SHAHNAZ KARIM
Personal Details Nationality
Bangladeshi
Specialization
Governance, anticorruption, public sector management, parliamentary strengthening, public policy analysis, knowledge management, capacity development.
Current positions held
Governance Specialist with Asian Development Bank Senior Parliamentary Advisor with the World Bank
Year of birth
1970
Contact information
Email:
[email protected] Cell: +880 1714 136 063
Key Qualifications
10+ years’ experience in governance; anticorruption; public sector management; public policy analysis; project management; policy advocacy; action research; knowledge management; monitoring & evaluation. 6+ years’ experience of university-level teaching; capacity-development through design & delivery of training programs in the public and private sectors. Specialist understanding of South Asia's governance and development situation. Proven track record of engaging effectively with senior officials from public and private sectors, politicians, CSO leaders and development partners at both central and field levels. Strong analytical skills - both qualitative and quantitative. Excellent planning, budgeting and office management skills. Pro-active, results driven and able to multi-task effectively in a multicultural setting.
Countries of Work Experience
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka, U.K.
Education
Ph.D. 2001 (Development Studies) Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London, U.K. (Thesis on “The Politics of Aid in Bangladesh” ) Master of Social Science 1991 (International Relations) University of Dhaka, Bangladesh (Exam held in 1994) Bachelor of Social Science 1990 (International Relations) University of Dhaka, Bangladesh (Exam held in 1992)
Languages
Bengali: Mother tongue English: Native fluency Hindi: Basic understanding German: Basic understanding
Resume Shahnaz Karim
Experience Record Select Consultancy Assignments 2009-present Bangladesh
Asian Development Bank (Bangladesh Resident Mission) Governance Specialist - Participating in country teams and providing inputs on governance and public sector management issues for the Country Partnership Strategy (CPS). - Designing risk assessment and risk management plans. - Advising on mitigating operational risks of projects and their components by improving governance, coordination and monitoring mechanisms. - Undertaking field visits to facilitate effective monitoring of civil works and services provision and procurement. - Carrying out economic, thematic and sector work in the context of sustainable economic development and poverty reduction in line with ADB’s Second Governance and Anticorruption Action Plan (GACAP II). - Supporting the development and administration of loan and TA projects. - Supporting the implementation and monitoring of governance projects/programs and liaising with government executing/implementing agencies and CSOs on issues arising. - Disseminating knowledge products for BRM and project staff on implementation of GACAP II.
2008-present Bangladesh (also Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka)
The World Bank Senior Parliamentary Advisor (for the WBI-CIDA Parliamentary Strengthening Program in South Asia) - Providing technical assistance on the design and delivery of the Bangladesh Parliamentary Strengthening Program and managing the Program on the ground. - Developing South Asia-focused versions of parliamentary training module on parliamentary governance, financial analysis and oversight. - Providing technical advice to the Asian Regional Association of Public Accounts Committees (ARAPAC) program. - Working on climate change equity with the All Party Group on Climate Change and Environment. - Organizing and delivering capacity-development activities for Secretariat staff. - Contributing towards the development of a strategic plan for Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat. - Providing inputs for the global program on parliamentary benchmarks. - Designing and providing research-based material on parliamentary developments across Asia. - Providing technical advice to the Global Organization of Parliamentarians (GOPAC) national chapters across South Asia. - Providing research inputs for the Southern Political Science Association annual conference.
2008-2009 Bangladesh
Institute of Governance Studies, BRAC University, Bangladesh Consultant - Team leader (and lead researcher) for two research projects: (i) the State of Governance in Bangladesh, and (ii) Governance Reforms Prioritization and Implementation Roadmap. - Involved with design, implementation and management of other research projects.
Resume Shahnaz Karim
2004-2005 Bangladesh
Management Systems International, USA Consultant - Designed an Anti-Corruption Strategy to strengthen USAID/Bangladesh’s strategic response to public and private corruption in Bangladesh. - Prepared a detailed strategy and work plan which highlighted the root causes of corruption, identified a range of options to address them, and suggested concrete strategies and methodologies that are most likely to yield results in reducing corruption through the Mission’s existing and future activities.
Record of Employment
(Full-time Positions)
2007-2008 Bangladesh
Institute of Governance Studies, BRAC University, Bangladesh Assistant Director - Designed and administered projects in close collaboration with senior public and private sector officials, civil society leaders, politicians and development partners (including ADB, UNDP, WB, USAID, CIDA and the Netherlands Embassy). - Conducted and managed research on (i) the State of Governance in Bangladesh, (ii) Governance Reforms Prioritization and Implementation Roadmap, and (iii) the Institutions of Accountability Policy Notes series. - Provided technical assistance to the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General to build policy formulation and implementation capacity within the respective ministries and departments. - Provided technical assistance for the formulation of the Budget Monitoring and Analysis Unit in the Bangladesh Parliament Secretariat. - Designed and delivered capacity-development activities for public sector officials in areas of governance, strengthening oversight of administrative practices, and delivery of improved public services. - Contributed towards strengthening existing relationships and supporting the development of new partnerships with like-minded CSOs through consultation and participation. - Effectively engaged government officials and non-government stakeholders in policy dialogue on governance issues at central and local levels. - Taught and supervised thesis in the M.A. in Governance and Development Program (delivered lectures on policy formulation/implementation, and public communications). - Managed the day-to-day administration of the Institute. - Liaised with BRAC, BRAC University (in particular with the School of Public Health, BRAC Development Institute and the Institute of Educational Development), other CSOs and development partners.
