This compilation aims to provide readers with an insight into the diversity of Bangladesh’s experience in the first 25 weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic. The sixteen analytical snapshots examine how different populations adapted to the public health crisis. They highlight why an understanding of the socio-political and economic impacts of COVID-19 is necessary to inform and determine strategies for sustainable economic recovery, resilience and inclusive social development, and that for Bangladesh to thrive, universal public health and social protection systems must be the central focus of reforms and policy initiatives. This cross-institutional publication promotes a policy approach of active restraint to enable the presence of public goods provision, redistributive actions, macro-financial interventions and structural policy reforms. By capturing the country’s initial response, this book provides a useful reference for policy makers, academics and students interested in the intersection of social policy and disaster response in South Asian societies.
