Report Summary: The country has achieved some impressive and sustained socio-economic trends – which outperform many South Asian and other developing countries. Faster economic growth has helped Bangladesh to reduce the poverty rate by about 1 percentage point per year since 1990. Progress on social measures has been encouraging: Primary enrollment for both genders is near universal, and the secondary enrollment rate has more than doubled since independence.
But formidable challenges remain, notably on governance issues. Despite sustained progress, a formidable development agenda remains given the low starting base. Almost half the population is still under the poverty line, and over half the country is functionally illiterate. Bangladesh continues to face huge problems, in a number of important aspects of governance, which hamper development.
Report Summary: This report explores the factors that have brought success to Bangladesh’s RMG industry and examines the likely threats and key constraints in the post-MFA era. It also sets out a number of strategic options for the sector to pursue, building on past achievements and competitive advantages, in order to enhance Bangladesh’s export competitiveness in the global marketplace.
Report Summary: With Bangladesh's growing population, both water quality and water quantity need equal attention. And both urban and rural areas must be addressed. The report aims to identify and prioritize needed reforms and investments in all major water-related sectors, ranging from water supply and sanitation, agriculture, fisheries, and water resources management, to inland water transport. The Water Resources Assistance Strategy aims to sharpen the focus of government and other interested parties in Bangladesh’s water sector and elicit their strong engagement in the country’s water development and management efforts, under the umbrella of Bangladesh’s Poverty Reduction Strategy and the National Water Management Plan.  There are many challenges, but also many opportunities for Bangladesh to more effectively manage its scarce water resources and competing water uses. The Water Resources Assistance Strategy highlights the priority reforms and investments needed to sustain Bangladesh's economic prosperity and family livelihoods. The water-related sectors include: (i) urban water resources and pollution management; (ii) water supply and sanitation; (iii) fisheries; (iv) irrigation; (v) inland water transport; and (vi) water resources management.
Report Summary:Â The report attempts to provide new evidence on the comparative advantage of public and private providers in order to explore the alternatives for the Government of Bangladesh (GOB) with regards to which health services it might consider to contract-out, if any. The findings of this study are intended to be of use to policy makers, GOB officials and health service providers. Important recommendations may be drawn for national policy- for example, results suggest that there could be potential benefits, in terms of value in contracting-out certain health services, and also for facility management- for example, data show that private providers keep less medical records than their public counterparts..
This vibrant private health care system exists along with the health care through the public health system. In fact 50% of the population from all income segments are already seeking treatment care from the private sector. In view of the limited public resources as well as the widespread presence of the private sector, the government is currently reviewing its health policies to evaluate the usefulness of contracting-out the provision of certain health services to the private sector (both not-for-profit and for-profit). However, high prices in the private sector and their potential impact on access to services by the poorest as well as quality issues remain a concern for the government.
Report Summary: One of the Government of Bangladesh’s policy objectives is to provide greater and more equitable resource allocation for the poor. This report reviewed several poverty alleviation programs in the public and NGO sectors to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the methods used in identifying and targeting the poor. The government’s budget allocations for health services across districts and upazilas are centrally determined. Resource allocations are primarily driven by the capacity of the public health facilities and historical norms rather than the actual needs of the areas. In addition, allocations are not related to health needs of districts or extent of poverty (as determined by the Human Poverty Index or the Human Development Index).
Thus effective targeting of health care subsidy will require proper identification of both poor and non-poor households. The major challenge of Bangladesh’s health, nutrition and population (HNP) sector has been to create a system or technique to which will identify poor households accurately and cost effectively. The objective of the study was to provide data for the development of such a tool which could be used by both the government and the NGO sector to effectively identify the poor and the most vulnerable. Studies show that per capita income measurements are extremely time consuming and expensive, especially for Bangladesh. However, an alternative method known as the proxy-means test (PMT) can be employed.
Report Summary:This report outlines the policy and institutional reforms needed to revitalize the agricultural technologysystem in Bangladesh in order to generate and disseminate appropriate agricultural technologies in the context of changing needs of the agricultural sector. The challenge is to implement the findings and recommendations of this report by intensifying support for agriculture in a way that promotes pro-poor agricultural growth, reduces rural poverty and improves the welfare of the rural people.
The strategic role of the agricultural technology system (research and extension) in increasing agricultural productivity has been well demonstrated over the last 30 years through contributions to increased cereal yields, in particular rice, and total food production. In more recent years, the system has found it difficult to generate and transfer profitable technologies suited to the changing needs of farmers. The role of improved agricultural technology to improve productivity would be even more critical in the future to meet the increasing demand for food and fiber, including high value commodities, for increasing population, from a declining agricultural land base and the need to make the agricultural sector more competitive in the context of expanding globalization.
