Weathering the economic storm through stabilising policies at BracU
On April 26th, an educational seminar titled “How Can Stabilisation Policies Address the Emerging Economic Challenges of Bangladesh” was organised by Dr Farzana Munshi (Professor, ESS) in collaboration with the Brac University Economics Club (BUEC). Faculty members and students of the Department of Economics attended the session. The discussion focused on the effective use of stabilisation policies to address emerging challenges of Bangladesh’s economy amidst ongoing political affairs and geopolitical conflicts.
Photo credit: Wanisa Karim.
Dr Fahmida Khatun (Executive Director, Centre for Policy Dialogue) attended the seminar as a guest speaker. Upon obtaining her Doctorate and Master’s in Economics from University College London (UCL) and the University of London, respectively, Dr Khatun completed her postdoctoral research at Columbia University. Reflecting on her contributions and research, Dr Fahmida highlighted the persistent vulnerabilities in the economy’s financial sector and how monetary, fiscal, and exchange rate policies could be used effectively to manage macroeconomic challenges.
Through her lecture, she criticised the role of institutions in Bangladesh in implementing contradictory policies that result in economic distress, such as high inflation. Dr Fahmida emphasises, “Coherence in policy decisions, transparency of data, and independence of the Bangladesh Bank in decision-making are extremely crucial for constructive outcomes“. Nashid Binte Taufiq Risha (Sophomore, ESS) shares, “The session has tickled my brain with various questions and left me intrigued. Such discussions help us utilise our classroom knowledge to analyse practical economic situations”.
Finally, students engaged in an interactive question-and-answer session. Dr Fahmida concluded the event saying, “Efficiency of policies lies in the strong institutions and good governance in the economy”.
