A few months ago somebody left a comment in my tag box, recommending me to read ‘Confessions of an Economic Hit Man’ by John Perkins. It was an interesting read although I don’t know if I believe him. To me, the book is more about politics than economics. Nevertheless, it is a good book and thank you to whoever it was who recommended it. I'm now eyeing 'Rogue Economics' by Loretta Napoleoni (now sitting on my bedside table) which probably is similar to Perkin's but hopefully will have more economics (I was quite surprise to find this book at Borders, with that title and its woman author).
But 'Rogue Economics' needs to wait for a bit because currently I’m reading Lee Kwan Yew’s Memoir: The Singapore Story - From Third World to First. Now, this book is what I call ‘unputdownable’. It is 700 pages (I’ve finished two-third) and the second book of his 2-part memoir. I read the first book when I was pregnant with my eldest daughter and it was an OK book (too much history, and I’m no good with history). But this second book is excellent! He is one of the best writers I’ve come across. He used only simple, straight-forward English, with hardly any jargon or big words, yet his description of the numerous events were alive. I felt as I if I was in his head.
Most of all, I feel this is one of those books that policymakers (especially in Brunei) should read. The book is loaded with economic and development policies. There are many (Singapore) policies that we can relate to and perhaps can ‘try, test’ with probably some modifications based on our resources and our own national objectives.
Speaking of good writers, I also follow with interest Dr. Mahathir’s blogsite. I’ve read most of his books but I love his speeches more. He has the ability to speak and write (especially his blog posts) clearly and delivers what’s in his mind structurally.
Don’t get me wrong, besides the serious stuff, I also read fiction novels. I am a Harry Potter’s fan. Until today, I have yet to find another writer who can rival J.K. Rowling’s HP. (Any suggestion, out there?). My interests also vary. I read Dan Brown to Neil Gaiman to Jeffery Archer to Jodi Picoult to Sophie Kinsella, of course. And I am a sucker for romance too (hehe) especially historical romance. I’m now into children’s novels (that Young Bond books look interesting).
Anyway, I hope one day I will also get to write an ‘unputdownable’ book too. In the meantime, I'm going to curl up in bed and finish the Singapore Story.
Salaam.
Showing posts with label book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book. Show all posts
Monday, 23 June 2008
Monday, 24 March 2008
Getting Organised
I am not an organised person. I tend to misplace A LOT of stuff especially journal papers, printed out articles and other (1001) knick-knacks. And whenever I have some free time and a clear head (which comes probably only once in six months), I would try to sort the paper mountain on my desk into files.
Anyway, I thought I'd do some organising to this blog as well, as I realise that I've been linking papers and websites in my posts, which I believe one day would be useful to me and to anyone who remembered reading it (but too lazy as I am to browse the past posts). So, I've added 2 sections: 'Reading List' which gives the link to all papers, reports and articles I refer to in my posts, and 'Websites' which gives the link to all websites that I refer to and any others which I think would be useful for Brunei. To make (my) life easier, I've put the dates of my blog posts that refer to each paper or website.
I am also recommending a few bed-time readings which are interesting and worth buying (and NOT too expensive). First, it's Krugman's earlier book The Accidental Theorist which is a collection of short articles he had written in various magazines. It is highly informative and entertaining with his witty style of writing and 'easy' english. I feel this is one of those books that can be read by anyone.
For a more thought-provoking book, which I am currently reading, I'd recommend The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. This book is about uncertainties and random events that underlie our lives.
Finally, Slate has also recommended Predictably Irrational : The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decision by Dan Ariely who "has done a huge amount of firsthand research on decision-making, and he demonstrates that emotions, expectations, contexts, and social norms all play a huge role."
All of the above books are in my MUST READ Recommended Books.
