Adnan Fakir

Introducing Banglanomics: A Podcast Series Simplifying Economics Research in Bangladesh

, lecturer in Economics, talks about economics in a language most people can understand. He interviewed five academics on their economic research, related to various lived experiences in Bangladesh. Topics included health, chess, the garments industry, and rural households.

Banglanomics logo for case study page

The podcast episodes all start with a brief chat on the researcher’s motivation and story behind their pursuit of a career in Economics. Dr. Fakir circles back at the end of each episode, asking the academic's advice for students who want to build a career in Economics.

Students, non-academics, and the public will appreciate the podcast’s effort to talk about economic research terms like identification and randomized-control-trials in simpler terms.

Each podcast episode provides ample context on Bangladesh and brings the audience to its colours and sounds. It must be noted that each podcast also provides practical suggestions for policy-makers to adapt, or think about. The wide range of topics in this first set of podcasts makes a viable opportunity to continue.

There are five pilot episodes in the Banglanomics podcast series:

  1. – Dr Shalini Roy from International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) discusses whether transferring assets to women from ultra-poor households actually help them. 
  2. – Professor Achyuta Adhvaryu from University of California, San Diego talks on the protective effects of vitamin A supplementation for infants against environmental disasters. 
  3. – Professor Asadul Islam from Monash University shares his study on whether chess instruction can help students in cognitive and non-cognitive outcomes. 
  4. – Dr Abu Siddique from Kings College London discusses how social power dynamics in Bangladesh influence competitive behaviour of ethnic minorities. 
  5. – Dr. Rachel Heath from The University of Washington shares her findings on how international scrutiny can help workers in an extortionist market. 

To hear all episodes in this podcast series, please visit and follow .