BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), BRAC University organised a webinar to commemorate eminent economist and former caretaker government advisor Dr Akbar Ali Khan on Thursday.
The webinar, titled "Dynamics of Statecraft, Governance Reform & Public Intellectualism in Bangladesh: The Legacy of Dr Akbar Ali Khan", was joined by scholars and colleagues who have known Dr Khan for decades and are familiar with his work and research.
The panelists spoke about Dr Khan’s years of commitment to public service with a fierce sense of integrity and honesty. They also reflected his dynamic professional career as a teacher, bureaucrat, freedom fighter, policymaker, writer, and public intellectual, all of which revolved around the fundamental principles of advancing the public.
Dr Khan was the architect of BIGD’s unique Masters in Governance and Development programme, launched in 2005. Dr Khan conceived and designed the programme to instil a people-centered and scholarship-oriented entrepreneurial bureaucratic leadership in mid-level public bureaucrats.
Dr Mirza M. Hassan, senior research fellow, BIGD, delivered a trigger presentation on the intellectual legacy of Dr Khan.
The presentation focused on various concepts, analytical approaches, and theories that Dr Khan frequently used to reflect on Bangladeshi statecraft, governance reform, and many other topics. He said, "Dr Khan employed various concepts, analytical approaches, and theories to reflect on the critical areas of development, state-society relationship, and governance reform."
M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan, former cabinet secretary, and senior advisor BIGD, chaired the session.
Renowned economist and Chairman, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Professor Rehman Sobhan, Dr Asif Shahan, Associate Professor, Department of Development Studies, University of Dhaka, Dr Syed Akhtar Mahmood, former lead private sector specialist, World Bank Group, Dr Ahrar Ahmad, director general, Gyantapas Abdur Razzaq Foundation and Professor Rounaq Jahan, distinguished fellow, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), among others, also spoke on the occasion.
