LightCastle Featured Insights | 2019
Bangladesh in the Post-industrial World Bangladesh’s economic performance, over the
This has been a proven model for economic
last decade, has garnered praise from the
development and some of our Asian neighbors
international
have
community.
Multilateral
development agencies like the World Bank, often pinpoint Bangladesh as an exemplary case for economic development. From being termed a ‘basket case,’ – by the then US
directly
benefitted
from
the
manufacturing-led growth strategy.
Disruption of the Classical Growth Model
Secretary of State, Henry Kissinger, in early 1970s – to achieving continuously increasing
Over the last 60 years, economic growth for
GDP growth rates for the last 5 years, the
emerging countries has been driven by the
country has come far. Forging ahead of
secondary
sector.
Pakistan and growing neck-to-neck with India
experience
of
in economic terms has given the country
economies – Taiwan, South Korea, Hong Kong
renewed hope and confidence. However, at the
and Singapore. Asian tiger cubs comprising of
onset of the third decade of the 21st century,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and
the country faces several structural challenges
Vietnam have had similar experiences as well.
potentially impeding the medium to long-term
Majority of the tiger economies had started off
growth. These fault lines, if left unaddressed,
manufacturing low-margin products utilizing
can prove detrimental to the growth potential
inexpensive labor, and then gradually shifting to
of the country.
production of high margin products. Some of
This
the
has
original
been Asian
the Tiger
the more successful economies like Japan and Bangladesh’s growth has been spearheaded by
South Korea have eventually evolved into
the apparel sector, which accounts for 83
innovation and knowledge-driven economies,
percent of total export and 12 percent of GDP,
contributing
placing the country as the second largest
launching global brands.
to
major
innovations
and
player in the global apparel market, after China. Remittances have also played a pivotal role in
Developing
stabilizing
Vietnam and Cambodia have been the main
BOP
(Balance
of
Payments)
economies
beneficiaries
of foreign currency inflow as of FY 2017-18.
manufacturing. Since 1980s, South Korea and
Although tertiary sector has the maximum GDP
Taiwan have moved up the value chain,
contribution (52 percent), theprimary sector —
specializing in electronic components and
garnering only 18 percent of GDP — employs
consumer electronics manufacturing. As a
47 percent of labor. Since majority of workers
result, low-margin apparel industry, requiring
operating
are
less skilled workforce, gradually shifted to
essentially underemployed, government is
countries like Bangladesh, India, Vietnam,
keen on shifting bulk of these unproductive
Pakistan and China. China is following the
workers from primary to secondary sector. To
same trend as South Korea and as labor costs
this end, policymakers have adopted an
are rising in China, there has been another
industrialization strategy, aimed at maximizing
wave of shift in manufacturing industry to
benefits
cheaper destinations.
of
the
the
agriculture
country’s
sector
demographic
this
Bangladesh,
conditions, generating USD 14.9 billion in terms
in
of
like
gradual
shift
in
dividend. 08
