Curriculum Finalization Workshop:

“Diversity, Tolerance and

Pluralism”

Center For Enterprise And SocietyNewsletter H2 2018 | Issue 03, 2018

Events Organized

On December 6, 2018, CES organized a curriculum finalization workshop under a prestigious American Grant. Under this grant, CES is implementing a project titled Promotion of Diversity, Tolerance and Pluralism in Bangladesh (PDTP-B). As part of activities, CES has developed a curriculum for an existing GED course that seeks to promote knowledge, attitude and practices of diversity, tolerance and pluralism. The Course will be interdisciplinary in nature wherein essesnce of History, Philosophy, Politics, Sociology and Religious Studies are mingled together. In Bangladesh, such a thematic course is quite novel.

During the workshop, Professor Sumon Rahman, ULAB delivered a brief presentation on the course curriculum which he developed. After the presentation the attendees engaged in discussions about the different contents included and approaches adopted in the curriculum.

The Workshop was attended by Professor Imran Rahman, Special Advisor, BOT, ULAB and esteemed faculty from GED, CSD and CES.

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Startup ULAB Program:“Venture Capital

in Bangladesh: Current Trends & Future Prospects”

CES Director delivers a presentation:

“Building Resilient Universities”

On October 31, CES organized its flagship Leadership Talk Series Seminar featuring Mr. Shawkat Hossain, Managing Director, BD Venture. The talk was titled “Venture Capital in Bangladesh: Current Trends & Future Prospects.” Mr. Hossain delivered

an engaging talk to a full auditorium of students and faculty members, encouraging students to consider entrepreneurship as a viable career option and imparting knowledge on fund-raising for start-ups.

On September 24, 2018, CES Director Sajid Amit presented on the findings of the Building Resilient Universities Project (BRUP) to high-level PVE/CVE Working Group of Embassies, Bilateral and Multilateral Organizations, at the British High Commission in Dhaka. The Working Group was chaired by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.

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FGD with Students and Parents:

“Baseline Research for promoting

diversity, tolerance and pluralism”

CES Panel Discussion:

“Based on True Stories”

On October 20 and 25, the CES team conducted 4 Focus Group Discussions (2 with Students and 2 with Parents of Students) as part of the baseline research for the PDTP-B Project. The FGD participants were asked to share their views on various aspects of promotion of diversity, tolerance and pluralism via undergraduate coursework and co-curricular activities.

On July 24, the Startup ULAB initiative of CES, organized a panel discussion featuring young startup entrepreneurs for the benefit of ULAB undergraduate and graduate students. The entrepreneurs featuring sectors as diverse as men’s fashion, web and mobile app design, agro-based e-commerce, and industrial design.

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CES Leadership Talk:

“Mentorship Direct”

On June 28, the Center for Enterprise and Society, under its Startup ULAB initiative, organized an event called “Mentorship Direct” featuring Mr. Adnan Imtiaz Halim, Co-founder and CEO of Sheba.XYZ, one of the top startups

of the country. Mr. Adnan Imtiaz spoke about his journey as an entrepreneur and tried to instill in students best practices for entrepreneurship.

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Research, Publications & Partnerships

In H2 2018, CES Director Sajid Amit also published the following journal articles:

1. Amit, S (2018). Prospects and Challenges of Agent Banking in Bangladesh: A Case Study of Female RMG Workers. Review of Integrative Business and Economics Research, Vol. 7(s4), 75-89.

2. Amit, S (2018). Whither Financial Inclusion? Performance of Bangladesh in the 2017 Global Findex. Asian Finance & Banking Review; Vol. 2, No. 2, 14-18.

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On August 31, 2018, CES Director contributed a chapter on Bangladesh for the Regional Working Paper titled “Analysis and Comparison of Trends for Radicalism and Violent Extremism in Asia.” The regional working paper was coordinated by the International NGO Forum on Indonesian Development (INFID), based out of Jakarta, Indonesia. The paper is an outcome of a grant to INFID by the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).

On November 25, 2018, Lumbini Barua, CES Research Associate, published a Knowledge Note titled “Socio-Economic Implications of Disability-Inclusive Education: Global and Local Views.” In this paper, she assessed the current situation with regard to disability-inclusive education in Bangladesh in the context of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). She also underscored the potential and challenges of disability-inclusive education with the hope of generating public and private sector attention to this area.

CES has launched a quantitative survey-based research project to assess the current state, challenges and growth opportunities for Informal Market Street Food Vendors in Dhaka. The methodology consisted of a quantitative sample of 600 micro-entrepreneurs selling food items such as cigarettes, beverages, tea and coffee, chotputi, phuchka, fried foods. The street food vendors have been classified into sub-categories depending on their size.

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On September 4, 2018. the draft Delta Plan 2100 report was placed at the National Economic Council Meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The report was prepared by the General Economic Division (GED) of the Planning Ministry in close collaboration with the Policy Research Institute (PRI). Mr. Sajid Amit, Director, CES, was a co-author of the chapter on Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) in the report.

