Technical Workshop

Pacific Island Economies: Aiming for sustainable Economic Development in the Midst of Growing Uncertainties


The University of the South Pacific, Laucala Campus
Video Conference Room 1, ICT Building


25–26 April 2023

BACKGROUND

Apart from the economic fault lines exposed due to recent exogenous coronavirus disease (COVID-19) impacts, Pacific Island Economies (PIEs) are regarded as amongst the 92 most vulnerable member states of the United Nations. The PIEs share many commonalties such as small size, remoteness and isolation from markets, high transportation costs, vulnerability to shocks and climate change and dependence on narrow range of exports. The vulnerability of the region arises from its unique geography and environment, the fragility of its economic structure, its distinctive demographics, and the interactions between these different factors. PIEs have also been identified as some of the most vulnerable worldwide to the effects of climate change and natural disasters.

There is an increased urgency for the region to scale up research and capacity for research in areas such as trade, infrastructure, tourism, digitalization, labor mobility, and regional cooperation.

Within this backdrop, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), under its ADB-Asian Think Tanks Network (ATTN) platform, and in collaboration with the University of the South Pacific (USP), Fiji, and the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) invited submissions of original research papers under the theme Pacific Island Economies: Aiming for Sustainable Economic Development in Midst of Growing Uncertainties. Authors of selected papers will be invited to join two event activities: a) a technical workshop to discuss their paper proposals at the University of the South Pacific in April 2023 and b) to present at a conference at the University of the South Pacific in September 2023

The aim of the project is to promote policy relevant empirical research, thereby supporting the small economies to achieve better social, economic, and environmental goals. Papers should, thus, focus on development issues, identify gaps based on reliable quantitative and/or qualitative data and suggest policy actions that promote sustainability, inclusiveness, and resilience. All paper submissions must be original and not under consideration for publication elsewhere

Paper topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Trade, investment, and logistics
  • Digital transformation and connectivity
  • Migration and remittances
  • Labor mobility and labor market development
  • Economic diversification opportunities
  • Diseases and public health issues impacting Pacific economies

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Agenda

Tuesday, 25 April 2023
Day 2

    • 8:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
      Registration

  • Opening Session

    Moderator:
    Neelesh Gounder,
    Senior Lecturer and Deputy Head of School (Research) School of Accounting Finance and Economics, University of the South Pacific
    Bio
    Neelesh Gounder is a Senior Lecturer with the School of Accounting, Finance and Economics at USP. He has a PhD in economics from Griffith University. Dr. Gounder teaches MBA439, Business Economics course with the Graduate School of Business.

    He is also a Centre Associate at the Development Policy Centre, Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University.

    Dr. Gounder is a recipient of the Greg Taylor Award in 2016 by the Australian National University. His research areas include governance and institutions, trade and poverty, and banking and finance.



    • 9:00 a.m. – 09:10 a.m.
      Opening Remarks
      Aaron Batten,
      Regional Director, Pacific Subregional Office in Suva, Fiji (SPSO), Asian Development Bank (ADB)
      Bio
      Aaron Batten is the Regional Director of ADB’s Pacific Subregional Office (SPSO) which leads the coordination and delivery of ADB operations in the Cook Islands, Kiribati, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu and Niue. Mr Batten is an experienced development professional with 18 years of international experience, including 11 years with ADB, across the South Pacific, South-East Asia, and Africa. He earned a PhD in International and Development Economics from the Australian National University in 2009.


      9:10 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
      Keynote Message
      Kamal Gounder,
      Transitional Head for the Strategic Planning Office ADB Liaison Officer Strategic Planning, National Development and Statistics Ministry of Finance
      Bio
      Kamal Gounder has over 16 years of professional experience with the Ministry of Finance in public financial management as well as in the planning, development, implementation and management of policy initiatives in the infrastructure sector. Mr. Gounder is one of the key drafters of Fiji’s first ever Green Growth Framework; and the country’s 5-Year and 20-Year National Development Plans. During his professional career, Mr. Gounder has also carried out several senior leadership roles and responsibilities including, presently, as Board Director at the Fiji Roads Authority, Land Transport Authority and Water Authority of Fiji. He is also coordinating and managing the implementation of large infrastructure projects funded through the Asian Development Bank and World Bank at the Ministry of Economy. Currently, Mr. Gounder is leading the implementation of one of the largest flood management projects in Fiji, the Nadi Flood Alleviation Project.

