Leather industry targets $1.77bn exports
2 September 2026 Footwear Craft
How the shoe factory found its feet
S. M. Tahmid
2 September 2026 Footwear Craft
Bangladesh’s Footwear Market Steps Up
2 September 2026 Footwear Craft
Six generations of consumer trust meets comfort
2 September 2026 Footwear Craft
Taking Bangladeshi footwear up the value chain
2 September 2026 Footwear Craft
The making of Bangladesh’s leather industry
S. M. Tahmid
2 September 2026 Footwear Craft
Weathering the Seasons
Sadiya Afrin Hira
2 September 2026 Footwear Craft
Beyond the Basic Pair
Laura Z.
2 September 2026 Footwear Craft

Climate change, agriculture and food security challenges

Bangladesh is one of the countries most vulnerable to climate change and its impacts.
22 January 2026

Economic democracy in Bangladesh: Scope and realities

The notion of democracy is traditionally interpreted and analysed in the political domain. But it is important to recognise that beyond political democracy, the notion of democracy has multiple dimensions - economic democracy, social democracy, cultural democracy etc.
22 January 2026

Can Bangladesh diversify beyond the garment sector?

After more than three decades of policy debates, hundreds of research papers, and countless newspaper columns,
22 January 2026

Is Bangladesh’s industry ready for an AI revolution?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer confined to research labs or tech giants but has become a driving force in shaping global industries. It is playing a key role in market forecasting, bringing efficiency to supply chain operations and manufacturing goods.
22 January 2026

Progress with macroeconomic adjustment

Since the advent of Covid19 in March 2020, Bangladesh has faced a series of external shocks. Combined with macroeconomic mismanagement and corrupt practices, t
22 January 2026

No growth without planned urbanisation

After remarkable progress and growth, especially under elected governments from 1991 to 2015, Bangladesh now faces numerous challenges. Political and macroeconomic instability; troubled public finances and banking systems; poor-quality education and health services; an undiversified economy, stalling private investment, and rising joblessness. These problems all intersect at one location: our failing towns and cities. 
22 January 2026

Ageing with dignity: Why Bangladesh must invest in long-term care

Bangladesh is ageing rapidly. By 2050, nearly one in every five citizens will be 60 years or older. Yet today, most elderly persons in Bangladesh receive care from unpaid family members, most of whom are women, with little or no public support. While caregiving remains a deeply rooted social norm, the growing burden of elder care in a changing society is fast outpacing traditional systems. It is time for Bangladesh to reimagine care for its ageing population, not as charity or family obligation, but as a pillar of public policy and human dignity.
22 January 2026

Ending “youthwashing”, fixing education, rethinking skills

At a time when the Fourth Industrial Revolution is transforming industries and economic activity, Bangladesh’s education system is stuck in a foundational crisis—failing to ensure basic literacy, problem-solving ability, and employability for too many graduates.
22 January 2026

Looming water supply ‘bankruptcy’ puts billions at risk

The world is facing irreversible water “bankruptcy”, with billions of people struggling to cope with the consequences of decades of overuse as well as shrinking supplies from lakes, rivers, glaciers and wetlands, UN researchers said on Tuesday.
22 January 2026

Will artificial intelligence lead to the end of jobs?

Fear of new technology is not new. Whether new technology will replace human beings is a question that has been haunting humankind from time immemorial.
21 January 2026

How will artificial intelligence transform the labour market?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is expected to pose the biggest disruption to global labour markets since the industrial revolution in the 19th century.
21 January 2026

Living Inside an Idea

Chaabi, treats thresholds, light and memory as active ingredients of daily life, archiving family objects beneath the floor and choreographing arrival so inhabitation feels cinematic. Chaabi won the Gold Medal in the Residential category of the ARCASIA Awards 2025, a rare recognition that has brought wider attention to his quietly experimental approach to architecture.
21 January 2026

World's 5 most liveable cities in 2025

The 2025 index ranks 173 cities based on five key categories: Stability, Healthcare, Culture & Environment, Education, and Infrastructure. To achieve a top score, a city must offer a seamless blend of safety, world-class services, and a vibrant cultural life.
21 January 2026

Wood You Consider a New Floor?

Wood-look flooring makes a room feel more inviting the moment you walk in. It softens the space, warms it visually, and feels better underfoot than hard tiles. The light is calmer, the room quieter, and the mood instantly more relaxed. As people like to say now, the positive vibes are flowing.
21 January 2026

Towards a Cashless Economy: A new lifeline for financial inclusion

In a recent conversation at the Policy Research Institute, we asked a junior office assistant earning roughly USD 200 a month where he would turn for a loan to meet an urgent economic need.
21 January 2026

Bangladesh’s LDC graduation: Why readiness is the best strategy

In recent times, the discourse around Bangladesh’s upcoming LDC graduation has primarily hovered around the issues of deferment.
21 January 2026

Facing Economy’s Looming Challenges

We are pleased to present this special anniversary supplement as part of The Daily Star’s 35th year of publication, focusing on the Bangladesh economy at a time of adjustment, reflection, and renewed possibility.
21 January 2026

The Unspoken Rules of Apartment Living in Dhaka

If you live in Dhaka, you don’t just live in a city; you live in a vertical village. Whether you are in a posh complex in Gulshan or a crammed building in Mirpur, the experience of being a "tenant" is a universal bond that unites us all.
20 January 2026

From Waste Dump to Landmark

The story begins behind an abandoned factory of the British American Tobacco company, where for years a stretch of land had served as an informal dumping ground. No one went there unless they had to. It was a forgotten place. When the owners of the adjacent property sought to redevelop the grounds, the earliest proposals were conventional: build a road, construct a checkpoint, add infrastructure for car parking
20 January 2026

The Beige Awakening

Beige, cream, oat, mushroom, and sand are shades that sit comfortably with our light, our heat, our dust, and our cultural palette. Done right, they create a pleasant, natural backdrop
20 January 2026