Digital Transformation and Economic Development in Bangladesh

“Since 2009, the Government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has eloquently embarked on the path of Digital Bangladesh to step into the higher rung of the development ladder, leading to transform the country into a developing nation by 2021 and subsequently a prosperous country by 2041. Digitalization efforts touched every sphere of socio-economic transformation during the last decade. The book “Digital Transformation and Economic Development in Bangladesh: Rethinking Digitalization Strategies for Leapfrogging” by Monzur Hossain has come up in a time when it would be highly demanded and fill the knowledge gap in the efforts to climb up on the ladder of development by utilizing the full potential of digitalization. The book very succinctly shows how digital transformation strategies enhance productivity and economic growth, facilitating leapfrogging for sustainable development. I feel the book is a must-read by development practitioners, planners, change agents, young learners, and everyone interested in technological breakthroughs ensuing industrial revolutions to come. I congratulate the author for this time-befitting work.” — Professor Dr. Shamsul Alam, Minister of State, Ministry of Planning, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, and former Member (Senior Secretary) of the General Economics Division, Ministry of Planning. 
This book assesses the digital Bangladesh initiative of the government through different lenses: supply-side and demand-side perspectives and policy diffusions. The Bangladesh government has been pursuing a big-push policy for digitalization, namely the “Digital Bangladesh Vision,” since 2009 as a shifting development strategy to leapfrog into the next level of development with the leverage of demographic dividend. However, historical anecdotes, dictated policy, international success stories and other related issues could lead to a rethinking on ICT-based development strategy. The content of the book draws on the author’s long-standing research works on ICTs and economic growth in Bangladesh. 
Monzur Hossain is a Research Director at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), Dhaka. He holds a Ph.D. in International Economics from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Tokyo, Japan. With extensive research focused on evaluating and analyzing development interventions and economic policies, he got interests in some emerging development issues, particularly ICTs and knowledge economy. He has published extensively in nationally and internationally accredited journals, and he also has numerous other publications to his credit in the form of research reports and edited volumes. He recently edited a book titled “Bangladesh’s Macroeconomic Policy,” published by Palgrave Macmillan in February 2020.