Technical Director of Cadmus group Shamarukh Mohiuddin on Saturday said business cannot drive inclusive growth in the new Bangladesh unless the problem of trust deficit is addressed.
"For this, a 'trust barometer' should be developed. A trust barometer is an independent report that can measure public trust in various institutions like business, government, and media," she made the remark while presenting a keynote presentation at the Delta Conference 2025 in the Intercontinental Hotel, Dhaka.
"It uses surveys and gauge how much trust people have in these entities and necessitates the shifts in public confidence when needed."
Meanwhile, she highlighted that in the last 15 years, more than TK 280 billion was laundered from Bangladesh, which severely damaged the public trust in businesses in Bangladesh. The extractive business practices of depressed economic growth and investment, stunted firm growth and lowered productivity.
She stressed the idea of a trusting barometer and recalled the case of the 11th-century Maghreb traders who enforced honesty through reputational risk; if one trader cheated, other traders and customers would boycott that corrupted trader.
She also recommended strengthening institutions and the rule of law, enhancing business integrity frameworks, setting up transparency and accountability in the systems, and empowering civil society and the media.
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