Through its annual Doing Business Report the World Bank always seeks new angles to justify its promotion of reduced regulation on business. A closer look at the 2017 report, subtitled: ‘Equal Opportunity for All’, reveals its deceptions and naked ideological bias. – See more at: http://www.newagebd.net/article/3857/deceptions-of-wb-doing-business-report-2017#sthash.AFCQolL9.dpuf
Author: Anis Chowdhury
Anisuzzaman (popularly known as Anis) Chowdhury was born in Chittagong (Bangladesh) in 1954. He migrated to Australia in 1987 and returned to his adopted home in January 2016 after completing an eight-year career in the United Nations Secretariat, which began and ended in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA) in New York. In between he was at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP) in Bangkok as Director of Macroeconomic Policy and Development Division (July 2012-Aug. 2014) and Director of Statistics Division (Sept. 2014-May 2015). Previously, he was Professor of Economics at the University of Western Sydney (2001-2012) and taught also at the Universities of Singapore (1983-87), New England (Australia, 1987-92) and Manitoba (Canada, 1978-83). He was a founding managing editor of the Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy (1995-2008), where he remains on its editorial board as a co-editor. He has published widely on East and Southeast Asia and on macro-development issues and edited two volumes on Moulana Bhashani – Moulana Bhashani: The Leader of Toiling Masses and Moulana Bhashani: His Creed and Politics. He holds a PhD from the University of Manitoba (1983) and honours and master’s degrees from Jahangirnagar University of Bangladesh (1976 and 1978).
PUBLIC-PRIVATE partnerships are being promoted as a key instrument to fill the huge financial gap in infrastructure investment. But majority of the researchers found that claims in favour of PPPs are not backed up by evidence.
The World Bank has recently published its much “adorned” and criticised “Doing Business Report 2017”. Bangladesh is ranked behind all South Asian countries, despite doing much better than its peers in social development. It also slippled a few rungs. Should our heart be aching? You may want to follow the link below:
Should we worry about ‘Doing Business’ ranking?
The souring of relationship between the World Bank and Bangladesh over Bangladesh’s signature infrastructure project, “Padma Bridge” connecting the North and South of the country has been well publicised. It was no good for the Bank as it now faces steep competition from other lenders; so it is coming with sweetners. Here is my op-ed on its recent move.
http://www.newagebd.net/article/1387
Reflections on development and governance 