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Bangladesh is a country in transition. It is
entering the global marketplace and working to
develop its rural areas. To be successful, it
needs young professionals who understand market
dynamics and the effects of trade and liberalization
policies.
Anwarul Hoque is helping to meet that need. "As
a Bangladeshi expatriate, who once sat in the
same classrooms as these students, I felt I could
play a strong role in career, dissertation and
theses guidance, as well as policy dialogue,"
he says.
A naturalized American citizen, Hoque is an agricultural
economist in the USDA Economic Research Service,
specializing in a variety of areas, including
international trade and finance and trade liberalization
policies in agriculture. He is on the faculty
of the USDA Graduate School in Washington, DC.
He spent nine months as a Fulbrighter at the Bangladesh
Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) University
in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where he taught undergraduate
courses in international economics-international
trade and international finance. "The material
was timely," he says, "since the upcoming
World Trade Organization conference in Cancun
has created a lot of interest in Bangladesh."
Along with teaching, Hoque organized a weeklong
workshop on research methodology for 30 junior
faculty. With Hoque's help, many began developing
research proposals and conducting investigations.
The university is now building a research apparatus
into its system and plans to publish a research
journal.
Hoque also conducted his own research. One study
looked at empirically linking the impact of trade
reform on poverty alleviation, with Bangladesh
as a case study. He presented a paper on the subject,
which is being published in the BU Journal.
A second study examined the unique aspects of
Bangladesh's rural development programs. "Many
new ideas have evolved for developing rural areas
in Bangladesh and have brought accolades from
around the world," he says. "However,
little has been written about them. I plan to
write a book about these achievements." Hoque
also presented a paper at two seminars in India.
Part of Hoque's research involved visits to BRAC's
rural development projects. He witnessed villages
carrying out a variety of activities for poor,
rural women, such as discussing non-traditional
methods of generating income, with small amounts
borrowed from microlenders, and learning their
legal rights concerning divorce, child support
and voting. His most memorable visit, however,
was to a lemon orchard. The farmer there had started
with only two saplings. He now has a two-acre
orchard and is considered wealthy. These activities
gave Hoque great hope for the alleviation of poverty
in Bangladesh.
Hoque's wife, Naseem, accompanied him on the
grant. While there she evaluated the BRAC childcare
program at the request of its director. Naseem
Hoque is the childcare director of a Maryland
branch of the YMCA.
"My experience was wonderful," Anwarul
Hoque says. "I developed excellent relationships
with everyone at the university. They accepted
me wholeheartedly, and as the first Fulbright
Scholar at the university, I earned respect from
all concerned."
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--J. William Fulbright |
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