Inclusive employment can help youth with disabilities access decent work—but effective implementation matters. A new BIGD study on BRAC's STAR+ Programme published in @tandfresearch.bsky.social explores what worked and what needs improvement. Learn more: bigd.bracu.ac.bd/publications...

COVID-19 pushed many Bangladeshi households into poverty despite stable livelihoods before the pandemic. A new BIGD study in @tandfresearch.bsky.social shows why income alone is not enough and proposes five indicators to identify the “new poor.” 🔗 bigd.bracu.ac.bd/publications...

Our Head of Communications and Initiative Director, Nusrat Jahan, writes about the successes and limitations of microfinance, and how it can be made more impactful at scale in her @voxdev.bsky.social article today.

VoxDev@voxdev.bsky.social · 4w ago

Traditional microcredit rarely transforms the economic lives of the poor in Bangladesh, but targeted product innovations – including flexible repayment schedules, enterprise-focused loans, and digital disbursement – show meaningful gains for borrowers. Read today's article to learn more:

Can cash transfers alone improve the lives of persons with disabilities? On June 30, BIGD and LSHTM hosted Beyond Just Cash Transfers, sharing new evidence on disability-inclusive livelihoods and education, and discussing how research can drive meaningful action. 🔗 bigd.bracu.ac.bd/events/#past

On July 2, we marked BIGD Day 2026, bringing together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and development partners to explore how evidence, collaboration, and locally rooted solutions can address today's development challenges. 🔗 bigd.bracu.ac.bd/events/#past

A new paper by BIGD researchers examines why young people in one of the world's largest displacement settings are left out of education, employment, and training (NEET). 🔗 bigd.bracu.ac.bd/publications...

We hosted the first session in our Master Class series on June 4. The session, titled "Political Thinking of Karl Marx and Its Contemporary Relevance," was led by Dr. Mirza M. Hassan, Advisor for the Governance and Politics Cluster at BIGD.

📱 What if feature phones, not smartphones, are enough to drive women's digital inclusion? A new BIGD policy brief about a 15-week IVR-based program in rural Bangladesh finds lasting gains in mothers' agency, empowerment & connectivity 4 years on. 🔗 bigd.bracu.ac.bd/publications...

📊 Does the gender of the interviewer alter the data we collect on sensitive issues? A new BIGD study in The World Bank Economic Review finds respondents under-report intimate partner violence to male enumerators, masking a program's true impact. 🔗 bigd.bracu.ac.bd/publications...

A COVID-era mobile distance learning program in rural Bangladesh kept shaping mothers' digital connectivity, agency & economic empowerment 4 years on. New working paper explores how low-tech interventions create lasting effects for mothers & children. 🔗 bigd.bracu.ac.bd/publications...

In the latest #CareerTalks, Program Coordinator Zarine Anan Khondoker talks with four BIGD colleagues—Nawshin Bashir, Soujannita Chowdhury, Mohammad Tofail Bin Azam & Mohammad Ifaz Uddin—on their unconventional paths into social science research. 🔗 Watch the episode now: youtu.be/w427PpOxnfI?...

Envisioneers #CareerTalks Ep 04 | Non-Traditional Pathways Into Social Science Research

YouTube video by BRAC Institute of Governance and Development- BIGD

youtu.be

📢 Our latest quarterly newsletter is out! The Jan–Apr 2026 issue of BIGD Works unveils our first-ever impact framework, plus highlights from a busy start to the year: conferences, the RIDGE initiative, a new Tong Alaap podcast & fresh publications. 🔗 bigd.bracu.ac.bd/publications...

On 17 May, BIGD & Oxford Policy Management brought together policymakers, researchers & civil society to make the case for integrating early childhood development and social protection into Bangladesh's national poverty strategy. 🔗 Learn more about the program: bigd.bracu.ac.bd/event/policy...

🆕 Beyond access: When does digital finance actually empower women? Today on VoxDev, Tasnuba Sinha (BRAC Institute of Governance and Development - BIGD) discusses how digital financial services can support women's economic empowerment: https://ow.ly/QOwj50Z1vhl

Beyond access: When does digital finance actually empower women?

Digital financial services can meaningfully support women's economic empowerment across South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, but only when products are designed around how women already manage money – with features that enable earmarking, smooth liquidity, and account for household dynamics.

ow.ly

Redundant paperwork & long delays shouldn't be the cost of basic government services, especially when citizen data already exists in public records. Research from BIGD & Jagannath University proposes a centralized data hub to transform local governance in BD. 🔗 bigd.bracu.ac.bd/publications...

BIGD & BGMEA held factory-level energy consultations in Dhaka, supported by the Danish Embassy. ~30 RMG factories received tailored energy profiles & renewable energy recommendations to drive Bangladesh's green transition. 🔗 Want to learn more about the study? bigd.bracu.ac.bd/study/capaci...

