Post-independence, Bangladesh has quickly transformed itself into a manufacturing powerhouse in readymade garments (RMG), the country’s highest export income earner. Despite the impressive economic growth, devastating fires and building collapses have become all too common in Bangladesh. Is the RMG sector at a crossroads? What strategies can the country adopt for long-term RMG sustainability? RMG...Read More

This article[i] outlines how collaborative initiatives in the emerging drone industry in Europe, supported by the institutions and executive agencies of the European Commission, may encourage new developments of various industrial use cases in order to strengthen the “green” markets in all sectors as well as the geopolitical role of the . One of the...Read More

This article was originally published by Z/Yen. There is much discussion about trust in money these days, especially, towards the end of 2022, in relation to crypto-currencies and to some stablecoins. Indeed, money, though intangible, is all about trust. This is true whether we are discussing private money or public money. However, beyond trust per se, the...Read More

The article (link) examines the rationale behind the exploration by the vast majority of the world’s central banks of introducing central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). The phenomenon is discussed in the context of a number of key issues: a) the main drivers of central bank interest, b) the crucial role of public money in supporting...Read More

The USA’s long-awaited ‘Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity’ (IPEF)[1] was released on 23 May at the Tokyo meeting of the Quadrilateral Dialogue (Quad). The IPEF complements the ‘The Indo-Pacific Strategy of the United States’ (Executive Office of the President 2022) launched on 11 February and the two documents have much in common, which reflects the...Read More

The worst floods in 122 years have hit Sylhet and Sunamganj in the northwest of Bangladesh. Millions have been displaced, property and livelihoods have been destroyed, highlight once more how vulnerable Bangladesh remains to flooding. Starting on the 16th and 17th of June 2022, heavy upstream rainfall from Meghalaya and Assam states in India have...Read More

There seems little doubt either that a new Cold War is appearing in the world, or of its ideological content. This is not to dismiss economic competition and security issues, but there needs to be a recognition of the ideological content of the contemporary antagonisms. The difference with the new Cold War is that the...Read More

The unveiling of Japan’s US$490 billion fiscal stimulus package in November coincided with the announcement by the UK Department of International Trade of a new export strategy. This is committed to boosting exports to an annual £1 trillion ($1.35 trillion) by 2030, from the current yearly £600 billion. While the two policy measures were wholly separate events, their...Read More

Several decades ago, East Asia became the epicentre of superpower rivalry during the Cold War. Following a stalemate war in Northeast Asia’s Korean peninsula, in the early 1950s, military and ideological rivalry shifted to the Indochina peninsula and broader Southeast Asia in the 1960s. READ THE FULL ARTICLE HERE: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST.Read More

China energy’s crisis has been making global headlines these last few weeks with many Chinese regions, suffering energy deficits. Soaring demand in the aftermath of the global pandemic for energy, from the country’s giant industrial sector and higher-spending households, has collided with tight supplies of imports due to ongoing coronavirus restrictions amid government efforts to...Read More