      Mr. Gounder has recently been appointed as Head of newly established Strategic Planning Office within Ministry of Ministry of Finance, Strategic Planning, National Development & Statistics and currently responsible for establish the newly created Office. He also delivered the 2023 National Economic Summit last week from 20-21 April 2023 at GPH which was a great success. The Summit was held after 16 years.

    • 9:30 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.
      Introduction to Workshop Theme
      Sanchita Basu-Das,
      Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department (ERCD), ADB
      Bio
      Sanchita Basu-Das joined ADB in November 2018 and initially served as an Economist in the South Asia Regional Department. She was previously the Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs at the ASEAN Studies Centre of ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore. She was concurrently a Fellow of the Regional Economic Studies Program, coordinator of Singapore APEC Studies Centre and a co-editor of Journal of Southeast Asian Economies (JSEAE), all housed under the same institute. Sanchita contributes to the Division’s flagship publications, knowledge products and analytical studies. Her core research interests include regional cooperation initiatives and issues related to them, such as trade, logistics, industrial corridors, tourism, digital economy, institutions and others. She has published in international journals including the Singapore Economic Review, Journal of World Trade and Asia Pacific Economic Literature and also authored/edited books and book chapters, as well as regularly written for media. She earned her PhD in International Political Economy from Nanyang Technology University, Singapore, and her Masters in Economics and Business Management from the University of Delhi and the National University of Singapore respectively.

    • 9:40 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
      Picture-taking
    • 9:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
      Coffee Break

  • Session 1: Trade and Economic Growth

    Moderator:
    Madhavi Pundit,
    Senior Economist, ERCD, ADB
    Bio
    Madhavi Pundit is Senior Economist in ERCD. She contributes to macroeconomic monitoring, research, and analysis for the Asian Development Outlook. Her research areas include nowcasting, business cycles and macroeconomics with policy relevance in developing and emerging economies. She leads a Technical Assistance that explores big data applications for disaster impact analysis in Asian economies.



    • 10:00 a.m. – 10:40 a.m.
      Presentation 1. “Papua New Guinea Global Trade Potential: Evidence from the Gravity Model Analysis”

    • Presenter:
      Lekima Nalaukai,
      Assistant Lecturer, University of the South Pacific
      Presentation Bio
      Lekima Nalaukai Economist/Assistant Lecturer Economics at the University of the South Pacific. Director/Consultant at HORAO Economic Consulting. Expert in the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) of Economies and excellent understanding of economic analysis both on micro and in the sectoral performance of this group of economies.
      • Comprehensive knowledge of economic modeling that is conducive to our island economies
      • Teaching economic theories and modeling and their applications to second and third year undergraduate Economic students

      Education:
      • PhD Economics Student. Current (USP) 2020
      • Supervised Research Project (USP) 2020
      • Masters of Commerce in Economics (USP) 2009
      • Post Graduate Diploma in Economics (USP) 2008
      • Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching (USP) 2012
      • Bachelor of Arts in Economics (USP) 2004
      • Diploma in Business Studies (Econ) (FNU) 1998



    • Discussant:
      Badri Narayanan,
      Research Fellow, University of Washington
      Bio
      Badri Narayanan Gopalakrishnan is an affiliate faculty member and senior economist with the School of Environmental and Forestry Sciences, University of Washington-Seattle. He co-founded a global consulting firm Infinite Sum Modelling LLC. His expertise lies in the analysis for business strategy and public policy, employing a variety of quantitative models focusing on applied economic research in international trade, energy/environment and development issues and business economics of new technologies, advising several start-ups in these sectors. He is widely known for his role in developing GTAP-based models and datasets used by thousands of researchers across the world. He has published five books, over 75 research papers in reputed journals, books, etc., cited over 4200 times by top journals and many more times by media outlets. He has served as a consultant/advisor to UN, World Bank, FAO, WHO, McKinsey, KPMG, ADB, IMF, Harvard University and many other organizations.


    • Open-floor discussion
    • 10:40 a.m. – 11:10 a.m.
      Presentation 2. “The Nexus between Foreign Direct Investment, Trade Openness, and Economic Growth in Fiji”

    • Presenter:
      Anh Tru Nguyen,
      Deputy Dean, Faculty of Accounting and Business Management, Viet Nam National University of Agriculture
      Paper Presentation Bio
      Anh Tru Nguyen received a PhD in Management from the University of Newcastle, Australia. He is currently working as the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Accounting and Business Management, Vietnam National University of Agriculture. He published more than 30 papers in international journals. His research interests focus on Development Economics, Energy Economics, Environmental Economics, Marketing, and Business Management.


