Khondokar Shakhawat Ali is an Advisor at the Center for Policy and Economic Research (CPER). He is also a Visiting Research Fellow at the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development, BRAC University, and an Adjunct Faculty member at the Department of Environment & Development Studies, United International University (UIU).
A sociologist, researcher, and founder of the Knowledge Alliance, Shakhawat Ali has been instrumental in fostering civil society activism through projects such as Bijoy Mela (1989-1990) in Chattogram, the Local Government Support Group (2000-2003), and the Shushikkha Andolon (2004-2008), a citizen initiative focused on local government and primary education. He currently serves as the Emeritus Fellow of Unnayan Shamannay.
With over 27 years of experience as a sociologist, researcher, and educator, Shakhawat has taught sociology, research methodology, and development studies at institutions such as City University and ASA University. He was previously the Executive Editor of Protichinta, a journal focusing on society, economy, and politics. He worked as a Research Fellow at the Power and Participation Research Centre (PPRC) for nearly 17 years. Earlier in his career, he contributed to the Program for Research on Poverty Alleviation (PRPA) at Grameen Trust and Gonoshahajjo Sangastha (GSS).
Shakhawat has also worked extensively with development organizations, including DFID, the World Bank, Sida, the Embassy of Switzerland, the Embassy of the Netherlands, the Canadian High Commission, ActionAid, Save the Children, Plan International, and NETZ Bangladesh. He has collaborated with UN organizations such as UNDP, UNICEF, and UNESCO. Over the course of his career, he has authored more than 30 research and evaluation reports on topics including education, development, technology, NGOs in development, fundamentalism, gender, and governance. His published works include Mobile Financial Services in Bangladesh: Success, Prospects, and Challenges (2017).
Shakhawat Ali earned his Master’s degree in Sociology from Chittagong University in 1994. He pursued further studies at the University of Wales, Swansea University, and the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction in the Philippines.
