Bangladesh at a Crossroads: Political, Economic, and Social Transformations Post-July Revolution

The Australia South Asia Research Centre (ASARC) and the South Asia Research Institute (SARI) at ANU are delighted to host a reflective and thought-provoking discussion titled “Bangladesh at a Crossroads: Political, Economic, and Social Transformations Post-July Revolution.” This forum will explore the profound changes unfolding in Bangladesh in the aftermath of the pivotal July 2024 Revolution, with a focus on likely political transitions, economic developments, and evolving social dynamics. 

The event is designed to engage academics, researchers, and policymakers interested in Bangladesh, as well as members of the Bangladeshi diaspora in Australia and around the world, both in person and online. 

Agenda 

2:00 PM: Registration 

2:15 PM: Welcome and introduction 

2:30 PM: Panel discussion and Q&A 

4:00 PM: Afternoon tea 

Speakers 

Dr Reshad Ahsan is an Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Melbourne. His research interests are at the intersection of International Trade and Development Economics. His research explores the labour-market effects of trade in developing countries, with a focus on understanding the impact of trade on inequality and workplace safety. He also studies the link between trade and firm innovation and productivity in developing countries. His research has been published in leading academic journals and has been funded by major local and international funding bodies.  He has written for and been interviewed by many leading newspapers.  

Dr David Brewster is a Senior Research Fellow with the National Security College at the Australian National University and a Distinguished Research Fellow with the Australia India Institute, University of Melbourne. He is a frequent speaker at international security conferences throughout the region and serves as an Australian delegate to several major Track 1.5 security and defence dialogues. Dr Brewster regularly writes about security developments in the Indian Ocean and Indo-Pacific for numerous publications. 

Dr Binota Moy Dhamai is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the ANU School of Regulation and Global Governance. With over 20 years of experience working with Indigenous Peoples’ organisations in Asia, both regionally and globally, Binota focuses on Indigenous Peoples’ rights and the implementation of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). His expertise includes Indigenous Peoples’ politics, empowerment, and global governance. 

Barrister Sara Hossain is a Senior Advocate at the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and a Professor of Practice at SOAS, University of London. She writes and publishes on access to justice, constitutional rights, legal aid, public interest litigation, and women’s rights, among other topics. She has received awards for her work from, among others, the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights and the US State Department (Women of Courage). She serves on the boards of several national and international organisations, including DNET and IID in Bangladesh, and South Asians for Human Rights. She has served on several UN human rights expert bodies and currently serves on the Fact-Finding Mission on Iran, appointed by the President of the UN Human Rights Council. 

Professor Yasu Sawada is a prominent economist and a Professor at the Faculty of Economics, University of Tokyo. He is also the Director of the university’s Centre for Research and Education in Program Evaluation (CREPE) and was the Chief Economist for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) from 2016 to 2021. His primary research areas include micro and macro development economics, empirical microeconomics, the economics of disasters, field surveys and experiments, and the economic analysis of Asian countries. His research and policy collaborations include work with a wide range of institutions, such as JICA, RIETI, ERIA, IDE-JETRO, JMOF, PIDE (Pakistan), BIDS (Bangladesh), IRRI (Philippines), IWMI (Sri Lanka), BRAC (Bangladesh), CRED, UNISDR, IPA, IGC, ADB, ADBI, and the World Bank. 

Chair 

Professor Kuntala Lahiri-Dutt is an Emeritus Professor at the Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU. Her research focuses on people’s lives and livelihoods in natural resource sectors such as mining, water, and farming. While her primary research area is South Asia, especially India, she has also worked in Bangladesh and Nepal.