Bangladesh, April 20 -- Debt defaulters have become embedded within the political system, creating structural barriers to reform, said eminent economist Rehman Sobhan.

He stressed that the challenges facing Bangladesh are not driven by individuals alone but by deeper systemic weaknesses that continue to obstruct meaningful change.

Speaking as a special guest at a session titled "Romancing with Reform: The Story of Bangladesh" on the final day of the 9th annual conference of the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling, Sobhan said reform is not a one-time legislative exercise but a continuous, multi-stage process.

According to him, reform begins with the enactment of laws, followed by the establishment of administrative structures, eff...