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James Guild

James Guild

James Guild is an expert in trade, finance, and economic development in Southeast Asia.

James Guild is an Assistant Professor at the Indonesian International Islamic University where he teaches in the Masters of Public Policy on Climate Change program. His research focuses on trade, finance, energy and economic development in Southeast Asia. Follow him on twitter @jamesjguild, or contact him at www.jamesjguild.com or through his faculty profile.
Posts by James Guild
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November 30, 2021

Thai Telcos Dtac and True Are Planning a Merger

By James Guild
If approved, the merger between the two firms will create the country's largest telecommunications firm.
November 23, 2021

Thailand’s PTT Makes Its Electric Vehicle Play

By James Guild
PTT is a multi-billion-dollar behemoth entirely structured around the exploration, processing, and trading of fossil fuels. So why is it leaning hard into the EV sector?

November 17, 2021

The Philippines’ 2022 Budget Is Not Afraid of Debt

By James Guild
The Duterte government is going to try to spend its way out of any lingering economic headwinds from the pandemic, and it is not afraid to run deficits to do so.

November 09, 2021

Indonesia’s COP26 Deforestation Pledge Kerfuffle, Explained

By James Guild
The Indonesian environment minister’s real misstep was that she punctured the illusion of progress by saying the quiet part out loud.

November 03, 2021

Why Solar Power Could Take Off in Indonesia Soon

By James Guild
A new solar farm project could avoid the political economy hurdle that has prevented renewable energy from making headway in the country.
November 01, 2021

Southeast Asia’s Renewable Energy Puzzle

By James Guild
Renewable energy is a tough sell as long as regional states exert control over (and profit from) domestic fossil fuel resources.

October 26, 2021

Vietnam’s Metro Rail Lines Lumber Toward Completion

By James Guild
The travails of the planned metro lines in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City offer useful perspective on the role of Chinese development financing.
October 19, 2021

Breaking Down Indonesia’s 2022 State Budget

By James Guild
In 2022, the state intends to continue its robust spending on the areas most impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic: health and social assistance.

October 12, 2021

What the AidData Report Reveals About BRI Lending in Southeast Asia

By James Guild
The report shows both the extent of Chinese lending to the region and the agency with which governments have engaged with the BRI.

October 06, 2021

What the 12th Malaysia Plan Tells Us About the Country’s Political Economy

By James Guild
The latest iteration of the country's five-year plan includes a host of nice-sounding economic goals. The challenge is implementing them.

September 28, 2021

Reappraising the Economic Legacy of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono

By James Guild
Many of the Indonesian leader's economic decisions seem better with the benefit of hindsight.
September 21, 2021

Why Vietnam Is Pushing Ahead With the Phu Quoc Tourism Sandbox

By James Guild
Some Asian nations' headlong push to restart tourism is a function of deeper structural imbalances in the global political economy.

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