{"title":"The Bangladesh Economy: Navigating the Turning Point","authors":"K. Basu","doi":"10.1162/inov_a_00281","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/inov_a_00281","url":null,"abstract":"a period of trial, made worse by a devastating famine in 1974, which began in Rangpur district and then swept through the rest of the country (Sobhan 1979). Matters got worse when the Nixon administration, still smarting from Bangladesh having gained independence, which the US government had resisted, suddenly cut off food aid on the grounds that Bangladesh was earning money by exporting jute bags to Cuba. Today, as Bangladesh celebrates 50 years of independence, it is worth recalling that, while the nation was born out of the grand idea of building a just, humanitarian, and inclusive society, at the time of its birth it was one of Asia’s—and in fact the world’s—poorest nations.1. Many observers were reconciled to Bangladesh remaining a basket case that would have to be supported with food aid and propped up with money from international organizations.2. When the Bangladesh economy grew rapidly in the mid-1990s, it was viewed as a freak interlude. It is a remarkable turnaround that, in defiance of all expectations, Bangladesh today is a middleincome country with a per-capita income significantly higher than that of Pakistan and neck and neck with India’s. This is especially true since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the Indian economy harder than many other nations. On a personal note, there are few countries for which I have had the privilege of a view as close as I have had for THE BANGLADESH ECONOMY: NAVIGATING THE TURNING POINT","PeriodicalId":422331,"journal":{"name":"Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization","volume":"47 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128717694","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bangabandhu and Visions of Bangladesh","authors":"Amartya Sen","doi":"10.1162/inov_a_00280","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/inov_a_00280","url":null,"abstract":"opportunity of remembering him during the celebrations of the centenary of his birth. Other than paying tribute to this wonderful human being and the great leader that he was, I want to say a few words on why his ideas remain so very important today. Bangabandhu has been taken from us, but no one can rob us of his clear-headed visions, which, I will argue, can make a real difference to the lives we can lead. The subcontinent— India included—is going through a challenging period of ideological confusion right now, and we have reason to turn to Bangabandhu for guidance as well as inspiration. Among the many distinct ways in which Sheikh Mujib’s thoughts and analyses have powerful relevance today, let me choose a short-list of a few. First, Sheikh Mujib was one of the clearest exponents of secularism, from which all countries can learn. This included India, the largest country in the subcontinent, which has, right now, a particular need to learn from Bangabandhu’s insights. However, looking more broadly, all the countries in the subcontinent need Bangabandhu’s ideas. Bangladesh itself has gone through ups and downs on secularism, but since Bangabandhu spoke very clearly on what kind of a Bangladesh he wanted, we can easily read from his exposition what form he would have liked to have given to secularism (for an illuminating discussion of Bangabandhu’s analysis of secularism, see Rounaq Jahan, “Bangabandhu’s Vision of Secularism for BANGABANDHU AND VISIONS OF BANGLADESH","PeriodicalId":422331,"journal":{"name":"Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization","volume":"13 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128692593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"On Its Own: Bangladesh Can Save Itself from Some Climate Change","authors":"R. Litan","doi":"10.1162/inov_a_00285","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/inov_a_00285","url":null,"abstract":"the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2021) in mid-2021 aggravate these worries. Although the panel did not materially change its central projection from earlier reports—that in the absence of substantial change in policies and climate-improving technologies, global temperatures are projected to rise by at least three degrees centigrade above 1900 levels by the end of the century—the 2021 report expressed much less uncertainty about that outcome. A three-degree increase may not sound like a lot, but in the world of climate change, where changes in weather and melting ice respond in a highly nonlinear fashion to warming temperatures, a temperature increase of that magnitude portends catastrophic effects. When those effects will materialize depends on how quickly that increase occurs. It takes time for ice to melt, and the longer it takes global temperatures to rise—a scenario made more likely by gradual global changes in emissions and carbon-capture technology—the higher the ultimate increase in sea levels will be. Paradoxically, a faster increase in global temperatures that then levels off—a scenario associated with short-run delays in climate change policy and technological ON ITS OWN: BANGLADESH CAN SAVE ITSELF FROM SOME CLIMATE