ABOUT THE EVENT

To celebrate the golden jubilee of the independence of Bangladesh, the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) is organizing a virtual international conference, co-sponsored by the South Asia Program of Cornell University, which will explore the country’s developments in different sectors—politics, economy, society and culture. A number of national and international webinars have already been organized this year on Bangladesh. They have portrayed the remarkable story of Bangladesh’s development—how it has succeeded in rebuilding a war-ravaged economy and society and made steady progress in key indicators of human development and economic growth.

8

SESSIONS

19

PAPERS

46

SPEAKERS

1058

PARTICIPANTS

Fifty Years of Bangladesh Retrospect and Prospect

December 6-9, 2021A Four Day Virtual International Conference

The conference is planned with a view to publishing an edited volume containing selected papers presented at the conference. The fact that the number of academic publications on Bangladesh are few is a constraint in teaching and research. The edited conference volume is expected to serve as a standard reference book in developing courses on Bangladesh and South Asian studies in the universities in Bangladesh and abroad.

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CONFERENCE THEME

  • THEME 1: STATE, SOCIETY, POLITICS

  • THEME 2: BANGLADESH’S ECONOMIC TRANSFORMATION

  • THEME 3: TOWARDS A JUST SOCIETY

  • THEME 4: SOCIAL TRANSITIONS

  • THEME 5: CULTURE

  • THEME 6: COSTS AND CHALLENGES OF DEVELOPMENT

  • THEME 7: BANGLADESH IN A CHANGING WORLD ORDER

CONFERENCE AGENDA

day 1 agenda

monday, dec 6, 2021, 6:00pm - 9:45pm Bangladesh Time (GMT+6)

6:00PM

6:00PM - 7:45PM

Panel 1: Inaugural Session and Keynote Presentation

Chair

Professor Rounaq Jahan
Distinguished Fellow, CPD

Welcome Address

Dr Fahmida Khatun
Executive Director, CPD

Professor Iftikhar Dadi
Director, South Asia Program, Cornell University

Introduction to the Conference

Professor Rounaq Jahan
Distinguished Fellow, CPD

Keynote Presentation

Professor Rehman Sobhan
Chairman, CPD

Q&A Session

Response from the paper presenters

Sum up

Professor Rounaq Jahan
Distinguished Fellow, CPD

8:00PM

Panel 2: State, Society, Politics

8:00PM - 9:45PM

Chair

Dr Ahrar Ahmad
Director General, Gyantapas Abdur Razzaq Foundation (GARF)

Paper 1 – Evolution of State-Society Relations in Bangladesh: An Analytical Narrative

Presenter: Dr Mirza M Hassan
Senior Research Fellow, Brac Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), Brac University

Discussant: Professor Naomi Hossain
Research Professor, Accountability Research Center, American University

Paper 2 – Islamist Politics in Bangladesh: The Nature, Scope and the Pathway

Presenter: Professor Ali Riaz
Distinguished Professor​, Department of Politics and Government, Illinois State University

Discussant: Professor Habibul Haque Khondker
Professor, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Paper 3 – State-making, Violence, and Political Muscle: Bangladesh as Polycratic State

Presenter: Professor Arild Engelsen Ruud
Professor, South Asia Studies, University of Oslo

Discussant: Dr Philip K. Oldenburg
Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Columbia University.

Q&A Session

Response from the paper presenters

Sum up

Dr Ahrar Ahmad
Director General, Gyantapas Abdur Razzaq Foundation (GARF)

day 2 agenda

tuesday, dec 7, 2021, 6:00pm - 9:45pm Bangladesh Time (GMT+6)

6:00PM

Panel 3: Bangladesh’s Economic Transformation

6:00PM - 7:45PM

Chair

Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud
Chairman, Economic Research Group (ERG)

Paper 1: Synergies and Tipping Points: Policy Actions, Market Responses and Economic Growth in Bangladesh

