January-March 2012Vol XI Issue 1 Quarterly

Centre forPolicyDialogueBangladesh

the editor's desk

A major activity of the CPD

during the first quarter of 2012 was

the brainstorming session titled Recent

Developments in Myanmar: New

Opportunities for Regional Cooperation which CPD

had organised in partnership with the Asian

Development Bank (ADB) on 15 March 2012. The recent

developments in Myanmar, particularly the move towards

democratisation of the polity through parliamentary elections,

has given rise to new hopes about Myanmar's future and also

created new opportunities for deeper economic cooperation in

the region. Myanmar has been pursuing new legislative

reforms, the country was re-engaging with the international

community, and there has been resumption of aid flow. All

these had important short and medium to long-term

implications for Myanmar as well as its neighbours, to the east

in the ASEAN, and to the west in the South Asia. With its

unique geographical location as the 'gateway for the region'

and its significant reservoir of natural resources, Myanmar and

its neighbours could forge win-win partnerships from which

countries and people of the region could all benefit. It was in

keeping with this promise and potential opportunity to benefit

that CPD assembled a select set of scholars and practitioners

coming from the region who carried out an in-depth discussion

on how to realise the opportunities of closer cooperation with

Myanmar in the areas of trade, investment, transport and

connectivity, and ensuring food and energy security in the

region. A number of important recommendations emerged from

the discussion which will need to be pursued through concrete

initiatives. It was felt that whilst the governments will need to

create conducive environment towards closer collaboration, the

private sector will also need to come up with investible

resources to implement the projects, along with resource

allocation by the governments.

The newly emerging situation has also opened up concrete

opportunities for Bangladesh to strengthen its bilateral relations

with Myanmar. Particular attention was given to cooperation in

the area of energy in view of having access to one of the

world's largest gas reserves in the backdrop of Bangladesh's

energy shortage. Now that the maritime dispute has also been

resolved by the verdict of the International Tribunal of the sea,

Bangladesh and Myanmar could think about joint activities to

exploit the opportunities in energy cooperation from a holistic

perspective. Experts were optimistic that both countries could

reap significant benefits through investments in connectivity

and by promoting trade and FDI.

In a fast changing world, if Bangladesh and the region fail to

take advantage of Myanmar's opening, all the regional

countries will stand to lose. That was the message of the

Dhaka discussion.

Rehman Sobhan addressing the brainstorming session on the recent developments in Myanmar while dignitaries from home

and abroad paying attention along with Commerce Minister G M Quader

Myanmar brings in new opportunities for regional cooperation

Speakers said in a CPD-ADB brainstorming session

FY2010-11

(Continued on page 2)

CENTRE FOR POLICY DIALOGUE (CPD) � A CIVIL SOCIETY THINK TANK

CPD Quarterly 4 January - March 2012

CPD had its second Retreat on 10-12 January 2012 at BRAC CDM, Savar,

Dhaka. CPD staff along with their family members joined this 2-day event. The

Retreat was planned to be held in two parts - Strategic Planning Meeting and a

get together of the extended CPD family.

The major objectives of the Strategic Planning Meeting were to reflect and

brainstorm on how to further strengthen CPD's institutional capacity in all areas

of activities through exchange of views and thoughts. Under the leadership of

Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, a designated team of CPD staff comprising all three

divisions - Research, Dialogue and Communication and Administration and

Finance - conducted the exercise.

Recommendations emanating from the exercise were presented and

discussed at a meeting during the Retreat where all CPD colleagues were

present with Professor Rehman Sobhan in the chair.

During the Retreat CPD colleagues and their families had an opportunity to

spend time together and interact in an informal setting.

Extended CPD family gathered for

a 2-day Retreat

LET'S PLAY

MATCH WINNING PERFORMANCE

RESEARCH HEAD onIndependent Review of Musical

Development

WHO GETS THE BIGGER PIECE OF

CAKE?

MICROPHONE TESTING IN THE GUISE OF POEM

RECITATION WHERE IS THE POCKET?

DANCING DOWN THE WICKET

WINNER TAKES IT ALL

WHAT WAS THAT!

READY FOR THE RACE

DIALOGUE on 'RETREAT'!

FY2010-11

CENTRE FOR POLICY DIALOGUE (CPD) � A CIVIL SOCIETY THINK TANK

CPD Quarterly 5 January - March 2012

CPD Board of Trustees meeting held

The 37th Board of Trustees (BoT) meeting of CPD was held on 14

February 2012 at the CPD Dialogue Room. The Board reviewed CPD's

research, dialogue and publication activities held during October 2011

to January 2012 and expressed satisfaction over the performance. The

Board endorsed CPD's research, dialogue and publication plans for

2012. These included a wide range of activities concerning a number

of key issues of importance to Bangladesh economy and interest to the

least developed countries (LDCs) covering areas such as food

security, governance, climate change and environment, energy,

regional trade, etc.