CHANGE","PeriodicalId":422331,"journal":{"name":"Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization","volume":"347 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122753728","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bangladesh: The Booster Engine","authors":"I. Quadir","doi":"10.1162/inov_a_00282","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/inov_a_00282","url":null,"abstract":"the historic role of Bangladesh—along with the historical province of Bengal, the eastern two-thirds of which constitutes the nation of Bangladesh—as an economic “booster engine” that benefitted many of today’s most powerful countries, particularly Great Britain. This image contrasts starkly with the longstanding, now outdated, portrayal of Bangladesh as an economic “basket case.” The nation’s past role as an economic booster can shed some light on how Bangladesh quietly transformed itself from a basket case to a showcase in the 50 years since its independence. I begin by going back 300 years to the central role Bengal played during a pivotal period of history. In the 17th and 18th centuries, Bengal was among the most prosperous places on earth. The name Bangladesh was used in Bengal for several centuries before 1971, when the country gained independence, but it entered the world’s vocabulary only at that time, which contributed to the new nation’s dissociation from the rich history of Bengal. Today, Bangladesh conjures up images of famine and abject poverty, which were a significant and tragic part of its history. This difficult period began in 1757, but prior to that, the territory of present-day Bangladesh was the core of Bengal’s agricultural and manufacturing success. The remaining one-third of Bengal is now West Bengal, one of India’s 28 states. In this essay, I briefly address the apparent clash between the thesis that Bengal boosted the West and the theory that the Western nations got rich through their superior institutions and innovations. I then describe six ways that Bengal, including the large area that is now Bangladesh, contributed to the development of the West. I conclude by briefly highlighting a key reason Bangladesh is ascending anew today. BANGLADESH: THE BOOSTER ENGINE","PeriodicalId":422331,"journal":{"name":"Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization","volume":"28 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128195965","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bangladesh: The Importance of Digital Trajectories","authors":"Nichola Hughes","doi":"10.1162/inov_a_00283","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/inov_a_00283","url":null,"abstract":"My view of the world around us is shaped by optimism; not blind optimism, especially given the damage caused by COVID-19 across the globe, but an optimism that stems from unequivocal trajectories that are visible, quantifiable, and (I think) powerful because they represent tools we can use to be innovative in the way we design and build many services. I refer to the digital tools that are quite literally in our hands today. I have enjoyed visiting Bangladesh frequently over the last 12 years and have seen firsthand the emergence of its vibrant digital financial economy. The lead mobile money service, bKash, has more than 55 million registered accounts, which makes it one of the biggest digital financial services in the world. Some 10 million financial transactions take place through bKash every day, with usage reaching 1,300 transactions per second on average during peak hours. A network of some 270,000 agents supports the customers and provides, among other things, the points at which cash enters and leaves their bKash wallets. Customers use their bKash wallets for many things, from person-to-person transfers, to purchasing airtime for phones or paying utility bills, to making payments for all manner of BANGLADESH: THE IMPORTANCE OF DIGITAL TRAJECTORIES","PeriodicalId":422331,"journal":{"name":"Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization","volume":"23 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"126232236","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Striving to Realize the Ideals of My Father","authors":"S. Hasina","doi":"10.1162/inov_a_00279","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/inov_a_00279","url":null,"abstract":"father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the man people fondly called Bangabandhu, or Friend of Bangladesh—a title bestowed in the 1960s that reflected how much they loved him. It was not meant to be a lofty title but, rather, a simple reflection of people’s love. I learned from my father how to empathize with the deprived, the disadvantaged, and how to dream about building a prosperous future for them. He dreamt about creating, once again, a Sonar Bangla, or Golden Bengal, as our land was known in ancient times. He envisioned a prosperous country based on the ideals of democracy, religious tolerance, and social justice. It ultimately became his political philosophy and lodestar all through his life. I have always tried to follow his advice and example. During the previous two centuries, our people had been colonized, impoverished, and ruthlessly exploited by rulers who came from outside. This exploitation continued even after 1947, when the British colonial rulers