Institutional Identity
Founded in 1996, PPRC has evolved from a research institute into a scholar-activist platform. It functions as an independent diagnostic engine—producing high-frequency data and shaping public discourse on poverty and governance.
Bangladesh stands at a moment when public trust in institutions, data, and policymaking is visibly fractured. In this landscape, PPRC’s independence is not just an asset — it is a national necessity. But that same independence is now constrained by an institutional model built for a different political era.
The Crossroads
Every institution that aspires to shape the national conversation reaches a point when its original architecture must be rebuilt.
For PPRC, that moment is now.
The country’s data crisis demands more than research. The justice agenda demands more than advocacy. Bangladesh needs a platform that does both — without compromising credibility.
The Strategic Inflection Point: Why Now?
These pressures converge into a single truth: PPRC cannot continue operating as solely a research center. It must become a hybrid engine — one that safeguards evidence while activating justice.
National Data Credibility Crisis
A rising mistrust in official macroeconomic data creates an urgent vacuum for an independent, rigorous evidence generator.
Systemic Justice Shift
International donors are pivoting from service delivery to systems-level justice frameworks (climate, gender, procedural).
Political Transition
The current landscape demands real-time, non-partisan evidence to guide reform and ensure accountability.
New Revenue Horizons
Corporate ESG compliance and global climate finance offer a diversified revenue universe beyond traditional grants.
These three assets form the backbone of PPRC’s new strategic identity — and they are precisely what the Policy & Justice Lab must scale.
Meso-Economy Lens
A proprietary framework linking secondary cities, local supply chains, and informal labor markets—unlocking the real economy.
Rapid Response
The capacity to produce credible, ground-truth evidence within days during crises, providing essential situational awareness.
Health Governance
Positioning health not just as service delivery, but as a critical governance and systemic accountability issue.
Programmatic Core
PPRC’s identity is grounded in methodological rigor and policy relevance. Its work captures the shifts often invisible in official data.
Poverty & Protection
Longitudinal analysis of poverty trends, specifically highlighting the "new poor". A credible alternative to state statistics.
Urban Meso-Economy
Focus on secondary cities and peri-urban supply chains. Agile surveys on inflation shocks and labor transitions.
Health Governance
Analyzing out-of-pocket expenditure, maternal health, and GBV as systemic accountability issues.
Social Justice
Deep engagement with marginalized communities, including tea workers and ethnic minorities.
Brand Equity & Credibility
Independence
Willingness to publish divergent data enhances credibility in a polarized landscape.
Convening Power
Platforms like Ajker Agenda and Healthy Bangladesh demonstrate unique convening authority.
Field Legitimacy
Deep community-based research distinguishes PPRC from desk-based institutions.
Organizational Health
PPRC’s greatest strength — its credibility — now sits on a fragile foundation. The organization is trusted, but not structurally secure. High credibility coexists with vulnerability...
Governance & Risk
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Unmatched credibility via Dr. Rahman, but reliance on personalized leadership creates succession risk.
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Recommendation: Urgent need to build a strategic 'project pipeline' which must be board-driven to ensure continuous funding and impact.
Financial Systems
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High dependence on short-term project cycles.
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Limited domestic corporate funding.
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Risk: Global donor fatigue and shifting aid priorities.
The Economic Unit
To preserve its independence, PPRC must break free from cyclical donor funding. A commercial engine is no longer a luxury — it is a structural requirement for institutional survival.
Revenue-Generating Products
Projected Growth (Illustrative)
The Meso-Economy Review
A premium quarterly policy magazine. Synthesizes research into visually compelling narratives and serves as anchor content for the Conclave.
- Institutional subscriptions
- Issue sponsorships
PPRC Policy Conclave
High-level quarterly convening. Includes Quarterly Thematic Networking Sessions for B2B/G2B interaction.
- Corporate sponsorship packages
- Ticketed executive roundtables
Data Monetization
Subscription-based intelligence products for the private sector.
- Real Economy Intelligence Brief
- Sectoral Dashboards (Banks/FMCG)
ESG Verification
Validation services for green finance and social impact.
- Green Finance Validation
- Just Transition Assessments (RMG)
PPRC Youth Fellowship
Sponsored fellowship program to strengthen research throughput while managing staff costs.
Bangladesh Bank Collaboration
Bridging the "Data Mistrust" gap by serving as the country's independent referee on macroeconomic data.
1. Macro-Economic Data Audit
Independent third-party auditor to verify and contextualize official figures (inflation, GDP).
2. Real Economy Pulse Report
Quarterly presentation grounding monetary policy in lived economic realities.
3. Sustainable Finance Verification
Ensuring Green Finance serves the real economy and vulnerable communities ("Last Mile").
4. Inflation Inequality Index
Tracking inflation impact by income decile and region for targeted intervention.
Strategic CSR Partnerships
Climate & Green Finance
Partners: HSBC, IDLC. Services: Impact verification, socio-economic measurement.
Health & Urban Wellbeing
Partners: Prime Bank Foundation, DBBL. Services: Urban health governance, youth leadership.
Digital Inclusion
Partners: Grameenphone, City Bank. Services: Digital divide analytics.
Foundations & INGOs
IDRC
Youth civic engagement and policy co-creation.
CJRF
Gendered and community-led climate justice initiatives.
UNFPA
Urban health and GBV governance.
Project Discovery Portfolio
"These interventions represent the inaugural portfolio for the new Policy & Justice Lab. While justice-aligned, each project incorporates a commercial approach to sustainability."
Feasibility vs. Justice Matrix
X: Operational Feasibility | Y: Justice Score
Select a bubble to reveal the Justice Profile.
| Project Name | Justice Score | Status |
|---|
Board Decision Summary
The decisions below determine not only the next year of work — but whether PPRC evolves into the institution Bangladesh now needs.
Create Policy Lab
Approve the new "Policy & Justice Lab" structure to separate research from advocacy.
Submit Priorities
Authorize submission of 3 Climate Justice proposals (Haor, Indigenous, Gendered Cost).
Launch Commercial
Greenlight the "Economic Unit" engines: Review, Conclave, and ESG Verification.