COMPARATIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: PAKISTAN AND BANGLADESH

CASE STUDY ANALYSIS

I. SUMMARY OF THE CASE

It was in the year 1971 when Bangladesh declared independence from Pakistan. Formerly,
Bangladesh was known as East Pakistan, and what is now Pakistan was the West Pakistan. Even
though these countries are more than 1000 miles apart, they were both part of a single country
where economic and political power concentrated on West Pakistan. Additionally, these two
aforementioned countries shared a common national policy in the early years, even if benefits were
not divided equally. In 2012, Pakistan and Bangladesh had similar population. An estimation of
180 million people were in Pakistan, while 153 million were in Bangladesh. They are both located
in the South Asian region, overwhelmingly Islamic, and were both once part of the colonial British
Raj of India. Bangladesh, though still very poor and afflicted, has been transforming itself from a
symbol of famine to a symbol of hope. Others would refer Bangladesh as a “test case for
development”, which means that if it could happen to Bangladesh, it could happen anywhere. The
following facts are also present in the study:
 From 2000 to 2011, GDP growth in Pakistan averaged 4.9%, with population growth
of 1.8%, per capita GDP growth was about 3.1%. On the other hand, Bangladesh GDP
growth average was 6%, with population growth of 1.3%, per capita GDP growth was
about 4.7 %, substantially outpacing Pakistan. Indicators would suggest that Pakistan
has experienced much less pro-poor growth in comparison with Bangladesh.
 According to the World Bank 2013 WDI reports, 23% of the population in Pakistan
lives below the $1.25 per-day poverty line in Pakistan, compared with 51% in
Bangladesh. However, poverty progress has been impressive in the Bangladesh, and
income of the poorest are rising. When aspects of poverty broader than income are
considered, both countries received much more similar scores on the UNDP’s 2010
multidimensional index.
 According to UNESCO, in Pakistan during 2011, the female literacy rate was just 40%
and male literacy rate was 69% for those 15 years old and older. Although female literacy rate was not
higher in Bangladesh, it is clearly better in Pakistan by both
absolute and relative standards. In the same year with the same age bracket, Bangladesh
literacy rate for female was 53% and 62% for male.
 According to 2012 Population Reference Bureau, life expectancy in Bangladesh was
69 years while 65 years in Pakistan. Since 1990, the prevalence of child malnutrition
in Bangladesh has fallen from two-thirds to less than half.
 Bangladesh has made greater progress compared to Pakistan in reducing fertility.
According to 2013 WDI data, fertility in Bangladesh has fallen to 2.2 by 2011, while
in Pakistan was 3.3.
 According to the 2013 Social Watch Report, Bangladesh received a gender equity index
ranking of 0.55, much higher than the Pakistan score of just 0.29.
 The military has always played a prominent role in Pakistan, and from 1999 to 2008,
the nation was governed by a military ruler, General Pervez Musharraf. Pakistan’s
long-standing rivalry with India and territorial dispute with it over Kashmir since 1947
have diverted resources as well as government attention from social priorities while
reinforcing the influence of the military.
 Although the military was very active in Bangladeshi politics for nearly two decades
after independence in 1971, the military’s relative withdrawal from politics and
government after 1990 probably has been a factor in the country’s subsequent progress.
 The 2012 Corruption Perceptions Index, Transparency International gave an essentially
equally poor score (out of a possible 100) to the two countries, with 27 for Pakistan and
only 26 for Bangladesh.
 In Pakistan, there is a failure of governance and the consistent domination of political
power and state apparatus by a narrowly based elite seeking to advance private and
family interests to the exclusion of the majority. Pakistan has exhibited these
characteristics since independence and this combination of strong autocratic leaders, a
pliant bureaucracy, and a subservient population made it possible for the benefits of
growth to be unequally distributed and concentrated. the ruling elites found it
convenient to perpetuate low literacy rates. The lower the proportion of literate people,
the lower the probability that the ruling elite could be replaced.

II. PROBLEM/S OF THE CASE

1. How to increase, maintain, and equalize Pakistan’s literacy rate to both male and
female aged 15 years old and above?
2. How to reduce fertility in Pakistan for the next succeeding years?