Growth, governance and corruption in Bangladesh: a re-assessment

Asadullah, M. N. and Chakravorty, N. N. T. (2019) Growth, governance and corruption in Bangladesh: a re-assessment. Third World Quarterly, 40 (5). pp. 947-956. ISSN 1360-2241 doi: 10.1080/01436597.2019.1599854

Abstract/Summary

This paper revisits Bangladesh’s ‘double paradox’ – sustained macroeconomic growth despite the poor state of governance and a high level of corruption – by critically reviewing trends in governance and corruption indicators during 1990–2017 vis-à-vis other South Asian countries. In addition, we draw upon data from a purposefully designed survey of manufacturing firms to assess the state of economic governance in the export-oriented ready-made garments (RMG) sector, the country’s main source of foreign exchange and driver of economic growth. Consistent with the country’s poor ranking in a host of indicators of investment climate and corruption perception, in-depth interviews of RMG factory owners confirm the high cost of doing business in various forms. We also find no evidence of growth-mediated improvements in indicators of governance. On the contrary, our review of print media reports suggests a growing governance deficit in the country’s financial sector. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for the country’s future growth as well as performance of the RMG sector.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/84160
Identification Number/DOI	10.1080/01436597.2019.1599854
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Politics, Economics and International Relations > Economics
Uncontrolled Keywords	Development
Publisher	Taylor & Francis
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