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About Nick: i am an economist based in malaysia. I write about ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND POLITICAL ECONOMY, while sneaking in a pop culture reference or two.

Nicholas Khaw

Sep 8
Sep 8 Entrepreneurship as a Solution to Crime

Nicholas Khaw
U.S.A., Malaysia

I got to witness firsthand, different anecdotes on how economic hardships can influence behavior among people and how these behaviors can manifest in significantly different ways.

Aug 11
Aug 11 In Defense of Amartya Sen

Nicholas Khaw
Economics, Economic Growth, jobs & employment

In the Indian public sphere, two highly-respected Indian economists, Amartya Sen and Jagdish Bhagwati, have launched into a fascinating debate on the appropriate path for India’s development.

Jul 14
Jul 14 An Economic Perspective of Homelessness

Nicholas Khaw
Economics, Malaysia, Policy, Politics, Wealth Inequality

This note does not seek to critique our Ministers’ views of the homeless but rather to evaluate the economic rationale on homelessness and the ban on soup kitchens.

Jun 16
Jun 16 The Logic of Industrial Policy

Nicholas Khaw
Albania, Economics, Malaysia

What the Albanian government is trying to do is somewhat similar to what the Malaysian government tried to do and is currently doing, via its Economic Transformation Program (ETP), is essentially industrial policy.

May 12
May 12 Politics and Economics

Nicholas Khaw
Democracy, Economics, Politics, Malaysia

I believe there is another way that is largely untried in civil society in Malaysia. It is not a direct form of engagement but I think, in the long run, it will be the most successful.

Apr 7
Apr 7 On the Long-Term Persistence of Gender Norms

Nicholas Khaw
Gender Inequality, Malaysia

given what we know about the ease, or lack thereof, of reconstructing gender roles in improving gender equity in society, and given that Malaysia’s gender equity condition is so entrenched, what can we do?

Mar 24
Mar 24 The “Distance to the Frontier” Narrative of Malaysia’s Economic Growth

Nicholas Khaw
Economic Growth, Economics, Malaysia, Policy

While I will discuss the gist of the paper, I strongly assert that every policymaker and development policy researcher in Malaysia should spend some time and read the paper for themselves

Feb 10
Feb 10 On “Flip-flopping”

Nicholas Khaw
Economics, Malaysia, Policy, Politics

We certainly prefer our doctors to update their priors based on new medical evidence, why should we not prefer that of our politicians as well?

Jan 13
Jan 13 Finding One’s Economic Faith

Nicholas Khaw
Economics, Reflections

Exposure to alternative ideas in our society and in our individual lives to either reaffirm or reevaluate our faiths is an absolute necessity in civil society.

Dec 30
Dec 30 On Price Hikes, Citizens and their Government

Nicholas Khaw
Economics, Malaysia, Policy

What I will absolutely not accept is if the government does not take responsibility for its own actions towards achieving fiscal consolidation as well which is, after all, the objective of these measures.

Dec 2
Dec 2 Should BR1M Become a Conditional Cash Transfer?

Nicholas Khaw
Economics, Malaysia, Policy, Politics

it might alter behavior, it might be more politically supportable and it might better target those who need the handouts. As is common in most policy debates, the answer is, “Not so fast.”

Nov 3
Nov 3 Give GST a Chance

Nicholas Khaw
Economics, Malaysia, Policy, Politics

The most common argument against the GST is that it is a regressive tax and so, will harm the low-income more than the middle-income more than the high-income. I think this argument is incredibly naïve.

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Hi, I'm Nick. My research interests and intellectual passions are in the the political economy of economic development particularly related to the long term persistence of historical events and cultural/institutional co-evolutionary factors on economic and public policy outcomes today.

I serve as an economist in Khazanah Nasional, Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, where I am Head of Research and Co-Head of Private Markets, Investments. My work covers Investments research, private markets investing (direct and indirect), Dana Impak, Khazanah’s knowledge management and Khazanah’s public policy engagement. I am also a Trustee of the Khazanah Research Institute.

I also write a monthly column for The Edge Malaysia.

 

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