A discussion on the Bangladesh economy
Covering the current economic conditions as well as policy options
The discussion was held in the last week of May 2024. I am indebted to Zia Hassan and Aaqib Md Shatil.
Further reading
Remove bond inequality, non-RMG exporters make a point
Reyad Hossain, 11 February 2022
What Mystic Meg can teach us about economic forecasting
Tim Harford, 24 March 2023
The 14 predictions that came true in 2023 — and the 7 that didn’t
Bryan Walsh, Dylan Matthews, Kenny Torrella, and Sigal Samuel, 29 Dec 2023
Why Bangladesh's bond market is struggling to break free
Nasif Tanjim, 15 February 2024
Boosting forex through the hundi alternative
Zulkernain Khandaker, 16 February 2024
Politicians and economists -- the search for a common vocabulary
Syed Akhtar Mahmood, 7 May 2024
Why Is Bangladesh Seeking a $5 Billion Soft Loan From China?
Ali Riaz, 9 May 2024
Why are IMF policies failing to stabilise our economy?
Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, 27 May 2024
বন্ধ হচ্ছে অর্থছাড়, বেকায়দায় তিন শতাধিক প্রকল্প
আবু হেনা মুহিব, 30 May 2024
Foreign debt repayments: Govt faces double whammy
Saifuddin Saif & Shaikh Abdullah, 6 June 2024
মেগা প্রকল্প: মেট্রোরেলের দুই প্রকল্পের বরাদ্দ কমেছে, বেড়েছে একটিতে
সাইফুদ্দিন সাইফ & মোঃ ফয়সাল আহমেদ, 7 June 2024
Jobs abroad sees 20pc drop in first 4 months
Jamil Mahmud, 15 June 2024
The fall in industrial production might just be down to energy/electricity shortages. I think these will be resolved with the nuclear plant that will be fully operational next year. We also approved 2.1/2.2 GW of solar last year. Solar can normally be built out in a few months. Oil prices should remain stable for the rest of the decade. There should be a huge uptick in American LNG exports by 2026 bringing down global LNG prices.
If the government was serious it would be looking at privatisation of SOEs. It's being dragging its feet with the sugar and jute mills for over 10 years. I think other than SOEs most of other government expenditure has a problem especially public schooling but that's a another can of worms. SOE privatisation should be on the agenda and the government shouldn't back away from it.