Knowing your rights isn't enough — you have to practice claiming them. A study across 3 cohorts in Bangladesh found youth in accountability-focused civic education showed higher self-belief, political awareness & engagement than those who only received information.
đź“– www.emerald.com/qjps/article...
The image shows people huddled around a phone screen. Learn how digital communication technologies are reshaping the landscape of rural entertainment by following the link to the article.
How is digital tech reshaping entertainment in rural Bangladesh?
A new ethnographic study by Tanvir Shatil, Golam Ahmed Rabbi & Shahaduz Zaman explores mobile use, local audio-visual content & informal sharing networks in Jamalpur District.
đź”— www.inderscienceonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...
COVID-19 hit Bangladesh's RMG sector hard. Stimulus packages rolled out fast — but who really benefited, workers or employers?
BIGD's Maheen Sultan, Iffat Antara & Touhidul Islam explore this question via volume published by Helsinki University Press: hup.fi/books/e/10.33134/HUP-36
On March 12, we hosted a webinar with researchers from our Governance and Politics Cluster to discuss structured pathways into this field, including the Governance and Politics Research Fellowship (GPRF) Program.
đź”— Missed it? You can now watch it on YouTube: youtu.be/1qahsmYFSkk
What works in poverty alleviation?
Check out the newly launched Graduation Evidence Map — a single, navigable, research-backed tool that aggregates findings from 112 studies across 40+ countries on graduation and lump-sum cash transfer programs.
đź”— braclseultrapovertyenvironment.org/evidence-map
Why does child marriage persist?
Dr Imran Matin joins @rglenner.bsky.social & Kehinde Ajayi for this @cgdev.org podcast to discuss what the evidence shows can reduce it, from empowerment programs for girls to cash transfers designed to delay marriage.
🎙️ Listen: www.cgdev.org/blog/cgd-pod...
🎙 We’re back with another episode of Envisioneers #CareerTalks! Thinking about building a career in governance and politics research but unsure where to start? This session brings together researchers from the Governance and Politics cluster at BIGD to talk about how they entered the field, what research in this space actually involves, and the skills that matter along the way. If you’re studying Political Science, Sociology, Anthropology, International Relations, or a related discipline and exploring research as a career path, this conversation is for you. We’ll also discuss structured entry routes into this field, including BIGD’s upcoming Governance and Politics Research Fellowship (GPRF) Program.
🎙 Envisioneers #CareerTalks Ep. 03
Curious about a career in governance research? Hear BIGD researchers share their journeys, key skills & entry routes—including the upcoming GPRF program.
đź—“ 12 March 2026
đź“‹ Register by 11 March
đź”— Register: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
On 25 Feb 2026, WEE-DiFine hosted a webinar on designing digital financial services that truly advance women’s economic empowerment.
🎥Missed the session? Watch the full recorded session on our YouTube channel: youtu.be/erU6XuxPlew?...
The application deadline for the Governance and Politics Research Fellowship (GPRF) program is on 31 March 2026.
📢 Applications open for Governance & Politics Research Fellowship (GPRF)!
This 4-month program offers hands-on experience in qualitative research with mentorship from senior researchers.
🎓 Opportunity to join BIGD as a Research Associate
đź“… Deadline: 31 March 2026
đź”— bigd.bracu.ac.bd/governance-a...
Woman carrying a child looking on forlornly.
Chars are home to ~20M people in Bangladesh, facing deep poverty, weak infrastructure, and high climate risk.
BRAC’s IDP is delivering targeted support, and BIGD is evaluating its impact through an RCT.
đź“– Read the baseline report: bigd.bracu.ac.bd/publications...
How should digital financial services be designed to genuinely support women’s economic empowerment?
New evidence from the WEE-DiFine research portfolio suggests design matters as much as access.
đź“… 25 Feb 2026
⏰ 10 AM EST | 6 PM EAT | 9 PM Dhaka
đź”— Register: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...
Sharmind Neelormi, Professor at the Department of Economics, Jahangirnagar University, speaking at the moderated panel discussion titled "Conceptualizing Economic Inclusion for Persons with Disabilities."
Muhammad Iftekhar Mahmud, Director at Bangladesh Society for the Change and Advocacy Nexus (B-SCAN), was a featured speaker at the conference's "Conceptualizing Economic Inclusion for Persons with Disabilities" moderated panel discussion.
