Impact Of Globalization On Bangladesh

In 1971, Bangladesh achieved independence from

West Pakistan. After gaining its independence, the
economy of Bangladesh grew for the first time in
decades under its newly adopted socialist policy.

Between 1975 and 1990, the economy of

Bangladesh was again diminishing. Countries such as
the U.S. and Japan made great financial contributions
to Bangladesh at this time. However, shortly after
these contributions were made, another storm
destroyed three-fourths of Bangladesh's countryside
killing and injuring over 30 million people.
Globalization invited itself into Bangladesh roughly
2 decades ago, in the 1990's. With it, globalization
brought much opportunity for the economy of
Bangladesh. Yet the results of globalization are less
promising. After the emergence of globalization in
Bangladesh, the country has experienced:
Radical social transformations
Economic transformations
Tension between tradition and technology
Dependence on other countries
Economic Transformations:
Third world country to a developing country -
Bangladesh went from being one of the eight
poorest countries in the world to a developing
country with global trade in a relatively short
period of time.
As one can imagine, this brings with it significant
economic changes. Bangladesh has encountered
trade reforms, market-based competition, anti-
monopoly policies, liberalization of foreign trade,
and changes in the banking sector. The
government has also attempted to control the
country's annual inflation rates. Overall the result
has been a significant decrease in poverty in
Bangladesh over the past decade, yet there is a
strong gap in individual financial status, leaving
less than half of the population in Bangladesh in
an impoverished state.
Yet, according to the World Bank, which is predominantly run by wealthier
countries and countries with more economic power, there is not much hope for
the economy of Bangladesh to keep expanding as it has. Why? The country
depends so much on exporting their apparel that it is at high risk of falling prey
to more powerful countries who eventually gain the capability of dictating
prices to developing countries like Bangladesh. If these countries, like
Bangladesh, fail to meet the price demands requested of them, then the more
powerful countries, such as the U.S., will discontinue purchasing their exports
and Bangladesh's leading industry would be out of business. Although, this
exploitation seems morally wrong, countries like the U.S., are the strongest
supports of outsourcing, off-shoring, and purchasing merchandise from
countries with cheaper labor.
, with facilities such as external commercial borrowing and syndicated loans.
So, when looking at strictly economic transformations in Bangladesh it appears
that there was a brief period where globalization made a positive impact on the
country. However, the majority outcome was negative. Globalization brought
new jobs, but it also brought massive amounts of exploitation into Bangladesh.
 Social Transformations
Secondly, before globalization in Bangladesh, women stayed at
home and often did agriculture/farm work to help the family;
men were the dominant work force. After globalization
emerged in Bangladesh, women became the dominant work
force. This is good right; women being allowed to work outside
of the home? This could be true, especially in countries like
the U.S. and Europe, however in Bangladesh it is not the case.
Agreeing that working women in Bangladesh is a good step,
would be a failure to recognize that women are being placed
into this new labor category because they could be exploited
more easily. Women were chosen as the work force for the
expanding apparel manufacturing industries, because women
worked for cheaper wages than men and they were more easily
controlled.
Another social transformation that has taken place in
Bangladesh as a result of globalization is human
trafficking. Once globalization came to Bangladesh, it
meant that Bangladesh was no longer relying on its own
products to sustain itself. Globalization brought with it
the opportunity for world trade. The benefit of this is that
Bangladesh could import foods and materials from other
countries that it could not produce itself. The down side
is that changes in the global economy would now impact
Bangladesh more directly, and with the global economy
declining and competition for the lowest sales prices
rising, Bangladesh is put in a very tough position, with its
citizens struggling to find work. This has made
Bangladesh a prime location for human traffickers. Now
that women were allowed to work outside the home,
they made perfect targets for these human traffickers.
 Technological Transformations
A third transformation that has taken place in Bangladesh
because of globalization is the emergence of technology.
The need for faster and improved forms of technological
development is in high demand in Bangladesh. These new
and improved technologies will be used in various locations,
one of which being in schools and universities. The new
technology and equipment is crucial for these students to
have access to in the present day, without such
technologies as computers and information systems these
students make up what is referred to as the digital divide.
Being in the digital divide and not having access or
knowledge of computers and information systems will put
Bangladesh behind other countries. Therefore, if Bangladesh
wishes to compete in a global market it is crucial that
students in grade school through college have access to
technology.
 Another location where technology is being used
is in apparel manufacturing industries. These
industries bring in technology for the workers to
use in order to be efficient. The technologies
brought into these industries are sewing
