CES Knowledge Notes offer insights into diverse cutting-edge issues affecting businesses, the macroeconomy, and society in Bangladesh and beyond. These research pieces will provide readers with up-to-date analysis on various crucial topics of interest to researchers, civil society, and policy-makers.
- CES Knowledge Note_Impact of Financial Literacy and Financial Behavior of Women Farmers in Bangladesh_Saanjaana Rahman_Sajid Amit_November 2024:
This paper examines the link between financial literacy, economic behavior, and women's economic empowerment in Bangladesh, a country on the path to becoming a leading emerging economy with a significant female population. Despite robust GDP growth, access to comprehensive financial services remains limited, particularly for women. Gender disparities persist, with only 36% of women holding formal bank accounts compared to 65% of men. These disparities are most evident in the agricultural sector, where female workers face barriers to education and fair wages. The paper also explores the potential impact of improving financial literacy and behavior among female workers on Bangladesh's economic development, given its substantial female labor force participation rate.
- CES Knowledge Note_Startup Fundraising Trends in 2022_Nazifa Mussarrat_June 2023:
In 2022, Bangladesh's startup ecosystem faced challenges in accessing investments due to a global slowdown and bureaucratic complexities. Despite these hurdles, some sectors showed promise. Financial services, logistics, education, and e-commerce startups secured impressive levels of funds, with locally sourced investments increasing to 8% of the total. ShopUp, a B2B e-commerce platform, raised the largest share of funding, followed by EdTech platforms like 10 Minute School and Shikho. While overall global funding declined, the fourth quarter of 2022 showed some improvement, raising hopes for the future. This white paper from CES highlights challenges and required policy revisions so that the ecosystem can unlock its full potential and attract higher levels of capital inflow.
- CES Knowledge Note_Post-pandemic Situational Analysis of the e-commerce Industry in Bangladesh_Raihana Sayeeda Kamal_Sajid Amit_April 2023:
The e-commerce industry in Bangladesh has experienced growth over the past few years. The industry boomed during the pandemic when people were staying home and shopping online. After such growth, the industry has faced challenges such as scams on the one hand and regulations in reaction to said scams. However, these setbacks helped the industry to identify loopholes in the system, address them and adopt a regulatory policy. To ensure sustained growth in the e-commerce sector, steps must be taken to improve service, increase consumer trust, enhance digital literacy, and education levels. Government involvement, investment from big conglomerates, and banks offering loan facilities to e-commerce companies can help address these challenges and ensure the sustainability of the industry.
- CES Knowledge Notes_Impact of ChatGPT & AI on University Education_Nazifa Mussarrat_March 2023:
The newest most-discussed phenomenon in the world of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is ChatGPT. It is an advanced AI language model designed to provide assistance and insights to its users in the form of a chatbot. While ChatGPT has opened up a whole new avenue for internet users, with its benefits ranging from being able to generate quick responses to specific queries, produce valuable insights and even provide information that might not be readily available elsewhere, there are some potential downsides that have struck up much discourse. The effect of ChatGPT on the world of education and research and whether it will eventually replace teachers and researched with its ability to provide analysis with human-like expertise has stirred up a real rhetoric all around. The impact of ChatGPT and AI on university education is analysed and discussed in this article.
- CES Knowledge Notes_Can doing good be good for business?_Syeda Nusaiba Hossain_October 2021:
Many business leaders associate environmental sustainability with increased expenses and reduced profits. However, what if being environmentally sustainable led to higher profits in the long run? Many businesses have tried incorporating greener policies and initiatives for some time now, and there are lessons to be learned from their stories. The white paper will take a look at some of the criticisms and benefits of the aforementioned policies and highlight initiatives by global and Bangladeshi companies that are enjoying growth and profitability despite and perhaps due to greening initiatives.
- CES Knowledge Notes_Socio-Economic Implications of Disability-Inclusive Education: Global and Local Views _Lumbini Barua_November 2018:
Disability-inclusive education has recently come under great international and local attention, owing to its importance to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This education approach has been linked with academic and social benefits for all students, disabled or otherwise; and significant economic benefits for the countries. Given the importance of this topic, this CES Knowledge Note assesses the current situation with regard to disability-inclusive education in Bangladesh, and articulates its benefits, with the hope of generating public and private sector attention to this area.