HISTORY & ECONOMY
Brief bangladeshi historyBangladesh history goes back to the colonial times when the British Empire ruled over India (which then was a part of Bangladesh). As India, Bangladesh got very influenced by the British ruling system and the English language soon became a ruling part of Bangladesh as well. In 1947 after the Second World War India got its independence from the British Empire and as Bangladesh and Pakistan then was largely Muslim areas the creation of East and West Pakistan, East Pakistan being contemporary Bangladesh was established as a large Islamic state, being over 1500 km apart from each other. During this time the “Awami Leauge” was created in East Pakistan, a national party which long fought for the Bangladeshi independence. From the 50s up to the 70s a lot of Bangladeshis spread their blood in the fight for their own country as well as their own language.
Party System in Bangladesh: The major political parties in Bangladesh today are Awami League (AL), Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jatiya Party (JP) and Jamat-e-Islami (JI). All these parties developed an established party base after 1991 democratic transition in Bangladesh. However, the three majoring parties BNP, AL, and JP lack any internal democracy. The parties are dominated by individual leaders and their families, such as Khaleda Zia (BNP), Sheikh Hasina (AL) and General Ershad (JP). (BBC) the power struggleBangladesh economic status todayEven though Bangladesh has faced a lot of downfalls after they gained their independence, with various environment disasters, corruption, poor infrastructure amongst other factors they have still managed to make their economy grow with 5 – 6 percent every year ever since 1996. However, if these barriers where not applied economists agree that Bangladesh has the potential to achieve an even higher growth rate.
According to the World Bank Bangladesh is a Low income country with their GDP lying on $110.6 billion with a population over 156 million from an estimation made 2011. More than half of Bangladesh GDP is generated by the service sector, but nearly 2/3rds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector. People in the labour force:
Share to GDP:
In 2009: Garment export totaled in $12.3 billion and remittances from overseas Bangladeshis totaling $9.7 billion which together accounted for almost 25 percent of GDP, however the same year due to the worldwide global economic downturn there was a slight reduction in export from 28 percent in 2008 to 26 percent. This is when more women started to work in the garment industries. Even though economic development has been much enhanced in Bangladesh it has however not favored the majority of the population. Poverty: 84 percent of the population lives below $2 dollars a day. National Poverty Line: 41.3 percent lives in poverty; 31.9 percent lives in poverty and 9.3 percent in extreme poverty. (BTI 2012) |
Economic History - How did Bangladesh become Poor?After colonial times and after independence wars we have seen a global effect of the difficulties these countries have faced to govern themselves and to establish a democracy and rebuilding their countries. As for Bangladesh, finally in 1970 The Awami league in the rule under Sheikh Mujibur Rahman opposition against the Pakistani government wins the election in East Pakistan. West Pakistan refuses to recognize the independence which contributes to a lot of rioting. Both East and West Pakistan have been poor and during 1970 a cyclone hits East Pakistan killing over 500,000 people, leading to further poverty and hunger crises and leaving millions of people homeless.
Today Bangladesh is the most highly dense populated country in the world with over 156 million people living in a country with a size of about 144,000 square-kilometres. The population of Bangladesh is a major factor for why the country faces many difficulties and is a leading factor for why the government can not take care of the people of Bangladesh leading the country to further poverty. With a bad environment, little access to clean water and food as well as the bad transportation system, many of the people, especially living in the rural remote areas have gained access to a healthy life. Flooding, cyclones and other national disasters have also lead the country into disparity and slowed down the process of development. Poverty is in fact one of the biggest issues Bangladesh has faced and still are facing today and even though there are things which are being done, there is still a long way to go in order for the big population to heal. Today, 41.3 percent of the Bangladeshi population lives under the poverty line of one dollar a day and a whole of 84 percent lives under 2 dollars. Social Capital Since the GPD of Bangladesh is rather low, most of the money is funded, generated by outside aid where Bangladesh every year receives financial help from for example the World Bank and different NGOs. Bangladesh has a great variety of social organization which enhances the importance on economic development and education especially in rural areas. The work with women empowerment and health is also very much initiated by NGOs. Most of the NGOs work in rural areas and provide programs for alleviating poverty, empowering marginalized groups and women, and providing health training and basic education. BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee) have established a worldwide network of branches, Grameen Bank has received international acclaim including the Nobel Peace Prize with their micro-credit banking program. (BBC, BTI, World Bank) |
Muhammad Yunus: Micro loans and social capital to ERADICATE poverty
One remarkable step from poverty which has been made has been the initiative made by 2009 Nobel Prize winner and former CEO and founder of the Grameen Bank, Muhammad Yunus. His idea of micro-credit loans has helped women, especially in the rural areas to redeem themselves from extreme poverty furthermore put them into labour of their interest. Yunus describes in his work, how you could harness the power of the free market to solve hunger, poverty and inequalities and doing exact so the women taking these small micro-loans have lifted their families out of poverty. Over the past 30 years micro-loans have spread over the country and benefited more than 100 million families. This idea has not only helped the families out of extreme poverty and improved their household economics and welfare, in relation to this it also effects the total GDP of the country where more goods are created and more people are benefiting from it. Women are a big part of the agricultural society and as they use these agricultural settlements it helps them to generate their economic situation. Together with the education women and girls are getting, and the improved maternal health as well as the adjusted cultural traditions women are now more prompt to make these kinds of business settlements in order to move away from poverty.
(Grameen Bank)
SOME VIDEOS COLLECTED FROM YouTube TO GET AN LOOK-IN OF WHAT YUNUS'S IDEA HAS DONE TO WOMEN IN BANGLADESH.
(Grameen Bank)
SOME VIDEOS COLLECTED FROM YouTube TO GET AN LOOK-IN OF WHAT YUNUS'S IDEA HAS DONE TO WOMEN IN BANGLADESH.
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