International Development

FSI researchers consider international development from a variety of angles. They analyze ideas such as how public action and good governance are cornerstones of economic prosperity in Mexico and how investments in high school education will improve China’s economy.

They are looking at novel technological interventions to improve rural livelihoods, like the development implications of solar power-generated crop growing in Northern Benin.

FSI academics also assess which political processes yield better access to public services, particularly in developing countries. With a focus on health care, researchers have studied the political incentives to embrace UNICEF’s child survival efforts and how a well-run anti-alcohol policy in Russia affected mortality rates.

FSI’s work on international development also includes training the next generation of leaders through pre- and post-doctoral fellowships as well as the Draper Hills Summer Fellows Program.

image of encina hall at stanford with blue overlay and headshots of Valerie Shen of Third Way and Aman Nair of CIS

Join us on Tuesday, March 15th from 12 PM - 1 PM PT for “Global Perspectives on Crypto-Asset Regulation” featuring Valerie Shen of Third Way, Aman Nair of the Centre for Internet and Society, in conversation with Kelly Born of the Hewlett Foundation. This weekly seminar series is jointly organized by the Cyber Policy Center’s Program on Democracy and the Internet and the Hewlett Foundation’s Cyber Initiative.

About The Seminar: 

Since the launch of Bitcoin, the world’s first cryptocurrency, just over 10 years ago, the cryptocurrency market has grown to over $2.4 trillion, tripling in value in the last year alone. In addition to its many purported benefits, cryptocurrency poses challenges to the environment, privacy, financial stability, and more. Cryptocurrencies have played an increasing role in the rise of cybercrimes, including ransomware and money laundering. In light of this the Biden Administration, European Union, Indian government, and countries around the world are actively exploring regulatory options to address these and other concerns. On March 15 join Aman Nair of India’s Centre for Internet and Society and Valerie Shen of Third Way, in conversation with Kelly Born of the Hewlett Foundation, to discuss the use cases and limitations of crypto-assets, compare relevant regulatory regimes from around the world, discuss the debate over the proper legal and regulatory framework for crypto-enabled crime, and explore how to govern crypto-assets while supporting widespread financial stability.

Speakers:

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Valerie Shen
Valerie Shen directs Third Way's National Security Program and Cyber Enforcement Initiative, a nonpartisan dedicated to strengthening governments’ abilities to identify, stop, and bring malicious cyber actors to justice. Third Way’s National Security program focuses on cutting edge policy ideas and to keep our country safe  against foreign adversaries in the ever-changing and developing cyber ecosystem.  Valerie served as the Chief National Security Counsel to the House Oversight and Reform Committee for Chairman Elijah E. Cummings. She oversaw all national security and homeland security matters from cyber operations and federal law enforcement, to counterterrorism, defense, and counterintelligence. Valerie was also an investigative counsel for the Select Committee on Benghazi and the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. Valerie was also a post-doctoral fellow at Georgetown University’s Center for National Security focusing on China’s social media and influence operations. Valerie earned her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and her bachelor's degree in Politics from Pomona College.

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Aman Nair
Aman Nair is a policy researcher at the Centre for Internet and Society, India (CIS). He leads the financial technologies research agenda at CIS and has been focusing on research on crypto-assets and blockchain technology. He also works on issues of data governance and access to justice. 

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Among the blank screens and muted microphones that plagued remote high school learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, I enrolled in the Sejong Korea Scholars Program (SKSP) at the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) and found a completely opposite learning experience.

My passion for Korean history and geopolitics first began when I learned the Korean alphabet system, Hangul, in my history books for Advanced Placement World History. My class, however, only covered the Han Chinese Dynasty briefly before moving on to Europe. Upon asking if we would return to the Asian continent, my teacher hastily replied that we already covered what we “needed to know to pass the test.”

I needed to learn more than what my classroom provided. Then I discovered SKSP, which provided an opportunity for me to learn from top Korea scholars about various perspectives of Korean history and more. SKSP taught me the rich history of Korea that is not covered by the limited high school academic curricula. After being admitted to the program, I was also honored to accept a scholarship that covered the tuition, given my status as a low-income student.

