1.
Population and
Demography
Research Ideas
Dhaka
June 18, 2015

2.
Bangladesh Priorities
WORKING WITH 30-50 economists including Nobel Laureates, 100+
sector experts engaging major development organizations, NGOs,
government, businesses, youths, rural and urban Bangladeshis to
identify, analyze and prioritize interventions that will deliver greater
benefit per taka spent, helping move Bangladesh towards Vision 2021
and a more prosperous long term future.

3.
In cooperation with the Research
and Evaluation Division of BRAC,
Copenhagen Consensus Center
organized roundtable discussions
with an aim to figure out smarter
solutions to the most problematic
issues facing Bangladesh.
These roundtables are
one of several sources
for research ideas.
Sourcing ideas and solutions
Smarter solutions for Bangladesh
Complete set of papers
on 30-50 solutions
PRIORITIZATION
Government NGOs
Academia Pvt sector
Think tanks
Development
organizations
Eminent Panel
Assessment
Government and
donor seminars
Rural polls
Newspaper polls
among readers
Youth forums
across the country
Private sector
meetings
Social, economic and
environmental benefit-cost
research by top Bangladeshi,
and international economists
Extensive peer review by sector
experts and academics
100+ ideas on
policies & investments
20162015 Continuous
engagement with
the public via
electronic, print
and social media
Working with
civil society,
government and
sector experts
Widely
advocating
results of
prioritization
exercises
OUTREACH

4.
Research Ideas

5.
Population and Demography;
(1 of 5)
• Ensure infrastructure for the aging cohort in labor
force.
• Better economic and health benefits to the elderly.
• Increase women’s safety in public places.
• Raise awareness of all adolescents about consequences
of early age marriage.
• Train birth attendants.
• Offer grants to population scientists for research and
development (R&D).
• Ensure sanitation and other SRH facilities for women
garments worker.

6.
Population and Demography;
(2 of 5)
• Provide education and health service to urban slum
population.
• Integrate insurance protection with pension system for
aging population.
• Ensure electricity for all [strong correlation between
electricity availability and fertility rate].
• Prioritize women’s education through various
incentives to reduce child marriage.
• Increase budget for family planning activities.
• Reduce the unmet need for contraception targeting
married couples.

7.
Population and Demography;
(3 of 5)
• Lengthening compulsory education period for both girls
and boys.
• Continue with communicable disease programs.
• Modify health systems to cope with non-communicable
causes of death.
• Integrate nutrition with healthcare service for lowering
the poor’s mortality level.
• Bring fertility rate to replacement level.
• Prioritize educational investment - focus on technical
and vocational education.
• Follow China’s “in situ” model through the growth of
town and village enterprises.

8.
Population and Demography;
(4 of 5)
• Initiate skill development programs for those going
overseas as contract workers.
• Increase less-skilled labor migration opportunities to
delay childbearing.
• Increase coverage of social safety net programs.
• Ensure greater involvement of women in the labor
force.
• Undertake campaigns to address gender-based violence
with a special focus on enlisting the support of men for
these programs.
• Ease migration financing.

9.
Population and Demography;
(5 of 5)
• Deepening credit market access targeting the extreme
poor.
• Addressing children underweight in the lowest wealth
quintile.
• Enforcement of anti-dowry rules to deter parents from
engaging in such practices.

10.
Full List of Attendees and
Interviewees
Dr. Muhammad Mainul Islam, Associate Professor
Department of Population Science, University of Dhaka.
Dr. Md Touhidul Islam, Senior Program Manager, BRAC.
Masuma Billah, Advocacy and Communication Officer,
PPD.
Dr. Abbas Bhuiya, Deputy Director, ICDDR,B.
Dr. Sajjad Zohir, Economic Research Group (ERG),
Executive Director.
Mr. Nazrul Islam, Secretary (Coordination and
Reforms), Cabinet Division.
Professor Rounaq Jahan, Distinguished Fellow, Center
for Policy Dialogue.
Ms. Janina Jaruzelski, Mission Director for USAID.
Dr. Fahmida Khatun, Research Director, Center for
Policy Dialogue.
Dr. Atuno Rabbani, Dhaka University.
Dr. Md. Akramul Islam, Director, BRAC - TB and
Malaria Control, Water, Sanitation and Hygiene,
Disaster Environment and Climate Change.