This book provides a good introduction to Bangladesh, appearing amidst a spate of recent works on the country after decades of its comparative neglect in the academic and journalistic literature. It is unique among, and yet complementary to, other recent volumes, since, as a strategy for introducing Bangladesh to readers unfamiliar with the country, the author has organized the book by focusing on its political, economic, and social development.
In a developmental perspective, Bangladesh has become something of a poster child for the global capitalist economy, with its dynamic, yet troubled, garment industry, its highly developed NGO sector, as well as its status as the place where microfinance, thanks to the Grameen Bank, was pioneered with reputedly great success as an approach to dealing with mass poverty. Thought once to have hopeless prospects for economic development, Bangladesh has made considerable economic strides, despite its political culture, which dismays many observers...