partitioned the Indian subcontinent and established an independent Pakistan. While the word “Bangladesh” had been used by the people of our country for centuries, our land officially became known as East Bengal only in 1905. With the 1947 independence of Pakistan, East Bengal became known as East Pakistan—an arrangement that brought no joy to our nation. Geographically separated from the western wing of Pakistan by a thousand miles, the erstwhile East Pakistan was ethnically, culturally, and socially different from West Pakistan. While our people sought greater autonomy in managing their own STRIVING TO REALIZE THE IDEALS OF MY FATHER","PeriodicalId":422331,"journal":{"name":"Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization","volume":"6 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130280930","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Ready for Reinvention","authors":"Ira A. Jackson","doi":"10.1162/inov_a_00284","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/inov_a_00284","url":null,"abstract":"Bangladeshi economic success story has been the ready-made garment (RMG) industry. Over the last 35 years, annual RMG exports from Bangladesh have grown from zero to more than $39 billion.4. Bangladesh ranks behind China in RMG jobs but competes with Vietnam for the number two spot globally.5. The RMG sector employs more than 4 million people, most of whom are women. The Wall Street Journal (March 3, 2021) recently found Bangladesh to be a “bull case,” highlighting the importance of its RMG sector:","PeriodicalId":422331,"journal":{"name":"Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2021-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"131839383","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A Blockchain-Based Land Titling Project in the Republic of Georgia: Rebuilding Public Trust and Lessons for Future Pilot Projects","authors":"Qiuyun Shang, A. Price","doi":"10.1162/inov_a_00276","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/inov_a_00276","url":null,"abstract":"adequate land management is not simply to build a land registry system but to create a system that is trustworthy, efficient, and free of corruption. According to Transparency International, 20 percent of land service users worldwide admitted that they have paid a bribe in order to register their property or verify land ownership information.4. This reduces the efficiency of service delivery and undermines public trust in the A BLOCKCHAINBASED LAND TITLING PROJECT IN THE REPUBLIC OF GEORGIA","PeriodicalId":422331,"journal":{"name":"Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization","volume":"90 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132066704","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"When Seeing Was No Longer Believing","authors":"C. Stack, J. Mcgregor","doi":"10.1162/inov_a_00274","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/inov_a_00274","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":422331,"journal":{"name":"Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization","volume":"15 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"122277514","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Blockchain: Leveraging a Trust Technology in Expeditionary Economics","authors":"C. Schramm","doi":"10.1162/inov_a_00273","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1162/inov_a_00273","url":null,"abstract":"culties of post-conflict pacification, the second Bush administration turned to establishing the rule of law as the central step in restarting the Iraqi economy.1. U.S. development officials, however, did not consider its implementation possible. While visiting a farm on the outskirts of Tikrit in 2010, I asked how the farmer could prove his ownership of the land on which we stood. A USAID official deflected my inquiries by invoking the dogeared formula that informal traditions of access to the nearby stream for irrigation operated as a de facto claim to the land. The idea of a written deed recorded with the local government was dismissed as pie in the sky.2. Instead of pursuing a workable redevelopment plan that focused on establishing property ownership as a fundamental first step on the road to creating a creditbased economy, the U.S. found itself inventing a makeshift economic development strategy on the fly. Unlike past situations, where Army doctrine anticipated having to rebuild and temporarily administer the governments and economies of defeated nations, U.S. forces deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan had no such remit and no institutional memory of performing these roles, let alone contemporary training in managing such responsibilities.3. The military instead looked principally to USAID, a civilian development agency, under a newly devised approach referred to as “whole of government.”4. Without authority to engage in civilian state-making, the military trusted that USAID, as well as several executive departments and independent agencies, BLOCKCHAIN: LEVERAGING A TRUST TECHNOLOGY IN EXPEDITIONARY ECONOMICS","PeriodicalId":422331,"journal":{"name":"Innovations: Technology, Governance, Globalization","volume":"89 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132747409","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}