Local Governance and Political Reform Keys to Poverty Reduction

Badiul Alam Majumdar was born in February 1946 in Comilla, Bangladesh. He received his early education at Laksam High School, Nawab Faizunnessa College. He received his Master's degree from Dhaka University in 1968. He received a Master of Business Economics (M.B.E.) from Claremont Graduate School and a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Economics from Case Western Reserve University, USA. He was a Lecturer at Dhaka University in 1969-70. He also taught at Seattle University, Central Washington University and Washington State University during 197691. In addition, he worked for NASA and the Saudi Royal Family. He came back to Bangladesh in 1991, resigning a full professorship in America, In 1993, Dr. Majumdar became the Country Director of The Hunger Project-Bangladesh. In 2003, he was made a Vice President of The Global Hunger Project. He also serves on the Advisory Board of Transparency International Bangladesh. He briefly served on the Board of Governors of BARD. In 2007, he was made a member of the Committee set up by the Caretaker Government to strengthen local governance. Dr. Majumdar is a civil society activist. He has published several books and many articles in international journals. He has presented papers before many professional societies, including the American Economic Association and the Canadian Economic Association. He also lectures widely. Dr. Majumdar himself and the civil society organization he helped found - SHUJAN (Citizens for Good Governance) - have catalyzed a movement for major systemic and institutional reforms in order to help achieve fair elections, democratic consolidation, and transparent and accountable governance in Bangladesh. He and his organization also articulated bold and specific reform ideas, including the disclosure of antecedents of candidates to facilitate the movement. In fact, he played a pivotal role in the democratic transition that took place in Bangladesh through the national elections held in 2008. Dr. Majumdar is a popular columnist. His writings on many critical national issues are published regularly in major dailies of Bangladesh.