Crisis and Protection: Evaluating Bangladesh’s Social Safety Net Response to the 2007–2009 Global Financial Crisis

This paper examines how Bangladesh’s social protection system responded to the 2007–2009 global financial crisis. As exports slowed and job losses mounted, particularly among informal and female workers, the government expanded food aid, cash transfers, and rural public works. While these measures helped buffer immediate hardship, limited coverage, weak coordination, and inadequate gender targeting curtailed their effectiveness. Using Keynesian, Senian, and institutional frameworks, the analysis finds that Bangladesh’s safety net softened short-term shocks but fell short of building resilience or transforming structural vulnerabilities.