Publications
A five-page interview was published in ORTHOJOGOT (a bimonthly financial magazine) Issue No. 3 of 2017. The interview dealt with expectations regarding the upcoming budget, likely growth rate of GDP, the need for district budget, the financial situation of state-owned banks etc.
An article titled “In Defence of Growth” was published in The Financial Express dated 31 May. The article highlighted the importance of growth acceleration even at the cost of some increase in inequality in low income countries such as Bangladesh with large number of people below poverty line because empirical studies show that growth is the most important determinant of poverty alleviation.
A three-page interview was published in a Bengali weekly journal Shaptahik dated 25 May. The interview dealt with the prevailing investment environment, capital flight, non-performing loan in the banking system, implementation failure of successive budget etc.
Other Activities 2017
02 May: Dr. Mirza Azizul Islam along with Mr. Md. Irffan, Chief Executive Officer of Asian Tigers Capital (an Asset Management Company) participated in a discussion on expectations from upcoming budget for reinvigorating the capital market broadcast by TV channel NTV.
03 May: Dr. Mirza Azizul Islam participant in a discussion broadcast by TV channel 71. The other participants were Mr. Ahsan Mansor, Executive Director, Policy Research Institute and Mr. Syed Nasim Manzoor, immediate past President of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce. The subject matter of the discussion was the upcoming budget—its size, implications of proposed VAT, sectorial priorities in allocation and implementation capacity of the administrative machinery.
03 May: Dr. Mirza Azizul Islam along with Mr. Matlub Ahmed, President of FBCCI and Mr. Mamun, Rashid Partner PWC Bangladesh and former Dean BRAC University Business School participated in a discussion broadcast by Jamuna TV. The focus of the discussion was the capital flight from Bangladesh. Actions needed to reduce / eliminate this malady were reviewed.
13 May: Dr. Mirza Azizul Islam was the Chief Guest at a program titled “Debate for Democracy”. The subject matter of the discussion was “Discipline in the Financial Sector”. The discussions focused on efforts by the government and the Central Bank to ensure a healthy banking system, successes and failures of these efforts and policy actions needed to address the emerging stresses of the banking system.
14 May: Dr. Mirza Azizul Islam participated in an Expert Group Consultation convened by the World Bank Bangladesh. The other participants were Dr. Hossain Zillur Rahman (Former Advisor Caretaker Government), Dr. Farashuddin (former Governor Bangladesh Bank) and Mr. Farooq Sobhan (Former Foreign Secretary and presently Executive Chairman, Bangladesh Enterprise Institute). The discussions dealt with recent developments in the macroeconomic scenario of Bangladesh, short term as well as long term challenges and identification of priority policy initiatives to deal with the challenges.
16 May: Dr. Mirza Azizul Islam along with Dr. Shamsul Alam, Member General Economic Division of the Planning Commission participated in a talk-show broadcast by TV channel DBC. The discussions dealt with recent changes in some important macroeconomic indicators and their implications for GDP growth of Bangladesh in FY 2017.
20 May: Dr. Mirza Azizul Islam along with Mr. Matlub Ahmed, President of FBCCI and Mr. Syed Nasim Manzur, former President of MCCI participated in a talk-show broadcast by Channel 71. The discussions focused on various aspects of the upcoming budget— its realistic size, reasonable rate of VAT, measures needed to increase private sector investment and financing of infrastructure.
20 May: Dr. Mirza Azizul Islam was the only discussant in a TV program broadcast by Jamuna TV. The subject matter of discussion was the pros and corns of the proposed VAT.
22 May: Dr. Mirza Azizul Islam was the Chief Guest at a program in which IDLC (a leading non-bank financial institution) launched an open end mutual fund. The potential role that an effectively managed mutual fund can play in strengthening investors’ confidence and thereby in the development of the Capital Market was discussed.
24 May: Dr. Mirza Azizul Islam was a panelist in a seminar organized by the daily Bengali newspaper Amader Shomoy. The subject matter was the upcoming budget. The other panelists included Dr. A. Majid, former Chairman National Board of Revenue, Mr. Salam Murshedy, Former President of Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association and several other eminent economists and business leaders.
27 May: Dr. Mirza Azizul Islam was a panelist in a discussion on various aspects of the FY2017-18 budget. The discussion was organized by Policy Research Institute (PRI) and TV Channel 71. The proceedings were directly broadcast by Channel 71. The panelists included about a dozen eminent economists and a few retired Secretaries to the Government of Bangladesh.
29 May: Dr. Mirza Azizul Islam was the Special Guest at a round table discussion organized by The Finance Alumni Association of Dhaka University. The subject matters were declining flow of remittance, development of bond market, young entrepreneurship development and infrastructure financing. Mr. M A Mannan, the State Minister of Finance and Planning was the Chief Guest.
29 May: Dr. Mirza Azizul Islam along with Dr. Nazneen Ahmed, Senior Research Fellow of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies participated in a talk-show broadcast by TV channel NTV. The discussions dealt with various aspects of the upcoming budget including government grant to state-owned banks for meeting capital adequacy, value added tax and implementation capacity of the government in both revenue collection and government projects.
30 May: Dr. Mirza Azizul Islam was the only discussant in a TV program broadcast by NTV.
31 May: Dr. Mirza Azizul Islam was the only discussant in a TV program broadcast by Channel 24 and another one broadcast by ATN Bangla.