Dr. Monzur Hossain

Research Director

Profile

Monzur Hossain obtained his Ph.D. in International Economics in March 2007 from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), Tokyo, Japan. His area of interest mainly concentrates on the macro-financial domain, with an extensive research focus on evaluating and analyzing development interventions and economic policies. In particular, his core areas of interest are macroeconomics, international economics and financial economics. He also has an interest in some emerging development issues pertaining to SME development, ICTs and knowledge economy, green finance and renewable energy. He has served as a team leader in numerous professional research projects. He served as a consultant for the UNDP, ADB, UNCTAD, EU, World Bank, JICA, International Growth Center (London School of Economics), etc. Before joining BIDS in 2008, he worked for Bangladesh Bank (central bank), Asian Development Bank Institute, Tokyo, and taught Economics in some leading public and private universities in Bangladesh. 

 He has held several visiting positions, such as Visiting Scholar at Graduate School of International Development, Nagoya University, Japan (in 2010) and visiting Research Fellow at IDE-JETRO, Japan (from January-March, 2020). Currently, he is a member of the Executive Board of the American Committee on Asian Economic Studies (acaes.us). He is a member of the Editorial Board of the journal "Bangladesh Development Studies" and the "International Journal of SME Development." He also serves as a member of various committees of the government of Bangladesh under different Ministries and institutions.

 Dr. Hossain has published extensively in internationally accredited journals, including Economic Modelling, Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Applied Economics Letters, Journal of Asian Economics,  Local Government Studies, Asian Economic Papers, Bangladesh Development Studies, and so on. He also has to his credit numerous other publications in the forms of research reports and edited books. He recently edited a book titled "Bangladesh's Macroeconomic Policy," published by Palgrave Macmillan in February 2020, and a book titled "Digital Transformation and Economic Development in Bangladesh" is forthcoming from Palgrave Macmillan. He presented papers at many national and international academic conferences held in the USA, UK, Japan, Finland, Singapore, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, China, Hong Kong, and other countries. 


Area of Specialization

Primary interests: Macroeconomics, International Trade and Finance (Trade, Regional Integration, Exchange Rate, Aid Effectiveness, Capital Flows), Financial Economics (Banking and Finance), Applied Econometrics 


Secondary Interests: Development Economics--SME, ICT, Mobile Telephone, RMG; Local Government Finance, Impact Evaluation

Highlights:
I have been appointed by the Ministry of Finance as a member of the Board of Directors and General Body of the Social Development Foundation for 3 years 



Publications

Newspaper Op-Eds (The Business Standard): https://www.tbsnews.net/author/monzur-hossain


New Paper on Sustainable SME Financing Strategy (Open Access):

Sustainable Financing Strategies for the SMEs: Two Alternative Models

Journal: Sustainability, https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/11/8488

ADBI Working Paper (January 2022):
Newly Published Book (2022):
Digital Transformation and Economic Development in Bangladesh: Rethinking Digitalization Strategies for Leapfrogging, Palgrave Macmillan (September, 2022). Please visit publisher's website or Amazon if you want to buy the book.


EDITED BOOK (2020):
 Bangladesh's Macroeconomic Policy: Trends, Determinants and Impact, Palgrave Macmillan, February 2020
https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9789811512438

Please see some endorsements by the eminent economists and scholars on the book:
https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-15-1244-5#reviews

A good read to understand Bangladesh's Macroeconomy, Prof. Abdul Bayes, The Business Standard, September 4, 2020 
https://tbsnews.net/feature/book-review/good-read-understand-bangladeshs-macroeconomy-128146

