New Frontiers Series

1970 Bhola Cyclone and the Birth of Bangladesh

Mushfiq Mobarak
Thu
Feb
27
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Date
Thursday, February 27, 2025
Time
4:00pm
Event Location
Hesburgh Center C103
Notre Dame, IN 46556
United States
Event Type
New Frontiers Series

Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak
Jerome Kasoff ’54 Professor of Management and Economics
Yale University

Mobarak will present his most recent research paper, "1970 Bhola Cyclone and the Birth of Bangladesh." This work explores the political impacts of one of the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded, the Bhola Cyclone that struck East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and killed 300,000 to 500,000 people. He will provide empirical evidence that the cyclone's devastation and the Pakistani government's "callous response" to it were instrumental in galvanizing support for an independence movement. 

In addition to this exciting talk, Mobarak also will discuss his involvement in the new interim government of Bangladesh, where he serves as part of the Planning Ministry Task Force. He will discuss connections between the historical incident of the cyclone and current events, and how large-scale events like the cyclone enable political transitions today.  

More about his views may be found in his most recent piece, published by the Atlantic Council, "After the Monsoon Revolution, Bangladesh's economy and government need major reforms."

 

This lecture is part of a larger series organized by faculty fellows Alejandro Estefan Davila and Heitor Pellegrina entitled "New Frontiers in Economic Development." First organized in 2013, the series focused on microeconomic poverty interventions. The series now focuses on larger-scale economic issues and their impact in developing countries by featuring distinguished economists who deliver a public lecture as well as participate in a master class with graduate-level economics students. The series is cosponsored by the Department of Economics.