In-depth interviews & dialogues with global thinkers

Gambling on Development? An interview with Stefan Dercon

In this podcast, Stefan Dercon, Professor of Economic Policy at Oxford University and former chief economist at UK Department of International Development, argues that the elites’ policies, rather than the people, are the ones that matter for economic development. He also notes, while democracies and autocracies perform similarly well in economy on average, the real difference is the variance among autocracies.

Dialogue with Keyu Jin

What makes the Chinese economic model special? A conversation with Keyu Jin

Drawing on her recent work “China’s new playbook” , Professor Keyu Jin discusses with Brian Wong the present opportunities and challenges of the Chinese economy and the future of Sino-American relations. She also reflects on how she feels regarding commenting on China in an increasingly polarized setting.

Does democracy deliver development

Does democracy deliver development?

In this podcast episode, Dr Brian Wong and Alan Doss examined the relations between democracy and development, delving into multiple cases including China, Congo and Myanmar, as well as examining the role of UN in democracy and development. Alan Doss emphasized that democracy is not a panacea for development and it cannot be imported but has to be a “local construct.”