BD needs diversifying economy beyond textiles: Ex-Greek minister

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UNB, Dhaka :
A former Minister of Greece, Professor Dr. Louka T. Katseli suggested Bangladesh to diversify its economy beyond textiles and pursue active industrial policies by undertaking governance and institutional reforms.
She made the suggestion while delivering a lecture on ‘Recent Fiscal and Labour Market Adjustment Experience in Europe: Lessons for the Low-Income Countries’ at a function at Lake Shore Hotel in the city on Tuesday.
Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) organised the function marking its 20th founding anniversary with CPD chairman Dr. Rehman Sobhan in the chair.
CPD distinguished fellow Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya and executive director Dr. Mustafizur Rahman also spoke at the function which was attended by politicians, academia and researchers.
Dr Louka T. Katseli, also a former director of the OECD Development Centre, said Bangladesh also requires building public-private sector partnership for development and mobilising development assistance, trade and domestic taxes to finance infrastructure, and other specific enablers.
In her long deliberations, she described how and why Greece experienced the economic recession and what sort of economic help extended to the historic nation by the European Union, and also what kind of efforts are being made to return from the recession.
Dr. Katseli said presently, the common challenges for the global economy are promoting growth, investment and employment generation.
She observed that combating unemployment rates, increasing poverty and inequality under limited degrees of freedom, as well as improving governance and upholding democratic institutions have been another challenge for the nations in the context of growing political segregation and lack of confidence in governments.
The former Minister of Greece said policy coherence across fiscal, industrial and social policies is needed if employment creation, social inclusion and fiscal sustainability is to be promoted.
Referring to a European survey, she said 66 percent respondents declare that ‘the citizen’s voice does not count’.
Giving her focus on checking tax evasion, Dr. Katseli said that as per a survey, approximately US$ 7.6 trillion – 8 percent of the world’s personal financial wealth – is stashed in tax heavens.
If all this illegally hidden money were properly recorded and taxed, global tax revenues would increase by more than US$ 200 billion a year, she said.
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