Muslim Politics Review
Vol. 4 No. 2 (2025)

On the Sustainability of Bangladesh Paradox

Abdur Rahman (Student)



Article Info

Publish Date
29 Dec 2025

Abstract

Is the Bangladesh Paradox Sustainable? The Institutional Diagnostic Projectby Selim Raihan, François Bourguignon, Umar Salam (Eds.)(Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2023). Is the Bangladesh Paradox Sustainable? is an edited volume that queries the so-called ‘Bangladesh paradox’, referring to how the country enjoys the high level of economic growth despite structural problems such bad governance. Edited by Selim Raihan, François Bourguignon, and Umar Salam, the book undertakes a systematic institutional analysis of Bangladesh’s development trajectory. At its core, the volume grapples with a question that has puzzled development economists and political scientists for more than two decades: how has Bangladesh managed to achieve sustained economic growth and impressive improvements in social indicators while maintaining persistently weak governance and fragile political institutions? This Bangladesh paradox is not merely a puzzle of empirical curiosity but a serious challenge to dominant theories of political economy, since it suggests that under certain historical and political configurations, growth can emerge despite the absence of what are conventionally defined as ‘good’ institutions.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

mpr

Publisher

Subject

Social Sciences

Description

Focus: The MPR focuses on the multifaceted relationships between religion and political and socio-economic development of Muslim states and societies. Scope: The MPR intends to provide an international forum for exchange of ideas between scholars and students of religion and politics in the Muslim ...