Classes swiftly started in the spring semester. We received textbooks, log-in information, and a warm welcome. I met the faces of my peers as they voiced their passions and motivations leading them to SKSP. Alongside these top students representing 13 states, I found a rigorous environment and yet never once felt “less than” any of my peers.

SKSP provided an otherwise unattainable learning opportunity in terms of intercultural literacy, historical perspective, collaboration, critical thinking, and global awareness.

Our weekly seminars followed in a highly organized manner and had exceptional professors from across the country. We began with the three ancient kingdoms: Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla, and then delved into post-1900s Korea, Colonial Korean history, the Korean War, the Miracle on the Han River, and the nation’s final emergence as a trillion-dollar economy.

Korean economics was especially intriguing. SKSP allowed me to converse live with leading experts like Professor Danny Leipziger from George Washington University. In his lecture, he described the factors for South Korea’s economic expansion and how they contributed to the nation’s unprecedented global accomplishments. This topic strongly influenced my final research paper on the current housing crisis in Seoul, in which I analyzed how the collaboration of public and private sectors in South Korea created a unique Jeonse, also known as “Key Money Deposit.”

On top of these experiences, the true learning came from our peer review process for our research papers. I read outstanding papers from all of my exemplary peers and observed how each student developed a unique style of incorporating evidence to defend their thesis. Some incorporated game theory and U.S sanctions in their papers.

SKSP provided an otherwise unattainable learning opportunity in terms of intercultural literacy, historical perspective, collaboration, critical thinking, and global awareness. It gave me the chance to develop into an intelligent global citizen, who is able to comprehend alternative views and pursue interests in a career in ambassadorship. As I attend university, I will pursue a double major in Korean Studies and Language and Engineering.

Dr. HyoJung Jang

HyoJung Jang, PhD

Instructor, Sejong Korea Scholars Program
FULL BIO

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Monument dedicated to the United States Forces in the Korean War, Imjingak, South Korea
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Highlights from the 2021 Sejong Korea Scholars Program

Twenty-three students completed SPICE’s 2021 Sejong Korea Scholars Program.
Highlights from the 2021 Sejong Korea Scholars Program
High school student with a diploma standing in front of a banner
Blogs

My Experience with the Sejong Korea Scholars Program in the Midst of a Global Pandemic

The following reflection is a guest post written by Jason Lu, an alumnus of the Sejong Korea Scholars Program, which is currently accepting applications for the 2021 course.
My Experience with the Sejong Korea Scholars Program in the Midst of a Global Pandemic
Student in a red dress presenting at a podium with Stanford signage
Blogs

Coming Full Circle: The Sejong Korea Scholars Program and Stanford

The following reflection is a guest post written by Sandi Khine, an alumna of the Reischauer Scholars Program and the Sejong Korea Scholars Program, which are currently accepting applications for the 2021 courses.
Coming Full Circle: The Sejong Korea Scholars Program and Stanford
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Michelle Murcia at Gyeongbokgung Palace, South Korea
Michelle Murcia at Gyeongbokgung Palace, South Korea; photo courtesy Michelle Murcia
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The following reflection is a guest post written by Michelle Murcia, an alumna of the 2021 Sejong Korea Scholars Program.

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For winter quarter 2022, CISAC will be hosting hybrid events. Many events will offer limited-capacity in-person attendance for Stanford faculty, staff, fellows, visiting scholars, and students in accordance with Stanford’s health and safety guidelines, and be open to the public online via Zoom. All CISAC events are scheduled using the Pacific Time Zone. 

                                                                                           

About the Event: Freddy Chen has developed a domestic political theory to explain the consequences of economic shocks for foreign policy. He argues that political leaders have incentives to improve their perceived competence by linking economic grievances to foreign countries. This linkage, in turn, increases public desire for more hawkish foreign policy. Nonetheless, leaders’ ability to make such connections depends on whether they can successfully manipulate information about the culpability for economic shocks. Therefore, the extent to which leaders can control the information environment determines whether an economic shock leads to more aggressive foreign policy. Survey experiments fielded on the American public and a unique sample of U.S. foreign policy analysts show that the information environment shapes elites’ expectations about leaders’ political behavior, public perceptions of leader competence, perceived culpability for the economic shock, and public preferences over foreign policy. Moreover, a cross-national analysis demonstrates that an economic shock tends to increase foreign policy hawkishness if the shock is more foreign-related or if the public has less access to a potential voice of the opposition. This article advances our understanding of the relationship between economic shocks, foreign policy, and public opinion as well as the interactions between domestic politics and international relations, with important implications for both political science research and policymakers.

