It is often argued that the cost of social equity is less economic growth, highlighting the supposed trade-off between these two goals. The global financial and economic crisis that erupted in 2008 – which was preceded by rising social inequalities – has shown that this is simply not the case. In fact, if properly designed, equity-enhancing policies can promote prosperity and reduce the risk of future crises. The purpose of this report on Bangladesh, published under the series Studies on Growth with Equity, is to discuss how such policy complementarities can be achieved in a low-income country.