Imranul Ahsan Moonim Trade policy researcher. Teaching Assistant, School of General Education, BRAC University.
The goal is to turn market access into real integration in global value chains.
I am an early-career academic at BRAC University, currently co-teaching Emergence of Bangladesh and Community Engagement and Action. My research looks at international trade policy for least developed countries.
I am interested in a simple problem: many of these countries have gained access to global markets and raised their export volumes, yet keep only a small share of the value they help create. I study which trade instruments can change that.
I hold a Bachelor of Social Science in Economics, with a minor in International Development, from BRAC University. I am a published author in economics, and have presented at conferences such as Revisiting Institutions and Incentives, a conference by BIPED, and the National SDG Report. Outside research, I run workshops and one-to-one sessions for students on trade policy, history and civic leadership.
200+
student consultations in a semester
7
workshops conducted
3
conferences and policy forums
Access lets a country sell. Integration decides how much of the sale it keeps.
Most trade preferences for least developed countries are volume-linked. If goods qualify, they enter duty-free, and the benefit grows with how much is shipped. That has raised exports. It has not, on its own, raised the share of value created at home. My work asks what a value-linked instrument would look like: one that keeps entry simple but rewards a rising share of domestic value.
An initial investigation into rules of origin, graduation rules, export incentives and safeguards, starting with Bangladesh's garment sector.
Read the essayA case study of how Bangladesh's garment industry stays globally competitive on volume despite weak logistics and infrastructure, and the strategy options for staying competitive.
Working paper, SSRN
Read on SSRNA peer-reviewed paper on leisure time and mental health among 100 working-class Bangladeshis. It finds a threshold relationship between leisure and well-being.
BRAC University Students' Economics Journal, Vol. 1, Issue 1
Visit the journalWith living costs rising faster than wages, Bangladesh needs a regularly published national Consumer Confidence Index to track how households see their situation.
ICE Business Times
Read the articleAn opinion piece on what the end of the TRIPS waiver means for Bangladesh's medicine exports and prices after LDC graduation.
New Age
Read the articleSchool of General Education, BRAC University
A course on the history, politics and economy of Bangladesh. It runs from ancient and medieval Bengal through colonial rule, the Language Movement and the Liberation War of 1971, to the constitution and development after independence.
My role: I help students understand core concepts and spot historical patterns, assist with assignment planning, structure review and grading, hold consultations, and co-teach selected classes with faculty members.
Course outline (PDF)A project-based course taken alongside Emergence of Bangladesh. Students study community, active citizenship, the SDGs in Bangladesh and the ethics of community work. They then spend four weeks in groups on a real project with a community partner and reflect on what they learned.
My role: I support class discussions and group work, guide project teams during the immersion weeks, and give feedback on reflections and presentations.
Course outline (PDF)Students can book a 15-minute session with me to talk through coursework, assignments or research ideas.
Book a sessionThe garment sector earns about US$39 billion a year in exports. How much of that stays, and how little room there is for a shock.
A suggested revision to how preference schemes treat least developed countries and recent graduates, written as a starting point for discussion.
Duty-free access helped least developed countries sell more. It did much less to help them keep what they earn.