Dr Selim Jahan, Professorial Fellow at BIGD, moderated the discussion on "Conceptualizing Economic Inclusion for Persons with Disabilities."
The conference brought together academics and practitioners, as well as people with disabilities and their representative organizations, policymakers, and donors. The goal? To share what works on economic inclusion for persons with disabilities and advance effective policy, research, and programmatic action.
A panel discussion followed the inaugural session, moderated by Dr Selim Jahan (BIGD) and featuring Prof Sharmind Neelormi (Jahangirnagar University) and Muhammad Iftekhar Mahmud (B-SCAN).
The conference is being jointly organised by BIGD and @iced-lshtm.bsky.social.
Dr Syed Ferhat Anwar, Vice-Chancellor at BRAC University, speaking at the inaugural session of the International Conference on Economic Inclusion for Persons With Disabilities.
Dr Munshi Sulaiman, Research Director at BIGD, speaking at the inaugural session of the International Conference on Economic Inclusion for Persons With Disabilities.
Tahera Jabeen, Social Development Adviser at FCDO Bangladesh, speaking at the inaugural session of the International Conference on Economic Inclusion for Persons With Disabilities.
The event brought together around 300 academics and practitioners working on disability and economic inclusion, as well as people with disabilities and their representative organisations, policymakers, and donors.
Opening of the International Conference on Economic Inclusion for Persons With Disabilities, organised by BIGD and
@iced-lshtm.bsky.social.
The inaugural featured Dr Munshi Sulaiman (BIGD), Dr Morgon Banks (ICED, LSHTM), Tahera Jabeen (FCDO BD), and Dr Syed Ferhat Anwar (Vice Chancellor, BRACU).
🆕 How goal setting improves worker performance in small firms: Evidence from cassava processors in Ghana
Today on VoxDev w/ Elena Cettolin (Tilburg University), Kym Cole (BRAC Institute of Governance and Development - BIGD) & Patricio Dalton (Tilburg University): https://ow.ly/2rCy50XkcJU
📢 Call for Abstracts! Submit your abstract for the International Conference on Economic Inclusion for Persons with Disabilities, jointly organised by BIGD and the PENDA programme at @iced-lshtm.bsky.social
🗓️ Submission Deadline: 31 Oct, 2025
We are delighted to announce that our ED, Dr Imran Matin, will join the Southern Voice biennial conference.
Under the theme “Reimagining the Global Development Architecture”, this event will convene 70+ think tanks from 30+ countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Reforming family laws in Bangladesh is challenging. Efforts to change Hindu marriage & inheritance laws face resistance from state & community actors.
đź“– Read this study to understand how reformers navigate these obstacles on the @ids.ac.uk website: opendocs.ids.ac.uk/articles/rep...
đź’ˇ When Digital Hurts: How DFS Can Expose
Vulnerabilities for Women, organised by BIGD’s WEE Initiatives (WEE-DiFine & WEE-Connect), featured global voices on women & digital finance.
Catch the visual summary 🎨 + full session 📽️
đź”— www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikil...
đź“– New blog for Financial Inclusion Week 2025!
Tasnuba Sinha writes about lessons learned from Malawi, Chhattisgarh, and Uganda to argue that the next phase of inclusion must focus on resilience.
đź”—Read more: bigd.bracu.ac.bd/from-product...
#FIW2025 #WEEInitiatives #ResilientFinance
✨ Inclusion = more than access. It’s about safety & dignity. Join our FIW 2025 session: When Digital Hurts.
🗓 7 Oct | 4:00–4:30 PM BST
đź”—Register here: shorturl.at/wLmzX
#FIW2025 #DigitalFinance
📢 Call for Abstracts!
Submit your abstract for the International Conference on Economic Inclusion for Persons with Disabilities, jointly organised by BIGD and the PENDA programme at @iced-lshtm.bsky.social.
🗓️ Conference Dates: 18-19 Jan 2026
đź”—Learn more: shorturl.at/ZKLAO
💡 In Uganda, mobile money boosted women’s personal income and decision-making power, while jointly disclosed cash transfers reduced intimate partner violence by fostering trust and increasing shared earnings.
Read today's article to learn more:
