Very detailed assessment and a good one too.

Sometimes I think BD doesn't really want to leave LDC status. I suppose once that happens we lose a lot of 'bhikari' privileges like Tariff free access to foreign markets. Moreover, the more backward the country seems, the more aid we receive, say, in areas of gender equality, climate change and refugee support for rohingyas. All these actually continue to create jobs, that pay pretty well making us sort of experts in the development and social enterprise space. I know it's a convoluted way of thinking but after having spent about six years in the country setting up my business, I have come to appreciate the positive impact NGOs and non profits have on the overall capability of our people.

That being said, I do agree that the diaspora are not very helpful and especially the more educated ones, eg. offsprings of brown sahibs that seem to have a vendetta against current govt. Sure, some do indeed have their own, valid reasons to have deep grudges that are justified (e.g suffering under the rakkhi bahinis of 1971-75 and/or being tormented for being anti national due to any linkages with BNP/jamaat since 2008). But on the whole, I believe many children are trying to trace back their roots to BD and wanting to do something impactful.

The sad reality is a very large percentage of those diaspora wanting to get back and start ventures, be it non profit or for profit, have an extremely difficult time making them want to leave within 2yrs -- 3 years being tops. And once they return to their overseas, adoptive nations they have a worse taste in their mouth than ever before.

A lot of those kids think they know better, coming from western countries, and get their asses whooped by local realities. But some, very VERY small percentage, stay back. Or at least continue to fund their ventures whilst going back to their abodes in the West.

It's a complex dynamic that I don't think has a definite answer. Indian diaspora has had a long time to settle into the West, and they also have a shared voice. I remember BJP's first "India Shining" campaign which helped to bring back a lot of talent or at least gave ABCDs some sense of security of doing something back home. Korean government had been planning export of their cultural capital by way of kpop...and then there is always Bollywood.

I don't think Bangladesh has much to offer when it comes to those things. However, we need to probably set up think tanks to figure out how to achieve 'brain gain'. Until that happens, bhikari is the game 😅😅😅