Bangladesh Journal of Public Administration

Editorial

Md. Mamun-Or-Rashid — 2024-10-02

Price stability or income growth

Mohammed Saiful Islam — 2024-10-02

Mohammed Saiful Islam[1]

Dr. Mohammad Rezaul Karim[2]

ABSTRACT

Containing inflation has been a major challenge in the macro-economic governance of Bangladesh in recent years particularly after the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic and Russia-Ukraine war. However, recent monetary statements are imposing a gradual tightening of the money supply by increasing policy rates and restraining Government expenditure. Henceforth, which orientation of macroeconomic governance is perceived as more comfortable to people in coping up with the post-2020 inflation requires deliberate analysis. This paper explored this knowledge gap with a special focus on two trends of `inflation tackling measures: price stability and income growth’ from a public policy perspective. Key Informant Interview (KII) methods were used to carry out this study. Then thematic analysis was done on some specific issues like, local factors of inflation, linkage of local factors with price inflation, the effectivity of price stability and income growth orientation, Finally, it was inferred that, price stability is a priority over income growth in tackling inflation. Focus on price stability promotes the synergic outcome of other monetary and non-monetary efforts, which, in the long run, promotes income growth consequently. However, a number of local factors, predominantly insufficient efficiency in the managing market appeared as a determinant of home-grown factor of price inflation in Bangladesh; so, the paper suggests that proper flow and movement of supply chain requires exigent attention to deal with post-2020 inflation.

[1] Deputy Secretary (Corresponding Author), Ministry of Public Administration, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh Email: o.saiful@yahoo.com

[2] Deputy Director, Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre, Savar, Dhaka

Email: rezapatc@gmail.com

Opportunities and Challenges of Japanese Restaurant Business in Bangladesh

Md. Saifullah Akon — 2024-10-02

The purpose of this study is to explore the possibilities and challenges of the Japanese restaurant business in Bangladesh, drawing on findings from semi-structured interviews. To obtain accurate information, we examined the perceptions and experiences of restaurant owners in Dhaka, particularly from the Uttara, Banani, and Gulshan areas. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 14 such Japanese restaurant owners who have served either authentic Japanese food or Japanese food with fusion. The results of our investigation indicate that there are many prospects for Japanese restaurants to grow their culinary industries in Bangladesh because of the country's growing middle class, its food values, and its sizable market. Despite these opportunities, according to our findings, several challenges exist to promote the Japanese restaurant business in Bangladesh, including religious issues, tax burden, availability of raw materials for authentic Japanese food, and the high costs of Japanese food. This work fills in the knowledge gap by conducting a thorough investigation in this area, therefore minimizing it. Therefore, the findings of this study can assist policymakers from both Japan and Bangladesh in promoting the Japanese culinary industry in Bangladesh and provide the opportunity for Bangladeshi food lovers to taste authentic Japanese foods.

Government Monitoring Mechanism for the Private Medical Colleges in Bangladesh

Mahbuba Bilkis — 2024-10-02

Medical education plays a pivotal role in shaping the healthcare workforce of any country. In Bangladesh, both public and private medical colleges contribute significantly to producing competent healthcare professionals. Private entrepreneurship is relatively new in the medical education field in Bangladesh, however, the number of private medical colleges is double than the public ones now. This research aimed to identify the challenges of existing monitoring mechanism of the private medical colleges in Bangladesh and explore more appropriate strategies to enhance the monitoring mechanism by the government for fostering better compliance and overall educational quality in those institutions. The study employed both primary and secondary data to gather comprehensive information. Primary data collected through Key Informant Interview (KII), Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and Case Study. The secondary data gathered from relevant literatures, documents, official letters and websites. The study found that absence of centralized database for managing information, manual service delivery procedure, overlapping administrative authority and their poor coordination, no ranking system of the institutions, and lack of comprehensive handbook of all relevant laws (Acts, Rules, Circulars, Office Orders etc.) are the main challenges of the existing monitoring mechanism by the Government. More fruitful monitoring can be done through automated service delivery, ensuring accreditation, rigorous inspection and sudden visit, using comprehensive and appropriate format for inspection report, introducing ranking system and facilitating collaboration among public and private institutions.

International Tourist Arrivals, Foreign Exchange Earnings, and Barriers to Inbound Tourism in Bangladesh

Anup Kumar Talukder — 2024-10-02

This research aims to examine the Long-Run (LR) and Short-Run (SR) impacts of foreign exchange earnings (FEE) from international tourists’ arrival in Bangladesh and identifies the barriers to inbound tourism so that the government can take the appropriate development plans or programmes for inbound tourism. This study is carried out using secondary as well as primary data and by deploying mixed methods. For qualitative data, a Key Informant Interview (KII) is deployed. This study's quantitative method relies on econometric analysis. It includes the Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF) unit root test, the Johansen cointegration test, and the Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) using yearly data ranging from the period 1995 to 2019. According to the cointegration and causality test results, there is no SR causal relationship between FEE and the number of tourist arrivals. However, an LR causal relationship exists not only between the earnings from foreign exchange and tourist arrivals numbers but also with the earnings from foreign exchange and capital investment in travel and tourism and earnings from foreign exchange and government spending on travel and tourism services. The qualitative data show that poor infrastructure and security of tourist destinations, lack of visa facilitation, high accommodation costs and unprofessional inbound tour operators are the major barriers to inbound tourism in Bangladesh. The results of the study will provide the Bangladeshi government with valuable information for crafting improved tourism policies that would benefit the nation's economy.

Impact of Rehabilitation in Guchchagram (Cluster Village) on Livelihood and Living Conditions of Its Inhabitants

Md. Asraful Islam — 2024-10-02

Rehabilitation of people, as a part of poverty alleviation and human development program (Powelson 1987), has become one of the most important challenges for governments all over the world, as people are frequently becoming homeless and shelter-less due to poverty, climate change and disaster and, eventually, becoming the victims of migration that takes place in two forms; i.e. internal and cross-border migration. Governments of the countries like Bangladesh are responsible to rehabilitate those people either temporarily or permanently in cases where they are unable to ensure their shelters or they become homeless as victims of migration. Different governmental regimes in Bangladesh being responsible to ensure shelters for the homeless and shelter-less people as enshrined in Article 15(a) of the Constitution of Bangladesh has been implementing a variety of rehabilitation projects, i.e., ‘Cluster Village’, Adarshagram, Abashon, Ashrayan, and Guchchogram on Khas Land and Char land (government-owned land) since the independence of the country in 1971. But the impact of rehabilitation on improvement of livelihood and living conditions of the rehabilitated people is still, almost, unexplored. The study about the people rehabilitated in Nijbari Guchchagram at Saidpur Upazila in Nilphamari district found that providing the title and ownership of a house with a piece of land, skill-based training and micro-credits have had contributed much to significantly upgrade their livelihood and living conditions which, eventually, rehabilitation in a suitable place has created an opportunity for them to be connected with the mainstream of development of the country.