Presenter: Dr Syed Akhter Mahmood
Former Lead Private Sector Specialist, World Bank

Discussant: Dr Khan Ahmed Sayeed Murshid
Former Director General, BIDS

Paper 2 – Bangladesh Transitioning to a Sustainable Post-Graduation Future

Presenter: Professor Mustafizur Rahman
Distinguished Fellow, CPD

Discussant: Dr Nazneen Ahmad
Country Economist, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)

Paper 3 – Bangladesh’s Economic Transformation: Institutional Challenges

Presenter: Professor Selim Raihan
Professor, Department of Economics, Dhaka University & Executive Director, South Asian Network on Economic Modelling (SANEM)

Discussant: Dr Ahsan Mansur
Executive Director, Policy Research Institute of Bangladesh

Q&A Session

Response from the paper presenters

Sum up

Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud
Chairman, Economic Research Group (ERG)

8:00PM

Panel 4: Towards a Just Society

8:00PM - 9:45PM

Chair

Professor Geof Wood
Emeritus Professor, International Development
Department of Social and Policy Sciences, University of Bath

Paper 1 – Poverty Trends and Dynamics

Presenter: Dr Binayak Sen
Director General, Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS)

Discussant: Professor S.R. Osmani
Professor, Developmental Economics, Ulster University

Paper 2 – Responding to the Challenges of Inequality

Presenter: Professor M. M. Akash
Professor & Chairman, Department of Economics, Dhaka University

Discussant: Professor S.R. Osmani
Professor, Developmental Economics, Ulster University

Paper 3: Democratizing the ‘middle income’ dream: The coming challenge for Bangladesh at 50

Presenter: Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman
Founder-Chair, Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC)

Discussant: Dr Iftekharuzzaman
Executive Director, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB)

Q&A Session
Response from the paper presenters

Sum up
Professor Geof Wood
Emeritus Professor, International Development
Department of Social and Policy Sciences, University of Bath

day 3 agenda

wednesday, dec 8, 2021, 6:00pm - 9:45pm Bangladesh Time (GMT+6)

6:00PM

Panel 5: Social Transitions

6:00PM - 7:45PM

Chair

Professor Bina Agarwal
Professor, Development Economics and Environment, Global Development Institute, University of Manchester

Paper 1 – Human Development and Social Change

Presenter: Dr Selim Jahan
Former Director, Human Development Report Office, UNDP

Discussant: Dr Sabina Alkire
Director, Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI), University of Oxford

Paper 2 – Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment

Presenter: Dr Sohela Nazneen
Research Fellow, Institute of Development Studies (IDS), University of Sussex

Discussant: Professor Elora Shehabuddin
Professor, Transnational Asian Studies, Rice University

Paper 3 – Civic Activism: CSO/CBO/NGO

Presenter: Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya
Distinguished Fellow, CPD

Discussant: Professor David Lewis
Professor, Anthropology and Development, Department of International Development, The London School of Economics and Political Science

Q&A Session

Response from the paper presenters

Sum up

Professor Bina Agarwal
Professor, Development Economics and Environment, Global Development Institute, University of Manchester

8:00PM

Panel 6: Culture

8:00PM - 9:45PM

Chair

Professor Iftikhar Dadi
Director, South Asia Program, Cornell University

Paper 1: Shahbagh, Shapla Chottor and Bangladesh’s Meandering, Contending Mindscapes

Presenter: Professor Fakrul Alam
Professor & Director, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Research Institute for Peace and Liberty, Dhaka University

Discussant: Dr Azfar Hussain
Interim Director of the Graduate Program in Social Innovation & Associate Professor, Integrative, Religious, and Intercultural Studies (IRIS) Department, Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Grand Valley State University

Paper 2: The Changing Faces of Culture: Notes from a Time of Crisis

Presenter: Professor Syed Manzoorul Islam

Professor, English and Humanities, University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh & Former Professor, Dhaka University.

