For all their faults, one thing I like about international organizations like the World Bank and international development organizations that work on the ground, is that aside from their rhetoric, they actually come up with actionable policy strategies. more often than not. Whether one agrees or approves of the strategies is another matter.

The World Bank’s recent report “Dhaka: Improving Living Conditions for the Urban Poor” is a good example of a piece of research that is academically grounded, creates a clear prioritization of the issues at hand, and a policy response that specifically names the necessary agents involved.

As the report says:
“Dhaka is the fastest growing mega-city in the world. Annually, the city draws an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 mostly poor migrants who provide critical employment for the city’s industries and services. Urgent measures are required to address the vital needs of the rapidly growing urban poor”

What I like best about this paper is how the author goes on to describe policy responses for each of the critical areas of concern. Some of the policy responses may seem be obvious truths for arm-chair pundits like myself ;), but its good to see them in print and in the hands of decisions makers. For example, the report has this to say about urban housing:

“Implementing the National Housing Policy to ensure shelter for the poor. The National Housing Policy provides an enabling framework for addressing land and housing markets in Dhaka, and enforcing basic property rights. The implementation of this policy, as with an urban poverty reduction strategy, will require an adequate institutional framework with clear leadership, as well as roles and responsibilities. The Government should establish an inter-agency committee including key actors such as LGED, National Housing Authority, Ministry of Land/Ministry of Housing and Public Works, and RAJUK. In the medium term, the committee should be led by a clearly mandated agency with authority to implement the necessary reforms.” (Executive Summary, Dhaka: ILCUP)

Even if you don’t have time for the entire report, the Executive Summary does a decent job of running through the most important ideas.

Here is the full interview with the author on some related questions.


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