1. Name of the study: Endline Survey of Pilot Project on Weather Index Based Crop Insurance (WIBCI)
Position: Team Leader
Year: 2017
Funding Source: Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Contacted Through: Jano Seba Kendra
Project Implementation Officer: M. G. Mortaza, Economist, Asian Development Bank, Bangladesh Resident Mission
Project Features:
The Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh has received a grant of $2.0 million from Japan fund for poverty reduction, managed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to develop innovative new crop insurance product. This crop insurance will be weather index based, under the Pilot Project on Weather Index Based Crop Insurance (WIBCI). The project is aiming to develop and implement weather index-based crop insurance in Bangladesh as an adaptation tool to reduce the climate variability and extreme weather vulnerability of the agriculture sector, especially impacting small farm households. The consulting service will involve 3 districts of the country, namely, Rajshahi, Shirajgonj and Noakhali, in which the project is currently being implemented.
There are two major objectives of the study. First, to investigate the impact of this WIBCI on well being of households of farmers who purchased the scheme for a predefined period compared to those who did not subscribe the scheme. Second one is to explore the gaps in implementation strategy during the piloting stage and to identify areas for improvements in real implementation.
2. Name of the study: Micro insurance, Poverty and Vulnerability
Position: Senior Project Economist
Year: 2009-2012
Funding Source: Institute of Microfinance
Implementing Organization: Institute of Microfinance
Main project features:
The project started a longitudinal study entitled, “Microinsurance, Poverty and Vulnerability” on January 2009 to (a) assess the prevailing microinsurance market, (b) to design prototype microinsurance product for eventual piloting and experimentation,
(c) to dwell on delivery, regulation and re-insurance matters, and, (d) to examine the role of insurance in preventing vulnerability to poverty.
We formulated a vulnerability index for the households in different regions of Bangladesh. Based on our finding designed an insurance mechanism to safeguard the household from poverty & vulnerability which is currently under pilot implementation phase in Mymensingh district of Bangladesh. We worked on designing a regulatory mechanism for the micro-insurance sector of Bangladesh as a part of this project.
3. Name of the study: Identification of Appropriate Microinsurance Product for ultra poor in Bangladesh
Position: Co-investigator
Year: 2009
Funding Source: UNDP, Bangladesh
Implementing Organization: UNDP, Bangladesh
Main project features:
The study had three explicit objectives: a) exploring the available microinsurance products offered to poor or low income households in terms of coverage, premiums, delivery channels and terms and benefits and the costs of distributing such services. b) designing appropriate microinsurance products for poor and ultra poor households.
c) formulating a regulatory mechanism for facilitating the growth of micro insurance
services for poor households, especially ultra poor. As a part of the project we surveyed the microinsurance products offered by all the insurance companies and a large number of MFIs to understand the present risk management instruments in the formal insurance market of Bangladesh. We designed several insurance products suitable for the ultra poor households in Bangladesh for this project.
4. Name of the study: Suchana Annual Survey, 2018
Position: Team Leader
Year: 2019
Funding Source: Save the Children in Bangladesh
Contacted Through: Development Research Initiative (dRi)
Key Contact Person: Dr. Tanvir Ahmed, Deputy Director - Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability & Learning (MEAL), Save the Children in Bangladesh (SCiBD)
Project Features:
Suchana – “Ending the Cycle of Undernutrition in Bangladesh” is a multi-sectora nutrition programme which aims to achieve significant reduction in stunting (additional 6% in 3 years) amongst children under two years of age in Sylhet and Moulvibazar districts under Sylhet division in Bangladesh. Suchana catalyses support across government and other stakeholders to replicate and scale Suchana model as a multisectoral nutrition programme in Bangladesh to prevent malnutrition. The goal of the annual survey is to generate timely and reliable evidence relating health, nutrition, food security situation among the Suchana beneficiary households (BHHs). This evidence will assist the Suchana management to better address the malnutrition challenges with necessary adjustments throughout the programme planning and implementation.
