Bangladesh: Anatomy of Change

Global economic and political conditions have undergone unprecedented changes with post-GATT global trade and investment liberalizations. Democracy at home and globalization externally have now created for Bangladesh vast opportunities for accelerated economic and social development, and for eradication of the curse of poverty with all its malaise within the shortest possible time. To attain its modest objectives, however, Bangladesh will have to meet many challenges, and overcome many hazards and pitfalls.... Capacity-building for seizing the opportunities and meeting the challenges will require many changes, some definitely painful, in our administrative and political institutions, economic and financial structures, and also in our social and community ethos and behaviour. True, there are now many proponents of changes of both indigenous and exotic varieties. However, most of them are apt to suffer from either of two limitations, or even both. Some propose changes based solely on theoretical and academic points of view with little or no practical notion about social realities; others do the same from limited knowledge and experience confined to a particularly narrow sector, drawing upon lessons that are not generally applicable to the social or economic realities of the polity in its entirety. Abdul Awal Mintoo has the rare distinction of overcoming the confines of both of those two categories. It will be hard to accuse him of either preaching from an ivory tower or being too narrowly specialized in his studies and experience.