In a snapshot, Bangladesh has been doing well with the help of BRAC. The overall poverty rate headcount is down from 52 percent to 40 percent in about 15 years. Economic growth has been steady between 5-6 percent over this time. Democracy, leading to rapid recovery from disasters and investing in infrastructure. However, despite this progress, 36 percent of the rural population remains in chronic poverty. 

This presentation is based on AMA Innovation Lab projects for the Poverty Traps Conference. This conference is a gathering point for USAID and other development assistant agencies to connect the poor to economic growth.

This presentation was presented by David Hulme from Brooks World Poverty Institute on February 26, 2009 at Washington, DC.