I’m an independent economic consultant and Board Director currently based in Sydney, Australia.
Having worked for over a decade as a policy advisor to governments, parliaments and the not-for-profit sector, my work focuses on the use of data and evidence for designing and evaluating economic policy.
International Economic Consultant
Since 2021 I have worked as an independent economic consultant for a variety of international clients. With recent examples including: developing and rolling out an automated budget analysis tool to assist parliaments in the Asia-Pacific region to produce accurate budget analysis for parliamentarians; constructing a series of composite indices to measure, monitor and visualize key socioeconomic and political risks relevant to political violence and instability; providing training in applied policy analysis to parliamentary advisors from the Pacific; and producing a series of ‘how to read the national budget’ guides for civil society organizations and parliamentarians.
Prior to being stranded by the Covid-19 pandemic I worked as a Senior Economist at the London School of Economic’s International Growth Centre (from 2020 to 2021), where I led a London-based team of economists to work with the IGC’s in-country teams to develop, and draw on, world-class research that responds to the challenges faced by policymakers and partners in Africa and South Asia in the interests of reducing poverty and enabling sustainable economic growth.
Economic development and democratic transition in Myanmar
From 2014 to 2016 I worked at the Myanmar Centre for Economic and Social Development. Under the leadership of the (former) Economic Advisor to the President, I led teams to produce research and policy advice on issues related to Myanmar’s economic and political transition. This included: Myanmar’s state and region government finances; the state of fiscal decentralization in Myanmar; and the participation of Myanmar’s SMEs in regional trade. I also led the development of Myanmar’s first interactive budget data portal using the R programming language.
From 2016 to 2018 I worked as the Senior Economic Expert in Myanmar’s national parliament. Where I provided technical support, training and advice to staff and members of the parliamentary committees responsible for providing oversight of Myanmar’s budget, planning and audit processes. As part of this role, our team led the design, management and the development of technical content for some of Myanmar’s first national conferences on parliamentary budget oversight. I also spearheaded the creation and delivery of capacity building workshops on research, statistics and budget forecasting in collaboration with colleagues from the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.
Road engineering, climate change and the economics of peace
In 2011 I developed a series of quantitative methods for determining the risks posed by climate change to road infrastructure for the Asian Development Bank. Specific areas of focus included risks posed by changes in temperature, rainfall, land subsidence and sea-level. The model’s accuracy was subsequently verified by comparing the quantitative assessments with the risks identified by transport and climate change experts for specific road infrastructure projects in the Asia-Pacific region. A paper based on the model was subsequently presented in Washington DC at the National Academy of Science’s Transportation Research Board.
From 2011 to 2012 I worked as a private economic consultant where I focused on a range of projects. Including estimating the market price of public infrastructure, evaluating the efficiency of government programs and designing and evaluating a range of social welfare interventions.
In 2013 I accepted a job at the Institute for Economics of Peace where I conducted research on the intersection between peace, business and economic development. In this role, I helped develop estimates of the economic impact of violence on the global economy, conducted economic analysis on the economic and social impact of peace and violence in Mexico and authored a report on the macro-economic characteristics of less-peaceful states.
Tax policy, regional development policy and the 2008 Global Financial Crisis
In 2007 I completed my Bachelor of Economics at the University of New England, graduating with Honours. The focus of my thesis was on Papua New Guinea’s trade, with reference to how it could be utilized to spur economic development. Results from the research were later published in the Pacific Economic Bulletin.
From 2008 to 2011 I worked as an economic advisor in the Federal Treasury of Australia where I provided policy advice on taxation policy, economic stimulus measures during the 2008 financial crisis, climate change and Australia’s economic engagement in the Pacific.