Dr. Mushtaq Khan is the Chairman of the Dacca Institute of Research and Analytics (daira) and a Professor of Economics at SOAS University of London. He is also head of the FCDO (UK government)-funded Anti-Corruption Evidence Research Consortium (SOAS-ACE) and joint head of the FCDO-funded SOAS-Yale partnership, Research and Evidence on Nepal’s Transition (RENT), working with the British Embassy in Kathmandu. He is a leading thinker on political settlements (an analytical framework he developed for assessing why institutions perform differently across countries), effective policy implementation, governance, industrial policy, institutional economics, political economy, and anti-corruption.
Dr. Asif M. Shahan is the Vice Chairman of the Dacca Institute of Research and Analytics (daira). He is a Bangladeshi professor and researcher specializing in governance, accountability, and development studies. He serves as a Professor in the Department of Development Studies at the University of Dhaka and as a Senior Fellow at the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS). He holds a Ph.D. and MPA from George Mason University, USA, where his doctoral research focused on institutions of accountability, including the U.S. Government Accountability Office. Dr. Shahan’s research examines governance challenges, the politics-administration relationship, social protection, and performance-based accountability in Bangladesh. He has published widely, including co-authoring State, Market and Society in an Emerging Economy (2023) and policy briefs on COVID-19 management. He has consulted for Bangladeshi government agencies and international organizations such as the World Bank, UNDP, UNICEF, and WFP. As an active public commentator, Dr. Shahan participates in forums and media discussions, providing expert insights on institutional reform, policymaking, and democratic governance in Bangladesh.
Abdullah Al Mamun (Mamun Abdullahi) is the Executive Director of the Dacca Institute of Research and Analytics (daira), a pioneering youth-led think tank in Bangladesh. A graduate in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Dhaka, his scholarly work explores the intersections of political theology, international relations, and security studies, with a dedicated focus on the Global South. At daira, he champions a mission to bridge rigorous theoretical research with actionable policy solutions, critically examining Bangladesh’s evolving position in regional and global governance. Demonstrating this commitment, he recently led the successful Bengal Delta Conference 2025, convening a global forum of scholars, policymakers, and diplomats to foster interdisciplinary dialogue on the political, social, and ecological future of South Asia. Beyond his academic contributions, Mamun is an engaged public intellectual. He played a pivotal role in Bangladesh’s democratic uprising in July 2024, serving on the National Liaison Committee that helped guide the uprising and shape the subsequent interim government.