Dr. ASM Shahidul Haque has published articles in different national English dailies and weeklies ... more Dr. ASM Shahidul Haque has published articles in different national English dailies and weeklies for a brief period of time. This book contains 20 of his published articles. His articles cover an amazing range-from bird watching to cloning, innovative textile marketing to influence of Buddhism in South Asia, poverty reduction strategy to gardening. His articles also reflect on urbane problems like taxi and minibus service or rather unavailability of such services.
During independence war and just after independence, development work was mostly done by internat... more During independence war and just after independence, development work was mostly done by international organizations using volunteers or skilled staffs (doctors, nurses, agricultural experts, economists etc.). The volunteers, however, often comprised of enthusiastic young foreigners mostly based in Dhaka or philanthropist from abroad. These groups were supported by local wealthy educated elites who had affinity with these expats for different reasons. It will not be completely wrong if these local associates are branded as local foreigners in dark skin. They helped foreigners in organizing relief distribution after devastating natural disaster or helping women who suffered measurably due to war crimes or provided support in rebuilding process. These successful first batch of smart native organizers could sense the picture of development wave that will swipe through Bangladesh. There was tremendous potential in getting engaged with development work fulltime and enjoy the benefit of huge development funding. They grabbed the opportunity with both hands. These are the pioneering generation of development consultants in Bangladesh. Few of those have grown as powerful global figures, amassed tremendous wealth, name and fame as development practitioners.
A woman says, she prefers rice production over fish culture and explained the causes. According t... more A woman says, she prefers rice production over fish culture and explained the causes. According to her, Rice gives respect to women at house hold level. As she can contribute in postharvest activities (husking, winnowing, cleaning, boiling, drying, packing etc.) that makes her valuable member to the family. Thus female voices are then heard in family level decision making, as an outcome. On the other hand, she explained, fish culture limits employment opportunity for men (as well as for women). Only few labors are required for inter cultural operation and supervision of even large fish farms. That is not good for women.
NGO and Development work of Bangladesh has somehow managed to create a special breed of people wh... more NGO and Development work of Bangladesh has somehow managed to create a special breed of people who depend on development funding (or project work) in their locality as one of the main source of income (if not the only source). If there is any project being implemented in their locality or adjacent areas they will become a stakeholder of the implementation work (try to be direct beneficiary or at least indirect beneficiary) by hook or by crook.
This write up is focused only about on key positive impact on socioeconomic situation of Banglade... more This write up is focused only about on key positive impact on socioeconomic situation of Bangladesh. NGO and development activities by many local and international organizations have contributed in reducing poverty (which was around 60% in 1990s and around 24.3% in 2016) and extreme poverty (34.3% in 2000 and 12.9% in 2016) in Bangladesh. Definitely there were government initiatives but there were location specific, mostly planned effort by UN organizations, donor agencies; translated in development projects, generous fund supply to local NGOs/INGOs for addressing specific local issues.
The concepts like 'value chain development (VCD)' or 'Market Development (MD)' were often promote... more The concepts like 'value chain development (VCD)' or 'Market Development (MD)' were often promoted as implementation approach in development project to identify overall constraints that were hindering more production and income generating potential among beneficiaries. NGOs and development organizations adopted VCD as approach and picked potential products or services that can, not only ensure more profit to beneficiaries but also make the process self-sustaining. There is need to understand these concepts.
Sustainable development is defined as, development that "meets the needs of the present without c... more Sustainable development is defined as, development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".
Beneficiary selection for development project in Bangladesh is challenging and often non transpar... more Beneficiary selection for development project in Bangladesh is challenging and often non transparent process.
It can be said that, somehow, very unfortunately, NGOs and development organizations played role ... more It can be said that, somehow, very unfortunately, NGOs and development organizations played role in reducing self-respect, self-initiative among general people, increased greed and expectation of easy fund among private organizations and diminishing sense of national pride and responsibility among bureaucrats.
It can be said that, that there are three major underling cause of rapid growth of NGO and develo... more It can be said that, that there are three major underling cause of rapid growth of NGO and development work in Bangladesh, i. Easy flow of fund, ii) micro-credit, iii) corruption (weakness in monitoring).