    • Discussant:
      James Webb,
      Public Management Economist, SPSO, ADB
      Bio
      James Webb is a Public Sector Economist for the ADB Pacific Department, based in Suva. He has worked on public financial management and economic issues in the Pacific for over a decade. He currently covers economic surveillance issues in South Pacific economies and public sector reform programs primarily in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and the Cook Islands.


    • Open-floor discussion
    • 11:10 a.m. – 11:50 nn
      Presentation 3. “Investigating Trade Costs and Trade Flows of Selected Melanesian Countries Using the Heterogeneous Trade Cost Effects Model”

    • Presenter:
      Amit Prakash,
      Lecturer in Economics, University of Fiji
      Paper Presentation Bio
      Amit Prakash is a Lecturer in Economics at the University of Fiji. He holds postgraduate qualifications in Economics and currently pursuing Doctor of Philosophy studies at the University of the South Pacific. Mr. Prakash has been in academia for over 10 years. He has attended and presented at numerous international conferences and forums. Moreover, published in peer reviewed journals. His area of interest is in International Economics, Financial Economics and Intellectual Property. Mr. Prakash has secured research grants as well as done consultancy for international agency.


    • Discussant:
      Jong Woo Kang,
      Principal Economist, ERCD, ADB
      Bio
      Jong Woo Kang is Principal Economist at the Economic Research and Cooperation Department of the Asian Development Bank (ADB). He is a seasoned economist with extensive knowledge and experiences on policy and strategic issues. He was senior advisor to the managing director general of ADB and senior economist at Strategy and Policy Department at ADB. He leads the annual publication of Asian Economic Integration Report. Areas of his research interest include regional integration, inclusive growth, macroeconomic and international trade policies, and aid effectiveness. He has published research articles in academic journals such as Journal of Development Economics, Journal of Applied Economics, and Journal of World Trade, and wrote numerous blogs and opinion articles on global macroeconomy and international trade and finance.

      Before joining ADB, he was director at Ministry of Finance and Economy of the Republic of Korea. He had got his BA in economics and MA in public administration from Seoul National University, and PhD in economics from University of Washington.


    • Open-floor discussion
    • 11:50 nn – 1:30 p.m.
      Lunch

  • Session 2: Economic Resilience

    Moderator:
    James Webb,
    Public Management Economist, SPSO, ADB
    Bio
    James Webb is a Public Sector Economist for the ADB Pacific Department, based in Suva. He has worked on public financial management and economic issues in the Pacific for over a decade. He currently covers economic surveillance issues in South Pacific economies and public sector reform programs primarily in Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, and the Cook Islands.



    • 1:30 p.m. – 2:10 p.m.
      Presentation 4. “Logging Off: Searching for new growth drivers for Solomon Islands”

    • Presenter:
      Prince Christian Cruz,
      ADB Consultant
      Presentation Bio
      Prince Christian R. Cruz is a National Advisor (Consultant) under the Pacific Economic Management Technical Assistance of ADB’s Pacific Department. He has more than 10 years of experience dealing with Pacific economies in terms of research, surveillance, forecasting, and modeling. He regularly contributes to ADB publications including the Asian Development Outlook and the Pacific Economic Monitor focusing mainly on the economies of Nauru, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. Prince has a Master in Development Economics degree from the University of the Philippines, where he is also a Ph.D. candidate.


    • Discussant:
      Neelesh Gounder,
      University of the South Pacific
      Bio
      Neelesh Grounder is a Senior Lecturer with the School of Accounting, Finance and Economics at USP. He has a PhD in economics from Griffith University. Dr. Gounder teaches MBA439, Business Economics course with the Graduate School of Business.

      He is also a Centre Associate at the Development Policy Centre, Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University.

      Dr. Gounder is a recipient of the Greg Taylor Award in 2016 by the Australian National University. His research areas include governance and institutions, trade and poverty, and banking and finance.


