Economics and Finance

This volume on macroeconomic and monetary topics regarding Bangladesh are a collection from papers that were presented at the fourth BDI conference held at the University of California-Berkeley in February, 2013. Most of the chapters are based on empirical analyses, using data over various time periods and applying many different econometric techniques. They address real sector issues such as growth, employment, saving, investment, trade and agriculture, as well as financial or monetary issues such as money supply, inflation, equity markets, and microfinance.

This book comprises a selection of studies from the research team of the Extreme Poverty programme (EEP-Shiree), sponsored by GOB-DFID during 2008-16. Its core premise is that extreme poverty is significantly different as a socio-economic, political and cultural experience from being moderately poor in the society. This categorical distinction is centred around the principle of social isolation and exclusion from supportive networks of kin and social capital within communities, often reinforced by the prominence of female headed or managed extreme poor households.

This book presents a rigorous empirical study of various aspects of poverty and vulnerability in rural Bangladesh. The themes include the trend and structure of rural poverty, rural inequality, asset accumulation, rural labour market, crisis and vulnerability of rural life, the role of social security in the rural economy, and the role of microcredit. In comparison with other such poverty studies, this book can claim a number of distinctive features.