The theme of the December 2023 issue of Thinking Aloud is “Emerging Development Challenges in Bangladesh”. The first page article, ‘A “blended regime” in crisis’, puts forth a novel concept in political economy—blended regime—to unravel the current political and economic crisis that is unraveling in Bangladesh. The article characterizes blended regime as a blend of two contrasting aspects–“developmental state” on one side, and the dominance of cronies and high level of rent-seeking activities on the other side. A blended regime draws its economic legitimacy from developmental activities, while is dominated by powerful political elites, business elites and other apparatus of the state machinery. Building on a historical analysis of Bangladesh, the article explains how the inherent characteristics of the blended regime has led to the culmination of the current political and economic crisis in Bangladesh, now miring the regime itself in crisis. The article also explores the geopolitical dimensions of the crisis and expresses the urgency to shift towards effective reforms and policies. The second article, “Building a sustainable universal child protection system in Bangladesh”, summarizes the study “Costing exercise and feasibility study of a community-led child protection system in Bangladesh”, conducted by SANEM and UNICEF. The article maintains that investing in child protection systems can yield substantial economic and social benefits, which include ensured well-being of children, reduced healthcare cost, improved educational outcomes, and skilled as well as productive manpower in the future. The third article, “How far has Bangladesh come to expand its Blue economy?”, explores the opportunities and challenges of blue economy of Bangladesh. Exploring various policies on blue economy, the article recommends that sustaining Bangladesh’s abundant marine resources demands a robust regulatory framework and long-term financing for a thriving blue economy sector. The fourth article, “Women’s career aspirations, role in the workforce and pay gap: Noble Prize in Economics 2023”, explores the groundbreaking works of Claudia Goldin, the 2023 Nobel Prize winner in Economics, who is only the third female to receive the Nobel Prize in economics. Discussing Goldin’s contribution to Economics in detail, the article posits that diverse factors cause different stages of social development, which determine gender gaps in the labor market. The fourth page showcases the events in November 2023.