The meeting was presided over by Professor Rehman Sobhan,

Chairman of the CPD BoT. CPD Trustees Ms Khushi Kabir, Coordinator,

Nijera Kori; Mr M Syeduzzaman, Former Finance Minister, Government

of Bangladesh; Mr Nurul Haq, Former Member, Planning Commission;

Ms Laila Rahman Kabir, Managing Director, Kedarpur Tea Company

Limited; and Mr Syed Manzur Elahi, Chairman, Apex Group were

present in the meeting.

CPD led the Bangladesh Team to

10th BCIM Forum

The 10th Meeting of the Bangladesh, China, India and Myanmar (BCIM)

Cooperation Forum was held during 18-19 February 2012 at the Oberoi

Grand Hotel in Kolkata, India. The event was organised by the Institute

of Chinese Studies, Delhi in collaboration with the Centre for Policy

Research, Delhi, in partnership with the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad

Institute for Asian Studies (MAKAIAS), Kolkata. The Forum, supported

by Ministry of External Affairs, India was inaugurated by the Hon'ble

Governor of West Bengal Mr M K Narayanan. Prior to the event, a

Route Survey was carried out for the proposed Kunming to Kolkata Car

Rally which was also an issue of discussion in the Forum. The meeting

discussed issues such as environment, climate and water; regional

economic cooperation; regional connectivity (transport, tourism and

infrastructure); exchanges in social, cultural and academic fields, and

institutional arrangement of BCIM. A nine-member Bangladesh Team

led by Professor Rehman Sobhan, Chairman, CPD joined the 10th

BCIM Forum which included high level government officials and civil

society representatives .

Debapriya Bhattacharya addressing the students at Dhaka University

Debapriya Bhattacharya exchanging views with the students of BRAC University

Youth Leadership Programme (YLP)

CPD organised special lecture series on

Bangladesh Economy for university students

CPD launched a special lecture series on Bangladesh Economy in 2011-

2012: The Current Macroeconomic Challenges for the students who are

exposed to economics in their academic discipline in different universities of

Bangladesh. CPD has initiated this programme under its Youth Leadership

Programme (YLP) to contribute towards the students' understanding about

practical consequences of theoretical constructs.

The first one of this lecture series was held in association with

Economics Study Center of Dhaka University on 21 January 2012 at its R

C Majumder Auditorium. Dr M M Akash, Professor of Economics,

University of Dhaka chaired the session. Students from the Department of

Economics, Institute of Business Administration, and Faculty of Business

Studies of Dhaka University participated in this interactive session. To

initiate the discussion Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Distinguished Fellow,

CPD made a brief presentation on the current macroeconomic scenario of

Bangladesh. Presentation was followed by an elaborate question-answer

session where faculties from related disciplines were also present.

The second lecture of the series was held on 13 February 2012 at the

BRAC University. BRAC Development Institute organised the event which

was participated by the undergraduate and graduate level students of the

Department of Economics and Social Sciences and Business School of the

University along with senior and junior faculties.

FY2010-11

CENTRE FOR POLICY DIALOGUE (CPD) � A CIVIL SOCIETY THINK TANK

CPD Quarterly 8 January - March 2012

Published by Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD)

House 40/C, Road 32, Dhanmondi R/A, Dhaka 1209, Bangladesh; Mailing Address: GPO Box 2129, Dhaka 1000, Bangladesh

Telephone: (+88 02) 8124770, 9141703, 9141734, 9145090; Fax: (+88 02) 8130951

E-mail: info@cpd.org.bd; Website: www.cpd.org.bd; Blog: www.cpd.org.bd/Blog/

Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD)

State of the Bangladesh Economy

in FY2010-11 and

Outlook for FY2011-12

FY2010-11

State of the Bangladesh Economy in FY2010-11 and Outlook for FY2011-12

As in earlier years, the IRBD FY2010-11 volume of CPD highlights major developments in the economy of Bangladesh,

and flags emerging challenges confronting macroeconomic management for the relevant fiscal years. The present volume

in its various chapters presents an assessment of Bangladesh's macroeconomic performance in FY2010-11, and identifies

the major achievements and the emerging pressure points at the end of fiscal year; an analysis of the national budget for

FY2011-12 and the revised budget of FY2010-11; a critical assessment of the Monetary Policy Statement of the

Bangladesh Bank for the second half of FY2010-11; and an analytical review of the overseas migration and inwards

remittance flow situation with focus on the first six months of FY2011-12. It also contains a Policy Brief prepared under a

joint study with BRAC Advocacy Unit to examine the efficacy of fiscal measures and public service delivery for the ultra

poor. Two annexes of the volume include dialogue reports on national budget reaction for FY2011-12, one held in Dhaka,

and the other in Chittagong in collaboration with Bangladesh Economic Association (BEA), Chittagong Chapter.