5. Name of the study: First Bi-annual Evaluation of Suchana Project (Bi-annual Survey for Suchana)
Position: Team Leader
Year: 2017
Funding Source: International Development Enterprises (iDE) Bangladesh
Contacted Through: Development Research Initiative (dRi)
Key Contact Person: Hedyiet Ullah, iQ Manager-Programs, Innovation and Quality Management (iQ) Unit, iDE Bangladesh
Project Features:
The Suchana program is a six-year initiative that aims to prevent chronic malnutrition in children in the first 1,000 days of their lives in the districts of Sylhet and Moulvibazar in Sylhet Division. Suchana is funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the European Union (EU) and is being implemented by a consortium of partners, including Save the Children, International Development Enterprises (IDE), WorldFish, Helen Keller International (HKI).
The survey will gather data on key Suchana activities as well as production, input usage and income. Some of the key study areas are: Input supplies, Market linkage events, Access to finance (Saving and Loans), Access to market, Change in business practice and knowledge, Increase in production, sales, income and consumption. The study utilizes a mixed method research approach using both quantitative and qualitative research techniques to gather data from Suchana beneficiary households and/or market actors in order to yield credible results and provide richer insights.
6. Name of the study: Developing Inclusive Insurance Sector Project (Pre-Baseline Study)
Position: Technical Associate II
Year: 2011
Funding Source: Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction (JFPR) and Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Implementing Organization: Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF)
Project Features:
The objective of the research project is to devise and pilot microinsurance services that are capable of overcoming the vulnerability on account of various disaster and health related risks. The project aims at addressing the vulnerability issues facing both the urban and rural poor, especially in challenging environments. This study evaluates the need, demand, availability, scope and design of viable microinsurance ‘products’ or ‘services’ that adequately address the concern over vulnerability. The study conducted two major surveys:
(i) Household Surveyy: A household survey on 3,500 households drawn from both the urban and the ‘hard-to-reach’ areas. These surveys provide necessary information in depicting the need, demand, scope and design of viable microinsurance products. Hard-to-reach area includes char, coastal, haor and islands.
(ii) a health care facility survey: Involved in designing and implementing risk management instruments (both disaster and idiosyncratic risks) for the vulnerable people in Bangladesh. Formulated a risk profile with the cost of shocks faced by the households in different geographic regions focusing on the disaster risk.
7. Name of the study: Implementing Micro Health Insurance in Bangladesh-Pilot Study
Position: Consultant
Year: 2012-13
Funding Source: Institute of Microfinance
Implementing Organization: Institute of Microfinance
Project features:
The aim of this project is to design an innovative micro health insurance (MHI) scheme keeping in view the targets of adequate risk protection, inclusivity of access, affordability and programme sustainability. The design embracing the methods of cluster randomised trial allows for identification of direct and indirect effects of MHI on actual OOP incurred by the insured vis-à-vis the non-insured households who are otherwise similar in economic, educational and social dimensions. Such an analysis holds the promise of determining whether MHI type of intervention may eventually lead to large-scale implementation so that quality health care reach the poor en-masse thereby contributing to the cause of universal health coverage.
Based on our finding designed an insurance mechanism to safeguard the household from poverty & vulnerability which is currently under pilot implementation phase in Mymensingh district of Bangladesh. Moreover, designing and conducting baseline for the project and report writing.
8. Name of the study: Developing and Implementing Inclusive Insurance in Bangladesh
Position: Team Member (Consultant)
Year: 2016-17
Funding Source: JICA
Implementing Organization: Institute for Inclusive Finance and Development (InM)
Key Contact Person: Dr. Mustafa K. Mujeri, Executive Director Institute for Inclusive Finance and Development (InM)
Project Features:
The core objective of this research is to identify and estimate important parameters for developing inclusive MI products, and design their implementation modalities by the proposed PKSF’s “Risk Mitigation and Management Unit”. The study specifically focuses on two MI products: micro health insurance (MHI) and property microinsurance (PMI), which have been identified in consultation with PKSF.
