Growth
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Neo-Colonialism and the Entrenchment of Palm Oil Exploitation in Indonesia
In July 2025, Indonesia transferred 400,000 hectares of seized plantation land to a state-owned palm oil company. Just weeks earlier, President Prabowo Subianto urged the country to expand palm oil production without worrying about deforestation. At first glance, this may seem like a routine economic decision to support a key…
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The First 15 Years of China’s Reform and Opening-Up: A Critical Restructuring of Incentives
Out of three decades of political and economic volatility came a shift in Chinese economic policy in 1978, bringing about a transition into the market economy China is today. The first 15 years of China’s 1978 reforms is a unique story, achieving fundamental economic changes unseen in its authoritarian hierarchical…
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China and Industrial Policy (Part II): The Future of an Idea, Its Implications and Consequences
Written in conjunction with Ian Wan. You can read Part I here. Industrial policy has recently regained prominence in policymakers’ minds, and not in small part due to China. Whilst industrial policy has always been contentious in an era dominated by capitalist market economies rather than state planning economies, its…
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China and Industrial Policy (Part I): The History of an Idea, Its Rationale and Consequences
Written in conjunction with Paul Meyer. You can read Part II here. Industrial policy has recently regained prominence in policymakers’ minds, and not in small part due to China. Whilst industrial policy has always been contentious in an era dominated by capitalist market economies rather than state planning economies, its…
Sino-Southeast Initiative 