Shahidur Rahman, PhD
Professor
Shahidur Rahman is a Professor of Sociology in the Department of Economics and Social Sciences at Brac University, Bangladesh. He completed a PhD in Sociology at Monash University, and a BSS and an MSS degree in Sociology from the University of Dhaka. His current research is on“The Regulation of International Supply Chains: Lessons from the Governance of Occupational Health and Safety in the Bangladesh Ready-Made Garment Industry” funded by Danida Fellowship Center. Shahidur’s another research focuses on“Changes in Governance in garment production network” funded by Volkswagen Foundation. He is also studying the scaling up of different capacity building programmes in RMG funded by C&A Foundation. Shahidur is doing these researches in collaboration with London School of Economics, the University of New South Wales, the Freie University, the University of Gothenburg, Royal Holloway, University of London, Copenhagen Business School, Tufts University and Danish Ethical Trading Initiative.One of his leading publications is “Broken Promises of Globalization: The case of the Bangladesh Garment Industry” - a book published by Lexington Books in 2014.
Address
66 Mohakhali
Dhaka 1212
Bangladesh
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Publications
+–Books
Rahman, S. (2019). Opportunities and challenges of Bangladesh RMG. Dhaka: University Press Limited.
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, 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
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. (2005). The impact of global integration on the Bangladesh garment industry: A case study. In Business and Government in Bangladesh in the 21st century. Victoria: Department of Management, Monash University.
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, 2(7), 9–10.
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. (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.
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Courses Taught
+–Sociology of Development, Inequality and Power, Urban Sociology, Introduction to Sociology, Rural Society, Sociology of Environment.
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Research Areas/Interests
+–Bangladesh Garments Industry, Global supply chain, Compliance, Labor Relations, Sustainable Development.
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Research
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"Between Lead Firms and Institutional Ensembles: Labour and Safety Practices in Bangladeshi Garment Export Factories" ,
Shahidur Rahman, PhD
Lead/Principal Author: Dr. Shahidur Rahman
Co-author: S. J. Frenkel, K. M. Rahman
Name of Publisher: Garment Supply Chain Governance Discussion Paper Series No. 03/2017
Year:
2017
Field of Research: Ready made Garments -
"Between Lead Firms and Institutional Ensembles: Labour and Safety Practices in Bangladeshi Garment Export Factories" ,
Shahidur Rahman, PhD
Lead/Principal Author: Dr. Shahidur Rahman
Co-author: S. J. Frenkel, K. M. Rahman
Name of Publisher: 5th conference on Regulating for Decent Work
Volume and Issue: PAge: 135
Year:
2017
Field of Research: Ready madse Garments -
"Broken Promises of Globalisation: The case of Bangladesh garments industry" ,
Shahidur Rahman, PhD
Lead/Principal Author: Dr Shahidur Rahman
Co-author: None
Name of Publisher: Lexington Books
Year:
2014
Field of Research: Sociology -
"Return Migration: A study of faculties in Private Uni9versity" ,
Shahidur Rahman, PhD
Lead/Principal Author: Dr Shahidur Rahman
Co-author: None
Name of Publisher: Asian Profile
Year:
2014
Field of Research: Migration -
"Safe city for Women" ,
Shahidur Rahman, PhD
Lead/Principal Author: Dr Shahadat Hossain
Dhaka University
Co-author: Dr Shahidur Rahman
Name of Publisher: Action Aid
Year:
2012
Field of Research: Urban Sociology -
"Governance problems in Social Safety Programs: Is Civic engagement a way out?" ,
Shahidur Rahman, PhD
Lead/Principal Author: Haydory Akbar
Co-author: Dr Shahidur Rahman
Dr. Tanveer
Name of Publisher: IGS
Year:
2011
Field of Research: Governance -
"South Asian Diaspora: Changing pattern of International Migration in Bangladesh" ,
Shahidur Rahman, PhD
Lead/Principal Author: Dr Shahidur Rahman
Co-author: None
Name of Publisher: Organised by The University of Oxford
Year:
2011
Field of Research: Migration, Development -
"? Return migration of high skilled professionals in Bangladesh" ,
Shahidur Rahman, PhD
Lead/Principal Author: Dr Shahidur Rahman
Co-author: None
Name of Publisher: International Sociological Association
Volume and Issue: ProQuest and CSA Sociological Abstracts
Year:
2010
Field of Research: Migration -
"Brain-Gain in Bangladesh: What makes it possible?" ,
Shahidur Rahman, PhD
Lead/Principal Author: Dr Shahidur Rahman
Co-author: None
Name of Publisher: International Journal of Innovation, Management and Technology
Volume and Issue: Vol. 1 Issue 2
Year:
2010
Field of Research: Migration -
"Socio-economic Vulnerability and Neo-liberalism: Lessons from Bangladesh" ,
Shahidur Rahman, PhD
Lead/Principal Author: Dr Shahidur Rahman
Co-author: None
Name of Publisher: South Asia Research (SOAS) SAGE
Volume and Issue: Vol. 28 Issue 3
Year:
2009
Field of Research: Development
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"Between Lead Firms and Institutional Ensembles: Labour and Safety Practices in Bangladeshi Garment Export Factories" ,
Shahidur Rahman, PhD
Lead/Principal Author: Dr. Shahidur Rahman
Co-author: S. J. Frenkel, K. M. Rahman
Name of Publisher: Garment Supply Chain Governance Discussion Paper Series No. 03/2017
Year:
-
Research Work
+–- Received a research grant from the Danida Fellowship Center – part of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs – for a project entitled “The Regulation of International Supply Chains: Lessons from the Governance of Occupational Health and Safety in the Bangladesh Ready-Made Garment Industry”. The research partners are Copenhagen Business School, Tufts University, Danish Ethical Trading Initiative and BRAC University.The research project has three objectives:1) identify attributes of effective sustainability governance, 2) provide new academic and practical knowledge on the governance ofsustainability in international supply chains, and3) contribute to local capacity building.
- Working 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 C&A 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.
- 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.
- ILO funded project focused 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.
- 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. Worked 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.
- Working in a project with Department of Geography and Anthropology, Kennesaw State University on the human and environmental impact of the garment industry in Bangladesh
- Received a research grant from the Danida Fellowship Center – part of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs – for a project entitled “The Regulation of International Supply Chains: Lessons from the Governance of Occupational Health and Safety in the Bangladesh Ready-Made Garment Industry”. The research partners are Copenhagen Business School, Tufts University, Danish Ethical Trading Initiative and BRAC University.The research project has three objectives:1) identify attributes of effective sustainability governance, 2) provide new academic and practical knowledge on the governance ofsustainability in international supply chains, and3) contribute to local capacity building.