Development Issues of Bangladesh-III has been written with the theme: human development and quality of life in Bangladesh. The two concepts, central to the evolution of a civilized society, are approached from a variety of perspectives that include key global indexes and their role in Bangladesh, various economic, social, and human aspects of development, governance and identity issues, class factions and the potential for democratization, empowerment and rights – especially of women, the role of a gender development index to account for women and their contributions, rural financial markets, health care, fertility, literacy and education and the potential for e-learning, environmental issues, as well as political economy and finance.

The sixteen articles in this volume provide a critical examination of the above issues and a rigorous analysis of empirical data that relate to human development and quality of life. This volume also attempts to provide policy prescriptions for problems centering on the main theme. The timely subject matter, objective analysis, and policy prescriptions are expected to prove useful to academicians, development practitioners and policy makers in Bangladesh, as well as in other developing countries.

Bangladesh Development Initiative (BDI), the sponsoring organization of this book, is a US-based think-tank of scholars and professionals devoted to the generation and dissemination of knowledge on development issues of Bangladesh. BDI�s efforts are focused on reaching policy-makers, academicians, politicians, diplomats, businessmen, students, and the wider constituency. Consistent with this objective, BDI has already published two volumes: “Development issues of Bangladesh” in November 1996 and “Development issues of Bangladesh – II” in April 2003. The University Press Limited in Bangladesh has published both volumes (follow the links for Book I & II).

About the Editors: Muhammad Faizul Islam is currently an Adjunct Associate Professor at Southeastern University, Washington, D.C., USA. His academic interests involve open economy macroeconomics, financial and development economics. Dr. Islam joined the U.S. Department of Commerce as a full-time International Economist in March 1998. He is the Vice-President of Bangladesh Development Initiative (2004-2007), and General Secretary of the Association for Economic Development and Studies on Bangladesh (2005-2007).

Syed Saad Andaleeb is Professor and Program Chair of Marketing at the Sam & Irene Black School of Business, Penn State Erie, USA. He is also the editor of the Journal of Bangladesh Studies. His present preoccupation involves capacity development in research methods at the institutions of higher education in Bangladesh for which he has been supported once as a Senior Fulbright Scholar and twice as a Fulbright Senior Specialist.

Table of Contents

[ BDI Book III: Human Development and Quality of Life in Bangladesh ]

• List of Contributors

• List of Tables and Figures

• Preface

• Editor’s Remarks