Understanding Bangladesh’s Unexpected Success

A book discussion on Naomi Hossain’s “The Aid Lab: Understanding Bangladesh’s Unexpected Success” will be held at New York University, co-sponsored by NYU South Asia.

Development aid often gets bad press because it is seen as ineffective in lifting countries out of poverty. In The Aid Lab, Naomi Hossain (Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, UK) argues that aid can work, even in extremely unpromising contexts. The Aid Lab examines the extraordinary case of Bangladesh. Dealt a weak hand in natural resources and geopolitical significance, wounded by war and famine, Bangladesh has transitioned into a canny and adaptable player in the global economy. It pioneered the use of micro-finance and was the earliest developing country committed to addressing women’s needs as part of poverty reduction. This is not the story of a poster child for neoliberalism, but rather of a pragmatic state selectively engaging with donors and global markets while building a social compact to mitigate vulnerability.

Join Dina Siddiqi, Professor of Anthropology at BRAC University, Bangladesh and John Gershman, Clinical Professor of Public Service at NYU Wagner, for a conversation with Dr. Hossain on what other developing countries can learn from Bangladesh.

Venue:

NYU Center for Global Affairs
15 Barclay Street, 4th Floor, New York, NY 10007

Contact:

Dina Siddiqi