A couple of years ago I realized that I had amassed a large backlog of podcast episodes that I hadn't listened to. Clearly, past me thought listening to each of these episodes should be a priority for the intellectual development of future me, but future me was undisciplined and intransigent. At first glance, it seemed that my appetite for podcast-based learning was larger than my stomach. But, given I'm a big fan of listening to academics argue about esoteric ideas, I concluded that the backlog had accrued from an implementation problem, rather than a lack of motivation. My chosen solution…
R Programming for Public Policy Analysis
Early in 2019 I posted a short 'listicle' with some of the key reasons I think Python and/or R should become essential tools in a modern policy analyst’s toolkit. The full article is here, but the headline points in the article were; R programming’s use across disciplines fitting in well with multidisciplinary policy analysis teams; the greater reproducibility/transparency written code provides; and the practical advantages that can come from automating repetitive bits of policy analysis (such as reporting results of policy analysis across multiple scenarios). While the article didn’t end in me getting a book deal, it did result in…
7 Reasons for policy professionals to get into R programming in 2019
In response to how popular this post was, I've run several crash courses on using R for policy analysis. However, the demand to participate in these sessions has exceeded what's practical, which is why I'll be launching the first fully online version of the course in 2023. To learn more and sign up go to PolicyAnalysisLab.com Note: A version of this article was also published via LinkedIn here and on Medium here. With the rise of ‘Big Data’, ‘Machine Learning’ and the ‘Data Scientist’ has come an explosion in the popularity of using open-source programming tools for data analysis. This…
A Review of John Hopkins University’s Online Data Science Specialization (Coursera.org)
So for all those loyal subscribers out there (hey mum!) you might wonder what the hell happened to my constant stream of insightful, relevant and handsome blog posts. Well, I’d have to say you’re thinking about me a little too much - I’d suggest committing yourself to a hobby like me. Perhaps regular blogging? Surviving Nay Pyi Taw In truth, Myanmar has also kept me pretty busy. That is until recently, when I was handed a steaming pile of free time as a result of moving to the traffic-free social desert that is Nay Pi Taw, Myanmar. And how would…
Op-ed: Public Financial Management Reforms and Fiscal Decentralization in Myanmar
My latest op-ed was published in Monday's edition of the Myanmar Times. The article provides a brief summary of Myanmar's democratic and economic reforms as they relate to the country's management of their public finances. A summary of the article and a link to the full piece is provided below. Catalysing transition through public financial management reform By Giles Dickenson-Jones and Matthew Arnold Public financial management reforms are central to Myanmar’s entire transition. Improvements to social services like garbage collection, investment in new roads and bridges, and raising standards of health and education are all premised on the government being…
New Research Report: Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations in Myanmar
Another blog post and another research report focusing on Myanmar's taxation system: Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations in Myanmar: Current Processes and Future Priorities in Public Financial Management Reform This was my final research report developed at Myanmar's Centre for Economic and Social Development. The paper 'Intergovernmental Fiscal Relations in Myanmar' takes a look at how Myanmar's State, Region and Union governments relate to each other as part of budget and planning processes. Although it is targeted at a more general audience, it has been developed in the interest of providing greater clarity around the informal and formal processes that inform public…
Open Myanmar Initiative’s Budget Explorer Launched – Budget Data Visualization in R
Yet another quiet couple of months on the blogging front can be explained by me feverishly working on a number of projects as I reach my 2 year anniversary in Myanmar. The latest of these has been the launching of the Open Myanmar Initiative's Budget Dashboard, which is now available online here: http://mmbudgets.info/ The website, which I helped develop using the open-source R language and the free Shiny library provides the first user-friendly interface for exploring Myanmar's budgets both at the Union level and across all 14 States and Regions. Although there is still a long way to go before…
New Publication: A primer on subnational finances and fiscal decentralisation in Myanmar
For the few of you who might be interested in knowing more about how Myanmar's taxation system works outside of the union government, I've recently published a briefing note with a colleague on the topic. The note is available online here.
New Article Published – State and Region Public Finances in Myanmar
Hey all, So no doubt you would have all noticed I have been rather silent lately on the ye olde interweb. Although there is of course no excuse for this, it's predominantly a result of having been working rather intensely on a piece of research looking at Myanmar's public finance system: This paper focuses on understanding the role of state and region governments in relation to Myanmar's public finances. This has been done to take stock of existing research, better understand the composition of subnational finances, and attempt to address whether, at this point in the fiscal decentralization process, state and…
Day trip to Dala (Yangon, Myanmar)
When I recount my time in the Philippines I often remember how living in the concrete jungle that is Manila felt somewhat claustrophobic. Although this was for a range of reasons, it is perhaps unsurprising given Manila has the highest population density in the world. In fact, when comparing where I lived then (Manila), with where I live now (Yangon), it is pretty why this is no longer a problem with Manila's population density 6 times that of Yangon. Consequently it is possible for everybody's inner-hermit to find some solitude. Unfortunately, if there were a party of inner hermits, mine…