NGOs in Bangladesh, just after independence in 1971, gradually worked with vulnerable families, c... more NGOs in Bangladesh, just after independence in 1971, gradually worked with vulnerable families, communities and local government to build their capacity in terms of making them stronger to face challenges with better knowledge, education, awareness and access to health services. Thus NGOs at initial stages could design development project with overall goal of 'empowering the rural poor' of Bangladesh.
Gender Perspective: Rice Production vs. Fish Culture, 2019
Compared to T. Aman rice, fish culture can be a bit more profitable in Satkhira Sadar Upazila of ... more Compared to T. Aman rice, fish culture can be a bit more profitable in Satkhira Sadar Upazila of Bangladesh in areas where due to drainage of water (may be as a result of infrastructural improvement, flush flood or less rain fall for last two seasons), T. Aman cultivation became possible after many years. A woman in that area clearly said, she prefers rice production over fish culture and explained the causes. According to her, Rice gives respect to women at house hold level. As she can contribute in postharvest activities (husking, winnowing, cleaning, boiling, drying, packing etc.) that makes her valuable member to the family. Moreover, paddy straw gives her the opportunity to raise a cow, invest a little to raise local poultry (with residuals of rice). All these activities give her opportunity to contribute in family income. In turn, she enjoys the freedom to spend a little money on children (purchase little things- candy or pencil) and herself (e.g. medicine, needle-string, cloth), usually from depleting stored rice or little saved cash earned from homestead production (e.g. selling egg or poultry bird). Female voices are then heard in family level decision making, as an outcome. Violence against women reduces.
Dog is the first domesticated animal by human. The dog became companion of human in struggle for ... more Dog is the first domesticated animal by human. The dog became companion of human in struggle for survival in this planet. Dogs were dependable partner against enemies and an efficient helping hand in hunting. It became a part of human society by safeguarding houses or villages at night. No doubt that, dogs excel far more than human in particular areas like showing the sense of judgment in identifying a friend or a foe. So, like the past, human can learn different things from a dog at present also. This write up is an attempt to find out what are the things we can learn from a dog. Man has a tendency to judge another person by his face or his dress and thus easily makes mistake. A well-known saying is that 'a beautiful face can conquer all'. But a dog does not get confused. It can identify a friend or a foe by smell. It can show likeliness or dislike by simply barking at newcomer. Its style of barking tells everything. No body can confuse a pet dog even by putting disguise. So first thing a man can learn from a dog is never judge a stranger by merely his face or dress. Take some time to understand them. Give them due diligence before jumping to conclusions. A dog is always a trustworthy follower of its master. It values relationship over everything else. A dog's relationship with his master never depends upon financial condition or living standard. A dog will follow its master all the time and all the place. A dog is very different from a cat in this regard. A cat is generally more associated with household environment and good food. A cat will most likely visit other houses for more food no matter how good food its master provides. A cat generally does not like to leave a gorgeous house for a simple house. But a dog will follow the master even if it has to starve. This nature of dog will give a man another valuable teaching. Never break relationship with your near and dear one for any reason. Respect your relationship; be loyal to them. Never pretend to be someone else, be yourself. A pet dog will never sit idly while its master's life or property is in danger. It will not hesitate to attack an enemy, even risk its life to save its master from any danger. A pet dog can show a lot of responsibility. It often escorts master's children even if it was never asked to do so. Often a pet dog is a better option than a night guard is. So, a man should be responsible as well as dependable like a pet dog to family, friends and colleagues.
Lack of finance is identified as one of the main problems for the poor farmers in investing in ag... more Lack of finance is identified as one of the main problems for the poor farmers in investing in agriculture in Bangladesh. It was also found in a study that farmers engage own savings in cultivation along with money borrowed from others (money lenders) on interest. The interest rate is generally 10% for every month. Another source of investment is credit. The credit is received in terms of input from the traders. The interest is built in the sales price of inputs to be used in cultivation. For example, seeds can be purchased in credit in a higher price. The amount then will be paid after the harvest and selling of the crop. Farmers, payback the cost of investment, once they receive money, after selling their products in the market.
