Neoliberal Development In Bangladesh: People on the Margins

This book is a collection of eleven critical essays covering some of the implications of neoliberal development in Bangladesh. One of the major themes of this book is how the paradigm of neoliberalism, with its sole focus on free market, has transformed the very nature of the state. For the neoliberal states, market is both the ends and means of social wellbeing. While this ‘market-directed’ development approach can ensure certain levels of economic growth, it also brings out degrading quality of life, ecology and political governance. Bangladesh’s experience with neoliberal development is an important case study because the country has already been recognized as a ‘development paradox’. While some hail the development spree and bask in the glory of a fast-growing economy, critics of the traditional economic growth-oriented model of development point their fingers at the downsides of the same economy.
The topics discussed in this book, among others, include microfinance, energy, higher education, agriculture, gender and, corruption. The editors hope that this book will serve as a useful guide and resource for understanding contemporary critical scholarship on neoliberal policies in Bangladesh.