    • Open-floor discussion
    • 2:10 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
      Presentation 5. “Barriers to Income Diversification: Study on COVID-19 redundant skilled workers – Evidence from Fiji”

    • Presenter:
      Seone Lolesio,
      Assistant Lecturer, University of the South Pacific
      Presentation Bio
      Seone Lolesio was born and raised in the island of Niua Niuatoputapu, in the northernmost part of Tonga. He graduated with a BCom (Accounting & Economics), Postgraduate Diploma (Economics), MCom (Economics), and Graduate Certificate in Tertiary Teaching (GCTT) from USP. He has been working at USP for almost 19 years since October 2004. He held various positions, mostly in teaching but also in administration as well. The highlight of his administration responsibilities is a four year contract, July 2018 - July 2022 as the Campus Director in one of USP's Regional Campuses, Niue Campus. Niue is one of the most peaceful, pristine environments, and friendly islands in the world. Seone is currently an Assistant Lecturer, at the School of Accounting, Finance and Economics, Economics Discipline, Laucala Campus, Suva Fiji. He is currently studying towards his Doctorate in Business Administration Online with the SP Jain School of Global Management (Mumbai, Dubai, Singapore, and Sydney) (https://www.spjain.org/). He is hoping to complete his thesis by August, 2023. He is married to Stella, from Savusavu, Fiji, and they have an 18 year old daughter.


    • Discussant:
      Sanchita Basu-Das,
      ERCD, ADB
      Bio
      Sanchita Basu-Das joined ADB in November 2018 and initially served as an Economist in the South Asia Regional Department. She was previously the Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs at the ASEAN Studies Centre of ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore. She was concurrently a Fellow of the Regional Economic Studies Program, coordinator of Singapore APEC Studies Centre and a co-editor of Journal of Southeast Asian Economies (JSEAE), all housed under the same institute. Sanchita contributes to the Division’s flagship publications, knowledge products and analytical studies. Her core research interests include regional cooperation initiatives and issues related to them, such as trade, logistics, industrial corridors, tourism, digital economy, institutions and others. She has published in international journals including the Singapore Economic Review, Journal of World Trade and Asia Pacific Economic Literature and also authored/edited books and book chapters, as well as regularly written for media. She earned her PhD in International Political Economy from Nanyang Technology University, Singapore, and her Masters in Economics and Business Management from the University of Delhi and the National University of Singapore respectively.


    • Open-floor discussion
    • 2:50 p.m. – 3:10 p.m.
      Coffee Break

  • Session 3: FDI, Migration and Remittances

    Moderator:
    Vu Thu Trang,
    Research Associate, ADB Institute
    Bio
    Trang Thu Vu obtained her PhD in development economics at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo. Currently, she works as a Research Associate at the Asian Development Bank Institute.

    Her research focuses on development economics, applied econometrics, impact evaluation, and behavioral economics.



    • 3:10 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.
      Presentation 6. “Aiming for Sustainable Economic Development during Growing Uncertainties: The Federated States of Micronesia Case”

    • Presenter:
      Michael Levin,
      Consultant, PacificWeb LLC
      Paper Presentation Bio
      Michael Levin did anthropological and demographic fieldwork on Eauripik in Yap State of Micronesia in 1973 and has been working around the Pacific ever since. He was at the U.S. Census Bureau for almost 30 years, specializing in census and survey work in U.S. territories, followed by 7 years at Harvard University, and then the East-West Center. Currently, he leads a team of Micronesians in continuing to help implement, process, and analyze Pacific Islands censuses and surveys. The team has a statistical website www.pacificweb.org and a news site.


    • Discussant:
      Ashish Narain,
      Principal Economist, PARD, ADB
      Bio
      Ashish Narain is a principal economist in the Social Sectors and Public Sector Management Division of the Pacific Department. Prior to joining ADB, he was a senior economist with the International Finance Corporation. He obtained his doctoral degree in Economics from the University of Maryland, College Park in the United States and master’s degree in International Economics and Public Economics from Delhi School of Economics, India.


    • Open-floor discussion
    • 3:50 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
      Presentation 7: “Migration, Foreign Direct Investment and Vulnerability: Panel-Based Evidence”

    • Presenter:
      Nitika Nand,
      Teaching Assistant, University of the South Pacific
      Paper Presentation Bio
      Nitika Nand a Teaching Assistant in Economics at the University of the South Pacific Laucala Campus Suva. I hail from the western part of Viti Levu, Fiji, specifically from Ba. With a Bachelor of Arts and a Graduate Certificate in Education, majoring in Accounting and Economics, as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Economics, I am currently working towards a master’s degree in Economics by Thesis. I am deeply passionate about economics and how it impacts various regions of the world. Apart from my academic pursuits, I enjoy swimming, cooking, and meeting new people to learn about their cultures and perspectives. My diverse range of interests, combined with my academic qualifications, makes me a well-rounded individual who is always eager to learn and grow.


