Intra SAARC trade seems to be quite of a small order of magnitude. This might be because of normal outcome or because of unexplored trade opportunity. If the latter is the case, then increased trade within this region might be welfare improving. This study attempts to make a formal analysis of...

We examine economic convergence among subnational regions of Bangladesh over the period 1992-2013. Absent the traditional gross domestic product (GDP) for subnational areas and building on the recent findings of luminosity literature, we use night lights intensity as a proxy for local economic...

After coronavirus spread beyond China, many predicted that the virus would wreak havoc on low-income countries, especially those with overcrowded slums. And yet, nine months after the outbreak, the COVID-19 death toll in several of the world’s biggest slums is very low. This paper asks the...

Bangladesh’s remarkable achievements in economic and social progress put itself in a position that would have been unthinkable until a few decades ago. But did the improvement in development outcomes accrue equally to all areas in the country? We tackle this question by analyzing...

We analyse economic convergence across 64 districts of Bangladesh using newly harmonized satellite night light data over 1992-2018. The growth in night lights – taken as a proxy for regional economic activity – reveals overwhelming evidence of absolute convergence. Regional differences in...