On August 28, CES launched its first Working Paper under the CES Working Paper Series. The paper was titled “Association between Time Spent Online and Vulnerability to Radicalization: An Empirical Study.” The paper was authored by Mr. Sajid Amit and Mr. Md. Aynul Islam. In this paper, the authors have used qualitative research techniques to demonstrate that high-internet user students (students who are online for 7 or more hours a day) are more likely to encounter radical material online and also report to lower levels of emotional health and vulnerability.

CES has completed a journal paper titled on Systemic Constraints in Banking Sector that Hinder Financial Inclusion. The paper is being co-authored by Lumbini Barua and Sajid Amit and publication details will be announced shortly. The paper is based on a pilot project of Swisscontact South Asia Regional Office, an international NGO, based out of Switzerland, which has subsequently implemented a project based on the pilot in select garments factories of Bangladesh. The project is funded by MetLife Foundation.

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On August 13, 2018, an article titled “Ways and Means of expanding Financial Inclusion” was published by Mr. Sajid Amit on the Financial Express. The article looks at trends in ownership and usage of financial institution accounts; sending remittances and paying utility bills through formal financial channels; and the realm of digital transactions. The data used in the analysis has been based on the Global Findex Database 2018 created by the World Bank Group. The survey was conducted by Gallup using nationally representative sample size of 150,000 adults in over 140 countries.

On August 16, under the partnership agreement between ULAB and Startup Dhaka, the latter launched its first ever online training course on Fund-raising for Startups. This initiative by Startup Dhaka and supported by ULAB has gone on to win the 2018 BASIS National ICT Award. Through the ULAB and Startup Dhaka Partnership, CES Director Sajid Amit has contributed multiple videos on fund-raising for startups, cost management, and so forth. This is part of ongoing CES efforts to contribute to digital transformation in Bangladesh.

On December 5, ULAB signed a partnership agreement with bKash Ltd. bKash is one of the sponsors of the 2019 Financial Inclusion Summit. This is a one-day international academic and industry conference that will bring together 100 high-level executives and entrepreneurs from sectors such as banking, NBFIs, NGOs, INGOs, donor agencies, Fintech Providers, Universities, and Research Centers to assess the state of financial inclusion in the country and potential for further growth. United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is the technical partner for this Conference. Innovision Consulting Ltd is the Outreach Partner. The Conference is further supported by Swisscontact, Bank Asia Ltd, and MicroSave.

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CES Director at UNCDF Seminar

On December 13, 2018, CES Director Sajid Amit attended the seminar titled “Promoting Insurance for the Last Mile” sponsored by the European Union and organized by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). In this conference, industry stakeholders from private sector insurance providers, multilaterals and regulators assessed the current state and potential for growth of micro-insurance in Bangladesh.

CES Director Attends the Launch of “Tiger Cage”

On December 10, 2018, CES Director, attended the launch of Tiger Cage, an entrepreneurship-themed video series from Startup Dhaka, organized at the EMK Center. The Tiger Cage is a video series based on the US-based Shark Tank, aimed at giving startups the opportunity to pitch in front of investors willing to provide equity funds to startups.

Events Attended

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On November 28, 2018, CES Director hosted a table on digital financial services at the Digital Technologies for Resilience Workshop by Rockefeller Foundation in Bangkok, Thailand.

Resilience with regard to inclusive finance, inclusive education, and PVE/CVE constitute topics of integral importance to academic, programmatic and research areas of CES.

CES Director Hosts a Table at Rockefeller Workshop

On November 20, 2018, CES Research Associate Lumbini Barua attended the seminar titled ‘Bangladesh Digital Financial Inclusion Conference

2018’ hosted by UNCDF. Several high-level development experts, panelists and delegates from both the government and non-government sector

participated in the event and engaged in discussions on accelerating digital financial inclusion by 2020.

CES Research Associate Attends BDFIC 2018

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On August 30, 2018, CES Researcher Dr. Kazi Mahmudur Rahman attended a research seminar on “Transformation in the RMG Sector in Post Rana Plaza Period: Findings from CPD Survey”. The Seminar was organized by Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) and was held at Khazana Gardenia Grand Hall in Gulshan.

CES Researcher Attends a Seminar Hosted by CPD

On November 18, 2018, CES Director participated in the research dissemination workshop titled “Needs Assessment for Financial Products, Services and Knowledge for RMG Workers” delivered by Innovision Consulting Ltd and sponsored by Swisscontact South Asia Regional Office.

CES Director Attends Swisscontact Workshop

On December 13, 2018, CES Researcher and Associate Professor Dr. Kazi Mahmudur Rahman attended a research seminar on “Multi-stakeholder Initiatives in Bangladesh: Global Norms and Workers’ Experiences”. This seminar was hosted by BIGD, BRAC and was held at GDLN Conference Room, BRAC University

CES Researcher Attends a Seminar by BRAC University

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On November 13-14, 2018, CES Research Associate Adib Sarwar attended several events as part of “Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW)” at the EMK Centre. These events focused on opportunities and challenges of youth entrepreneurship in rural, healthcare services in the marginalized communities, human-centric design, etc.

