409 - Daily Life for People and Business in Today’s Bangladesh

CIPE’s Asia Director speaks with two young professionals in Bangladesh to learn their perspectives and first-hand accounts of the political crisis currently unfolding in the country. Civic unrest sparked by university student protests in June led to the fall of a government barely a month later, and the man who is perhaps Bangladesh’s most famous citizen is now the head of an interim government. What is life like in Bangladesh today? How are people running their businesses? Is there reason for optimism? This episode of Democracy that Delivers discusses these questions and more.

Speaker Bios

Shurat Rana Rushmi is currently working as a Research Associate at the Center of Governance Studies (CGS). She completed her BSS in Economics from Bangladesh University of Professionals and her master's degree in the same field. She loves to take on challenges and find ways to run things efficiently. She has multiple years of experience working as a program coordinator for CGS in numerous regions of Bangladesh.

Apon Zahir is a Senior Research Associate at the C Center of Governance Studies (CGS). He has multiple years of experience in journalism in Bangladesh, having contributed to several English daily newspapers and having in-depth knowledge of the print and media industry. His research interests include politics, media, human rights, and the effects of corruption in Bangladesh.

John Morrell is the Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific at the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE). In this role, he leads a worldwide team of accomplished professionals and is responsible for a regional portfolio of dozens of programs on anti-corruption, democratizing opportunity, public and private sector governance reform, and creating political space in closed countries. John is a noted and widely published expert on issues related to corruption and governance. In countries across Asia-Pacific, John has personally designed numerous initiatives that build the political, civic and market institutions necessary for governance that is both participatory and accountable, and for economic development that is both inclusive and sustainable