About the Speaker: Frederick Chen is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and currently a Pre-doctoral Fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University. His research focuses on how economics and security can interact to influence international relations, particularly through domestic political mechanisms. His work has appeared in the Journal of Politics and Conflict Management and Peace Science. He received the David A. Lake Award for best paper from the International Political Economy Society. He earned his M.A. in International Relations from Peking University (2016) and B.A. in International Politics from Tsinghua University (2013).

Virtual to Public. Only those with an active Stanford ID with access to William J Perry Conference Room in Encina Hall may attend in person. 

Frederick R. Chen CISAC
Seminars
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China Chats with Stanford Faculty event header by the Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions

China Chats with Stanford Faculty 


Friday, May 13, 2022          6 - 7 PM Pacific Time 
Saturday, May 14, 2022    9 - 10 AM Beijing Time


From Education to World Development

Ensuring that every child in the world achieves basic skills is a key development goal emphasized in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. But how far is the world away from reaching this goal? And what would achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 mean for world development?  This talk will outline the development of an achievement data base for all of the countries of the world along with estimation of the economic gains from educational improvement. 

This Stanford alumni event will feature Eric Hanushek, the Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. He will be joined by Scott Rozelle, the Helen F. Farnsworth Senior Fellow and the co-director of Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions in the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research at Stanford University, who will moderate a discussion about the major themes of the research. A question and answer session with the audience will follow the discussion.


About the Speakers
 

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Eric Hanushek
Eric Hanushek is the Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University. He has been a leader in the development of economic analysis of educational issues, and he was awarded the Yidan Prize for Education Research in 2021. His widely-cited research spans many policy-related education topics including the economic value of teacher quality, the finance of schools, and the role of education in economic growth. His latest book, The Knowledge Capital of Nations: Education and the Economics of Growth, identifies the close link between the skills of the people and the economic growth of the nation. He has authored or edited 24 books along with over 250 articles. He is a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Air Force Academy and completed his Ph.D. in economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 
 

 

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Scott Rozelle
Scott Rozelle is the Helen F. Farnsworth Senior Fellow and the co-director of Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions in the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research at Stanford University.  For the past 30 years, he has worked on the economics of poverty reduction. Currently, his work on poverty has its full focus on human capital, including issues of rural health, nutrition and education. For the past 20 year, Rozelle has been the chair of the International Advisory Board of the Center for Chinese Agricultural Policy, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). Most recently, Rozelle's research focuses on the economics of poverty and inequality, with an emphasis on rural education, health and nutrition in China. In recognition of this work, Dr. Rozelle has received numerous honors and awards. Among them, he became a Yangtse Scholar (Changjiang Xuezhe) in Renmin University of China in 2008. In 2008 he also was awarded the Friendship Award by Premiere Wen Jiabao, the highest honor that can be bestowed on a foreigner.



Questions? Contact Debbie Aube at debbie.aube@stanford.edu


Watch the recording: 

Scott Rozelle

Zoom Webinar

Eric Hanushek Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution Stanford University
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Gary Mukai
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Stanford e-Kobe is an online course for high school students in Kobe City, Japan. Launched in fall 2021, it is offered by the Stanford Program on International and Cross-Cultural Education (SPICE) in collaboration with the Kobe City Government. The Instructor of Stanford e-Kobe is Alison Harsch. One of the key themes of the course is diversity and Hinako Saldi Sato focused her talk on women’s empowerment. SPICE is grateful to Mayor Kizo Hisamoto for his vision and leadership, and to Superintendent Jun Nagata, Board of Education, for his unwavering support. SPICE also greatly appreciates Toshihiro Nishiyama, Board of Education member, and Satoshi Kawasaki and Akito Ojiro, Kobe City staff, who serve as liaisons between SPICE and the Kobe City Government.