Report Summary:The Bangladesh Integrated Nutrition Programme (BINP) represented the first large-scale government intervention in nutrition. The program began in 1995; it was followed in 2002 by the National Nutrition Programme (NNP) and is being followed up now with a sector wide health approach. Nutrition also features significantly in the draft poverty reduction strategy. All of this shows the commitment of the government of Bangladesh in continuing to address malnutrition, which continues to constrain economic growth in the country.
There has been considerable debate in the press and the scientific community and among development partners about the impact of BINP. This study tries to lay that debate to rest by critically reviewing the various evaluations and trying to explain the variation across the results that were obtained.
Report Summary: Bangladesh has made considerable progress in reducing poverty over the past 15 years. With a combination of sound macro-economic policies, institutional reforms, and good governance, Bangladesh can achieve the MDG goal of halving the 1990 poverty rate by 2015. However there will still be a large number of population living below the poverty line. Recognizing this challenge, the Government has emphasized social protection (or activities targeting the poor) as a pillar of the PRSP.
The report assesses the current system of social safety nets in Bangladesh. It focuses attention on the poor, recommends revisions to existing programs and institutional arrangements, proposes new strategies to minimize the poverty and vulnerability, and stresses the need to improve the allocation of limited fiscal resources and the efficiency with which these resources are used.Â
Report Summary: Bangladesh has made striking progress on a range of social indicators over the last 15 years – an achievement which is credited to the country’s pluralist service provision regime, including the large network of NGOs. This report recognizes these contributions and addresses the current debates surrounding NGOs.
Report Summary:Â Bangladesh must address key environmental concerns such as air and water pollution and the decline in fisheries, if it is to protect the health and livelihoods of its citizens and achieve sustainable economic growth. This report suggests that by improving access to environmental information and increasing transparency and consultation it will be easier to form and enforce coherent and effective environmental policies. It also outlines other recommendations and actions required to prevent environmental degradation.
Report Summary: This report summarizes and attempts to draw out and synthesize some of the main conclusions of a series of consultant papers on various aspects of the trading relationship between India  and Bangladesh.
Report Summary:Â Bangladesh in on track to achieve most of the MDGs goals, even the difficult ones like infant and maternal mortality provided that the quality and institutional mechanisms of service delivery to the poor are improved. This report provides an account of Bangladesh's MDG success but also highlights the importance of service delivery.
Report Summary: This report describes aspects of current management practices and the governance of resources in several medical facilities in an effort to better understand what policies might reduce system losses, strengthen mechanisms of accountability, and ensure high value for money. Â
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BDS # 16:  Bangladesh: Piloting reform through the Development and Management of Economic Zones Download (Part One) (Part Two), June 2006, (pdf)
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Report Summary: This report was completed and originally published in June 2006 by FIAS, a multi-donor service of the World Bank Group, and IFC’s South-Asia Enterprise Development Facility (SEDF) under a joint venture program in Bangladesh 2005-2006. This program led to the establishment of the IFC Bangladesh Investment Climate Fund (IFC BICF). The report is now reprinted with support of IFC BIFC in partnership with the World Bank as part of the World Bank’s Bangladesh Development Series.
Report Summary:  Dhaka is the fastest growing mega-city in the world. Annually, the city draws an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 mostly poor migrants who provide critical employment for the city’s industries and services.
Report Summary: This report focuses on three long-term transitions essential to more rapid, sustained and employment generating growth: (i) a shift in the economic structure from agriculture to labor-intensive manufacturing; (ii) deepening of integration with global markets wherein internationally competitive Bangladeshi firms would be plugged into global supply chains, and; (iii) unleashing the growth potential of the major urban centers, Dhaka  especially.
Report Summary: Bangladesh   has made considerable progress in its economic development along with employment growth rate of about 5 percent between 1996 and 2006. Bangladesh  ’s National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction appropriately identifies the need to promote vocational training and skill development to accelerate the growth process. This report attempts to contribute to a better understanding of Bangladesh  ’s labor market dynamics and its interaction with the vocational education and training system.
Report Summary: Bangladesh’s National Strategy for Accelerated Poverty Reduction highlights the role of Inland Water Transport (IWT) in providing better access to services and cheaper modes of transport. Indeed, a substantial portion (12.3 percent) of the rural population in Bangladesh has IWT as its only mode of transport. With this emphasis on IWT, the Government also recognizes the benefits that river transport can bring in terms of economic growth and poverty reduction in Bangladesh. The report ‘Revival of Inland Water Transport in Bangladesh: Options and Strategies’ aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the IWT sector in Bangladesh and identify and discuss the sector's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and risks. The study suggests establishing the elements of a new strategy to bolster the sector's contribution to growth and poverty reduction.
Report Summary: The increasing domestic and global demand toward high-value foods represents an enormous opportunity for food producers, processors and sellers. Production of high value agricultural commodities represents an opportunity to generate rural employment and raise rural incomes. The case studies presented in this volume examine five high-value agricultural commodities in Bangladesh  . The World Bank and the South Asia Enterprise Development Facility of the International Finance Corporation jointly prepared this report for formulating the strategic planning to assure enabling conditions, identify risks and manage the transition to high value agriculture.