    • Discussant:
      Kijin Kim,
      Senior Economist, ERCD, ADB
      Bio
      Kijin Kim is a Senior Economist in the Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department, Asian Development Bank. Since he joined the ADB in 2017, he has been working on trade, trade facilitation, and trade finance within the context of regional cooperation and integration (RCI). He contributed to ADB’s publications on these areas including the Asian Economic Integration Report, Trade Finance Gaps, Growth, and Jobs Survey, and Asia-Pacific Trade Facilitation Report.

      Before joining the ADB, he was a research fellow of the Regional Economics Applications Laboratory at the University of Illinois since 2012. From 2004 to 2010, he worked as Economist at the Bank of Korea. He earned his PhD in economics from the University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign in 2016, focusing on research within the fields of regional economics and applied econometrics, centered on the role of labor markets, the effects of heterogeneity in consumption spending and labor market participation on regional economies.


    • Open-floor discussion
    • 4:30 p.m. – 4:35 p.m
      Reminders for next day



Wednesday, 26 April 2023
Day 2

    • 9:00 a.m. – 9:10 a.m.
      Recap of Day 1

  • Session 3: FDI, Migration and Remittances (continuation)

    Moderator:
    Sanchita Basu-Das,
    ERCD, ADB
    Bio
    Sanchita Basu-Das joined ADB in November 2018 and initially served as an Economist in the South Asia Regional Department. She was previously the Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs at the ASEAN Studies Centre of ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore. She was concurrently a Fellow of the Regional Economic Studies Program, coordinator of Singapore APEC Studies Centre and a co-editor of Journal of Southeast Asian Economies (JSEAE), all housed under the same institute. Sanchita contributes to the Division’s flagship publications, knowledge products and analytical studies. Her core research interests include regional cooperation initiatives and issues related to them, such as trade, logistics, industrial corridors, tourism, digital economy, institutions and others. She has published in international journals including the Singapore Economic Review, Journal of World Trade and Asia Pacific Economic Literature and also authored/edited books and book chapters, as well as regularly written for media. She earned her PhD in International Political Economy from Nanyang Technology University, Singapore, and her Masters in Economics and Business Management from the University of Delhi and the National University of Singapore respectively.



    • 9:10 a.m – 9:50 a.m.
      Presentation 8: “Male Migration and Women Empowerment: The Case of Samoa”

    • Presenter:
      Vu Thu Trang,
      Research Associate, ADB Institute
      Presentation Bio
      Trang Thu Vu obtained her PhD in development economics at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo. Currently, she works as a Research Associate at the Asian Development Bank Institute.

      Her research focuses on development economics, applied econometrics, impact evaluation, and behavioral economics.


    • Discussant:
      Noel Del Castillo,
      ADB Consultant
      Presentation Bio
      Noel B. Del Castillo has been a consultant at the Pacific Department (PARD) of the Asian Development Bank since 2017. As part of the economics team at PARD, he is a regular contributor to the Asian Development Outlook and the Pacific Economic Monitor publications, discussing macroeconomic and development issues of Pacific developing member countries. Prior to ADB, he worked as a Research Analyst at the World Bank Philippines Country Office from 2014-2016.

      He is concurrently a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Philippines School of Economics (UPSE) and at the Department of International Studies in Miriam College, teaching undergraduate courses in international trade, money and banking, public economics, and development economics. He is a Ph.D. candidate in Economics at UPSE and has obtained both his master’s (2011) and bachelor’s degree in economics (2006) from the same institution.


    • Open-floor discussion
    • 9:50 a.m. – 10:10 a.m.
      Coffee Break

  • Session 4: Planning Programs with Remote Sensing

    Moderator:
    Neelesh Gounder,
    University of the South Pacific
    Bio
    Neelesh Grounder is a Senior Lecturer with the School of Accounting, Finance and Economics at USP. He has a PhD in economics from Griffith University. Dr. Gounder teaches MBA439, Business Economics course with the Graduate School of Business.

    He is also a Centre Associate at the Development Policy Centre, Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University.

