The Trade-Off

The Trade-Off (Opinion)

Can Bangladesh afford to pay workers 30,000 taka a month? The answer is no

Can Bangladesh afford to pay garment workers a basic wage of 30,000 taka?

2 hours ago

We have no bilateral arrangement with Pakistan beyond SAFTA. One was proposed in 2002 and stalled when Pakistan declined to give us unconditional market access

Does Bangladesh gain from ‘renewed’ ties with Pakistan?

26 Oct 2026

Bangladesh could reduce that pressure by engaging with alternative trade partners or negotiating better terms with India

A costly standoff

05 Oct 2026

Parties demand control at the grassroots. That comes with a price

Can BNP release itself from the extortion trap?

27 Sep 2026

The country has been successful at being elected and heard, but less successful at turning that standing into economic results

Bangladesh’s UN clout needs an economic payoff

26 Sep 2026

A wrong trade-off compounds into a cycle that is hard to leave, and we have done that with the informal economy

The informality bargain

19 Sep 2026

Parliaments are designed to make policies work, and elsewhere they do

How should the opposition help shape economic policy

12 Sep 2026