Salaam
Anyway, I thought I'd do some organising to this blog as well, as I realise that I've been linking papers and websites in my posts, which I believe one day would be useful to me and to anyone who remembered reading it (but too lazy as I am to browse the past posts). So, I've added 2 sections: 'Reading List' which gives the link to all papers, reports and articles I refer to in my posts, and 'Websites' which gives the link to all websites that I refer to and any others which I think would be useful for Brunei. To make (my) life easier, I've put the dates of my blog posts that refer to each paper or website.
I am also recommending a few bed-time readings which are interesting and worth buying (and NOT too expensive). First, it's Krugman's earlier book The Accidental Theorist which is a collection of short articles he had written in various magazines. It is highly informative and entertaining with his witty style of writing and 'easy' english. I feel this is one of those books that can be read by anyone.
For a more thought-provoking book, which I am currently reading, I'd recommend The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. This book is about uncertainties and random events that underlie our lives.
Finally, Slate has also recommended Predictably Irrational : The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decision by Dan Ariely who "has done a huge amount of firsthand research on decision-making, and he demonstrates that emotions, expectations, contexts, and social norms all play a huge role."
All of the above books are in my MUST READ Recommended Books.
Salaam
Tuesday, 11 December 2007
Hands Up If You Love Reading Books!
I love books. And I love to read them. My love affair with books started the moment I learnt how to read. I guess, I was 6 or 7 (I know! In those days we only started going to school at the age of 6! Darjah 0 hehe) and I used to ask my dad to send me to the library in Bandar. While other kids went to the library to play, I went there to read. I would borrow some of the kids’ library cards, so that I could borrow lots of books. Sometimes I would take home about 8 books at one time.
Now, I still love reading. I could go mental if I don’t read anything in one day. I have to read before I go to sleep. I read almost anything. I’m also grateful that my 2 girls also love books. My eldest, who is 5, now can read and she loves it. Everytime we bring our kids to the town centre, they would always insist to go to the library or a bookshop. We're also lucky that here in the UK, books are cheap especially if you buy online. Children books are cheap too. Plus there are heaps of charity shops which sell second-hand books. My favourites are the Oxfam bookshop and the Children Society. I can get ‘almost new’ books at only about a quid each ($3). So if you ask me, I’m in heaven!
Unfortunately, reading is not loved by all. And especially in Brunei, reading is still far from being a culture. Unlike in UK, Japan or Singapore, you see people read everywhere. In the bus, in the tube, in the train, in the cafes, old and young. It is a culture. These are all developed countries. There may not be a correlation or causality between the two but I can’t help but wonder. It is possible that a developed country makes reading its culture. Or it could also be that ‘reading’ makes a country to be developed. It makes sense to me. With books, comes knowledge. With knowledge, comes power. Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.
I remember when I was back in Brunei a few years ago. I was about to enter a bookshop. Then came this lady with her little boy. The boy asked her mom to go to the bookshop. He said he wanted to buy a book. And you know what the mom said? Nothing interesting in there! We’d just be wasting our time! At that moment, I felt so sad. I actually wanted to approach them and offered to buy the boy a book.
Anyway, you can’t force people to change their habits. Moreover, books are also expensive in Brunei. Books are wrapped in plastics. The bookshops sometimes put off even people like me. But then again, who would want to invest in an expensive bookstore (or an international book franchise) if the people don’t read? The bookshops are after all ‘shops’ and selling books are businesses to make profit.
Nevertheless, I strongly think reading should be encouraged especially to our children. I don’t have to list down the benefits. I even think that it is not over-rated if 'forming a reading culture' to be made as one of the national development objectives (or perhaps the national objective is to build a knowledgeable nation, and 'reading as a culture' becomes one of the main strategies). It could well be one of the remedies to the aggravating social illnesses.
However, if Brunei wants to make reading as a culture, serious steps have to be taken. Having a book fair once a year is NOT enough. Even in the UK, they have a literacy campaign. There is a ‘one book one child’ scheme or something. A few months ago, my children were sent a free story book each. They do this once a year. The local council on the other hand promotes the local libraries. They send leaflets with information about libraries. They even conduct sessions for adults who are not confident or do not know how to read to children. Now, this is what I call serious.
