ABSTRACT
Not long after the independence of Bangladesh (in 1971), a book titled Bangladesh: The Test Case for Development, by Just Faaland and J. R. Parkinson, created quite a stir. The authors noted that the newborn country faced enormous developmental challenges, and concluded:
If development can be made to succeed in Bangladesh, there can be little doubt that it can be made to succeed anywhere else. It is in this sense that Bangladesh is the test case for development.