    Dr. Gounder is a recipient of the Greg Taylor Award in 2016 by the Australian National University. His research areas include governance and institutions, trade and poverty, and banking and finance.



    • 10:10 a.m. – 10:50 a.m.
      Presentation 9. “Evaluation of Remotely Sensed Nighttime Light as Complementary Data Source for Socioeconomic Indicators in Pacific Island Economies”

    • Presenter:
      Homer Pagkalinawan,
      Associate Economics Officer, ERCD, ADB
      Presentation Bio
      Homer Pagkalinawan is an associate economics officer from the macroeconomics research division of ADB's Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department. With his background in geospatial analytics, he ventures on the different application of locational big data in economic development monitoring and impact evaluation. Prior to joining ADB as a staff, he worked as technical consultant and conducted research on the use of nighttime light data and other satellite imageries in assessment of transportation projects, estimating typhoon damage through nowcasting, and sectoral evaluation of climate change. Adept with mapping and data visualization platforms, he enjoys building dashboards and templates for stakeholders to promote usability and reusability of project outputs.


    • Discussant:
      Rup Singh,
      Senior Lecturer, University of the South Pacific
      Bio
      Rup Singh is the Senior Lecturer in the School of Accounting, Finance and Economics (USP). He teaches postgraduate Macroeconomics, Applied Econometrics and Business Statistics (for the MBA programme). He posses strong empirical and modelling skills. Rup has a working knowledge of statistical packages such as STATA, E-views, MicroFit and GEMPAC. His publications in the areas of monetary policy, trade and economic growth are in internationally ranked journals. He has recently completed his PhD in Growth Economics. He has won the Oceania Development Network (2011) research award and the Vice Chancellor’s Researcher Award (2010). He was awarded a gold medal for the best Masters thesis (2007) which got published in the USA. Rup has been consulted by various UN organizations for a number of research assignments concerning broader areas of economic growth and development challenges.


    • Open-floor discussion
    • 10:50 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
      Presentation 10. “Integrating Remote Sensing and Survey Data to Nowcast Disaster Impacts”

    • Presenter:
      Madhavi Pundit,
      Senior Economist, ERCD, ADB
      Paper Presentation Bio
      Madhavi Pundit is Senior Economist in ERCD. She contributes to macroeconomic monitoring, research, and analysis for the Asian Development Outlook. Her research areas include nowcasting, business cycles and macroeconomics with policy relevance in developing and emerging economies. She leads a Technical Assistance that explores big data applications for disaster impact analysis in Asian economies.


    • Discussant:
      Daniel Suryadarma,
      ADBI
      Bio
      Daniel Suryadarma conducts applied economics research in the areas of education, labor, poverty, and social policy. His work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals, such as American Economic Journal: Applied Economics, and Journal of Development Economics. His research has informed policy discussions at the Indonesian Vice President’s Office, Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture, and various international organizations and donor agencies.

      Prior to joining ADBI, Daniel was the deputy team leader of the Research on Improving Systems of Education (RISE) Programme in Indonesia and a senior research fellow at the SMERU Research Institute in Jakarta. He was previously a research fellow at the Australian National University and led the impact evaluation unit at the Center for International Forestry Research.

      Daniel has economics degrees from Brandon University, the University of Toronto, and the Australian National University.


    • Open-floor discussion
    • 11:30 a.m. – 11:40 a.m.
      Closing
      Sanchita Basu-Das,
      ERCD, ADB
      Bio
      Sanchita Basu-Das joined ADB in November 2018 and initially served as an Economist in the South Asia Regional Department. She was previously the Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs at the ASEAN Studies Centre of ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore. She was concurrently a Fellow of the Regional Economic Studies Program, coordinator of Singapore APEC Studies Centre and a co-editor of Journal of Southeast Asian Economies (JSEAE), all housed under the same institute. Sanchita contributes to the Division’s flagship publications, knowledge products and analytical studies. Her core research interests include regional cooperation initiatives and issues related to them, such as trade, logistics, industrial corridors, tourism, digital economy, institutions and others. She has published in international journals including the Singapore Economic Review, Journal of World Trade and Asia Pacific Economic Literature and also authored/edited books and book chapters, as well as regularly written for media. She earned her PhD in International Political Economy from Nanyang Technology University, Singapore, and her Masters in Economics and Business Management from the University of Delhi and the National University of Singapore respectively.

    • 11:40 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
      Networking Lunch