Md Mohsin Hossain — Research Projects

Bricks to Blocks: An Exploratory Study of Policy and Practices in the Construction Sector of Bangladesh [Completed]

Contributions

- I provided research assistance to the PIs for literature review, instrument development, quantitative data analysis, documentation, conducting key informant interviews, transcribing, coding, and thematic analysis of qualitative data. - Presented the research findings at The 12th South Asia Economic Policy Network Conference on Green Growth in South Asia.

Climate Shocks and Internal Migration in Bangladesh: Causal Evidence and Origin–Destination Mapping for Proactive Policy [Ongoing]

Context

Bangladesh ranks among the world's most climate-vulnerable nations, facing recurrent cyclones, floods, riverbank erosion, and rising sea levels. These climate shocks displace millions of households, yet policy responses remain largely reactive—focused on post-disaster relief rather than anticipatory planning. While internal migration is a well-documented adaptation strategy, the causal relationship between specific climate events and migration decisions remains poorly understood. Existing studies often rely on cross-sectional data or lack the spatial granularity needed to trace where displaced populations relocate. Without robust origin–destination mapping and causal identification, policymakers cannot effectively allocate resources, plan infrastructure, or design social protection programs for climate-affected migrants. This study addresses these gaps by combining household panel data with satellite-derived climate exposure measures to establish causal links and map migration flows at the district level.

Objective

This study investigates the causal effect of major climate shocks—particularly cyclones and floods—on internal migration outcomes in Bangladesh. Specifically, it aims to: 1. Identify causal impacts: Estimate the effect of cyclone and flood exposure on household migration decisions using quasi-experimental methods. 2. Map origin–destination flows: Trace where shock-affected migrants relocate within Bangladesh and identify which receiving districts absorb climate migrants. 3. Inform proactive policy: Generate evidence to support anticipatory planning, targeted social protection, and infrastructure investment in high-risk and high-absorption areas.

Methodology

The study employs a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) design with staggered treatment timing, following the Callaway & Sant'Anna (2021) estimator to address heterogeneous treatment effects. Primary data sources include: - Bangladesh Integrated Household Survey (BIHS): A four-wave panel (2011, 2015, 2019, 2024) tracking the same households over time, capturing migration status, origin/destination, and socioeconomic characteristics. - IBTrACS Cyclone Database: Event-level cyclone tracks, intensity, and wind speed data from NOAA. - Sentinel-1 SAR Imagery: Satellite-derived flood extent mapping via Google Earth Engine. The analysis proceeds in three stages: (1) construct district-level climate exposure indices from satellite and meteorological data; (2) estimate causal effects of climate shocks on out-migration using panel fixed effects and DiD; (3) construct origin–destination migration matrices to visualize and analyze spatial flows.

Team

Md Mahbub Ul Hassan Sharan — Project Lead, Coordination & Supervision Md Mohsin Hossain — Econometric Modeling & Data Analysis Tahmid Bin Mahmud — Geospatial Processing & Data Harmonization

Funding

This research is funded by the Research Initiative on Development, Governance and Economy (RIDGE).

Enhancing Economic Recovery Capacity of COVID-19-Affected Climate-Vulnerable Farmers Engaging in Dairy, Crop, and Vegetable Farming [Completed]

Context

The adverse impacts of climate change pose a significant threat to the sustainability of agricultural practices and the well-being of farming communities in Bangladesh. The compounding effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have further exacerbated these challenges by disrupting supply chains and leading to substantial economic losses. The project emphasizes on the provision of prompt assistance through providing essential resources and empowering farmers with knowledge, assets, and market access to boost the resilience of agro businesses affected by repercussions of COVID-19. By engaging the established BRAC Social Enterprises network, and aligning with key national strategies, including the Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy, the 8th Five Year Plan, and COVID-19 response strategies, this project works towards sustainable economic recovery for vulnerable farmers in the face of dual crises.

Objective

The key objective of the project is to improve the condition of the climate vulnerable farmers stricken by COVID-19 through supporting them with resources, cultivating adaptive farming skills and business strategies with market linkages. This ought to help them with a climate resilient economic recovery and establishing a network on a local level for sustainable trading practices.

Methodology

The impact evaluation for the programme will be conducted using a quasi-experimental method. Treatment sample lists were provided by the programmes and the comparison samples were selected from the adjacent locality based on the visible similarities to the treatment group households. Since the comparison sample was not selected randomly, there could be differences in characteristics between the treatment and comparison samples. To account for this non-random sample bias, propensity score matching (PSM) will be used to produce comparable comparison group to evaluate the impact of the programme interventions.

