Since independence in 1971 to the end of the 1990s, Bangladesh's record in social development, poverty reduction and economic growth has been very impressive. This paper critically examines the role of policies and institutions in achieving the impressive development outcomes. More recently, there has been some weakening of the momentum of growth and some slackening of the progress in social development. The paper highlights the importance of improving the quality of institutions and governance in order to consolidate the developmental gains of the past decades and work towards further progress.
