The revolutionary economist who became the unlikely leader of Bangladesh

After weeks of deadly demonstrations that toppled Bangladesh’s autocratic government in August, the students who led the revolution had one demand: invite Nobel Peace prizewinning economist Muhammad Yunus to lead the nation.

The task is the greatest challenge of Yunus’s life. In a career spanning six decades, he’s made a name for himself by testing ideas to fight poverty. Using research to inform decisions and understanding systems from first principles is at the core of how Yunus solves problems, say those who know him. “He is in his eighties, but has energy, physical and mental health. He has empathy and is a great communicator,” says Alex Counts, who has worked with Yunus for more than 30 years.

Yunus was born in Chittagong in British-occupied India. His birthplace became part of East Pakistan when India was partitioned in 1947. In the 1960s, he left for the United States and studied under Nicholas Georgescu-Roegen, one of the founders of ecological economics, which aims to understand the interplay between economies and the natural world. He returned shortly after East Pakistan became Bangladesh, an independent nation, after the war of liberation against West Pakistan in 1971; he was determined to play his part in building the new country.

Yunus is best known for his innovative approach to microcredit, small loans often of less than US$100. Companies that lend small amounts have a reputation for exploiting the poor by charging exorbitant interest rates. But Yunus showed how small loans can also transform lives for the poorest in society if administered fairly.