Journal Articles
  1. Sustainable Financing Strategies for SMEs: Two Alternative Models, (with N. Yoshino and K. Tsubota), Sustainability (MDPI), Vol. 15, Issue 11, 2023.
  2. MSMEs Distress in COVID-19 Pandemic in Bangladesh: An Analysis of the Stimulus Package Design and Implementation Options, International Journal of SME Development, Issue 15, 2022, SME Foundation, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  3. Mobile phones, household welfare, and women's empowerment: evidence from rural off-grid regions of Bangladesh. (with Hussain Samad), Vol 27, 2021, Information Technology for Development (Taylor & Francis) 2020
  4. Enhancing financial connectivity between Asia and Europe: Implications for infrastructure convergence between the two regions, (with Yoshino and Taghizadeh-Hesary), Asian Economic Papers, 19(2), 2020, MIT Press
  5. Optimal branching strategy, local financial development and SMEs performance, (with Yoshino and Taghizadeh-hesary), Economic Modelling, Vol. 96 (2021), (421-432)
  6. Default risk, moral hazard and market-based solution: Evidence from renewable energy market in Bangladesh,  (with Yoshino and Taghizadeh-Hesary), Economic Modelling, Vol. 95, pp: 498-499 (February, 2021) 
  7. Does Democratic Local Governance facilitate Local Economic Development? Evidence from Bangladesh, Local Government Studies, (Taylor&Francis, Routledge, U.K.), Vol. 45, Issues 6, 2019 (with P.K. Roy)
  8. Financial Reforms and Persistently High Interest Rate Spread in Bangladesh: Pitfalls in Institutional Development?  Journal of Asian Economics (Elsevier), Vol23, Issue 4, August, 201
  9. International Monetary Arrangements for the 21st Century-Which Way? Journal of the Japanese and International Economies (Elsevier; USA), Vol 24, No. 2, pp. 56-70, June 2011
  10. Exchange Rate Regime Transition Dynamics in Southeast Asia, Journal of Developing Areas, Vol.45, Tennessee State University, U.S.A, 2011
  11. Institutional Development and the Choice of Exchange Rate Regime: A Cross-country Analysis, the Journal of the Japanese and International Economies (Elsevier; USA),Vol 23, No. 1, pp. 56-70, March 2009
  12. Divergence from de jure Currency Regime: A Stochastic Process of Learning, Applied Economics Letters(Taylor & Francis, UK), Vol. 16, Issue 5, pp. 475-479, March 2009.
  13. Can Japan avert any future banking crisis? Applied Economics Letters (Taylor & Francis, UK), Vol. 12, No. 7, pp. 425-429, June, 2005
  14. Estimates of Per Capita Consumption of Food Grains in Bangladesh (with Mohammad Yunus), Bangladesh Development Studies, Vol. XXXIX, No. 1-2, June 2016
  15. Capital Flows to Least Developed Countries: What Matters? Bangladesh Development Studies, Vol. XXXVIII, No. 2, June 2015
  16. Mis-targeting and Mis-using Microecredit in Livestock Development Projects in Bangladesh (with KaziIqbal and Kazi Ali Toufique),  Bangladesh Development Studies, Vol. XXXIV, No. 3, September 2011
  17. Productivity and Performance of IT Sector in Bangladesh: Evidence from the Firm-level Data, Bangladesh Development Studies, Vol. XXXIV, No. 2, June 2011 (with Naoko Shinkai)
  18. Asset Price Bubble and Banks: The Case of Japan, Bangladesh Development Studies, Vol. XXXIV, No. 1, March 2011 (with Farhana Rafiq)
  19.  Do Currency Regime and developmental Stage Matter for Real exchange Rate Volatility? A Cross-country Analysis, Bangladesh Development Studies, Vol. XXXIII, No. 4, December 2010
  20. An Assessment of Exchange Rate Policy under Floating Regime in Bangladesh, Bangladesh Development Studies, Vol. XXXII, No. 4, December 2009 (with Mansur Ahmed)
  21. On the IMF Stabilization Program in Bangladesh. The Empirical Economics Letters, Volume 4, Number 4, pp. 247-260, July 2005
  22. Application of Local Influence Diagnostics to the linear logistic regression models. Dhaka University Journal of Science, Vol. 51, No. 2, pp. 269-278, July 2003. (with M. Ataharul Islam)
  23. Testing the significance of local influence, Journal of Statistical Research, Vol. 36, No. 1, 2002 (June), pp-85-97. (with M. Ataharul Islam)
  24. Development of Non Bank Financial Institutions to Strengthen the Financial System of Bangladesh.    "Bank Parikrama"- A journal of banking and finance of BIBM, Vol. XXVII, No. 1, March 2002 (with Md.  Shahiduzzaman)

Contributed BOOK Chapters

1. "Covid-19, Fintech, and the Recovery of Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises: Evidence from Bangladesh," in Fintech and COVID-19: Impacts, Challenges and Policy Priorities in Asia, ADBI, Tokyo, Eds. John Beirne, James Villafuerte, and Bryan Zhang, 2022 

2. "Implementing Land Trust in Bangladesh as a Strategy for Financing Infrastructure and sustainable Land Management" in  Equitable Land Use for Asian Infrastructure, Brookings Institution Press, USA, Eds. Tiwari, P., Stillman, G. and Yoshino, N. (with Naoyuki Yoshino), 2020

3. "State-owned Enterprises and Cluster-Based Industrialization: Evidence from Bangladesh", in Reforming State-Owned Enterprises in Asia, Springer, Singapore, Eds.  Taghizadeh-Hesary, F., Yoshino, N., Kim, C.J., Kim, K. (Eds.), 2021

4. "Green financing in Bangladesh: Barriers and Solutions" in Handbook of Green Finance--Energy Security and Sustainable Development; Eds: Jeffrey Sachs, Woo Wing Thye, Y. Yoshino and Farhad T., Springer, 2019.

5. "Whither Aid in Bangladesh?" with Sultan Hafeez Rahman in Ahmed, Alamgir, Mujeri and Rahman (eds) "Bangladesh: Vision 2030" published by Bangladesh Economists' Forum. 2015

6. "Global Commodity Price Volatility and Domestic Price Inflation: Impact on the Performance of the Financial Sector in Bangladesh" in Mujeri and Mahmud (eds.) Adjusting to Global Economic Volatility : The Case of South Asia(Chapter-6) 2014, Academic Foundation, New Delhi (With FarhanaRafiq)

 7.  "Integration of ICT Industries and Its Impact on Trade and Market Access: The Case of Bangladesh and India in Rahman, Brunner and Khatri (eds), Regional Integration and Economic Development in South Asia, Edward Elgar, 2012 (with Naoko Shinkai, M. Yunus and ZaidBakht)


Contributed to Policy Documents:
1. Strategies for External Resource Mobilization and Action Plan--A policy document prepared for the Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Finance, 2017
2. National Strategy for the Development of SMEs in Bangladesh--A policy document prepared for the Ministry of Industries, Bangladesh, 2016 
3. Improving Land Administration and Management in Bangladesh--A background paper prepared for the 7th Five Year Plan, Ministry of Planning, Govt. of Bangladesh, 2015
4. "Financial Sector Development in Bangladesh"--A background paper prepared for the Sixth Five Year Plan, 2010
5. "SMEs Development in Bangladesh with Emphasis on Policy Constraints and Financing"  Background paper prepared for the Sixth Five Year Plan, Ministry of Planning, Govt. of Bangladesh, 2010; (with Nabiul Islam and Salma C. Zohir)

6. Trade Policies and Pattern in Bangladesh--A policy brief prepared for the IFPRI, 2013. 



Contact Details

  • Telephone: 880-2-58160450 (Office)
  • Email: monzur@bids.org.bd
  • PABX Extn: 880-2-9143441-8 (275)

Social Network Profiles