Eminent economist Prof Rehman Sobhan has called for holding the government accountable for failing to implement reforms that largely remain confined to legislation and paper in Bangladesh.
Speaking as a special guest at a session titled “Romancing the Reform: The Bangladesh Story” during the 9th SANEM Annual Economists’ Conference 2026 at the BRAC Centre in Dhaka today, Prof Sobhan stressed that reforms must be translated into operational documents, implemented by the bureaucracy, and measured on the ground.
“An active opposition should collaborate with civil society to act as a watchdog over reform implementation,” he said.
Prof Sobhan, chairman of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), noted that reforms in Bangladesh often remain academic exercises. He recalled judicial reforms initiated by the World Bank in the 1990s and budgetary reforms by the UK government, saying outcomes were never assessed.
Since the 1970s and '80s, Southeast Asian countries have practised performance budgeting to identify outcomes for public expenditure, but this has not been introduced in Bangladesh in the 21st century.
He criticised under-utilisation of health and education budgets, pointing out that despite allocations of around two percent, citizens continue to face poor‑quality services.
“There is a lack of practical analysis regarding why these ministries are under-performing, while citizens experience low-quality healthcare and poor-quality public education despite reports of high pass rates,” the economist said.
He argued that substantive reforms require coalitions within government and society, citing the Six Point Programme during the Pakistani regime as a real reform agenda that mobilised the nation.
In contrast, current reform agendas, such as the BNP’s 31 points, lack grassroots mobilisation, he said.
He also lamented that civil society in Bangladesh remains fragmented into fundraising silos, unlike India where broad coalitions pushed reforms like the right to food and education.
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, CPD Distinguished Fellow, said the interim government after the July 2024 uprising was the most pro‑reform but lacked vision and design. He urged the political government to take forward reforms instead of waiting for the World Bank or IMF to impose them.
Former finance secretary Mohammad Muslim Chowdhury suggested separating local government civil service from the central service, digitising delivery, and ensuring merit‑based appointments to combat bureaucratic politicisation.
