVID-19

Covid-19 in Bangladesh: A Cruel Choice Between Hunger and Disease

Year: 2020

Topic(s): COVID-19, Economic Development

Workspace That Inspires

Year: 2019

Topic(s): Cities

Despite Progress, Young Bangladeshi Women are Still Lagging Behind

Year: 2019

Topic(s): Gender Justice, Social Transformation

Can Training Help Poor Youth Find Decent Employment in the Retail Sector in Developing Countries?

4 December 2025

BIGD conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) on BRAC’s pilot initiative, titled Progressing the Retail Sector by Improving Decent Employment (PRIDE). Based on the study, an article titled “The Effects of Job Training on Labour Market Outcomes: Evidence from Bangladesh”—authored by Afsana Adiba, Md. Shakil Ahmed, Narayan Das, Md. Karimul Islam, Tanvir Ahmed Mozumder, and Muhammad Shahadat Hossain Siddiquee—was published in the Journal of Development Studies. This blog summarizes the key insights from the article.

Scaling Up & Stepping Back: The Shifting Ground of Women Empowerment at BRAC

6 August 2025

Women empowerment has always been foundational to BRAC’s development approach. The strategies to this end, however, have evolved over time. On the occasion of BRAC’s golden jubilee, Sohela Nazneen, Maheen Sultan, and Nobonita Chowdhury critically analyze the causes and implications of this evolution in their article, “Quiet revolution? Women’s collective empowerment and BRAC,” published in the BRAC 50 special issue of the journal Development in Practice. This blog summarizes the key insights from the article.

Managing Risks and Building an Equitable and Prosperous Future: The Role of Digital Financial Services

12 September 2023

By offering accessible insurance options and addressing challenges faced by marginalized groups, such as women, DFS can not only mitigate immediate losses but also contribute to long-term resilience and prosperity for families, breaking the cycle of poverty in the face of natural disasters.