Books

Rahman, S. (2021). The Bangladesh garment industry and the global supply chain: choices and constraints of management. In Routledge contemporary South Asia series. Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/9781003153238

রহমান, সাহিদুর. (2020). আলো আঁধারের হাতছানি : বিশ্বায়নের ঘোরপ্যাঁচে বাংলাদেশের তৈরি পোশাকশিল্প. ইউনিভার্সিটি প্রেস লিমিটেড.

Rahman, S. (2014). Broken promise of globalization: The case of the Bangladesh garment industry. Lanham ; Boulder ; New York ; Toronto ; Plymouth, UK: Lexington Books.

Book Chapters

Rahman, K. M., & Rahman, S. (2021). Governance mechanism for the sustainability of global garment production networks: Perspectives from rule-takers. In M. B. Rana & M. M. C. Allen (Eds.), Upgrading the global garment industry: Internationalization, capabilities and sustainability. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781789907650.00023

Rahman, S. (2019). Neo-liberalism, state and labor: Reflections on the garment industry. In M. T. uddin Khan & M. S. Rahman (Eds.), Neoliberal Development in Bangladesh. Dhaka: University Press Limited.

Rahman, S. (2019). Post-Rana plaza responses: Changing role of the Bangladesh government. In S. Saxena (Ed.), Labor, global supply chains and the garment industry in South Asia : Bangladesh after Rana Plaza. New York: Routledge.

Rahman, S. (2018). Globalisation, migration and knowledge generation: A study on higher education institution in Bangladesh. In R. Chowdhury, M. Sarkar, F. Mojumder, & M. M. Roshid (Eds.), Engaging in Educational Research: Revisiting policy and practice in Bangladesh. Singapore: Springer.

Rahman, S. (2008). Bangladesh: Women and labour activism. In K. Broadbent & M. Ford (Eds.), Women and labour organizing in Asia : Dversity, autonomy and activism. London ; New York: Routledge.

Journals

Frenkel, S. J., Rahman, S., & Rahman, K. M. (2022). After Rana plaza: Governing exploitative workplace labour regimes in Bangladeshi garment export factories. Journal of Industrial Relations. https://doi.org/10.1177/00221856211063924

Rahman, S., & Rahman, K. M. (2020). Multi-actor initiatives after Rana plaza: Factory managers’ views. Development and Change, 51(5), 1331–1359. https://doi.org/10.1111/dech.12572

Rahman, S. (2018). Revisiting empowerment: Rising female unemployment in the Bangladesh garment sector. Human Geography, 11(2).

Rahman, S. (2010). Brain-Gain in Bangladesh: What makes it possible. International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology, 1(2).

Rahman, S. (2009). Socio-economic vulnerability and neo-liberalism: Lessons from Bangladesh. South Asia Research, 29(3), 235–254. https://doi.org/10.1177/026272800902900303

Rahman, S. (2008). Attain and retain academic staff in developing countries (09-01). Dhaka.

Rahman, S. (2006). Is the high-road strategy enough: vulnerability of the garment industry in Bangladesh. Labour and Management in Development Journal, 7(3), 3–15.

Rahman, S. (2006). The Bangladesh garment industry: Low-road or high-road. Asian Profile, 34, 165–176.

Rahman, S. (2005). Liberalizing the economy: Lessons from the garments industry. Journal of Sociology, 1(1).

Rahman, S. (2004). Global shift: The Bangladesh garment industry in perspective. Asian Affairs, 26(1), 75–91.

Rahman, S. (2005). Time to make a choice. International Sociological Association (ISA), 2(7), 9–10.

Research Reports

Oka, C., Egels-Zandén, N., Rahman, S., & Alexande, R. (2020). Scale matters: Scalability of business case sustainability initiaitves in the garment industry. Royal Holloway, University of London. https://pure.royalholloway.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/scale-matters(3d0eedae-088f-4b5f-af99-327f9ad1b413).html

Leitheiser, E., Hossain, S. N., Sen, S., Tasnim, G., Moon, J., Knudsen, J. S., & Rahman, S. (2020). Early impacts of coronavirus on the Bangladesh apparel supply chain. Copenhagen Business School. https://www.cbs.dk/files/cbs.dk/risc_report_-_impacts_of_coronavirus_on_...