Sustainable development is defined as, development that "meets the needs of the present without c... more Sustainable development is defined as, development that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". Some authors tried to define the concept of sustainable development with a narrow focus. They tried to explain it with the depletion of renewable natural resources in a manner that does not diminish their "renewable" usefulness for future generations. At the same time they wanted to ensure effectively constant or nondeclining stocks of natural resources such as soil, groundwater, and biomass. Some economic definitions of sustainable development have also focused on optimal resource management, by concentrating on "maximizing the net benefits of economic development, subject to maintaining the services and quality of natural resources". Other economic definitions have focused on the broader notion that "the use of resources today should not reduce real incomes in the future”. It means, current decisions should not impair the prospects for maintaining or improving future living standards. Economic development does not necessarily mean economic growth, it has to solve basic problems like- employment generation, poverty reduction, improving living standard of the people- and at the same time preserve the environment and natural resources for future generation. The issue is the quality of the growth and how its benefits are distributed. Some, however, argue that "sustainable growth" is a contradiction in terms, and that redistribution of wealth not growth is the way to combat poverty. Sustainable development is also often defined as development that improves health care, education, and social well-being. Sustainable development also calls for development process where, ‘men, women, and children must be the centre of attention--with development woven around people, not people around development”. Sustainable development must be participatory and must involve local peoples in decisions that affect their lives. It should include a rapid transformation of the technological base of industrial civilization. Use of new technology that are cleaner, more efficient, and more sparing of natural resources in order to reduce pollution, help stabilize climate, and accommodate growth in populations and economic activity is a tool of sustainable development. Sustainable development gives importance on equity. Equity not only for present generation but also equity for human generations yet to come, whose interests are not represented by standard economic analyses or by market forces that discount the future.
Francis Bacon (1561-1626) was one of the most famous contemporary philosopher, lawyer, essayist a... more Francis Bacon (1561-1626) was one of the most famous contemporary philosopher, lawyer, essayist and statesman. Bacon’s well-known writing is his aphoristic Essays (1597-1625). Universal appeal, depth of knowledge and versatility has given his essays a permanent place in English literature. Though written about four hundred years ago his essays are still read by people all over the world. Bacon introduced inductive methods as replacement of deduction from Aristotelian authority. If any reader goes through his essays carefully, he can easily identify many sentences strongly related to management, though his 58 essays were written mainly about social and political issues. It is surprising to find that management related statements hidden in different essays are still workable and can fit into any modern management textbook. This write up is an attempt to group his management related statements under different heads.
Eve was a clone! God had created her from Adam's ribs, and thus created a precedent of cloning. S... more Eve was a clone! God had created her from Adam's ribs, and thus created a precedent of cloning. Saying those words, scientists in favor of cloning human are arguing that human cloning cannot be a bad thing. The efforts to clone a human were prompted by the birth in 1996 of a sheep named Dolly, the first clone of an adult mammal. Since then, several other animals have been cloned, including mice, cows, and pigs. Some scientists are now up to creating human clones. At a scientific conference in Rome in March 2001, fertility specialist Severino Antinori had announced his intention of cloning (producing a genetic duplicate) of a human. This renegade reproductive technology specialist announced few months ago that three human cloned pregnancies were already in progress, even as the scientific community once again advised restraint in human cloning. In a dramatic declaration on the 26 th November he claimed at a news conference in Rome that he expects the first-ever cloned human being to be born in January. The word 'cloning' etymologically comes from the Greek and means 'asexual reproduction'. A clone is the name for a group of organisms or other living matter with exactly the same genetic material. Genetic material consists of genes, the parts of cells that determine characteristics in living things. Many examples of clones exist in nature. In human being and other higher animals, clones form naturally when identical twins or other genetically identical multiple births occur. Singled celled organisms, including bacteria, protozoa produces genetically identical offspring through asexual reproduction. Plants also can reproduce asexually through a process called vegetative propagation. For example, farmers and breeders use this technique to develop apples with unique flavors or roses of certain colors. The process first involves destroying the nucleus of an egg cell from the species to be cloned. A nucleus is then removed from the cell of an animal of the same species and injected into the egg cell. The egg with its new nucleus develops into an animal with the same genetic makeup as the donor. If a number of eggs receive transplants from the same donor, the offspring are considered clones of the donor animal. Scientists have used this technique since 1950's. In 1996, a group led by British scientist Ian Wilmut used the procedure to clone a sheep, Dolly. However, the scientist at ABS Global Incorporated in DeForest, Winconsin, a biotechnology company specialized in livestock reproduction have produced a calf using more efficient process than that of Dolly. Scientist noted that the same technique used to clone these animals could be used to clone a human. Two types of human cloning need to be differentiated: therapeutic cloning and reproductive cloning. Therapeutic cloning enables the creation of embryonic stem cells. Stem cells are multifunctional cells, which can be further specialized into brain cells, liver cells etc. These stem cells are genetically identical to the ones of the original cell donor and can therefore be used to create specialized cells artificially in order to fight disease and eventually even create genetically compatible organs.
