Professional

My academic career has always been at Queen's, but has included breaks to teach at University of Chicago and University of Essex, and to take research posts at London School of Economics, University College London, Harvard Insititute for International Development (HIID) and Harvard Law School. My research has covered a range of areas in "applied welfare economics" including trade, public economics and corruption.

In 1983 I took leave to became an advisor and later resident director of an HIID project in Indonesia. Funded by the Government of Indonesia, we worked with the senior economic ministers in developing and implementing a far-reaching policy reform program. The ministers were among the finest anywhere and working with them gave me a whole new education in economics, politics and policy. What began as a one year experiment turned into 3 years of residency and a further 12 years with this and other HIID projects. After returning to Queen's I directed CIDA-funded collaboration programs with new research institutes in Malaysia (MIER) and Thailand (TDRI).

Since then I have worked in over 20 developing countries, mostly in Asia and Africa. I enjoy the great complementarities among my research, teaching and advisory work. These synergies can be seen in my academic writings, policy reports and journalistic commentaries (see Writings and News). Fundamental academic contributions in fiscal decentralization, cost-benefit analysis and corruption have been widely quoted and reprinted. My policy work has been rich and varied, ranging from tax and fiscal reform to macroeconomic management and corruption. My recent work has concentrated on trade, industrial policy and regulation (see News).

In 2002 I took early retirement from Queen's and moved to Bangkok. With a new Queen's title of Professor Emeritus, Thailand is now my base for reading, writing and doing interesting advisory work wherever it might be. Although I have given up my teaching career, my work as an advisor and consultant presents many of the same challenges—to observe carefully, to think simply and clearly, to identify what is important in making things work (or not), to undertake and encourage creative analysis of problems, and to communicate results and solutions so that they can be understood and used. I find teaching and policy analysis equally challenging and exciting.

 Personal

I was born in England and grew up in Ottawa. With two brothers and a neighborhood full of post-war baby-boomers, I enjoyed the usual North American sports—hockey on outdoor rinks, baseball and football in the schoolground and the street. My athletic interests continue. I came to squash and cycling relatively late. See some charts, maps and data on my first serious bike ride in Spain's Picos de Europa and environs in 2004, for a similar trip in Italy in the fall of 2006 and for my most recent (2009) ride in Andalucia. Treks in the Himalayas were both physically challenging and serene. I continue to be infected by an enthusiasm for photography passed on by my father and two English uncles.

My life and career have been both lucky and unpredictable. Economics was a happy accident—the result of encountering a fine Carleton University economist, Scott Gordon, at a high school seminar. .Becoming a 'development economist' through my chance involvement with HIID in Indonesia is another illustration of my good fortune. Similarly, an invitation pried from Harry Johnson for a 4 AM job interview at the American Economic Association Meetings, followed by Robert Mundell's surprise resignation from Chicago several months later, led to a visiting appointment at University of Chicago—the world's most exciting and 'democratic' intellectual environment.

Good luck and good people have played key roles in my life. Most important is my closest family—my parents, my Bangkok newspaper editor wife, Duangkamol Chotana (aka Jiab), my molecular biologist/teacher daughter Michèle, and my It specialist and cyclist son Noel.