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.
SESSIONS
PAPERS
SPEAKERS
PARTICIPANTS
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.
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
6:00PM - 7:45PM
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 - 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)
6:00PM - 7:45PM
Chair
Professor Wahiduddin Mahmud
Chairman, Economic Research Group (ERG)
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 - 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
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 - 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
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 - 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
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.
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
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