I am currently an associate professor in the Economics Department at the Asia-Pacific campus of ESSEC Business School, and serve as a member of Singapore's 14th Parliament, representing the constituency of Anchorvale in Sengkang. Previously, I was the chief economist of ThirdRock Group, an independent investment advisory. My research interests lie at the intersection of international economics and formal political economy, although I have also ventured (stumbled?) into different aspects of international development, comparative politics, information and communications technology, and global economic history. The most recent notch on my overeducated curriculum vitae is a postdoctoral fellowship at the Safra Research Lab at Harvard, as well as a liberal arts masters in history from the same institution. Prior to that, I suffered through my doctorate in international economics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where I somehow also finagled my way into a masters in Politics. And before that, I endured a masters at the London School of Economics, after jumping through undergraduate hoops at the University of Southern Queensland. In addition to academia, I have had stints with the strategy unit of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, the development economics group at the World Bank, economics department at Centre College, regional economic studies at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, and the former J.P. Morgan. You may instead wish to skim my less long-winded resume, or an even briefer biographical sketch. My personal interests, outside of economics, include reading and writing (so consumption and production), cooking (French, Mediterranean, Indian, Southeast Asian), sport (in a previous life, I played rugby, but I have since transitioned into lonely, mundane activities like running, hiking, and sailing), and making music (subject to liberal interpretation). As a counterweight to my incredibly boring choice of a profession, I also pursue an active interest in wine. I love Blake's poetry, romantic movies, free markets, the sound of rain falling on a windowsill, Vivaldi's Four Seasons, and curling up in a plush sofa with a good book (and sometimes even a bad one). In my wild and impetuous youth, I was a Solitaire junkie. My modal thoughts are generally eclectic and often perverse. You can ascertain those claims: Here are some of my revealed preferences, as well as a pseudo intellectual diary. In addition, samples of my work---both the mass-market and slightly more technical appellations---may be perused. My approach toward academic work (in general) and the discipline of economics (in particular) are summarized by my research and teaching philosophies. For for long-lost friends who would like to verify my identity, I include an embarassing (and outdated) mug shot. Getting in touch: The superior way to contact me is through e-mail. Alternative methods include snail-mail or fax (for both see my CV, above). I am also on Skype; my handle is jamuslim, although I am seldom online (in this guise, at least). For secure communications, I utilize PGP; you can obtain my public key here, together with its associated fingerprint. |
  
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