Poverty down, not inequality

Economic initiatives helped reduce poverty in Bangladesh but inequality could not be reduced as the two different concepts should be addressed in different ways, said Dr Mustafizur Rahman, executive director, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), yesterday.

"Eliminating inequality from society is a big challenge. We need to find a solution to reduce it," he said while moderating a symposium, "Law, Inequality and Impoverishment", organised by the Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (Bilia) on its premises in the capital.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Laws can address certain micro issues but they are not adequate for solving problems of inequality and impoverishment, elements actually affected by political power and economic issues, said Bilia Honorary Director Dr Shahdeen Malik.

The inequality cannot be removed from society if there is prevalence of corruption, which, although being ignored, should be addressed, said Dhaka Law Report Editor Khurshid Alam Khan.     

Dr Mostafa Haider, resident fellow, The Institute for Law and Policy, Harvard Law School, and Synthia Farid, doctoral candidate, University of Wilkinson Law School, USA, presented their research papers, "How Solving Global Poverty Legalises Radical Inequality" and "Rights to the City: A familiar Face of Deprivation", respectively.