1. Name of the study: Feasibility Study of Livestock Insurance Sector in Bangladesh
Position: Consultant
Year: 2016-2017
Funding Source: Switzerland Development Agency, SDA
Study Location: Nationwide, (Bangladesh)
Implementing Organization: Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation (PKSF)
Project Features
Exploring feasibility of microinsurance market for ensuring sustainability of livestock based income-generating (IGA) activities in Bangladesh. Specific objectives of the project include determining mortality and morbidity rates for cattle, buffalo, goat, poultry industry, determining willingness to pay for livestock microinsurance products and designing and pricing appropriate microinsurance schemes for livestock sector.
2. Name of the study: Impact of Solar Lantern on Educational Performance (Panasonic Solar Lantern Research Project)
Position: Team Leader
Year: 2017-18
Funding Source: Panasonic Japan
Implementing Organization: BacBon Limited
Project Features:
The objective of the research project is to evaluate the impact of Solar Lantern in improving the learning environment and educational performance among the rural school students of Bangladesh. The study utilizes a Randomized Control Trial (RCT) experiment to evaluated the impact of the availability of solar light on secondary school students located in remote areas of Bangladesh.
3. Name of the study: Impact Evaluation of Property Rights Initiative Project – BRAC
Position: Quantitative Expert
Year: 2016
Funding Source: BRAC
Contacted Through: Development Research Initiative (dRi)
Project Features:
The Property Rights Initiative (PRI) launched by BRAC is dedicated to protecting and promoting human rights of the poor and marginalized particularly women in Bangladesh through legal empowerment. The objectives of this evaluation are to identify the impact of the intervention in enhancing knowledge; empowering community in terms of legal, social and economic and women’s access to land; reducing poverty particularly through BRAC trained Land Entrepreneurs (LEs). The study has followed a mixed-method approach of combining quantitative survey data with qualitative group discussions, interviews and case study.
4. Name of the study: Endline Study of Initiatives for Married Adolescent Girls’ Empowerment (IMAGE) Project
Position: Quantitative Expert
Year: 2016-2017
Funding Source: Terre des Hommes Netherlands
Contacted Through: Development Research Initiative (dRi)
Project Features:
‘Initiatives for Married Adolescent Girl's Empowerment (IMAGE)’ aims to ensure a life with dignity for early-married girls in Bangladesh by improving their Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR). The endline study documents how much the project has achieved against its set outcome and output indicators using a mixed method (quantitative and qualitative) research approach –evaluates the knowledge, awareness, and practice of married adolescent girls, their husbands, and their in-laws in terms of their sexual and reproductive health and rights. In addition, it evaluates the current level of involvement of community, civil society and media on the SRHR issues of married adolescent girls, and identify lessons learned as well as suggest recommendations. The study uses a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods to arrive at the conclusions made.
5. Name of the study: Willingness to Pay for Priority Health Services in Urban Health Programme Partner NGO clinics
Year: 2016-2017
Position: Consultant
Study Location: Mymensingh, Jessore and Dinajpur.
Funding Source: Urban Health Systems Strengthening Project (UHSSP), DFID
Contacted Through: Institute of Health Economics (IHE), University of Dhaka
Project Features
The main objective of the study is to understand the demand for priority essential services offered from the Urban Health Program (UHP) partner NGO clinics in three UHSSP locations (Mymensingh, Jessore and Dinajpur). The specific objectives of this research are threefold –first to determine the prices of the services that the non-extreme poor customers are willing-to-pay for the priority essential health services and to identify the factors affecting their willingness-to-pay. The second one is to document respondents’ expectations on quality of a particular health service (or any other issues) when they are willing-to-pay for the service. The third one is to estimate the clinic utilization scenario in response to the prices offered for eliciting WTP and predict revenue changes.