Sminar: Det politiske fundament og produktionssektorer i Bangladesh

TIME: Wednesday, 16 November, 14-16

VENUE: Danish Institute for International Studies, Main Auditorium, Strandgade 71, ground floor, Christianshavn, 1401 Copenhagen K

TIME: Wednesday, 16 November, 14-16

VENUE: Danish Institute for International Studies, Main Auditorium, Strandgade 71, ground floor, Christianshavn, 1401 Copenhagen K

The political settlement is a description of a social order constituted as a viable and interdependent set of institutions and organizations. The relative power of organizations has important implications for the ways in which institutions operate and this is at the heart of an analysis of the evolution of political settlements.

The political settlements approach can explain why developing countries typically have large elements of informality in the operation of their institutions and yet in many cases can also achieve growth and developmental transformations.

The framework is used to look at the evolution of the productive sector in Bangladesh from a country that was almost devoid of any industry in the 1970s to one with the world’s third biggest garments exporting industry today.

Specific features of its political settlement allowed this transition to happen in the context of lucky international conditions. But the evolving political settlement also hampers the development of policy to promote new sectors and in particular hampers the development of infrastructure like power and roads that are seriously constraining contemporary development.

The presentation will subsequently be published in an expanded version as a DIIS working paper in the EPP sub series.

Speakers:

Mushtaq Khan, Professor, SOAS, University of London
Lindsay Whitfield, Associate Professor, Roskilde University
Lars Engberg-Pedersen, Senior Researcher, DIIS

Programme:

14.00-14.05: Introduction; Lars Engberg-Pedersen, Senior Researcher, DIIS

14.05-14.40: The Evolution of the Political Settlement and Productive Sectors in Bangladesh; Mushtaq Khan, Professor, SOAS, University of London

14.40-15.05: Comments; Lindsay Whitfield, Associate Professor, Roskilde University

15.05-15.20: Coffee Break

15.20-16.00: Open Discussion

Chair: Lars Engberg-Pedersen, Senior Researcher, DIIS

This is the fifth of seven seminars in the 2011 EPP Fall Seminar Series. These seminars deal with the conceptual tools needed to understand the political economy of economic growth, job creation and poverty alleviation and how these tools are applied to studies of state interventions in productive sectors in Bangladesh, Ghana, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda.

The main finding is that it is the motivation of political elites to support state interventions in productive sectors and mutual interests between these elites and producers that matters for good outcomes – rather than good governance, market driven development or empowerment of poor people.

The seminar will be held in English.

Participation is free of charge, but registration is required. Please use the online registration form from the website no later than Tuesday, 15 November at 12.00 noon.

Please await confirmation by e-mail from DIIS for participation.