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Farzana Misha

Assistant Professor

Short Biography

Farzana Misha is a development economist with over 12 years of experience in impact evaluations using experimental and quasi-experimental methods, research coordination, and program design with a focus on social safety nets, health, and digital and financial inclusion. She holds a PhD in development economics. Her research uses economics, public health, behavioral economic theory, and impact evaluation methods to determine whether and how various interventions can improve health outcomes for marginalized populations. She has extensive experience and knowledge of multifaceted and multisectoral development programming. Her research focuses on the extremely poor, marginalized, and climate-vulnerable population. She has recently been involved in the digital health space, specifically in how digital tools can be used to provide health and financial inclusionary services to vulnerable and hard-to-reach populations. Farzana has extensive experience in the field of international development research and evaluation. Throughout her career, she has worked with multiple organizations, including BRAC, the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD), the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), and BRAC Uganda. Simultaneously, she worked with the ISS, Erasmus University Rotterdam, the Netherlands, and BRAC University, Bangladesh. She also worked as a consultant on multiple projects under the International Finance Cooperation (IFC), Bangladesh; BRAC International; and Save the Children, Uganda. She has written multiple national and international books and book chapters. Her work has been published in several top-tier, peer-reviewed journals.

Module(s) taught (in MPH)

  • MPH 511: Qualitative Research Method
  • MPH 531: Health Economics & Health Care Financing

Current Projects 

1. Digital Health and Rights
Donor: OSUN
Role: Co-PI

2. Effective Digital Health Platform for Sexual and Reproductive
Health Rights (SRHR) Services: A Mixed-methods Approach
to Understanding User Experiences, Needs, and Rights in
Bangladesh
Donor: FCDO
Role:PI

Selected Peer-Reviewed Publications

Misha, F.; Sitwat. S; Wagner, N.; Bedi, A. (2022), “Building resilience in the chars of Bangladesh: An impact assessment”, Journal of International Development, Online ISSN:1099-1328, https://doi.org/10.1002/jid.3653
 Margaret McConnell, Mansha Mahajan, Sebastian Bauhoff, Kevin Croke, Stephane Verguet, Marcia C Castro, Kheya Melo Furtado, Abha Mehndiratta, Misha Farzana, Sabina Faiz Rashid, and Richard Cash (2020): “How are health workers paid and does it matter? Conceptualizing the potential implications of digitizing health worker payments in LMICs”. BMJ Global Health http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2021-007344
Digital Health and Rights Project Consortium: P. Addo, E. Ayeh, J. E. G. Castro, G. Caswell, T. D. Chau, Sara LM Davis, D. D. Dong, A. Faiza, Tabitha Ha, T. Imalingat, S.H. Imtiaz, Maria B. Jimenez, I. Kpodo, K. Large, A. A. Maleche, F. Misha, N. Mjwana, A. Muthui, T. Pham, Mike Podmore, S. F. Rashid, T. J. Sandset, C. González-Uribe and N. Were, (2022). “Towards digital justice: participatory action research in global digital health”, BMJ Global Health, http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2022-009351
Biswas, S. et al; Misha, F, (Corresponding Author). (2021) “Methodological Challenges in Conducting Sexual and Reproductive Health Research among Young Males in Bangladesh: Reflections from a Nationwide Mixed Methods Study", International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 21. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069221120341
Misha, F; Raza, W; Ara, J; Poel, E (2019): “How far does a big push really push?  Long-term effects of an asset transfer program on employment trajectories”. Economic Development and Cultural Change 68:1, 41-62
Raza, W.; Das, N.; Misha, F., (2012): “Can ultra-poverty be sustainably improved? Evidence from BRAC in Bangladesh”, Journal of Development Effectiveness, 4:2, 257-276

Other Publications

1.  “Our half-life of choking on polluted air”(17th February, 2023), The Daily Star,https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/views/news/our-half-life-choking-polluted-air-3249716 
2. “The other side of the coin: Unanswered questions of men’s sexuality” (November 5, 2020), The Daily Star.https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/news/the-other-side-the-coin-unanswered-questions-mens-sexuality-1989465
3. “Covid-19 and the missing data conundrum” (May 19, 2020), The Daily Star.https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/news/covid-19-and-the-missing-data-conundrum-1903798
4. “Pins and needles at the time of a pandemic: Learning from the RMG workers through a rapid survey” (April 20, 2020), The Daily Star.
5. “ Financial Mobility in an immobile world: Strengthening the footprint of mobile financial services in Bangladesh”, (5th April, 2020), The Daily Star
6. ‘Resettling the Unsettled: Practicalities of Relocating Rohingyas to Bhasan Char’," (June 9, 2019), The Daily Star ,https://www.thedailystar.net/opinion/news/resettling-the-unsettled-1754092, Also in the IPS news agency, https://www.ipsnews.net/author/dimple-t-shah/
7. ‘Issues of Digitization of Salary Payments in RMG factories’, (10th March 2019), The Financial Express, https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/views/reviews/issues-of-digitisation-of-salary-payments-in-rmg-factories-1552228613

Links

farzana.misha@bracu.ac.bd

linkedin

Twitter

Orcid

CV

Research Interests

Poverty financial inclusion SRHR digital health climate change etc.

Education

  • PhD in Economics (Erasmus University Rotterdam)
  • MSc in Economics (University of New South Wales)
  • BSc in Economics (University of Dhaka)