Bangladesh: Politics, Economy and Civil Society - Softcover

Lewis, David

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0521713773 ISBN 13: 9780521713771

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2012

Synopsis

Relatively little is known or understood about Bangladesh by outsiders. Since its hard-won independence from Pakistan in 1971, it has been ravaged by economic and environmental disasters. Only recently has the country begun to emerge as a fragile, but functioning, parliamentary democracy, relatively self-sufficient in food production and with an economy that has been consistently achieving growth. The story of Bangladesh, told through the pages of this concise and readable book, is a truly remarkable one. By delving into its past, and through an analysis of the economic, political and social changes that have taken place over the last twenty years, the book explains how Bangladesh is becoming of increasing interest to the international community as a portal into some of the key issues of our age: the way globalization affects the world's poorer countries, the long-term effects of the international development industry, the potential risks to people and environment from climate change and the political challenges facing modern Muslim-majority nations. In this way the book offers an important corrective to the view of Bangladesh as a failed state and also sheds light on the lives of a new generation of its citizens.

About this title

Book Description:

Since its hard-won independence from Pakistan in 1971, Bangladesh has been ravaged by economic and environmental disasters. Only recently has the country begun to emerge as a fragile, but functioning, parliamentary democracy, with an economy that has been consistently achieving growth. The story of Bangladesh, told through the pages of this concise and readable book, is a truly remarkable one. By delving into its past, and through an analysis of the economic, political and social changes that have taken place over the last twenty years, the book explains how Bangladesh is becoming of increasing interest to the international community as a portal into some of the key issues of our age. In this way the book offers an important corrective to the view of Bangladesh as a failed state.

About the Author:

David Lewis is an anthropologist by training and has written and researched extensively on development issues, particularly with reference to South Asia. His primary geographical focus is Bangladesh, but he has also worked in Nepal, India and the Philippines. Books include Anthropology, Development and the Postmodern Challenge (with K. Gardner, 1996) and The Management of Non-Governmental Development Organizations (2001). He recently completed a life work history research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) on the experiences and policy implications of activists and professionals who cross between the public sector and the non-governmental sectors. He is currently Professor of Social Policy and Development at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

About this edition

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 0521713773
• ISBN 13: 9780521713771
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 248