Poverty Reduction and Social Development in Bangladesh

Abstract

This study is an attempt to analyze the spatial variations of development in Bangladesh in terms of poverty reduction and social development at regional levels. The overarching goal is to determine the relationship among poverty levels and various indicators of development. The analysis reveals that although Bangladesh has been successful in reducing poverty level at the national scale, the poverty level is not homogeneous at the subnational level. The western part of the nation is lagging relative to the eastern part, and the northwestern part is lagging relative to the central part, with respect to poverty reduction. This chapter examines several factors of development such as electrifi cation, urbanization, cooperatives, industrial establishments, and overseas employment. The study suggests that a well-functioning institutional mechanism will aid in poverty reduction, and that a committee be setup to address spatial disparity in development for proposing policies to ameliorate balanced regional development. © Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015.