Schüßler, E., Frenkel, S., Ashwin, S., Kabeer, N., Egels-Zandén, N., Alexander, R., Huq, L., Oka, C., Lohmeyer, N., Rahman, S., & Rahman, K. M. (2019). Garment supply chains since Rana plaza: Governance and worker outcomes. In Garment Supply Chain Governance Project Final Report. https://www.wiwiss.fu-berlin.de/forschung/Garments/Medien/04-09-Changes-...

Conferences

Rahman, S. (2018). Multi-actor co-responsibility initiatives in the global garment value chain: Perspective from Bangladesh garment factory management. In Conference on 5 Years AfterRana Plaza: Consequences for Labor Standards Improvements in Garment Supply Chains. Berlin: Garment Supply Chain Governance Project at the Department of Management.

Rahman, S. (2017). Governing labour standards in garment global production networks. In Conference on Global Production (CGP). Singapore: National University of Singapore.

Rahman, S. (2017). Changing governance systems and their impact on Bangladeshi garment export factory building and labour standards. In Fifth Regulating for Decent Work Conference. Geneva.

Rahman, S. (2017). Accord and Alliance: Institutional burden or positive spill over. In International workshop on Women, men and labor markets in Bangladesh: constraints, choices and policy challenges. Dhaka: Centre for Gender and Social Transformation (CGST) at the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University.

Rahman, S. (2017). Between lead firms and institutional ensembles: Labour and safety practices in Bangladeshi garment export factories (03). Conference of the Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics (SASE). Lyon, France.

Rahman, S. (2012). Safe city for women. In International conference at Dhaka University and BRAC Centre. Dhaka.

Rahman, S. (2011). South Asian diaspora: Changing pattern of international migration in Bangladesh. In Conference on South Asia in Transition. England.

Ahmed, Haydory Akbar Rahman, S., & Hussain, A. M. T. (2011). Governance problems in social safety programs: Is civic engagement a way out? In Conference on “40 years of Bangladesh: Retrospects and Future prospect. Dhaka: BIGD, Brac University.

Rahman, S. (2010). Return migration of highly skilled professionals in Bangladesh. In XVII World Congress of Sociology. Sweden: International Sociological Association.

Rahman, S. (2010). Brain-Gain in Bangladesh: What makes it possible? In International Conference on Humanities. Singapore.

Rahman, S. (2006). The limits and possibilities of global integration. In Asia Pacific Week Conference at Australian National University. Canberra.

Rahman, S., & Lipsig-Mumme, C. (2006). Hitting the wall: Worker representation in the Bangladesh garment industry after the multi-fibre agreement. In International Sociological Association Conference. Durban.

Magazine/Newspapers Articles

Rahman, S. (2021, April 30). Bangladesh’s road to recovery: The future of the ready-made garment industry. Policy Forum. https://www.policyforum.net/bangladeshs-road-to-recovery/

Rahman, S. (2021, July 1). Confronting the challenges of unskilled workforce in RMG. The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/business/economy/opinion/news/confronting-t...

Knudsen, J. S., Leitheiser, E., Rahman, S., & Moon, J. (2020, April 24). Supply chain responsibilities in a global pandemic. Institute for Business in Global Context. https://sites.tufts.edu/ibgc/supply-chain-responsibilities-in-a-global-p...

Rahman, S. (2020). What the pandemic means for RMG. Dhaka Tribune. https://archive.dhakatribune.com/opinion/op-ed/2020/05/05/what-the-pande...

Rahman, S., & Rhodes, J. (2020, May 1). Garment industry workers seek international solidarity in wake of COVID-19. Democratic Left. https://www.dsausa.org/democratic-left/garment-industry-workers-seek-int...

Rahman, S., & Ishty, S. I. (2020, June 24). COVID-19 and the ready-made garment sector: A major challenge for one of Bangladesh’s crucial industries. Policy Forum. https://www.policyforum.net/covid-19-and-the-ready-made-garment-sector/

Alexander, R., & Rahman, S. (2020). Experiences of business case sustainability initiatives in Bangladesh’s garment industry. LSE Department of International Development Blog. https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/internationaldevelopment/2020/10/26/experiences-...

Rahman, S. (2019, November 20). Are educational institutions failing the RMG industry? The Daily Star. https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/news/are-educational-institutions-f...

Rahman, S. (2017). Preventing another Rana Plaza disaster: Have reforms to Bangladesh’s garment industry gone far enough? Policy Forum.