A Home Without Books is a Body Without Soul
Now, I still love reading. I could go mental if I don’t read anything in one day. I have to read before I go to sleep. I read almost anything. I’m also grateful that my 2 girls also love books. My eldest, who is 5, now can read and she loves it. Everytime we bring our kids to the town centre, they would always insist to go to the library or a bookshop. We're also lucky that here in the UK, books are cheap especially if you buy online. Children books are cheap too. Plus there are heaps of charity shops which sell second-hand books. My favourites are the Oxfam bookshop and the Children Society. I can get ‘almost new’ books at only about a quid each ($3). So if you ask me, I’m in heaven!
Unfortunately, reading is not loved by all. And especially in Brunei, reading is still far from being a culture. Unlike in UK, Japan or Singapore, you see people read everywhere. In the bus, in the tube, in the train, in the cafes, old and young. It is a culture. These are all developed countries. There may not be a correlation or causality between the two but I can’t help but wonder. It is possible that a developed country makes reading its culture. Or it could also be that ‘reading’ makes a country to be developed. It makes sense to me. With books, comes knowledge. With knowledge, comes power. Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.
I remember when I was back in Brunei a few years ago. I was about to enter a bookshop. Then came this lady with her little boy. The boy asked her mom to go to the bookshop. He said he wanted to buy a book. And you know what the mom said? Nothing interesting in there! We’d just be wasting our time! At that moment, I felt so sad. I actually wanted to approach them and offered to buy the boy a book.
Anyway, you can’t force people to change their habits. Moreover, books are also expensive in Brunei. Books are wrapped in plastics. The bookshops sometimes put off even people like me. But then again, who would want to invest in an expensive bookstore (or an international book franchise) if the people don’t read? The bookshops are after all ‘shops’ and selling books are businesses to make profit.
Nevertheless, I strongly think reading should be encouraged especially to our children. I don’t have to list down the benefits. I even think that it is not over-rated if 'forming a reading culture' to be made as one of the national development objectives (or perhaps the national objective is to build a knowledgeable nation, and 'reading as a culture' becomes one of the main strategies). It could well be one of the remedies to the aggravating social illnesses.
However, if Brunei wants to make reading as a culture, serious steps have to be taken. Having a book fair once a year is NOT enough. Even in the UK, they have a literacy campaign. There is a ‘one book one child’ scheme or something. A few months ago, my children were sent a free story book each. They do this once a year. The local council on the other hand promotes the local libraries. They send leaflets with information about libraries. They even conduct sessions for adults who are not confident or do not know how to read to children. Now, this is what I call serious.
Now, what about our national library? It's been ages I haven't been there. Needless to say, the library doesn't look inviting. Seriously, I think we should have a bigger, fantastic looking national library. A library, is afterall the soul of a country.
Anyway, enough of my rambling today. In case you haven’t notice I’ve put up a couple of Amazon banners in this blog site. Well, the purpose is not to gain any extra income but to encourage you people to read. You can find lots of bargain especially from the Amazon US. Now that the US dollar is down, I think it’s worth buying some.
Oh well, probably I would open my own bookshop one day.
Salaam.
Anyway, enough of my rambling today. In case you haven’t notice I’ve put up a couple of Amazon banners in this blog site. Well, the purpose is not to gain any extra income but to encourage you people to read. You can find lots of bargain especially from the Amazon US. Now that the US dollar is down, I think it’s worth buying some.
Oh well, probably I would open my own bookshop one day.
Salaam.
A Home Without Books is a Body Without Soul
Sunday, 3 June 2007
Work Abroad vs Brain Drain
The other day a friend was asking me what I thought about Bruneians working abroad. From our conversation it appears that many Bruneians oppose the very idea of people leaving their families back home (note the reason!) and of course there is also an issue of brain drain.
Well, it is complicated. And I have 2 sets of answers:
If you are asking me as a worker, my answer to that would be Why Not? If it (working abroad) can increase my welfare and that of my family's then I would not hesitate to work abroad.