Report Summary:Â Bangladesh has achieved impressive gains in women's status and gender equality, but access to reproductive health services, labor markets, physical security and role in decision-making need urgent attention.
Report Summary: Pharmaceuticals are an extremely important part of health-care expenditures in Bangladesh. Almost one-third of total annual per capita health-care spending is on pharmaceuticals. The domestic pharmaceutical market in Bangladeshis cost-sensitive, protected from imports, and has a loose regulatory environment.  Previous efforts to improve access to drugs have not been very successful. The focus on the pricing and quality of drugs has called for tighter regulation of the market. However, the pharmaceutical sector and the Bangladeshi population have a joint interest in accessing pharmaceuticals of good quality and at a competitive cost. This paper explores new ways to address the issue through the private sector.
Report Summary: Bangladesh   ’s success in achieving gender parity in both primary and secondary education is well regarded worldwide. The number of children enrolled practically doubled s between 1985 and 2005 despite the fact that Bangladesh  devotes a lower share of GDP to the education sector relative to other South Asian countries with similar per capita GDP. The Government of Bangladesh (GoB) has been instrumental in the progress made by recognizing primary education as a critical sector for investment to reduce poverty. The achievements are noticeable in the primary education sector. However, the dearth of reliable data makes it difficult to properly quantify the magnitude of progress made in terms of enrollment rate, completion rate, literacy and schooling quality. The report attempts to take stock of where Bangladesh  stands in achieving the ‘Education for All (EFA) goals and to suggest policy recommendations that could help towards meeting them by 2015. Among the six EFA goals, the report focuses mainly on: (i) universal primary enrollment for all children; (ii) universal primary completion; (iii) gender parity in education; (iv) adult literacy; and (v) quality of education.Â
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BDS # 26: Poverty Assessment for Bangladesh: Creating Opportunities and Bridging the East-West Divide, November 2008, (zip file)
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Report Summary: The average annual poverty reduction rate in Bangladesh  is among the highest in South Asia  since 2000. Despite its remarkable progress, Bangladeshremains a poor country with about 56 million poor people in 2005 and continuing disparities across occupational groups, gender and regions. The western part of Bangladeshlags behind the eastern part in poverty reduction. The rivers, namely Jamuna and Padma create natural boundaries that limit integration between economically unequal geographical regions. This report shows higher productivity in agriculture, job creation in urban growth poles and promoting migration will be essential for further poverty reduction.
Report Summary:Â Bangladesh has a long history of pragmatic reforms of madrasas at the secondary level. The Government of Bangladesh made a decision to allow private madrasas to receive public funding as long as the madrasa, officially registered under a unified Madrasa Board, included modern subjects in its curriculum, and opened its admission to girls. Today, most of these madrasas operate as co-educational institutions and follow state-approved curriculum where alongside religious matters, students are educated in Mathematics, English, and Science.
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Despite some positive changes, there are concerns about the madrasa sector in Bangladesh. Much remains unknown about the relative quality of these schools and in particular the incidence and quality of the unregistered madrasas. The findings from the study would be helpful to systematically address a wide range of policy questions through a careful comparison of three broad classes of providers in the secondary education – registered schools, privately owned registered Aliyah madrasas offering modern curriculum and unregistered Quomi madrasas. The report presents findings from the first ever comprehensive survey to document the incidence and quality of secondary level madrasas in Bangladesh.
Report Summary: Global warming is expected to have severe consequences for developing countries prone to extreme weather events. Projections by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the World Meteorological Organization suggest an increase in the frequencies and/or intensities of climate extremes in the 21st century. Some recent examples illustrate how severe the consequences of such extreme weather events can be: heavy floods in Australia and Brazil in 2011; extreme winter weather throughout Europe in 2010; Russia's heat wave in 2010; devastating floods in Pakistan, India, China, and Mozambique in 2010; and super cyclones in Myanmar in 2008 and Bangladesh in 2007.
Adaptation to increased risks of severe weather events, as well as other impacts of climate change, is essential for development. Adaptation will require climate-smart policies and investments to make countries more resilient to the effects of climate change, including losses of property, habitat, infrastructure, and lives. Country governments and their citizens, as well as development partner institutions and climate negotiators, need a better understanding of the potential damage due to climate change and adaptation costs to formulate effective adaptation to extreme weather events.
To shed light on potential damage from extreme weather events and adaptation costs, World Bank staff and experts from the Institute of Water Modeling and the Center for Environmental and Geographic Information Services in Bangladesh have conducted a study on the potential intensification of inland monsoon floods and cyclones for Bangladesh in a changing climate. This study is timely and of prime importance as it identifies vulnerable populations and infrastructure, quantifies outstanding deficits in dealing with current climate-related risks, and estimates the cost of adaptation to avoid further damage due to climate change.
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