Dhaka, Oct. 20 -- The Bretton Woods institutions were back in Bangkok for the first time since 1991, as the Thai capital hosted this year's Annual Meeting of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

The Annual Meetings of the two Washington-based organisations serve as the premier global forum, at least in the Western paradigm, for "international economic cooperation, policy coordination, and formal governance".

Bangladesh has been a development hot spot since birth, recognised early on in its existence as "the test case for development." As such, successive governments in Dhaka have been forced to pay due importance to these meetings. Indeed, the outcomes frequently play a part in determining the country's economic trajector...