[And my view is that if you answer NO to working abroad because you don't want to leave your family, despite no job back home while an opportunity abroad is available, then it is another example of mind-set problem of Bruneians]
If you are asking me as a policymaker, my answer would be 'it depends on WHO are working abroad'. There is obviously an issue of brain drain, defined as the emigration of trained and talented individuals to other nations. It is an economic issue because the (large) investment a nation puts in higher education is lost and it drains resources (human capital) from the home country. Countries such as China, India and even the UK are facing the economic consequences of brain drain of the educated and skilled workers.
Herein also lies the dilemma of being a small country where opportunities are also small.
I would say Brunei being a small country should keep its 'best and brightest' at home and at the same time facilitate others who want to work abroad with a ready policy that will ensure the return of these workers. You see, brain drain aside, returning emigrant workers can have positive effect on the development of a country. Research (see Kapur and McHale, 2005) shows that returnees generally have higher entrepreneurship skill, higher saving, better ideas and so on than those who are at home of the same skill. And I would like to stress again that Brunei SHOULD have a policy or an effective 'entice return' policy if it must encourage Bruneians to go abroad, in order to reap the benefits of their 'foreign skills'.
And then there is also a role of the 'Diasporas' which according to an article from Science and Development Network:
To conclude, there is actually no easy answer to this. While working abroad may perhaps alleviate the problem of unemployment, it comes with a great cost to the nation itself because fundamentally, a country needs (local) talents to ensure innovations, build institutions and implement programmes. Of course someone would argue that talents can be imported but then would it be the same? No matter what, good policies must be at hands in order to ensure the gains would be greater than the cost.
I recommend the book "Give us Your Best and Brightest: The Global Hunt for Talent and Its Impact on the Developing World" by Devesh Kapur and John McHale, for those who are interested in the issue of brain drain and those involve in the policymaking:
Salaam.
Well, it is complicated. And I have 2 sets of answers:
If you are asking me as a worker, my answer to that would be Why Not? If it (working abroad) can increase my welfare and that of my family's then I would not hesitate to work abroad.
[And my view is that if you answer NO to working abroad because you don't want to leave your family, despite no job back home while an opportunity abroad is available, then it is another example of mind-set problem of Bruneians]
If you are asking me as a policymaker, my answer would be 'it depends on WHO are working abroad'. There is obviously an issue of brain drain, defined as the emigration of trained and talented individuals to other nations. It is an economic issue because the (large) investment a nation puts in higher education is lost and it drains resources (human capital) from the home country. Countries such as China, India and even the UK are facing the economic consequences of brain drain of the educated and skilled workers.
Herein also lies the dilemma of being a small country where opportunities are also small.
I would say Brunei being a small country should keep its 'best and brightest' at home and at the same time facilitate others who want to work abroad with a ready policy that will ensure the return of these workers. You see, brain drain aside, returning emigrant workers can have positive effect on the development of a country. Research (see Kapur and McHale, 2005) shows that returnees generally have higher entrepreneurship skill, higher saving, better ideas and so on than those who are at home of the same skill. And I would like to stress again that Brunei SHOULD have a policy or an effective 'entice return' policy if it must encourage Bruneians to go abroad, in order to reap the benefits of their 'foreign skills'.
And then there is also a role of the 'Diasporas' which according to an article from Science and Development Network:
With rapid improvements in communications technologies, highly skilled
migrants can help their countries even when remaining abroad, by maintaining
links with industry and research at home. Known as scientific diasporas,
this is
a relatively new trend – and hints at a reversal, or transformation,
that many
believe smacks more of 'gain' than 'drain'.
To conclude, there is actually no easy answer to this. While working abroad may perhaps alleviate the problem of unemployment, it comes with a great cost to the nation itself because fundamentally, a country needs (local) talents to ensure innovations, build institutions and implement programmes. Of course someone would argue that talents can be imported but then would it be the same? No matter what, good policies must be at hands in order to ensure the gains would be greater than the cost.