Rahman, S. (2016, April 21). Governance after Rana Plaza. (M. Anam, Ed.), The Daily Star.

Rahman, S. (2015, August 24). How to get better Managers. Dhaka Tribune.

Rahman, S. (2014, August 26). Ensuring fair trade in RMG sector. The Daily Star.

Research Methodology, Sociology of Development, Inequality and Power, Gender and Development, Urban Sociology, Introduction to Sociology

• Business Case Sustainability Initiatives as Pathways to Synergistic Upgrading in GVCs: Experiences of Bangladesh’s Garment Sector. C. Oka, S. Rahman, N. Egels-Zandén. Society for the Advancement of Socio Economics (SASE). KHC / Centre for Global Cooperation Research, IAQ and the DIFIS, Virtual. 2021.
• YSI Virtual Plenary New Economic Questions. Young Scholars International, Virtual. Pathways to Synergistic Upgrading in GVCs: Experiences of Bangladesh’s Garment Sector (Co-participants: C. Oka, S. Rahman, N. Egels-Zandén. 2020.
• Global Value Chain Disruptions: The Future of Production in 2020. University College London, Virtual. The Potential for Win-Win Business Case Sustainability Initiatives in Global Value Chains (co-authors: C. Oka, N. Egels-Zandén, S. Rahman). 2020.
• “International NGOs in the Humanitarian Century.” Workshop organized by Oxford University. March 3 and 4, 2020 at Nuffield College, Oxford.
• International Labor Organization – Regulating Decent Work. ILO, Geneva, Switzerland. Changes in the Governance of Garment Global Productzon Networks: Lead Firm, Supplier and Institutional Responses to the Rana Plaza Disaster (co-authors: E. Schüßler, S. Frenkel, S. Ashwin, N. Kabeer, N. Egels-Zandén, L. Huq, R. Alexander, C. Oka, N. Lohmeyer, S. Rahman, K. M. Rahman)2019.
• “Multi-actor co-responsibility initiatives in the global garment value chain: Perspective from Bangladesh garment factory management”. Presented in a conference on 5 Years After Rana Plaza: Consequences for Labor Standards Improvements in Garment Supply Chains at Freie Universität Berlin on April 27-28, 2018 organised by Garment Supply Chain Governance Project at the Department of Management, Freie Universität Berlin, and King’s Business School, King’s College London.2018.
• "Governing Labour Standards in Garment Global Production Networks". Presented in Conference on Global Production (CGP) held at the National University of Singapore, on 6 - 8 December 2017.

• Business Case Sustainability Initiatives as Pathways to Synergistic Upgrading in GVCs: Experiences of Bangladesh’s Garment Sector. C. Oka, S. Rahman, N. Egels-Zandén. Society for the Advancement of Socio Economics (SASE). KHC / Centre for Global Cooperation Research, IAQ and the DIFIS, Virtual. 2021.
• YSI Virtual Plenary New Economic Questions. Young Scholars International, Virtual. Pathways to Synergistic Upgrading in GVCs: Experiences of Bangladesh’s Garment Sector (Co-participants: C. Oka, S. Rahman, N. Egels-Zandén. 2020.
• Global Value Chain Disruptions: The Future of Production in 2020. University College London, Virtual. The Potential for Win-Win Business Case Sustainability Initiatives in Global Value Chains (co-authors: C. Oka, N. Egels-Zandén, S. Rahman). 2020.
• “International NGOs in the Humanitarian Century.” Workshop organized by Oxford University. March 3 and 4, 2020 at Nuffield College, Oxford.
• International Labor Organization – Regulating Decent Work. ILO, Geneva, Switzerland. Changes in the Governance of Garment Global Productzon Networks: Lead Firm, Supplier and Institutional Responses to the Rana Plaza Disaster (co-authors: E. Schüßler, S. Frenkel, S. Ashwin, N. Kabeer, N. Egels-Zandén, L. Huq, R. Alexander, C. Oka, N. Lohmeyer, S. Rahman, K. M. Rahman)2019.
• “Multi-actor co-responsibility initiatives in the global garment value chain: Perspective from Bangladesh garment factory management”. Presented in a conference on 5 Years After Rana Plaza: Consequences for Labor Standards Improvements in Garment Supply Chains at Freie Universität Berlin on April 27-28, 2018 organised by Garment Supply Chain Governance Project at the Department of Management, Freie Universität Berlin, and King’s Business School, King’s College London.2018.
• "Governing Labour Standards in Garment Global Production Networks". Presented in Conference on Global Production (CGP) held at the National University of Singapore, on 6 - 8 December 2017.

