Bangladesh’s 'cooling-off' period requirement is a barrier to women’s political participation

In Bangladesh, the transition from a government job to a political career is not as straightforward as it ought to be.
17 May 2026

Bangladesh needs to move up in global value chains through industrial upgrading

Bangladesh’s participation in global value chains remains narrow and concentrated in low-value segments.
17 May 2026

Local Government reform demands election overhaul

After a prolonged pause, Bangladesh has finally succeeded in establishing a democratically elected government through the 13th national election in February.
17 May 2026

Even during a measles outbreak, a man’s pointing finger finds a woman

A mother who has lost her child to a preventable disease like measles carries an unimaginable grief. To have that grief met with the accusation that her child died because she was worried about her “fitness” is an act of cruelty that no apology can fix.
16 May 2026

Smooth information flow can make development sustainable

Development projects are designed to improve people’s lives through better infrastructure, education, healthcare, livelihood opportunities, and social welfare.
16 May 2026

The sachet trap: The hidden cost of mini packs

The global shift towards micro-packaging, particularly in the emerging markets of the Global South, represents one of the most significant transformations in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) distribution history.
16 May 2026

Why stakeholders matter in reimagining urban healthcare governance

Recent discussions surrounding the transfer of Bangladesh’s Urban Primary Health Care Service Delivery Project (UPHCSDP) have largely focused on the distribution of administrative responsibilities between ministries.
16 May 2026

The economy of premium education and parental anxiety

A recent post by a colleague who had to pay Tk 2.5 lakh as an admission fee for his child at a reputed English medium school made me reflect on an anomaly that we have gotten used to.
16 May 2026

A paralysed Information Commission is undermining citizens’ right to know

Recently, Dr. Zahed Ur Rahman, adviser to the prime minister on information and broadcasting, has welcomed constructive criticism from citizens regarding the government’s performance.
15 May 2026

Time to fix the foundations of Islamic banking in Bangladesh

It is no secret that the Islamic banking industry in Bangladesh is under significant stress.
15 May 2026

The PM says police don’t belong to any party. Can we establish this in practice?

The prime minister’s quote that I use as the headline of this column is music to our ears, constituting the most vital policy directive that this country needs to take.
15 May 2026

Merge investment agencies, yes, but first fix the system around them

The government has reportedly grown more cautious in merging Bangladesh’s investment agencies.
14 May 2026

The elite’s blind spot is deepening our education crisis

Talking to the Bangladeshi elite—the people with real power and influence—you might think they recognise the education crisis facing the country.
14 May 2026

Disconnected trade systems are eroding the gains of digitisation

In today’s global trading system, data moves alongside goods. Every shipment is accompanied by invoices, regulatory approvals, banking records, inspection reports, and logistical updates.
14 May 2026

Measles outbreak and the politics of convenience

“For the past two months, innocent children have been dying, and there has been no discussion about it in parliament. No one is taking responsibility.
14 May 2026

West Bengal’s right-wing turn cannot be blamed on Bangladesh

In the aftermath of the 2026 West Bengal election, a familiar pattern has re-emerged across sections of Indian media and so-called secular civil society: the attempt to explain BJP’s sweeping success through the “Bangladesh factor.”
13 May 2026

Why are lightning strikes claiming so many farmers' lives?

Scrolling through the morning papers or glancing at our phone screens, there is one recurring piece of news that never fails to break our hearts: the untimely demise of people struck by lightning.
13 May 2026

The banking sector’s dangerous free fall while defaulters thrive

Plagued with a huge amount of non-performing loans (NPLs), capital deficiency, provision shortfall, management inefficiency, and other issues, Bangladesh’s banking sector is indeed in an extremely vulnerable state.
13 May 2026

The Padma barrage must address both water and sediment issues

As the Padma Barrage Project is placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) for approval this week, an idea that has evolved since the 1960s may finally become a reality.
13 May 2026

The case for one social card to replace them all

When one crore handwritten Family Cards were verified with NIDs, a single exercise in duplicate removal resulted in the cancellation of 43 lakh cards.
12 May 2026