A SWOT analysis of the Bangladesh economy
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Mustafa K. Mujeri

OVER the last few decades, Bangladesh has been following a development path that was blazed by the fast growing Asian economies with export led growth fuelling higher living standards and falling poverty. Despite this, it is not too difficult to posit that Bangladesh today has more in common with the laggards in Asia. Slow growth, rising inequality, and a deprived countryside deny the vast majority of the Bangladeshi people the opportunity to enjoy happier, healthier, and more prosperous lives.

For moving forward, Bangladesh needs to identify the opportunities and the key weaknesses that the country faces and adopt appropriate measures. There are many ways of doing this analysis. One popular method is to list the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) facing the economy and society at large. Although the SWOT analysis is more often applied to evaluate the competitive position of a company this can also be applied to a country. In particular, SWOT analysis is forward looking; it is less for the past than for the future. The exercise identifies areas that need attention or might emerge as problem areas in future. There may be success in some areas. But does that mean we should continue to do the same or shift gears and put more emphasis on other issues? The main purpose of conducting a SWOT is to get a sense of the relevant issues of taking strategic decisions-- of priorities, of possibilities, and of dangers. This is important to begin a thoughtful discussion; a serious conversation about the priorities that we should focus on.

The SWOT analysis: From a strategic perspective, what can be said about Bangladesh in terms of its strengths and weaknesses? We shall try to briefly identify some of the major ones.

Strengths and weaknesses; In terms of strengths, there is