The Bangladesh gender gap in education : biased intra-household educational expenditures

By investigating the educational expenditure of children over the ten years (2000 to 2010), we evaluate whether there exists any gender specific discrepancy at the household level and the trend of such discrepancy over the years. Using three rounds of nationally representative Household Income & Expenditure Surveys this study reveals that households spend less on education for their school-going girls compared to boys. By disaggregating the total expenditure into fixed and variable components, we find persistent gender imbalance in educational expenditure where households provide better quality of education for boys. Moreover, we find that gender based discrepancy has a very persistent trend and does not show any significant sign of narrowing the gap over the years. Cohort wise difference-in-difference estimation also reveals that the gap has initially widened and later converged but has not diminished beyond the initial level of discrepancy, which may warrant targeted policy intervention

Crafting a Graduation Pathway for the Ultra Poor

The ultra poor are caught in a below-subsistence trap from which it is difficult for them to break free using available resources and mechanisms. Time is not an ally for the ultra poor, as things generally do not get better for them over time. More often than not, ultra poverty tends to be chronic and intergenerational. Existing development approaches largely do not work for the ultra poor and consequently, they tend to be left out. The ultra poor rely largely on informal charities, having its own rules of inclusion and exclusion based on complex systems of patronage.ultra poor, poverty, development approaches, innovative approach,half empty stomach

Impact Assessment of CFPR/TUP: A Descriptive Analysis Based on 2002-2005 Panel Data

This paper looks at the overall performance of the CFPR/TUP programme using the 2002 baseline survey and 2005 repeat survey. All the topics covered in this study could be analysed more deeply, but that is beyond the scope of this paper. Our goal here is to present a descriptive overview of the changes in the lives of the ultra poor. More information on programme selection, the surveys and the methodology is presented in the following section. As an analytical guide for inter-connecting the several programme components to livelihoods improvement, we used the sustainable livelihoods framework. The following section is a broad examination of the characteristics of the ultra poor as structured by the model into various asset groups. Then we examined how various shocks and vulnerabilities could have affected the households’ asset base. Next, we look at what strategies the ultra-poor seem to have followed in three years to improve their livelihoods – changes in income earning activities and migration. We examined the livelihood outcomes for the ultra poor looking at household income, food security, reduced vulnerabilities and shelter.[Working Paper No.12]assesst, performance, analysed, programme selection, livelihoods improvement, ultra poor, vulnerabilities, household income, food security, shelter, earnings, migration, occupations, credit, savings, malnutrition, poverty, poor, microfinance, villages, participants, housing, Bangladesh

An Adaptive Governance and Health System Response for the Covid-19 Emergency

In the absence of an efficacious and affordable vaccine, the current crisis of COVID-19 is likely to be a long drawn one for many developing countries. In Bangladesh, where the entire population is susceptible and strict lockdown has been relaxed (as of May 31st 2020) due to concerns over saving livelihoods, the best available resources and capacities in the country have to be mobilized for an integrated and adaptive response strategy. In this paper we argue that a suitable response strategy for a country with highly constrained health system, must consider how response components will be delivered at scale, along with what can be delivered. In order to save maximum number of lives, an optimal strategy will be one that is able to iteratively select the most feasible set of health response and the network of organizations that can deliver most effectively at scale. This might require thinking outside of the conventional vertical network of public health system. Given its history of high-capacity non-government organizations in Bangladesh, it is likely that there are multiple alternative horizontal network options for delivering any set of response interventions. In fact many horizontal networks are already actively engaged in COVID-19 response work. The goal should be to identify and coordinate these networks, create new networks, and embed mechanisms for scaling up what works and scaling down what does not work. For a rapidly escalating and unpredictable crisis such as COVID-19, an adaptive response strategy is needed which allows for old and new networks of organizations to align and work collectively with minimum loss of lives

Potential role of Albizia lebbeck and Emblica officinalis on smooth muscle contractions in experimental animal models

Background and objective: Spasms are involuntary muscular contractions commonly seen frequently. This study used isolated tissue preparations to test the efficacy of Albizia lebbeck (A.L) and Emblica officinalis (E.O) extracts for spasmolytic activity. Materials and methods: The herbal extracts were tested in isolated guinea pig ileum, rat uterus, rat fundus, and rabbit jejunum. Histamine was used as spasmogen in guinea pig ileum, while 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) was in rat uterus and rat fundus. Spontaneous contractions' amplitude and frequency were recorded in the rabbit jejunum after administering herbal extracts. The influence of the extracts on smooth muscle contraction was calculated and statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA. The P value was kept at <0.05 for all statistical analyses to consider it significant. Results: Observation from the present study indicated that A.L significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced the contraction induced by histamine and 5-HT in guinea pig ileum (50 mcg/ml) and rat fundus (150 mcg/ml), respectively. In the rabbit jejunum, the amplitude and frequency of contraction were significantly (p < 0.05) reduced at 500 mcg/ml. E.O. was found to suppress the spasmogenic (histamine and 5-HT) at doses beyond 150 mcg/ml and, in rabbit jejunum, enhanced the amplitude and frequency of contraction at 50 and 150 mcg/ml. The IC50 values for E.O. in guinea pig ileum, rat uterus, and rat fundus were 35.2, 50.3, and 124.7 mcg/ml, respectively. Conclusion: The observation suggests that A.L enhanced smooth muscle contraction in the presence of known spasmogens and reduced it in the absence. Opposite effects were found for E.O., where it reduced contraction in the presence of spasmogens and increased in the absence. These findings suggest potential spasmogenic/spasmolytic activities of the tested extracts

New Thiazole Acetic Acid Derivatives: A Study to Screen Cardiovascular Activity Using Isolated Rat Hearts and Blood Vessels

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the major causes of mortalities worldwide. In the present research, new synthetic derivatives of thiazole were studied using isolated hearts and blood vessels of rats. The heart and thoracic aorta were tested with six new synthesized thiazole acetic acid derivatives (SMVA-10, SMVA-35, SMVA-40, SMVA-41, SMVA-42 and SMVA-60), and the data obtained were statistically analyzed and compared. Isolated rat hearts were used to record the changes in developed tension and heart rate, while thoracic aortas were used to measure the contractile response, before and after treatments. Analysis of the results indicated a significant (p p p < 0.01) reduced. Furthermore, only SMVA-42 induced a dose-dependent contractile response in the isolated blood vessel, which was abolished in the presence of prazosin. Therefore, it can be concluded that some of the new synthesized thiazole derivatives exhibited promising results by raising the developed tension without changing the heart rate or blood vessel function, which could be helpful in failing heart conditions. However, more research is required to fully comprehend the function, mechanism and effectiveness of the compounds