The aid lab : understanding Bangladesh's unexpected success / Naomi Hossain.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hossain, Naomi, author.

Series:

Critical frontiers of theory, research, and policy in international development studies

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Women.

Economic development.

Bangladesh--Economic conditions.

Bangladesh.

Economic conditions.

Bangladesh--Economic policy.

Economic policy.

Bangladesh--Social policy.

Social policy.

Economic development--Bangladesh.

Women--Bangladesh.

Global environmental change.

Economic history.

Physical Description:

xvi, 244 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2017.

Summary:

"From an unpromising start as 'the basket-case' to present day plaudits for its human development achievements, Bangladesh plays an ideological role in the contemporary world order, offering proof that the neo-liberal development model works under the most testing conditions. How were such rapid gains possible in a context of chronically weak governance? The Aid Lab subjects this so-called 'Bangladesh paradox' to close scrutiny, evaluating public policies and their outcomes for poverty and development since Bangladesh's independence in 1971. Countering received wisdom that its gains owe to an early shift to market-oriented economic reform, it argues that a binding political settlement, a social contract to protect against the crises of subsistence and survival, united the elite, the masses, and their aid donors in the wake of the devastating famine of 1974. This laid resilient foundations for human development, fostering a focus on the poorest and most precarious, and in particular on the concerns of women.0In chapters examining the environmental, political and socioeconomic crisis of the 1970s, the book shows how the lessons of the famine led to a robustly pro-poor growth and social policy agenda, empowering the Bangladeshi state and its non-governmental organizations to protect and enable its population to thrive in its engagements in the global economy. Now a middle-income country, Bangladesh's role as the world's laboratory for aided development has generated lessons well beyond its borders, and Bangladesh continues to carve a pioneering pathway through the risks of global economic integration and climate change."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Part 1 The Paradox

1 Bangladesh's Surprising Success 3

2 From Malthusia to the Bangladesh Paradox 23

3 The Elites, the Masses, and Their Donors 50

Part 2 The Basket Case

4 The Breaking of the Patriarchal Bargain and the Emergence of the 'Woman Issue' 75

5 1974 91

Part 3 The Test Case for Development

6 Never Again: The Long Shadow of Famine 119

7 Making Bangladeshis 143

Part 4 The Bengal Tiger

8 Aerotropolitans and Cinderellas: Bangladeshis in the Global Economy 167

9 Post-Malthusian Futures: Towards a New Social Contract 194.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 205-238) and index.

ISBN:

9780198785507

019878550X

OCLC:

955313446