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)

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)

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

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

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

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

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