Blog (English)

Why Do Some Cities Attract Millions While Others Struggle? A Tourism Reflection

Blog (English), Branding, Public Policy, Urban Policy /

As someone who loves travelling, I often wonder why certain destinations attract more tourists than others. Why, for example, is Bali significantly more popular than Lombok? Why do Kyoto and Bangkok draw more visitors than Singapore? Today marks my final day in Hanoi, Vietnam, and throughout my travels, I’ve consistently compared cities from a tourism […]

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What China’s Gaokao Can Teach Us About National Exams and Inequality

Blog (English), Education Economics & Policy, Public Policy /

A recent announcement by Indonesia’s Education Minister reignited a familiar debate: national exams are making a comeback in 2026, this time in a new format. After being abolished in 2021, the reintroduction of the Ujian Nasional (UN) is said to be part of an effort to re-establish educational standards across the country. Reading this news

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The Generalist Trap: Why Specialization Matters for New Businesses

Blog (English), Branding, Business Development, Digital Marketing /

Two weeks ago, a startup founder came to me with a puzzle: their traditional marketing was working well, but their digital presence was getting zero traction. One look at their website and social media told me everything. They’d fallen into what I call the generalist trap—one of the most common pitfalls I’ve observed while advising

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Notes on Indonesia’s Labor Force Survey (Sakernas) Data 2013-2023

Blog (English), Labour Economics & Policy /

In the last three months, I have been working with Indonesia’s Labour Force Survey (Sakernas) data for my study assignments. It’s been a tiring process because the variable names change every few years, and some variables, such as education, income, KBJI, and KBLI, have different structures in different years. Yes, there are documents from BPS

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