This personal blog is dedicated to reflections with myself and readers about matters that I am passionate and think deeply about while pursuing my professional responsibilities.
I am passionate about topics in the intersections of political economy and development microeconomics, and for broader questions concerning social equality, social state-building historically and contemporarily, democracy and governance, state and bureaucratic capacity for development, and the politics of development. My geographical focus regions are Southeast Asia (especially Vietnam and Indonesia) and China.
I hold degrees in BSc Economics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and in MSc Political Science (Comparative Politics) from the London School of Economics. My hobbies include reading non-fiction and poetry, writing, country music, Vietnamese Zen Buddhism, Sinitic calligraphy, and traveling.
I am currently based in Jakarta with UN Development Programme in Indonesia, with previous work in Vietnam, Thailand, and China among others. Nevertheless, my blog reflects my own views.
Chelsea Nguyen 