2005-2007 Bangladesh
BRAC, Bangladesh Academic Coordinator, Leadership for Advancing Development (LeAD) Program, Training Division - Managed the LeAD Program which was designed to provide mid-level BRAC managers with a comprehensive grasp of governance and development concepts, debates and challenges in addition to operational skills. - Designed training modules and facilitated training sessions individually and jointly with faculty from international universities and organizations.
Resume Shahnaz Karim
- Was responsible for information sharing between BRAC and other NGOs/CSOs through knowledge products and networks. - Managed a 120-capacity training center. 2005 Bangladesh
BRAC, Bangladesh Senior Analyst, Monitoring Department - Designed and reviewed M&E instruments, application of participation methodologies, strategies and techniques. - Provided independent analysis of program progress by assessing the pace of activities and the likelihood of objectives being met within the allocated time. - Contributed to the assessment of service-quality and identifying future directions in the achievement of targets. - Made recommendations to improve the quality, sustainability, and effectiveness of program activities. - Contributed to the preparation and implementation of the departmental work plan, as well as updating of policies, strategies, action plans, guidelines and reporting systems.
2003 Bangladesh
Transparency International Bangladesh, Bangladesh Senior Research Officer - Coordinated and conducted primary research including sectoral diagnostic studies on corruption. - Managed research projects and prepared operational plans/budgets for the research department. - Coordinated advocacy activities, and liaised with CSOs and development partners on issues arising. - Edited research reports and the TIB Newsletter. - Managed human resources and monitored staff performance as part of the Management Team.
1995-2002 Bangladesh
University of Bangladesh Lecturer
Dhaka
(Department
of
International
Relations),
- Taught at undergraduate and graduate levels. - Developed academic curricula for both undergraduate and graduate level courses. - Was the Assistant Student Adviser. 1994-1996 Bangladesh
Centre for Policy Dialogue, Bangladesh Research Associate: Governance Projects
(This job became part-time between Oct 1995 and Aug 1996)
- Conducted research to address the issue of governance within a comparative perspective. - Organized national and international conferences on governance thematic issues. - Prepared knowledge products for discussion and dissemination.
Resume Shahnaz Karim
Record of Employment
2001-2002 Bangladesh
(Part-time Positions) D.Net, Bangladesh Research Director - Prepared analytical reviews on Bangladesh’s development within the regional context. - Coordinated the procurement of research papers and other relevant documents in order to provide wider access to network-based information pertaining to the development of Bangladesh. - Disseminated knowledge products to CSOs and the development community.
2000-2001 Bangladesh
Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Bangladesh Research Fellow & Program Coordinator - Coordinated the Pre-election Policy Briefs Program (managed all administrative and financial matters pertaining to the project, supervised a team of 14 Research Associates, liaised with 16 Task Forces, and organized national and regional conferences). - Conducted research on macro-fiscal forecasting, debt policy management and public sector management issues. - Organized the Indo-Bangladesh Dialogue Series with the South Asia Center for Policy Studies (SACEPS). - Prepared dialogue reports and worked as an Editorial Associate for CPD publications.
2000 U.K.
Bedford House Community Centre, U.K. Teacher - Taught Bengali Language classes. - Organized teaching material and prepared lesson plans.
1997-2000 U.K.
Associated Translators, U.K. Translator/Interpreter - Translated documents from English into Bengali and vice versa, from German into English and vice versa. - Acted as Court Interpreter.
Short-term Research Assignments
2002 USA
East West Center, Honolulu, USA Researcher - Conducted research on civil society and political change in Asia with emphasis on South Asia.
2000 U.K.
Research Assistant to Professor James Manor, Research Fellow, Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, U.K. - Conducted research on civil society and governance, examining the interplay between civil society and governments in 22 different countries, spanning six international regions.
2000 U.K.
Research Assistant to Professor Richard Bourne, Head, Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit, Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London, U.K. - Conducted research on accountability of the public sector. Resume Shahnaz Karim
Professional Memberships Member, Transparency International Bangladesh Member, Women’s Democracy Network
Select Writings The State of Governance in Bangladesh 2008: Confrontation Competition Accountability (2009). Institute of Governance Studies, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The State of Governance in Bangladesh 2007: Expectations Challenges Commitments (2008). Institute of Governance Studies, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Harnessing the Potentials of Good Local Governance (2007) co-author with Manzoor Hasan. Keynote paper presented at a seminar on Local Governance: Grassroots Experiences and Perspectives, 12 September 2007, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Report Card in Bangladesh (2004) in Transparency and Accountability in Education, IIEP Series on Ethics and Corruption in Education, International Institute for Educational Planning, UNESCO, Paris. Corruption and the South Asian Experience (2003) co-author with Imran W. Ahmad. Paper presented at Global Forum III on Fighting Corruption and Safeguarding Integrity: Ongoing Challenges, Shared Responsibilities, 29-31 May 2003, Coex Center, Seoul, South Korea. Perceptions of Governance by Bilateral and Multilateral Donors (1998) co-author with Meghna Guhathakurta, in Rehman Sobhan (ed.) Towards a Theory of Governance and Development, University Press Limited, Dhaka, Bangladesh. Economic Benefits of Transit Facility (1997) in Iftekharuzzaman (ed.) Regional Economic Trends and South Asian Security, University Press Limited, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Personal Skils
My strongest personal traits are the ability to learn quickly and a flexible approach that serves me well in tackling unexpected problems in project and client relationships. I am able to multitask effectively, independently adjusting priorities and achieving agreed results. I am attentive to detail, and am able to function efficiently in a multi-cultural environment. Furthermore, my interpersonal skills have allowed me to develop an excellent network with across organizational boundaries.
References available upon request.
Resume Shahnaz Karim