Meet the newest cohort of the Young Researchers' Fellowship (YRF) program! 570+ applications. 19 selected TRAs. 4 months of intensive research training & mentorship, with top performers joining us as Research Associates. 🔗 Learn more: bigd.bracu.ac.bd/young-resear...

Young Researchers’ Fellowship Program - BRAC Institute of Governance and Development

bigd.bracu.ac.bd

We hosted a dissemination event on women's economic participation in SMEs, bringing together policymakers, researchers, employers & development partners. The goal? More gender-inclusive workplaces through evidence for actionable policy. 🔗 Learn more: bigd.bracu.ac.bd/event/dissem...

The global fuel crisis disrupted irrigation for farmers ahead of boro harvest season. A BIGD pilot, funded by H&M Foundation, is exploring agrivoltaics — solar panels above crops — as a more resilient energy source for agriculture. Read more in Reflections 2025 on #EarthDay. tinyurl.com/y272xumx

Knowing your rights isn't enough — you have to practice claiming them. A study across 3 cohorts in Bangladesh found youth in accountability-focused civic education showed higher self-belief, political awareness & engagement than those who only received information. 📖 www.emerald.com/qjps/article...

Empowering young citizens through the practice of accountability: an experiment in Bangladesh

The authors evaluate a novel accountability-based approach to civic education, which enables young people to hold local authorities to account for the quality of public services. They theorize that en...

emerald.com

How is digital tech reshaping entertainment in rural Bangladesh? A new ethnographic study by Tanvir Shatil, Golam Ahmed Rabbi & Shahaduz Zaman explores mobile use, local audio-visual content & informal sharing networks in Jamalpur District. 🔗 www.inderscienceonline.com/doi/abs/10.1...

COVID-19 hit Bangladesh's RMG sector hard. Stimulus packages rolled out fast — but who really benefited, workers or employers? BIGD's Maheen Sultan, Iffat Antara & Touhidul Islam explore this question via volume published by Helsinki University Press: hup.fi/books/e/10.33134/HUP-36

On March 12, we hosted a webinar with researchers from our Governance and Politics Cluster to discuss structured pathways into this field, including the Governance and Politics Research Fellowship (GPRF) Program. 🔗 Missed it? You can now watch it on YouTube: youtu.be/1qahsmYFSkk

Envisioneers #CareerTalks Ep 03 | Pathways Into Governance & Politics Research

YouTube video by BRAC Institute of Governance and Development- BIGD

youtu.be

What works in poverty alleviation? Check out the newly launched Graduation Evidence Map — a single, navigable, research-backed tool that aggregates findings from 112 studies across 40+ countries on graduation and lump-sum cash transfer programs. 🔗 braclseultrapovertyenvironment.org/evidence-map

Why does child marriage persist? Dr Imran Matin joins @rglenner.bsky.social & Kehinde Ajayi for this @cgdev.org podcast to discuss what the evidence shows can reduce it, from empowerment programs for girls to cash transfers designed to delay marriage. 🎙️ Listen: www.cgdev.org/blog/cgd-pod...

CGD Podcast: Tackling Child Marriage with Imran Matin and Kehinde Ajayi

In this episode, I speak with Imran Matin of BRAC University’s Institute for Governance and Development and my CGD colleague Kehinde Ajayi about why child marriage persists and what evidence tells us ...

cgdev.org

🎙 Envisioneers #CareerTalks Ep. 03 Curious about a career in governance research? Hear BIGD researchers share their journeys, key skills & entry routes—including the upcoming GPRF program. 🗓 12 March 2026 📋 Register by 11 March 🔗 Register: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

On 25 Feb 2026, WEE-DiFine hosted a webinar on designing digital financial services that truly advance women’s economic empowerment. 🎥Missed the session? Watch the full recorded session on our YouTube channel: youtu.be/erU6XuxPlew?...

When Digital Finance Fits Women’s Financial Preferences | WEE-DiFine Webinar (Feb 25, 2026)

YouTube video by BRAC Institute of Governance and Development- BIGD

youtu.be

📢 Applications open for Governance & Politics Research Fellowship (GPRF)! This 4-month program offers hands-on experience in qualitative research with mentorship from senior researchers. 🎓 Opportunity to join BIGD as a Research Associate 📅 Deadline: 31 March 2026 🔗 bigd.bracu.ac.bd/governance-a...

Chars are home to ~20M people in Bangladesh, facing deep poverty, weak infrastructure, and high climate risk. BRAC’s IDP is delivering targeted support, and BIGD is evaluating its impact through an RCT. 📖 Read the baseline report: bigd.bracu.ac.bd/publications...

How should digital financial services be designed to genuinely support women’s economic empowerment? New evidence from the WEE-DiFine research portfolio suggests design matters as much as access. 📅 25 Feb 2026 ⏰ 10 AM EST | 6 PM EAT | 9 PM Dhaka 🔗 Register: us06web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...