Enhancing Safe Drinking Water Security and Climate Resilience Through Rainwater Harvesting [Completed (2024)]

Context

Coastal Bangladesh grapples with the severe impact of freshwater salinization, threatening the well-being of over 35 million individuals. This project seeks to combat the pressing issue of safe drinking water scarcity by leveraging rainwater harvesting solutions, thereby enhancing community health outcomes while addressing climate-induced water challenges in Mongla Upazila.

Objective

The project strives to establish reliable access to safe drinking water in Mongla Upazila through rainwater harvesting, prioritizing the health and resilience of communities facing water contamination. Its overarching goal is to alleviate the burden of waterborne diseases and enhance climate resilience among the most vulnerable populations.

Methodology

This study assesses water security and climate resilience in Mongla Upazila with a mixed-method approach. The sample size of the quantitative survey is 1002 households from Mongla and Morrelganj Upazila. It employs a quasi-experimental method for impact evaluation of the project. The project’s baseline assessment was conducted in 2022, and the subsequent end-line evaluation is scheduled for 2024, spanning a two-year period.

Exploring the Risk of Forced Labor and Human Trafficking Among Climate-Induced Displaced Populations Living in Urban Slums in Bangladesh [Completed]

Context

This study examines the material, social, and psychosocial impacts of climate-induced displacement on individuals and households who have relocated to urban slums in Bangladesh due to environmental disasters such as cyclones and river erosion. It explores how inadequate adaptation policies and poor planning force vulnerable communities to relocate to informal settlements where they face severe socio-economic challenges. These precarious conditions heighten the risk of exploitation, including forced labor and human trafficking, as displaced individuals struggle with limited access to resources, employment, and social protection in their new environments. The study aims to shed light on these vulnerabilities and inform more effective policies to support displaced populations.

Objective

The objective of this study is to explore the material, social, and psychosocial impacts of climate-induced displacement and migration on individuals and households who have relocated from their original residences, focusing on how these factors influence their well-being, access to resources, and social integration. Additionally, the study aims to identify the failures of adaptation policies and measures that contributed to the decision to relocate, such as inadequate infrastructure, poor planning, and insufficient local or national support for communities affected by climate change. Finally, the study will assess the vulnerability of displaced individuals who resettle in informal urban or peri-urban settlements to modern slavery and human trafficking, examining the socio-economic and environmental conditions that may increase their exposure to exploitation in these precarious living environments.

Methodology

This two-year study will employ an exploratory mixed-methods approach, combining qualitative and quantitative longitudinal data collection. The research will involve household quantitative surveys alongside qualitative methods such as focus group discussions (FGDs), key informant interviews (KIIs), case studies, and auto-ethnography. Photovoice will be used to capture the livelihood journeys and realities of individuals living in vulnerable locations where the risk of engaging in forced labor and human trafficking is significantly high.

Project update

- The project was halted due to USAID funding issues; activities later resumed with internal funding from BIGD and a single-round survey was completed. - After that the project scope was revisited and was later led by Dr. Papreen Nahar with Tanvir Shatil, Riana Islam, and Tasin Rashid.

RCT study on Bricks to Blocks: Information and coordination challenges for transitioning to a cleaner building technology [Ongoing]

Context

Traditional fired clay bricks still dominate the construction sector in Bangladesh despite their environmental costs. Cleaner non-fired alternatives such as concrete blocks and soil blocks exist, but adoption remains low in both public and private construction. Earlier exploratory work pointed to information frictions, weak supplier visibility, and practical capacity constraints across contractors, procurement actors, and workers. This ongoing study tests whether reducing those frictions can shift material choice toward cleaner building technologies.

Objective

The study evaluates whether reducing information frictions and capacity constraints can accelerate adoption of cleaner blocks. It is designed to measure how information workshops, supplier-directory access, and worker training affect block adoption and usage, procurement and tender behavior, block-related knowledge and perceptions, and worker-level skills and intentions.

Methodology

The project uses a three-arm cluster randomized controlled trial across 66 upazilas in 22 districts, with a baseline sample of 3,056 respondents. Upazilas are randomized within district into: (i) a control group with no intervention; (ii) Treatment 1, which provides contractors, procurement officers, and private clients with in-person information workshops plus an information-and-facilitation package covering the policy context, comparative costs and benefits, a directory of local block suppliers, and basic workmanship guidance; and (iii) Treatment 2, which adds hands-on block-use training for one randomly selected worker per contractor. The within-contractor worker assignment in Treatment 2 also allows the study to estimate direct training effects and spillovers to untreated co-workers.

Strengthening Resilience of Climate-induced Migrants in Vulnerable Urban Communities in Khulna and Rajshahi [Completed]

Contributions

- I was involved in the endline phase of this project and cleaned all the baseline and endline data to prepare a panel dataset. - I conducted quantitative data analysis and produced graphs using STATA, performed thematic analysis of qualitative data, and wrote the endline report as a deliverable to the project.