Professor of Economics, Monash Business School, Monash University, Australia
Over the past five parts, we have examined the proposed Family Card from multiple angles. We clarified the distinction between universal and targeted design. We analyzed fiscal costs relative to GDP and the national budget. We explored macroeconomic implications for…
So far, we have examined three dimensions of the Family Card proposal: its coverage, its fiscal scale, and its macroeconomic implications. But there is another structural question — perhaps even more consequential: What happens to the existing social protection system…
Part 4: Financing the Family Card — Debt, Inflation, and the Macroeconomic Balancing Act In Part 3, we examined the fiscal arithmetic of the Family Card. Now we move from static cost to macroeconomic dynamics. The question is no longer…
After design and targeting, we reach the central structural issue: What does the Family Card mean for Bangladesh’s national budget? Good intentions do not override arithmetic. They operate within it. The Baseline Arithmetic The proposed transfer is Tk 2,500 per…
If Part 1 asked whether the Family Card is universal or targeted, Part 2 asks a harder question: If it is targeted — even partially — how would eligibility actually be determined? In public debate, targeting sounds simple: “Give it…
Why This Matters The proposed Family Card program could represent the largest shift in social policy in Bangladesh’s history. At Tk 2,500 per month for around 40 million households, the annual cost would be approximately Tk 1.2 trillion—close to 2…
In the recent national election, the government pledged to introduce a “Family Card” that would provide Tk 2,500 per month to households across Bangladesh. The promise resonated widely — a recognition that for millions of families, economic uncertainty remains a…