Thinking Aloud: Volume VIII, Issue 2: July 2021

The July 2021 issue of Thinking Aloud focuses on “COVID-19 Recovery: Contexts and Priorities”. The first page article titled “COVID-19 Recovery: Contexts and Priorities in Bangladesh” emphasizes that an effective recovery process requires a better understanding of the COVID contexts and setting the priorities right. In the context of Bangladesh, the article highlights that a few areas need to be prioritised to deal with the situation. First, the availability of effective vaccines and the vaccination of mass people is critical for sustained recovery. At the same time, the enforcement of the rules and regulations related to hygiene practices is vital. Second, an assessment is needed to understand the challenges and constraints in implementing the stimulus packages to re-design and re-target these packages. Third, the scopes and allocations of the government’s social protection programs for the old and new poor need to be expanded. Fourth, the government should introduce relevant social protection programmes in line with the ongoing labour market challenges, especially in urban areas. Fifth, the economy requires some critical reforms in the policies and programmes in areas of taxation and financial sector. Finally, the current situation demands a departure from the conventional notions. The new reality requires an effective action plan for economic and social recoveries. The third and fourth pages of this issue narrate the synopsis of the 2nd SANEM International Development Conference (SIDC) 2021 on “COVID-19 Recovery: Contexts and Priorities”, held virtually from 17 to 19 June 2021. The convener of the conference was Dr Selim Raihan. The conference started with a paper presentation session on trade and macroeconomics, followed by the keynote presentation titled “Coping with Bad Shocks: Lessons from Growth Dynamics”, and another paper presentation session focusing on the pandemic impacts on public health. The second day of the conference opened with a special paper presentation session, authored by the students across South Asia, followed by a panel discussion on the pandemic from a gender perspective. Another paper presentation session on trade and macroeconomics, and a panel discussion probing into the pandemic contexts and recovery prospects from South Asian perspective, constituted the rest of the day. The concluding day of the conference hosted two consecutive paper presentation sessions focusing on labour market challenges, and poverty, inequality and development challenges, followed by a panel discussion delving into the COVID-19 recovery process from the developing countries’ perspectives. The fourth page illustrates the snapshots from the 2nd SIDC 2021.