Issam

Economist @FCDOgovUK; Formerly @DFID_UK: @HMTreasury; @bigd_bracu; @worldbank

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@tom_sasse @the_nazmul Where's the Bangladesh reserve data from? It has $30bn in reserves and the monthly import bill is around $5.3bn. So reserves cover more than 5 months' of imports

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@muktadirnewage How much market share do the big egg producers have? How many eggs are produced daily?

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@TheDavidBergman $156bn is not excessive relative to Bangladesh's economy. It is rational to invest in infrastructure at this stage of development. The problem is that the spending was very inefficient & often wasteful. We could have gotten a lot more infra for this money.

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@srajagopalan I like your podcast but this is not a good take at all. Yunus only took over on Thursday night & vowed to stop the violence. Look up how people are collectively guarding temples all night. Lots of fake news, which The Wire had exposed https://t.co/sZ7vSdhoI3

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@pseudoerasmus Govt jobs are the only way for young people from lower middle class backgrounds to achieve social status. Manufacturing employment remained flat (12m) over the last decade....White collar service sector is very small & underdeveloped, unlike in India.

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@rglenner Hope you get your passport back soon. Btw, you can get visa on arrival at Dhaka airport. You just need an invitation letter.

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@AkhtarM1956 You're being diplomatic. Inspections are not ok. It's code for strong arm tactics against small traders. Officials misunderstand markets & prices & their role in it. You're right about wanting clicks and views. But it doesn't benefit consumers.

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@scepticalranil @threadreaderapp unroll

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@RufusTD No one seems to complain about inflation. Any insights? Have incomes adjusted?

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@mizanrsharif Equally true for product markets that have many buyers & sellers...eggs, rice, coconut, meat, vegetables. Price ceilings (if effective) ⬆️ demand and ⬇️ supply, leading to a shortage.

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@atonurabbani

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@dinasfoodstory It's almost all tourist traps in Sultanahmet. Eat in Beyoglu.

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@RufusTD Haven't seen many complaints about inflation in the last six months. Have incomes adjusted up?

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@AkhtarM1956 Why do economic policymakers in the subcontinent distrust markets and prices so much?

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@AbirHasanYPF Evidently very difficult to master management when deliverimg at scale

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@absidd Schengen visa is a pain compared to US & UK. Have you tried writing a cover letter requesting longer validity? Apply for Schengen next time you are in Dhaka. You're likely to get a 12-18 month visa from here.

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@AbirHasanYPF Same reason why high import duty on cars doesn't discourage car use in Dhaka. The marginal cost of car use is quite low - cheap CNG, free parking

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@AbirHasanYPF Great that GoB is moving forwards with carbon taxes. Positive sign of intent. But also important to figure out what difference this policy will make. My prior is one of skepticism. A lump sum tax doesn't change the marginal cost of car usage so consumer behaviour won't change.

[Issam @1ssam_m]

@palettefm_bot colorize this photo