From the Economist, Four Reasons for Progress in Bangladesh

On November 2nd, the Economist published an article, Out of the Basket, that explores reasons for progress in a country they describe as one of the most intriguing puzzles in development: Bangladesh.

From the story:

City states apart, it is the world’s most densely populated country, with around 150m people crammed onto the delta of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, an area regularly swept by devastating floods. Its private sector is weak and its government widely perceived as corrupt and dysfunctional.

And yet Bangladesh has done better than most countries at improving the basic standard of living of its people. Bangladeshis can expect to live four years longer than Indians even though they are much poorer. The country has achieved some of the largest reductions in early deaths of infants, children and women in childbirth ever seen anywhere.

So that is the puzzle: Bangladesh combines economic disappointment with social progress. The Economist suggests four factors to explain why.

Read the full story here.

For a more detailed report on development in Bangladesh from the Economist, click here.

Read the accompanying editorial here.