machines, various office equipment, laundry
machines, computers for tracking orders and
financial information, etc This technology is
beneficial to the workers because it reduces the
time it would take them to complete a project.
This technology is beneficial to the managers and
executives of the companies as well, because
they can track orders, finances, etc, more easily. .
 A down side to this new technology, particularly in
manufacturing industries, is that citizens of Bangladesh are
being forced into making the decision whether to carry on with
their traditional ways of life in rural farming, with less pay, or to
sacrifice their traditions and convert to technology, which gives
them a chance to make more money; with the risk of
uncertainties associated with the survival of the industry. Most
citizens are converting to technology, because they have no
other choice. Now the country is facing power surges that last
for an hour or more at a time, due to the high use of electricity
in these industries combined with the low supply of electricity.
Given that these power surges hinder production at apparel
manufacturing plants, which are the countrys primary source
of income, the country is looking into implementing a new
power policy. The new power policy will mean Bangladesh will
spend a lot of money importing foreign technologies into
Bangladesh in order to be able to compete in a global economy.
 Dependence on Other Countries:
Before globalization, Bangladesh was forced to be self sustaining. However,
after globalization emerged with its global networks, countries started to pay
more attention to one another. This attention was not merely to look for
economic prospects, but also to help other countries that were in need. In the
case of Bangladesh, globalization affected the countrys dependence in
different ways.
One of which is Bangladeshs dependence on other countries for sanitary
water. For decades, citizens of Bangladesh relied on surface water for drinking,
bathing, and watering their crops. Even into the 1970's Bengali people
obtained a majority of their drinking water by dipping into ponds, rivers, and
hand-dug wells. This water however contained bacteria that caused infection
and disease, such as cholera, to spread throughout Bangladesh; killing Bengali
citizens and making others very ill. As globalization and global knowledge
began to spread, other countries began to recognize the water problem that
Bangladesh was experiencing. In an attempt to help, organizations and relief
agencies such as the United Nations Children's Fund, the World Bank, and
Britain's Overseas Development Administration stepped in to lend a hand by
providing millions of pounds of tubewells to Bangladesh. Bangladesh was then
forced to depend on these organizations and relief agencies to implement and
maintain their tubewells, because the country could not afford to do it itself.
After the tubewells were implemented in Bangldesh, they became the
main source of water. According to the World Health Organization, there
are over 3 million tubewells in use today, providing 95% of all drinking
water in Bangladesh. However, these tubewells brought about a new
problem arsenic poisoning. After implementing tubewells in
Bangladesh, no one bothered to test the waters for contamination until
just recently, when Bengali citizens began developing debilitating marks
on their skin such as melanomas on chests and hands; white skin
blotches known as leukomelanosis; keratosis, painful warts that begin on
palms and soles and gradually cover the body; acute conjunctivitis and
breathing difficulties Results from such tests show that several
tubewells contain water that has arsenic levels of 50 ppb; which is 5
times the amount considered acceptable by the World Health
Organization. Bangladesh is now experiencing the world's largest
human poisoning. As one can imagine, this puts Bangladesh in a new
state of dependence on other countries. Bangladesh cannot afford to
provide treatments to all of its ill citizens and it cannot afford to
implement an entirely new water treatment and distribution system, so
again, Bangladesh must depend on other countries to help supply them
with funding, technology, and sanitary water.
 Another way in which Bangladesh has become increasingly
dependent on other countries as a result of globalization is through its
industries. According to an economics professor who also served as
the former Minister of Finance and Planning for the Bangladesh
government, Bangladesh must now rely on their cheap labor in
producing apparel to attract other countries to buy from them, even if
it means exploiting their women. After globalization brought new
industries and opportunities into Bangladesh, the citizens were forced
to conform and accept working in these new industries in order to
survive and provide for their families. Now apparel manufacturing and
exporting is Bangladeshs major source of income, so Bangladesh
must rely on other countries to purchase their apparel. This
dependence was not as crucial before globalization; when Bangladesh
traded goods and services throughout its own country and
occasionally with India. Additionally, Bangladesh must also rely on
other countries for imported foods, due to the shift in labor resources
from agriculture to apparel manufacturing.
At Last
Bangladesh has become entirely dependent on
other countries, meaning that Bangladesh would
not be able to sustain its population in terms of
food, water, resources, or jobs if it was removed
from the global market. This is a very poor
position for any country to be in, especially a
country like Bangladesh; which had little hope of
developing into a self-sustaining country.
Time To
Brainstorming

Challenges
Ahead
Next Class On

Urban
Governanc
e