Buddhism left an everlasting impact on social and cultural life of South Asian society. Buddhist ... more Buddhism left an everlasting impact on social and cultural life of South Asian society. Buddhist influence on this subcontinent can be analyzed in many ways.
Rent seeking generally implies the extraction of uncompensated value from others without making a... more Rent seeking generally implies the extraction of uncompensated value from others without making any contribution to productivity, such as by gaining control of land and other pre-existing natural resources, or by imposing burdensome regulations or other governmentdecisions that may affect consumers or businesses. Rent, is obtained when a third party deprives one party of access to otherwise accessible transaction opportunities, making the nominally "consensual" transaction between the two parties a rent-collection opportunity for the third party. Rent seeking is held to occur often in the form of lobbying for economic regulations such as tariffs.
The report on policy measures to strengthen poverty reduction through improved environmental mana... more The report on policy measures to strengthen poverty reduction through improved environmental management was presented in Johannesburg at the launch of Linking Poverty Reduction and Environmental Management. It stresses that global policies are critical, including reform of trade distorting agriculture subsidies and other trade barriers. The report also calls for making foreign direct investments more environmentally and socially responsible, the greening of development assistance strategies, and debt relief.
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Some authors tried to define the concept of sustainable development with a narrow focus. They tried to explain it with the depletion of renewable natural resources in a manner that does not diminish their "renewable" usefulness for future generations. At the same time they wanted to ensure effectively constant or nondeclining stocks of natural resources such as soil, groundwater, and biomass. Some economic definitions of sustainable development have also focused on optimal resource management, by concentrating on "maximizing the net benefits of economic development, subject to maintaining the services and quality of natural resources". Other economic definitions have focused on the broader notion that "the use of resources today should not reduce real incomes in the future”. It means, current decisions should not impair the prospects for maintaining or improving future living standards.
Economic development does not necessarily mean economic growth, it has to solve basic problems like- employment generation, poverty reduction, improving living standard of the people- and at the same time preserve the environment and natural resources for future generation. The issue is the quality of the growth and how its benefits are distributed. Some, however, argue that "sustainable growth" is a contradiction in terms, and that redistribution of wealth not growth is the way to combat poverty.
Sustainable development is also often defined as development that improves health care, education, and social well-being. Sustainable development also calls for development process where, ‘men, women, and children must be the centre of attention--with development woven around people, not people around development”. Sustainable development must be participatory and must involve local peoples in decisions that affect their lives. It should include a rapid transformation of the technological base of industrial civilization. Use of new technology that are cleaner, more efficient, and more sparing of natural resources in order to reduce pollution, help stabilize climate, and accommodate growth in populations and economic activity is a tool of sustainable development.
Sustainable development gives importance on equity. Equity not only for present generation but also equity for human generations yet to come, whose interests are not represented by standard economic analyses or by market forces that discount the future.