• 2019-2020: The Regulation of International Supply chain:  Lessons from the Governance of Occupational Health & Safety in the Bangladesh Ready-Made Garment Industry. Professor Shahidur Rahman at the Department of Economics and Social Sciences will lead BRAC University’s work on RISC. The project brings together researchers from Copenhagen Business School (Denmark), BRAC University, Tufts University (USA), and the Danish Ethical Trading Initiative to investigate the state of social sustainability in the RMG industry, identify attributes of effective governance, and contribute to both academic and practical knowledge on the governance of sustainability in international supply chains. RISC has been made possible through a grant from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, administered by Danida Fellowship Centre.

 

• 2019-2020: How organizational cultures within global supply chains trigger occupational health and safety in the textile industry – perspectives of Bangladeshi garment manufacturers and Swiss clothing brands. It is an exchange programme between BRAC University and Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) funded by Leading House South Asia, ZHAW, Switzerland. Both Masters students of BRAC University and Zurich University will do their thesis on this topic and the grant will cover their fieldwork in Bangladesh and Switzerland.

 

• 2018-2020: Worked as one of the principal researchers in a project titled “The role of the business case in sustainability initiatives: Scalability of business case initiatives in the garment industry” funded by Laudes Foundation. The research partners are Royal Holloway, University of London and Aconsa AB, a Swedish Consultant firm. The study seeks to understand the enabling and constraining factors behind the scalability of supply chain initiatives that aim to combine social or environmental benefits with a business case in the garment industry.

 

• 2016-2019: BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD) at BRAC University in collaboration with the London School of Economics, the University of New South Wales, the Freie University, the University of Gothenburg has initiated a research titled, "Changes in the Governance of Garment Global Production Networks: Lead Firm, Supplier and Institutional Responses to the Rana Plaza Disaster". This three-year (2016-2018) research project is funded by the Volkswagen Foundation with Wellcome Trust and Riksbanken Jubileumsfond as part of the Europe and Global Challenges Program.  Our project is unique in combining systematic, comparative analysis of developed country lead firm supply chain policies and practices regarding labour and environmental standards rooted in different national and regional contexts with detailed, empirical analysis of supply firms’ managers and workers attitudes and behaviour. In order to understand the impact of the Rana Plaza disaster on the governance of garment supply chains and associated labour and environmental standards we also need to examine how these standards are influenced by Bangladesh’s political-economic context, particularly the government.

 

• 2017-2018: CED is going to implement a 4-year project titled Digital RMG Factory Mapping in Bangladesh (DRFM-B) funded by C&A Foundation and coordinated by BRAC USA. Working in this project as a Senior Research Fellow to provide these services: Develop Baseline ToR, Review the short-listed proposals, Be present at the review meeting during consultants' presentations, Review and provide feedback on survey instruments, Review the draft and final Baseline Report submitted by the consultant.

 

• 2017-2021: Subverting the clothing commodity chain: Forging New, radical clothing connections from Atlanta to Bangladesh. Under the supervision of Professor Shahidur Rahman of BRAC University and Jason Rhodes of Kennesaw State University, undergraduate students of both universities have collaborated in courses titled Geography of Clothing (GEOG 4490) and World Regional Geography (GEOG 1130) class by working in the production of a series of videos designed to educate audiences about the human and environmental impact of the garment industry in Bangladesh. The videos are based on interviews conducted by students of BRAC University with garment factory workers and managers, representatives of labor and environmental organizations, and NGOs, and others able to offer insight and perspective on the human and environmental impact of Bangladesh’s garment industry, and current efforts to secure improvements in working conditions and environmental protections.

 

• 2016-2017: ILO funded project focuses on the development of National Plan of Action on Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) for Bangladesh’s industrial sector. The National Plan of Action aims at improving the Occupational Health and Safety for all the people engaged in both formal and informal sectors in Bangladesh, in a way that the number of catastrophes taking place in the work place, fatalities and diseases is declined in a sequential manner and the constitutional and global obligation of the state is fulfilled in partnership with all stakeholders. Shahidur is leading a research group who are working at BRAC University and BRAC.