Md. Rokonuzzaman, Author at THE WAVES

Despite the rise of Britain, Knowledge without prosperity has been a growing reality in Bangladesh due to disconnect in using knowledge in refining products and processes

Knowledge Without Prosperity: Lessons from Britain for Bangladesh’s Growth Challenge

Abstract: This article examines why the accumulation of education and knowledge in Bangladesh has not translated into proportionate economic growth, despite historical evidence from Britain that economically meaningful knowledge can…

How prosperity migrated from Britain to America, among a few other questions, demands rethinking Mokyr’s industrial enlightenment thesis

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Prosperity Migrated from Britain to America: Rethinking Mokyr’s Industrial Enlightenment Thesis

Few economic historians have reshaped our understanding of modern economic growth as profoundly as Joel Mokyr. His lifelong pursuit—to uncover the intellectual origins of the unprecedented prosperity that transformed Britain…

Productivity Paradox signals reinvention underway, demanding capability- and science-focused policy rather than data-driven growth management

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Productivity Paradox Is a Reinvention Signal: How Data-Centric Economics Undermines Long-Wave Prosperity

Abstract The productivity paradox—first identified during the information technology revolution—has re-emerged with electric vehicles and artificial intelligence, puzzling economists and policymakers alike. This article argues that the paradox is not…

Due to missing mechanics of wealth creation, Mokyr's thesis offers misleading perception about the role of knowledge in creating wealth and jobs

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Missing Mechanics of Growth in Mokyr’s Quest of Finding Intellectual Origins

Abstract: This write-up challenges the dominant knowledge-centric explanation of economic growth by explicitly contrasting Joel Mokyr’s “useful knowledge” thesis with insights from the evolutionary economics of the invention lifecycle. The…

Mechanics of growth is missing in theorising how scientific knowledge has contributed to long wave of growth, resulting in unfolding industrial revolutions

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Economists Miss Mechanics of Growth- Detecting Industrial Revolutions Until It’s Too Late

In the pursuit of identifying the intellectual origins of modern economic growth, Nobel laureate Joel Mokyr has drawn sustained attention to the role of useful scientific knowledge—knowledge that is not…

Nations rise and fall due to migration of prosperity because of leadership in taking advantage of industrial dynamics caused by reinvention of major products and processes

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How Nations Rise and Fall: Lessons from Britain, America, and China

The US faces challenges from countries like China in the Fourth Industrial Revolution—particularly in artificial intelligence, renewable energy, and electric vehicles—and concerns about its historical technological supremacy are growing. We…

Why Economists Can’t Make America Great—and Engineers Once Did

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Engineers Made America Great—and Economists Are Struggling to Keep It That Way

Abstract “Make America Great Again” is often framed as political populism, but it reflects a deeper intellectual divide about how nations create Wealth. This article contrasts two routes to national…

6. Making America Great Again Requires Industrial Reinvention, Not Expansion

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MAGA at a Crossroads: Tariffs, Territory, and the Failure of Industrial Revival

Abstract This article examines the trajectory of Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) agenda through the lens of product life-cycle and industrial Reinvention theories. Using Trump’s renewed focus on…

Catching the next wave is a must for Bangladesh to migrate from declining industrial economy to be innovation led industrial powerhouse

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Catching the Next Wave: Product Evolution, Industrial Reinvention, and the Future of Bangladesh’s Industrial Economy

Abstract Bangladesh’s industrial growth strategy, rooted in importing mature technologies and relying on labor-centric value addition, has reached a point of structural decline. Drawing on the theory of product evolution,…

Economic growth policies demand strategic insights about competing waves which is beyond the scope of existing economic theories

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Economic Growth Policies: Why Should Economists Be Entrusted with Them?

Abstract This article questions the intellectual foundations of economic growth policies dominated by production-function economics, which frame development as the efficient allocation of labor, capital, and an abstract residual called…

Due to industrial reinvention failure Canada looks for gaining trade efficiency in Canola-for-EVs deal with China

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Canola-for-EVs Deal Underscores Industrial Reinvention

Abstract Canada’s recent trade engagement with China—expanding agricultural exports such as canola while easing tariff barriers on Chinese electric vehicles (EVs)—is often framed as a commercial success. This article argues…

Declining R&D productivity trend faces multiple issues which cannot be solved by increasing the funding and number of researchers.

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Addressing Declining R&D Productivity for Driving Economic Growth

Ideas offer innovations that enable us to do our jobs more effectively and efficiently, require fewer resources, contribute to an improved quality of life, and drive economic growth. A stylized…

Md. Rokonuzzaman

Knowledge Without Prosperity: Lessons from Britain for Bangladesh’s Growth Challenge

Prosperity Migrated from Britain to America: Rethinking Mokyr’s Industrial Enlightenment Thesis

Productivity Paradox Is a Reinvention Signal: How Data-Centric Economics Undermines Long-Wave Prosperity

Missing Mechanics of Growth in Mokyr’s Quest of Finding Intellectual Origins

Economists Miss Mechanics of Growth- Detecting Industrial Revolutions Until It’s Too Late

How Nations Rise and Fall: Lessons from Britain, America, and China

Engineers Made America Great—and Economists Are Struggling to Keep It That Way

MAGA at a Crossroads: Tariffs, Territory, and the Failure of Industrial Revival

Catching the Next Wave: Product Evolution, Industrial Reinvention, and the Future of Bangladesh’s Industrial Economy

Economic Growth Policies: Why Should Economists Be Entrusted with Them?

Canola-for-EVs Deal Underscores Industrial Reinvention

Addressing Declining R&D Productivity for Driving Economic Growth

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