Discussant: Dr Azfar Hussain
Interim Director, Graduate Program in Social Innovation & Associate Professor, Integrative, Religious, and Intercultural Studies (IRIS) Department, Brooks College of Interdisciplinary Studies, Grand Valley State University

Paper 3 – Changes in the Architectural, Urban and Settlement Landscapes of Bangladesh

Presenter: Professor Kazi Khaleed Ashraf
Director General, Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements

Discussant: Professor Adnan Z. Morshed
Professor, School of Architecture and Planning, The Catholic University of America

Paper 4: Contemporary Art Movements in Bangladesh: The Rise and Crossover

Presenter: Tanzim Wahab
Chief Curator, Arts Program, Bengal Foundation

Q&A Session

Response from the paper presenters

Sum up

Professor Iftikhar Dadi
Director, South Asia Program, Cornell University

day 4 agenda

thursday, dec 9, 2021, 6:00pm - 9:45pm Bangladesh Time (GMT+6)

6:00PM

Panel 7: Costs and Challenges of Development

6:00PM - 7:45PM

Chair

Dr Fahmida Khatun
Executive Director, CPD

Paper 1 – Bangladesh between World System and Green
Growth: Past Trends and Future Trajectories

Presenter: Dr Iftekhar Iqbal
Associate Professor, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam 

Discussant: Dr Md. Golam Rabbani
Head, Climate Bridge Fund Secretariat, BRAC

Paper 2 – Fifty Years of Development Experience of Bangladesh: An Employment and Labour Perspective

Presenter: Dr Rizwanul Islam
Former Special Adviser, Employment Sector, International Labour Office, Geneva.

Discussant: Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem
Research Director, CPD

Paper 3 – Responding to Changing Geo-politics

Presenter: Professor Imtiaz Ahmad
Professor, Department of International Relations, University of Dhaka

Discussant: Dr Sreeradha Datta
Centre Head, Neighbourhood Studies and Senior Fellow,
Vivekananda International Foundation, India

Q&A Session

Response from the paper presenters

Sum up

Dr Fahmida Khatun
Executive Director, CPD

8:00PM

Panel 8: Bangladesh in a Changing World Order

8:00PM - 9:45PM

Chair

Professor Rehman Sobhan
Chairman, CPD

Message

Professor Nurul Islam
Research Fellow Emeritus, International Food Policy
Research Institute (IFPRI) & Former Deputy Chairman,
Bangladesh Planning Commission

Panellists

Professor Rounaq Jahan
Distinguished Fellow, CPD

Professor Naila Kabeer
Professor, Gender and Development, Department of Gender Studies, The London School of Economic and Political Science

Dr S. Nazrul Islam
Chief of Development Research Branch, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Professor Saleemul Huq
Director, International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) & Professor, Department of Environmental Science, Independent University Bangladesh (IUB)

Open Session

Vote of Thanks

Dr Fahmida Khatun
Executive Director, CPD

Professor Iftikhar Dadi
Director, South Asia Program, Cornell University

Conference sum up

Professor Rehman Sobhan
Chairman, CPD

register now

The CPD conference aims to deepen our understanding of Bangladesh’s multifaceted development over the last fifty years. The event will draw upon specially commissioned papers, covering a broad spectrum of issues addressing the qualitative dimensions of development and change as well as explore the processes which have produced these changes. The proceedings of the conference are expected to be published.

OUR SPEAKERS

CONFERENCE SECRETARIAT

Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD)

House 40/C, Road No 11(New),
Dhanmondi, Dhaka 1209, Bangladesh.
Tel: +(88 02) 55001185, 48118090, 58156979
E-mail: info@cpd.org.bd
Website: www.cpd.org.bd

South Asia Program Cornell University

30 Uris Hall, Cornell University
Ithaca NY 14853, USA
Tel: (+1 607) 255-8493
Email: sap@cornell.edu
Website: www.einaudi.cornell.edu/programs/south-asia-program