Spending time in self-isolation in foreign land has naturally triggered me to quietly observe the variety of pandemic responses being executed, either directly through my own observations (in Indonesia) or indirectly through regular conversations with colleagues who come from different parts of the world. These days, my way to show my care for someone that … Continue reading Pandemic responses for developing countries
The art of remembering memories
Whenever today's date occurs, which marks the end of one of the most brutal civil wars of the Cold War, I often try my best to avoid the vocal noises of overbearing triumphism from one side, and stubborn denialism from the other side. They are both hallmarked by chauvinistic dishonesty, bigotry, and disregard for the … Continue reading The art of remembering memories
A week of applied microeconomics
It has been a great week of recognition for the field of applied microeconomics, especially for people working in the intersections of development economics and political economy. Yesterday, it was announced that Melissa Dell, an applied microeconomist, was awarded this year's John Bates Clark Medal for her work on the role of the state, institutions, … Continue reading A week of applied microeconomics
Plumbing, data and inertia
I have been longing to write this blog entry since October last year, after it was announced that the latest Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences went to Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, and Michael Kremer. In a previous blog entry where I shared my immediate reactions to this announcement, I briefly explained how the latest … Continue reading Plumbing, data and inertia
A letter from Pakistan
At the entrance of Pakistan Monument, Islamabad. The past two months of the end of this year have been incredibly busy and kept my mind and heart way too occupied from any writing or even "unwritten" moments of self-reflections. But no amounts of exhaustion or other circumstances shall prevent me from penning down anything about … Continue reading A letter from Pakistan
Learning from a rare friend
Before writing this, I already received the permission from a dear colleague of mine, a native of Pyongyang in North Korea, to write about my experience with her. In general, it would be strange to comment on your colleague in a public post, both on professional and personal grounds. But instead, my aim is to … Continue reading Learning from a rare friend
Nobel Prize in Economics 2019
The news of this year's Nobel laureate(s) in Economic Sciences was just an hour ago announced to be the economists Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo and Michael Kremer for their work to alleviate global poverty, the official announcement said. Hopefully, this will bring development economics back on the radar of mainstream economics and make the field … Continue reading Nobel Prize in Economics 2019
