If bangladesh wants more R&D it needs to unfuck its legal system. We should push for more ADR reforms and stop training judges in India. Training a judge in India is the same as training an economist in North Korea.
Chittagong division was split into two, so the data is probably not comparable. Good question about why the poorer regions are growing faster. Perhaps its convergence? Something to explore at some point.
All this talk of inequality and pro poor growth is nothing more than virtue signalling. This is a decades long propaganda campaign by the left that needs to die.
In practice people don't actually care about inequality. People move from relatively equal villages to more unequal cities.
I agree that growth is necessary, and often sufficient, for poverty alleviation. But it is not always sufficient. The rate of poverty alleviation in Bangladesh did slow in the past decade. Inequality is a legitimate issue. And more generally, blanket tagging of anything as virtue signaling is a lazy rhetorical trope.
When someone uses terms like "trickle down economics" and "pro poor initiatives", and economic growth not worth focusing on, I think it's accurate to call it virtue signalling. Given our brief brush with communism and the economic stagnation of neighbouring West Bengal, I think it's important to be vigilant about left wing propaganda.
In the past we could rely on the Muslim majority to be against welfarism and left wing politics. Nowadays not so much because of the Arab influence.
Also I'm not convinced inequality is as big of a problem as people make it out to be. In the 80s and 90s despite a rapid rise inequality, there was a massive fall in violent crime in the West. Many blame the recent rise in populism on inequality but even relatively equal Scandinavian countries have seen a rise in populist policies. The "neoliberal" era also led to a dramatic fall in global inequality - a point often brushed aside by left wing pundits.
I don't think anyone said economic growth is not worth focusing on. Specific to Bangladesh context of the past decade, growth did NOT trickle down enough, poverty alleviation stalled. This is a legitimate policy concern.
Household Income and Expenditure Survey. World Bank did some work too. I really should write up this stuff at some point. Politics keeps getting in the way. :(
If bangladesh wants more R&D it needs to unfuck its legal system. We should push for more ADR reforms and stop training judges in India. Training a judge in India is the same as training an economist in North Korea.
The electricity data was interesting. Does anyone know why the poorer regions are growing faster? Also wtf is going on in Chittagong?
Chittagong division was split into two, so the data is probably not comparable. Good question about why the poorer regions are growing faster. Perhaps its convergence? Something to explore at some point.
All this talk of inequality and pro poor growth is nothing more than virtue signalling. This is a decades long propaganda campaign by the left that needs to die.
In practice people don't actually care about inequality. People move from relatively equal villages to more unequal cities.
Also we know from the research by Lant Prichette that growth is both necessary and sufficient for poverty alleviation. (https://lantpritchett.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Basics-legatum-paper_short.pdf)
We need more actively push back against this anti growth and anti capitalism talking points.
I agree that growth is necessary, and often sufficient, for poverty alleviation. But it is not always sufficient. The rate of poverty alleviation in Bangladesh did slow in the past decade. Inequality is a legitimate issue. And more generally, blanket tagging of anything as virtue signaling is a lazy rhetorical trope.
When someone uses terms like "trickle down economics" and "pro poor initiatives", and economic growth not worth focusing on, I think it's accurate to call it virtue signalling. Given our brief brush with communism and the economic stagnation of neighbouring West Bengal, I think it's important to be vigilant about left wing propaganda.
In the past we could rely on the Muslim majority to be against welfarism and left wing politics. Nowadays not so much because of the Arab influence.
Also I'm not convinced inequality is as big of a problem as people make it out to be. In the 80s and 90s despite a rapid rise inequality, there was a massive fall in violent crime in the West. Many blame the recent rise in populism on inequality but even relatively equal Scandinavian countries have seen a rise in populist policies. The "neoliberal" era also led to a dramatic fall in global inequality - a point often brushed aside by left wing pundits.
I don't think anyone said economic growth is not worth focusing on. Specific to Bangladesh context of the past decade, growth did NOT trickle down enough, poverty alleviation stalled. This is a legitimate policy concern.
What is your evidence for this? Last I checked in the past ten years, rural-urban inequality fell. Or was that just Hasina fudging the data?
Household Income and Expenditure Survey. World Bank did some work too. I really should write up this stuff at some point. Politics keeps getting in the way. :(
It's better to do a economics write up since it has a longer shelf life. Day-to-day political "analysis" makes one very short sighted.
The host should keep his mouth shut and let the speaker talk without interruption. He also jumps from point to point which prevents deep discussion.