1st Edition
COVID-19 and Bangladesh Inclusion, Disaggregation and Transition
COVID-19 and Bangladesh analyzes the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and features the socioeconomic fallouts for disadvantaged communities in Bangladesh, their coping mechanisms, and implications for the country’s development ambitions.
The contributors to the book examine the immediate impact of economic adversities, which rapidly translated into health, employment, education, and other socioeconomic problems. They show that the pandemic has disproportionately impacted the communities that were traditionally left behind and created a new group of people that are “pushed behind”. Structured in four sections, the book examines impact and adjustment in the areas of employment, income, and expenditure and health, education, and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and offers policy perspectives. The empirical analysis and policy conclusions presented in the chapters are based on official secondary data, household-level primary surveys, focus-group discussions, key informant interviews, and reviews of public policy documents. The policy conclusions and outlook presented in the book can be instructive for other low-middle income, or graduating least developed countries (LDC).
A unique contribution to the current debate on the diverse implications of the COVID-19 pandemic, this book will be of interest to policymakers and academics studying health and society in Asia and other countries of the Global South.
List of Figures and Tables ix
List of Contributors xii
Preface xv
Acknowledgments xvii
List of Abbreviations xix
1 COVID-19 Implications in Bangladesh: Lessons for Inclusive Policy Transition 1
DEBAPRIYA BHATTACHARYA, TOWFIQUL ISLAM KHAN
2 Choices and Challenges in Assessing COVID-19 Impact on Disadvantaged Groups 15
DEBAPRIYA BHATTACHARYA, SARAH SABIN KHAN AND TOWFIQUL ISLAM KHAN
3 Macroeconomic Impact and Policy Implications 35
DEBAPRIYA BHATTACHARYA, TOWFIQUL ISLAM KHAN AND MURSALIN HOSSAIN RABBI
4 The Economic Impact of COVID-19 and Lockdowns on Disadvantaged Households in Bangladesh 48
DEBAPRIYA BHATTACHARYA, ESTIAQUE BARI, TOWFIQUL ISLAM KHAN, FAHIM SUBHAN CHOWDHURY AND NAJEEBA MOHAMMED ALTAF
5 Dealing with the Aftermath of COVID-19: Adjustments and Adaptation Efforts of the Apparel Workers in Bangladesh 68
DEBAPRIYA BHATTACHARYA, TOWFIQUL ISLAM KHAN, FAHIM SUBHAN CHOWDHURY AND AFRA TAHSIN CHOWDHURY
6 Household-Level Adjustments in the Labor Market 85
MUSTAFIZUR RAHMAN, TOWFIQUL ISLAM KHAN, MUNTASEER KAMAL, MARFIA ALAM,MD. SABBIR HOSSAIN AND NAWSHIN NAWAR
7 Approaches Adopted by Disadvantaged Groups to Cope with the Pandemic Fallout 104
DEBAPRIYA BHATTACHARYA, ESTIAQUE BARI, TOWFIQUL ISLAM KHAN AND AFRA TAHSIN CHOWDHURY
8 Vaccinations, Food Consumption, and Access to Health Services 125
DEBAPRIYA BHATTACHARYA, TOWFIQUL ISLAM KHAN, ESTIAQUE BARI, FABIHA BUSHRA KHAN AND FARIA TAHMEEN MOMO
9 New Realities in the Education Sector Confronting the Disadvantaged Communities 141
DEBAPRIYA BHATTACHARYA, NAJEEBA MOHAMMED ALTAF, TOWFIQUL ISLAM KHAN AND ESTIAQUE BARI
10 Assessing COVID-19 Impact on SDG Delivery in Bangladesh:
Framework, Measurement, and Perspectives 162
DEBAPRIYA BHATTACHARYA, FABIHA BUSHRA KHAN AND TOWFIQUL ISLAM KHAN
11 Public Policy Responses and Options 183
DEBAPRIYA BHATTACHARYA, TOWFIQUL ISLAM KHAN, MARFIA ALAM AND MURSALIN HOSSAIN RABBI
12 Raising Delivery Effectiveness of Support Measures for Disadvantaged Households 203
MUSTAFIZUR RAHMAN, TOWFIQUL ISLAM KHAN, MUNTASEER KAMAL, MARFIA ALAM,MD. SABBIR HOSSAIN AND MOSTAFA AMIR SABBIH
13 Data Initiatives for Evidence-based Policymaking 220
DEBAPRIYA BHATTACHARYA, TOWFIQUL ISLAM KHAN, MUNTASEER KAMAL, MARFIA ALAM AND NAJEEBA MOHAMMED ALTAF
Index 237
Biography
Debapriya Bhattacharya is Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh; Member, United Nations Committee for Development Policy (UN-CDP), and Convenor of the Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh. He is also the Founding Chair of Southern Voice and former Ambassador of Bangladesh to the WTO and UN Offices in Geneva and Vienna.
Towfiqul Islam Khan is Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh. He is a member of the “SDG Task Team” of the Prime Minister’s Office, Government of Bangladesh.