CES Research Associate attends events for GEW 2018

CES Researcher Presents Research Paper in the 7th Biennial Conference of the ECPR 2018

CES Researcher Dr. Kazi Mahmudur Rahman presented a research paper on “Governing Labour Standards in Garment Global Production Networks: Perspectives from Below” at a Panel Session in the 7th Biennial

Conference of the ECPR Standing Group on Regulatory Governance Regulation between Effectiveness and Legitimacy. The Session was on TPR4: Transnational private regulation and local implementation in BRIC and developing countries.

The Conference was held at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland during 4 – 6 July 2018.

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On October 20, CES Director Sajid Amit attended the Bangladesh Innovation Award 2018 at the Le Meridian Dhaka. The event, organized by the Bangladesh Brand Forum, was focused on bridging gaps between different stakeholders such as formal industry groups and start-ups, tech experts and entrepreneurs, etc., to enable and drive innovation.

CES Director Attends the Bangladesh Innovation Award 2018

CES Research Associate Moderates a Session at Chattogram Startup

On November 9, 2018, Adib Sarwar, CES Research Associate and coordinating Startup ULAB, attended the event “Startup Talk Chattogram presents Chattogram Startup” as a moderator for one

session held at the Bangabandhu Hall of Chattogram Press Club. The program focused on the startups in Chittagong for young entrepreneurs and students under the banner of Startup Talk Chattogram.

Speakers at the event discussed and provided insights on the different avenues of entrepreneurship.

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On October 14, 2018, CES Research Associates, Lumbini Barua and Adib Sarwar attended a conference titled ‘Youth Conference 2018: Bangladesh and Agenda 2030 – Aspirations of the Youth’. The day-long conference was organized by

the Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh and was aimed to raise awareness about the role of youth in SDG implementation process while exploring their perspectives on the current development approach in Bangladesh context.

Representatives from the ministries, secretariats, CSOs, INGOs and NGOs participated in the event along with the youth representatives coming from different sections of the country.

CES Research Associates Attend Youth Conference 2018

CES Director Attends the WSBI Workshop on Rural FI

On October 2, 2018, CES Director attended the WSBI 2nd Workshop on Rural Financial Inclusion at Radisson Blu Water Garden. The conference was organized by Bank Asia and USAID and featured high-level panelists and delegates from the financial services and fintech industries.

Forthcoming

Events:

• On Saturday, February 16, 2019, ULAB is organizing the 2019 Financial Inclusion Summit with bKash Ltd as sponsor, UNCDF as Technical Partner, and Innovision as Outreach Partner. This is a one-day industry and academic conference that will bring together 100 high-level executives from banks, fintech providers, international NGOs, domestic NGOs, multilaterals, bilaterals, other development agencies, and government offices.

Research and Publications:

• Lumbini Barua, Sajid Amit and Saad Ishtiaque Ahmed are developing a paper on the impact of the Diversity, Tolerance and Pluralism Curriculum on undergraduate students using the Central Laboratory Testing (CLT) method.

• CES Research Associate Saad Ishtiaque Ahmed is working on following two research works: 1. A research paper on “Sustainability of Rural Tele-centers” that is part of his doctoral research. 2. A research Paper on “Financial sustainability of the Street Food Vendors in Dhaka City”. • CES Researcher Dr. Kazi Mahmudur Rahman is working on a commissioned policy research study on

‘Policy Options for Adapting Changes of Technology in selected Manufacturing (RMG and Leather) and Service Sectors (IT and Financial Services): Bangladesh Perspectives. The three months long research has been commissioned by the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce & Industry, Dhaka (MCCI).

• CES Research Associate Saad Ishtiaque Ahmed is going to present a research paper on “Effect of Demographic Factors on Job Turnovers” in an upcoming Conference at BRAC University.

The Center for Enterprise and Society (CES) is a leading research center at University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh. The Center seeks to advance understanding of the opportunities and challenges to business and societal development in Bangladesh through objective academic study. For more information, please visit: www.ulab.edu.bd/CES/homeUniversity of Liberal Arts BangladeshHouse: 56. Road 4/A, Dhanmondi, Dhaka-1209, Bangladesh, Web: www.ulab.edu.bd

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On September 17, 2018 CES Research Associate Adib Sarwar attended “GP Accelerator Investor Dinner”. GP accelerator hosted another captivating investor dinner of the GP Accelerator batch 5. After 4 months of extensive curriculum through GP accelerator the journey of the 5

amazing startups came to a blistering end. Throughout these four months the teams learned to grasp how to improve their idea and refine their skills and abilities.

CES Research Associate attends GP Accelerator Investor Dinner