Statement of Interest
I am studying International Studies for my undergraduate degree and also have been working as the head intern at the Institute of Asia Pacific Studies (IAPS), a tri-campus research institute in the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. Given my extreme interest in the fields of politics, in particular politics and theory of development, I want to deepen my understanding of the subject by undertaking postgraduate studies in Development Studies at the University of Cambridge.
I have always loved my time working in IAPS. It is an extremely valuable experience for me to be able to participate in many of the research workshops and talks as well as closed-door seminars that I have been able to participate in the research …show more content…
I stumbled upon Chalmers Johnson’s work MITI and the Japanese Miracle where he first conceptualized the developmental state theory. Later expansion of the concept by Leftwich’s paper Bringing politics back in: Towards a model of the developmental state has influenced me and given me a more in-depth insight on the discourse than what I could ever have imagined. Indonesia with its unique political landscape – A country with the largest Muslim population in the world with a democracy – has faced considerable hurdles in its path to development when compared to countries like China (as well as Taiwan and Hong Kong) and Japan. The Indonesian government and public’s euphoric moment when we finally return the last batch of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan in 2006 clearly showed the discontent of the government and people in being imposed by the IMF’s neo-liberal Structural Adjustment Policies (SAP) that is conditioned upon on our loans. This gap of understanding, between what the IMF (and also World Bank) consider as suitable to foster economic development and the developing and under-developed countries (recipients of the loans) has made me realized that there is a flaw in the current policies that are being implemented by the World Bank and …show more content…
I think that while it is true that it is always beneficial to obtain relevant practical experiences in the field of development studies before undertaking further studies, I feel that given my experience and forte in the field of research as well as the projects that I have been doing with research fellows in the IAPS, pursuing further study would be much more beneficial for me as I would be able to continue and further my knowledge in this particular area. Furthermore, other than the gap in the knowledge and understanding between different school of thoughts in the development studies, given my unique research experience in the field of information system, I would also like to finally be able to explore a more multidisciplinary approach to studying and researching development could be done whereby collaborations with researchers from other fields (i.e. information system) could be achieved. Pan African Development Information System [PADIS] is an example of an organisation where information system management is the main focus which could assist in providing necessary data for the development purpose. Information exchange is one of the sub-focus that has been explored in
I am studying International Studies for my undergraduate degree and also have been working as the head intern at the Institute of Asia Pacific Studies (IAPS), a tri-campus research institute in the University of Nottingham Ningbo China. Given my extreme interest in the fields of politics, in particular politics and theory of development, I want to deepen my understanding of the subject by undertaking postgraduate studies in Development Studies at the University of Cambridge.
I have always loved my time working in IAPS. It is an extremely valuable experience for me to be able to participate in many of the research workshops and talks as well as closed-door seminars that I have been able to participate in the research …show more content…
I stumbled upon Chalmers Johnson’s work MITI and the Japanese Miracle where he first conceptualized the developmental state theory. Later expansion of the concept by Leftwich’s paper Bringing politics back in: Towards a model of the developmental state has influenced me and given me a more in-depth insight on the discourse than what I could ever have imagined. Indonesia with its unique political landscape – A country with the largest Muslim population in the world with a democracy – has faced considerable hurdles in its path to development when compared to countries like China (as well as Taiwan and Hong Kong) and Japan. The Indonesian government and public’s euphoric moment when we finally return the last batch of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan in 2006 clearly showed the discontent of the government and people in being imposed by the IMF’s neo-liberal Structural Adjustment Policies (SAP) that is conditioned upon on our loans. This gap of understanding, between what the IMF (and also World Bank) consider as suitable to foster economic development and the developing and under-developed countries (recipients of the loans) has made me realized that there is a flaw in the current policies that are being implemented by the World Bank and …show more content…
I think that while it is true that it is always beneficial to obtain relevant practical experiences in the field of development studies before undertaking further studies, I feel that given my experience and forte in the field of research as well as the projects that I have been doing with research fellows in the IAPS, pursuing further study would be much more beneficial for me as I would be able to continue and further my knowledge in this particular area. Furthermore, other than the gap in the knowledge and understanding between different school of thoughts in the development studies, given my unique research experience in the field of information system, I would also like to finally be able to explore a more multidisciplinary approach to studying and researching development could be done whereby collaborations with researchers from other fields (i.e. information system) could be achieved. Pan African Development Information System [PADIS] is an example of an organisation where information system management is the main focus which could assist in providing necessary data for the development purpose. Information exchange is one of the sub-focus that has been explored in