"The Chongqing Model: One Decade On" by the sociologist Zhang Yueran provides a realpolitik (instead of the liberal versus left) version of the making, evolution, and eventual demise of the popularized "Chongqing model" of governance and development that had a place in Chinese politics between 2007 and 2012. It's a fascinating read in many ways, … Continue reading Chongqing
Category: Politics
The lost conservative mind
"The Coronavirus and the Conservative Mind" by Rous Douthat is worth reading, as a brief observation of the varying (and rather lost) "conservative" responses to COVID-19, though it centers on American conservatism. In terms of British conservatism, "Why coronavirus has deepened the crisis of the conservative mind" by Paul Mason also recently echoed this observation. … Continue reading The lost conservative mind
China and inequality
In many developing countries with a deeply rooted legacy of socialism and egalitarianism, debates about choosing between the policy preferences of economic growth, equality and social justice remain as contentious as ever. Within economics, unanimity is really never meant to be achieved when studying the following questions: What is the optimal tax rate? What is … Continue reading China and inequality
Bo Songvisava, Thailand and cultural decay
A colleague of mine recently introduced me to “Chef’s Table”, a Netflix series documenting different world cuisines through stories of individual chefs and their chosen cuisine of specialization. The first episode that I watched featured Duangporn “Bo” Songvisava, a female Thai co-chef and owner of Bo.Lan, a Bangkok restaurant. This was not a random choice. … Continue reading Bo Songvisava, Thailand and cultural decay
