Selim Raihan

The regional integration and cooperation initiative in South Asia started with the formation of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) in 1985.

How should we read the SDGs as far as the priorities of the South Asian countries are concerned? In my view, SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth) and SDG 9 (industry, innovation, and infrastructure) are at the heart of priorities mainly because of the fact that South Asian countries have national priorities aligned with these SDGs, and more importantly, these SDGs have strong linkages with other SDGs.

If we look at the growth pattern of Bangladesh from 1990, we discover two specific characteristics...

Discussions on the proposed national budget for the FY2017-18 need to be placed in the current context of six major economic challenges in Bangladesh.

How do we substantially increase the manufacturing value-added share in GDP and thus promote manufacturing led economic growth in South Asia?

In 2014, 14 percent of the globally unemployed were young people (aged between 15 and 24). However, the situation was not uniform

Bangladesh economy's impressive growth performance over the past two and half decades has raised hopes about the country's

There are risks of trade wars between the dominant countries in the coming years, which will certainly undermine the prospects of such 'global partnership'.

Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are geographically delineated 'enclaves' in which regulations and practices related to business and trade differ from the rest of the country and therefore all the units therein enjoy special privileges. SEZs can generate both static and dynamic benefits.

Though There is a strong demand for a deeper regional integration in South Asia, the progress has been rather slow.

For meaningful comparisons among different countries with respect to their levels and trends in income inequality, we need comparable data.

Heoretically, trade liberalisation results in productivity gains through increased competition, efficiency, innovation and acquisition of new technology.

The aspiration for deeper regional integration is high on the political agenda of most of the leaders in South Asia. Since the early

BANGLADESH has recently been upgraded from low income country (LIC) to lower-middle income country (LMIC) as per the World Bank's classification.

In the discourse on infrastructure and economic growth the dominant area of discussion is on the quantity and quality of infrastructure

As people's economic behaviour varies at different stages of life, changes in a country's age structure can have substantial effects on its economic performance.

In the initial years of SAARC in the 1980s, the popular hypothesis for the reason behind limited intra-regional trade was the prevailing

Looking at the trend in the investment-GDP ratio since 1979-80, we can suggest four different investment regimes in Bangladesh.

In order to maintain the competitive advantage, there is a tendency of putting downward pressure on workers' wages and benefits. In this context, for the workers' welfare, there is a critical need for reducing the cost of doing business in Bangladesh.

Though there are many views on 'inclusive growth', the key consensus is that inclusive growth is a growth process which reduces poverty, inequality and social exclusion and promotes 'decent' jobs and economic and social cohesion.