Golam Mathbor, Ph.D., professor in the School of Social Work, recently published his article, “Economic Independence of Bangladesh: An Empirical Assessment,” in the international Journal of Economic Cooperation and Development, Volume 43, No. 1.
Mathbor co-authored the article with professional colleagues Iftekhar Mohammad Fakhruddin and Mohammad Abdul Hannan Pradhan, both of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology in Sylhet, Bangladesh. The article was one of nine published pieces in the Journal that features original papers dealing with economic and social issues of immediate concern to developing countries, in addition to applied research in development economics.
In the article, Mathbor explains and supports the idea that achieving political independence does not equal economic independence. His research indicates Bangladesh acquired economic independence moderately and continues to be a prime example for developing countries. The study developed a degree of economic independence for the country using time series data from 1990-2016 and the Index of Economic Independence, created by Heba Ezzeldin Helmy, to determine the country’s ability to survive unilaterally.
“Truly, I am so honored collaborating with my co-authors of this article. Bangladesh has become a role model for developing countries in achieving and maintaining a steady economic growth. This article sheds light for the government institutions to determine the direction and magnitude of action required to further improve its level of economic independence. I hope the Government of Bangladesh will find the recommendations provided in this article useful,” Mathbor said.
The Journal of Economic Cooperation and Development belongs to the Statistical, Economic, and Social Research and Training Center for Islamic Countries, a subsidiary of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation that consists of 57 countries.