I recommend the book "Give us Your Best and Brightest: The Global Hunt for Talent and Its Impact on the Developing World" by Devesh Kapur and John McHale, for those who are interested in the issue of brain drain and those involve in the policymaking:
Salaam.
Tuesday, 29 May 2007
Book: The Malay Dilemma
I would like to recommend a book by Dr Mahathir Mohammad's The Malay Dilemma for those of you who are interested to think more. The issue of 'mind-set' I wrote in the last post, somehow is related to the many issues raised in that book. Don't just buy it, READ it! It's a thought-provoking book and I think every Malay should read.
Monday, 21 May 2007
Freakonomics: the Origin
The word Freakonomicsis currently not in the dictionary. It is actually a title of a book by Steven Levitt and Steven Dubner. This is an excerp from their book which explains the concept of freakonomics:
"Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? What kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime?
These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He is a much-heralded young scholar who studies the riddles of everyday life-from cheating and crime to sports and child-rearing — and whose conclusions regularly turn the conventional wisdom on its head. He usually begins with a mountain of data and a simple, unasked question. Some of these questions concern life-and-death issues; others have an admittedly freakish quality. Thus the new field of study contained in this book: Freakonomics.
In Freakonomics, they set out to explore the hidden side of — well, everything. The inner workings of a crack gang. The truth about real-estate agents. The myths of campaign finance. The telltale marks of a cheating schoolteacher. The secrets of the Ku Klux Klan.
What unites all these stories is a belief that the modern world, despite a surfeit of obfuscation, complication, and downright deceit, is not impenetrable, is not unknowable, and - if the right questions are asked - is even more intriguing than we think. All it takes is a new way of looking.
Freakonomics establishes this unconventional premise: if morality represents how we would like the world to work, then economics represents how it actually does work. "
http://www.freakonomics.com/thebook.php
My intention for this Blog is to try to explore the unique Brunei economy in a 'freakonomicsish' (or conventional) way.
"Which is more dangerous, a gun or a swimming pool? What do schoolteachers and sumo wrestlers have in common? Why do drug dealers still live with their moms? How much do parents really matter? What kind of impact did Roe v. Wade have on violent crime?
These may not sound like typical questions for an economist to ask. But Steven D. Levitt is not a typical economist. He is a much-heralded young scholar who studies the riddles of everyday life-from cheating and crime to sports and child-rearing — and whose conclusions regularly turn the conventional wisdom on its head. He usually begins with a mountain of data and a simple, unasked question. Some of these questions concern life-and-death issues; others have an admittedly freakish quality. Thus the new field of study contained in this book: Freakonomics.
In Freakonomics, they set out to explore the hidden side of — well, everything. The inner workings of a crack gang. The truth about real-estate agents. The myths of campaign finance. The telltale marks of a cheating schoolteacher. The secrets of the Ku Klux Klan.
What unites all these stories is a belief that the modern world, despite a surfeit of obfuscation, complication, and downright deceit, is not impenetrable, is not unknowable, and - if the right questions are asked - is even more intriguing than we think. All it takes is a new way of looking.
Freakonomics establishes this unconventional premise: if morality represents how we would like the world to work, then economics represents how it actually does work. "
http://www.freakonomics.com/thebook.php
My intention for this Blog is to try to explore the unique Brunei economy in a 'freakonomicsish' (or conventional) way.
I maybe right, but often I am sure I will be wrong! I don't claim to be a 'good' economist, Hey! I'm not sure if I am even one. Therefore, I'm not writing as an economist, rather as a curious person in Brunei Darussalam.
Whenever I can, I will try to support my views with research, facts and figures. Nevertheless, as you often see in any journal papers: "All remaining errors are the author's responsibility"
Whenever I can, I will try to support my views with research, facts and figures. Nevertheless, as you often see in any journal papers: "All remaining errors are the author's responsibility"
I welcome comments from anyone.
Salaam!
Salaam!
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