The role of exports in fuelling continued growth in Bangladesh

A recent report in the Wall Street Journal observes that Bangladesh's economic growth, while stellar of late, lags behind that of much faster growing economies like Cambodia and Vietnam. It highlights the overt reliance of Bangladesh on ready-made garments (RMG) in fuelling its export growth and the palpable absence of exposure to regional trading blocks such as the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the like. We aim to shed further light on the primacy of exports in fuelling continued growth of output per capita and the policy framework compatible with this goal.