CPD Working Papers

Paper 95: Stabilising the Capital Market of Bangladesh: Addressing the Structural, Institutional and Operational Issues

Khondaker Golam Moazzem and Md. Tariqur Rahman

Paper 96: Liberalising Health Services under SAARC Agreement on Trade in Services (SATIS): Implications for Bangladesh

Fahmida Khatun and Mazbahul Golam Ahamad

Paper 97: Assessing the Impact of the Global Economic and Financial Crisis on Bangladesh: An Intervention Analysis

Debapriya Bhattacharya and Shouro Dasgupta

Paper 98: Analytical Review of Bangladesh's Macroeconomic Performance in FY2011-12 (Second Reading)

CPD Publications

Journal Article

Bhattacharya, D. and Borgatti, L. "An Atypical Approach to Graduation

from the LDC Category: The Case of Bangladesh." South Asia Economic

Journal, 13 (1): 1-25.

Newspaper and Magazine Articles

Sobhan, R. 2012. Bangladesh at 40: Looking Back and Moving Forward

(Four Part Series). The Daily Star. 31 December 2011-3 January 2012.

Rahman, M. 2012. R¡vjvwbi `vg mgš^‡qi weKí fve‡Z cv‡i miKvi. Dainik

Ittefaq. 2 January.

Rahman, M. 2012. cwieZ©bkxj wek¦ A_©bxwZi †cÖ¶vc‡U 2012 mv‡j evsjv‡`‡ki mvgwóK A_©‰bwZK e¨e¯’vcbvi P¨v‡jÄ. Dainik Ittefaq. 3 January.

Bhattacharya, D. 2012. 2012 mv‡j evsjv‡`‡ki mvgwóK A_©‰bwZK e¨e¯’vcbvi P¨v‡jÄ. Dainik Ittefaq. 3 January.

Bhattacharya, D. 2012. †`qvj wjLb co–b. Dainik Samakal. 5 January.

Bhattacharya, D. 2012. m¨vgmb GBP †PŠayix: cÖvPxb gvbweK g~j¨‡ev‡a mg„× AvaywbK gvbyl. Dainik Samakal. 12 January.

Rahman, M. 2012. G eQi ˆewk¦K cwiw¯’wZ AbyK‚j _vK‡e bv. Dainik Sangbad.

13 January.

Bhattacharya, D. 2012. m¨vgmb GBP †PŠayix: Abb¨ GKRb. Dainik Prothom Alo.

14 January.

Bhattacharya, D. 2012. †kl wePv‡i A_©‰bwZK e¨e¯’vcbvi `¶ZvB mvdj¨ wba©viY Ki‡e. Dainik Jugantor. 16 January.

Khatun, F. 2012. Diversity and inclusion at workplace: Recognising female

potentials (Two Part Series). The Daily Sun. 5 & 7 February.

Rahman, M. 2012. †jb‡`‡bi fvimv‡g¨ wKQzUv ¯̂w —̄. Dainik Samakal. 10 February.

Bhattacharya, D. 2012. BRAC: Embodying the spirit of Liberation War. The

Daily Star. 10 February.

Hasanuzzaman. 2012. Beware, Bangladesh Media. The Daily Sun. 21

February.

Khatun, F. 2012. Role of state in national policymaking. The Daily Star. 4

March.

Moazzem, K.G. 2012. †cvkvK wk‡í bvix kÖwg‡Ki A_©‰bwZK Dbœqb: wZb `k‡Ki AwfÁZv. Banik Barta (Anniversary Issue). 8 March.

Kahtun, F. 2012. bvixi A_©‰bwZK ¯^vejw¤^Zv: AMÖMwZ A‡bK, j¶¨ GL‡bv my`~‡i.

Banik Barta (Anniversary Issue). 8 March.

Hasanuzzaman. 2012. Regional cooperation and new realities. The New

Age. 21 March.

Moazzem, K.G. 2012. †kqvi evRvi: g~j mgm¨v KvVv‡gvMZ. Dainik Samakal. 24

March.

Newspaper Interviews

Bhattacharya, D. 2012. g~j¨ùxwZ‡Z wbgœ I mxwgZ Av‡qi gvbyl `vwi`ª¨mxgvi wb‡P P‡j hvIqvi Avk¼v. Naya Diganta. 3 January.

Bhattacharya, D. 2012. cÖ_g `yÕeQ‡ii Zzjbvq †kl eQi wQj bvRyK. Manabjamin.

5 January.

Khatun, F. 2012. ¯^vaxbZvi Pvi `kK: A_©bxwZ‡Z AR©b A‡bK, Ac~Y©ZvI Kg bq.

Kaler Kantha. 16 January.

Rahmatullah, M. 2012. UªvbwRU wb‡q †Kvi KwgwUi wi‡cvU© cÖKvk Kiv †nvK.

Prothom Alo. 5 February.

Rahman, M. 2012. The existing water protocol, suitably amended, could

serve as an interim arrangement. The Daily Star. 28 February.

Publications from outside of CPD