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This research explores the complex challenges of border management in Bangladesh, highlighting the operational, security, and humanitarian issues that stem from its strategic geographical location and the intricacies of its border enforcement strategies. Employing a qualitative methodology, the study gathers insights from diverse stakeholders, including security forces, analysts, human rights activists, NGO workers, and journalists, to thoroughly understand the multifaceted nature of Bangladesh’s border security challenges. The findings reveal a widespread perception of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) as a tool of governmental power rather than a protective service, which undermines trust and cooperation from local communities. Furthermore, bureaucratic hurdles significantly impede the coordination among various governmental agencies involved in border security, such as immigration, customs, police, intelligence agencies, and the BGB, thereby complicating border security management. Bangladesh’s strategic position is also a pivotal transit point for transcontinental criminal networks and separatist movements. The porous nature of its border with Myanmar exacerbates these challenges, facilitating not only drug trafficking but also the continuous influx of Rohingya refugees. This situation demands a nuanced understanding and strategic approach to address the intertwined security, governance, and humanitarian concerns at the borders.

Keywords: Transnational Security, Collaborative Approach, Refugee, Arms Smuggling, Drugs Dealing, Border Management.

This study examines how best to address a major issue surrounding farmers’ cooperatives (FCs) in Bhutan; they tend to face the challenge of implementing group management in the midst of the difficulty in “inculcating a joint approach,” which is said to prevail in rural Bhutan. Against this background, a dairy cooperative from central Bhutan, which has succeeded in fostering cooperation among its members and increasing their cash income from milk supply, is considered. This study draws on the notion of “social innovation” to elucidate the factors that have allowed cooperatives to achieve success in group management. The success of the dairy cooperative cannot be solely attributed to its intra-organizational operations. In line with existing studies on social innovation, the success should also be seen to arise from “other shades of change,” that is, extra-organizational, exogenous factors ushered in by a conducive “institutional environment,” a “game-changer,” and a “narrative of change. ” These elements positioned the cooperative as a “node” in various existent networks, which enabled it to not only draw on various “useable resources” but also manage the collective enterprise in a “heretical,” participatory manner, contrary to the top- own management practices said to prevail among other cooperatives. The case of the dairy cooperative, similar to other examples of successful social innovation initiatives, shows that there is fertile ground for FCs to thrive in Bhutan if driven by a mixed focus on outcomes and relations.

Keywords: Bhutan; farmers’ cooperative; Gross National Happiness; group management; social innovation

Historically, displacement due to development projects leads to marginalization, but abandoning projects entirely isn’t feasible. Considering social, economic, and environmental impacts is crucial while evaluating project viability. Cost-benefit analyses often overlook socio-economic costs and ecological damage, neglecting environmental clearances. The Land Acquisition Act of 1894 only mandates cash compensation if land titles are proven, leaving many tribals uncompensated and further impoverishing communities dependent on natural resources. Displacement disrupts lives, alienates rights, and reduces quality of life. Existing definitions of project-affected people exclude many affected groups, particularly women who face significant health and economic challenges. True rehabilitation requires restoring lost conditions and prioritizing community needs over project interests. Persistent land alienation exacerbates tribal poverty, revealing systemic flaws in protective measures and credit programs. Efforts to resolve displacement must resolve these systemic issues to ensure holistic rehabilitation.

Keywords: Marginalization, Land Acquisition, Environmental Impact, Rehabilitation, Tribal Poverty, Gender Issues.

Since the oil boom of the 1970s, a slow stream of literary productions has been evolving on the migrant majority in various states of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Through textual and visual readings, this paper exposes the rubric of labor migration that renders domestic labor as a precarious state in the Gulf. Representative works that focus on Gulf’s domestic laborers from India and Sri Lanka are examined here to mirror the vulnerabilities of domestic workers in various contexts from South Asia. While these texts, in different genres,—Kamal Majeed’s filmic adaptation of K.U. Iqbal’s reportage, Gaddama, and Jean Arasanayagam’s short story “The Sand Serpents,” focus on the widespread societal circumstances and ideologies that make guest workers from the developing economies susceptible to the oppressive and informal domestic labor markets of the Gulf, they also complicate the dyad of public/ private spaces and forecast the possibilities of subjective transformations for achieving meaningful life goals.

Keywords: Arabian Gulf, Gender, Kerala, Migrants, Sri Lanka

Water is a basic resource that everyone needs, but it is becoming more and more dependent on market forces, which presents important questions about access, equity, and governance. This study explores the political economics of water commodification in Northwest Bangladesh, where resource competition and scarcity are significant factors that are changing socioeconomic environments and power structures. With the use of qualitative research method and multidisciplinary viewpoints, the researchers offer a comprehensive study that goes beyond traditional frameworks to clarify the complex aspects of water marketization. The authors examine the experiences of communities coping with the commercialization of water by drawing on extensive research carried out in the communities of Niamatpur Upazila in Naogaon district and of Nachol Upazila in Chapainawabganj district. The researchers draw attention to the intricate power dynamics that underpin water markets and emphasize the impact of local elites, governmental organizations, and agribusinesses on the availability and management of water resources.

Through a critical analysis of water commodification process in Northwest Bangladesh, this research adds to the growing body of knowledge on the political economy of water and development.

Keywords: Water, Commodification, Marketization.

The aim of this paper is to empirically explore a comparative profit efficiency of the banking sectors operating in India applying the DEA and SFA techniques and then the determinants of profit efficiency employing Logit technique over the period of 2005? 2022. The DEA results indicate that public and private sectors banks have performed better in profit efficiency with the given technology. The overall profit inefficiency score is registered more in foreign sector banks followed by public and private sectors banks. During 2020-2021, the estimated results of DEA indicate that the commercial banks could not perform the profit efficiently in all banks groups which may be due to Covid-19. The estimated SFA parameters of the TLA, PPC, PL and PLF have positive and statistically significant effect on the total profit in all specifications by bank ownerships. The Logit regression results reveal that the coefficients of CR, ROA and DMR, OCE have expected signs and significant effect on the PTE of the commercial banks by bank ownerships. The empirical finding of the paper will be helpful to the policymakers and bank owners to improve the profit performance of commercial banks of India by choosing an appropriate input-output mix.

Keywords: Banking Sector, DEA, Logit, SFA, Profit Efficiency
JEL Classification: G21, C14, C21, H21, C33.