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Jan 65 min read
Extraordinary China-US Collaboration
Here’s a story about my collaboration with a student on an essay about “China’s Demographic Future” published in 2024 by Scientific American
Dec 17, 20245 min read
Myanmar Update, December 2024
Some good news about Parami U but Myanmar remains in chaos due to the ongoing conscription. Some modest territorial gains by the opposition.
Dec 9, 20245 min read
A Better Growth Strategy for India
The services sector has been leading India's recent economic growth. Critics say manufacturing should lead in the future. I argue for focusi
Nov 4, 202410 min read
Nine Students from War-Torn Burma in Washington DC
Nine rising Juniors from Parami University had internships in Washington DC this summer with nine great organizations. This is their story.
Sep 20, 20249 min read
China's Demographic Future--Updated
We have updated the story published by Scientific American in May 2024. Our short update has just been posted by a think tank in Hong Kong.
Sep 3, 20243 min read
My View of the Immigration Issue in 1986--and in 2024
I sent a letter to the Council of Economic Advisors in 1986 taking issue with the Council’s position on immigration. My view hasn’t changed.
Aug 28, 202453 min read
A Radical Approach to Acquiring Land for Major Projects
In December 2015, I presented a paper at a conference in Hong Kong on a radical approach to developing a site in Myanmar as a new city.
Aug 1, 202413 min read
The Peace Corps Is Broken: Here Are Ways to Fix It
On 3 April 2024, the DC-based newspaper The Hill published a short version of this co-authored essay. Here is the long version.
Jul 16, 20247 min read
One of My Lifetime Best Stories
It starts in India in 1965, I was in the Peace Corps, continues in Bali, and finishes up in Paris. The main character is a French woman.
Jul 2, 202417 min read
Settling Estates in France
Two of my distant French cousins died and I ended up being the heir of one estate and settling the other in the absence of a will...
Jun 3, 20246 min read
Saving Ukraine
In 2022, I joined a group of ex-US Treasury officials to advise the Ukraine
government on key issues in international finance.
Jun 1, 20246 min read
Myanmar Update June 2024
There is only bad news in this update. The military junta started conscripting men for the army, plunging the country into chaos.
May 21, 20243 min read
Update on 21 May 2024: Yes, Elizabeth, banking needs to be boring again!
A few weeks ago, I stumbled across an ad from PNC Bank, perhaps embedded in a Google search. It featured the President of PNC Bank...
May 6, 202410 min read
China's Demographic Future
This is my lifetime best publishing achievement. I don't expect to ever top it in terms of readership and policy significance.
Apr 17, 20246 min read
Stopping the Rich from Getting Richer
The essay in The Atlantic proposes global wealth cap, resonating with my 2016 message to the President of Brookings on wealth inequality.
Apr 6, 20242 min read
We Think the Peace Corps Needs to be Fixed
Kevin Quigley and I drafted a 3,000-word essay last summer on "The Future of the Peace Corps". A short op-ed version has just been posted on
Feb 20, 20243 min read
What Happened to Our Sense of Community?
There is very little sense of community in my new residence. Does it matter? Is it
related to the creation of the internet?
Dec 5, 20235 min read
Myanmar Update December 2023
A surprising turn in the conflict in Burma gets priority in this Update; meanwhile all is going well at Parami University.
Nov 10, 20233 min read
Apologizing for My Absence
No new posts for more than two months because of my crazy life of travel and writing. I’m working on some topics of above-average interest.
Sep 7, 20233 min read
The Termessos Phenomenon
Termessos is a city in Turkey that held off an attack by Alexander the Great in 333 BC. This is a story about historical preservation.
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