Hinako Saldi Sato is musician, educator, marketer, and community leader with a passion to create opportunities and platforms for people around the world to connect and learn through music. After graduating from Berklee College of Music, Hinako gained recognition as a performer with internationally acclaimed acts such as Women of the World, a collective of innovative musicians from across the globe. Between 2016 and 2019, Hinako helped to manage the Boston chapter of Women in Music, which is dedicated to fostering equality in the music industry through the support and advancement of women. In January 2019, Hinako launched Women in Music’s first chapter in Japan, in hopes of contributing to creating a platform that would serve to advance and elevate women’s roles and voices in the music industry. Hinako now works as the marketing lead at the Tokyo-based Ableton KK, the Asia Pacific (APAC) division of the German music software/hardware company.

Hinako shared four reflections on her life experiences that clearly resonated in the 26 students in Stanford e-Kobe and especially among the girls.

  • Hinako grew up in an environment where most musicians were male, and she was often the only girl in the room.
  • She was fortunate to have been offered multiple opportunities to study and excel in her career—thanks to schools, organizations, and communities that cared about diversity, equity, and inclusion (including being the recipient of both merit-based and need-based scholarships).
  • She has witnessed so many women in her life who are struggling or are at disadvantages because of gender roles, gender bias, and other gender-based inequality.
  • She didn’t have a role model or someone who was like her until she went to the United States for high school and this reinforced her desire to advocate for greater representation among girls and women.


These four reflections continue to shape her mission in life in multiple ways. As a musician, she has performed with Women of the World, which showcases four different singers from the United States, India, Italy, and Japan. Currently, Women of the World performs in 37 different languages, and Hinako noted that “it’s like you’re in a musical journey around the world.” In teaching, her philosophy is that education is a lot about “leading out” or reinforcing in people what potential they have and what they already know. As a community leader, she has organized groups such as Boston Joshikai, which has the goal of forming a sisterhood among Japanese women residents as a way to build their social capital. Boston Joshikai helps to fight the “scarcity mindset” that sometimes arises when one is a minority in a foreign country. As a public speaker at events such as the International Women in Business Conference 2018, she strives to encourage women to think beyond borders. Finally, at Ableton KK, an important focus of her work is about lowering barriers for people to enter the world of music-making through the use of music technology tools, especially in the education sector.

There are many examples of how music can be used to empower not just women, but also certain minority groups.

During the question-and-answer period, student Hinata Ogawa asked, “Can music contribute to women’s empowerment in some way?” Sato replied, “Yes, absolutely. Actually, at Women in Music in Japan we wrote an article about the history of feminism in the music industry, in which we were just touching upon this topic for the Japanese music scene. When you listen to Japanese pop music, for example, the lyrics are mostly about heterosexual relationships like romantic relationships right? But in the U.S., you see a lot of music that talks about female empowerment like Beyonce’s ‘Run the World’ or you know like Sara Bareilles’ ‘Brave.’… There are many examples of how music can be used to empower not just women, but also certain minority groups. And in Japan, if you check out female rappers like hip hop scene, they are speaking out, talking about feminism in the form of rap and it’s quite exciting… like Daimon Yayoi.”

Other student questions and comments focused on the importance of expanding one’s circle or community; the importance of improving child care systems to help women in the workplace and to provide childcare leave systems for fathers; addressing stereotypes of women and the importance of mindset; and addressing gender bias in schools. Instructor Harsch commented, “Listening to the questions and comments by my students made me realize what a great role model Hinako is to them and other youth in Japan who have the good fortune to cross paths with her. Hinako was the final lecturer for this year’s class and I can’t think of a more ideal lecturer given the way that she engaged them to critically think about gender-related issues and self-empowerment.”

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Be Kobe monument in Kobe, Japan


Observing the class on women’s empowerment helped me realize that Stanford e-Kobe is empowering students to aspire to “BE KOBE,” the city’s civil pride message to gather the idea that what makes Kobe attractive is the citizens who are proud to take on new challenges. The BE KOBE Monument[1] was installed in the Meriken Park to commemorate the 150th anniversary of opening the Port of KOBE in 2017. I am very confident that the Stanford e-Kobe students will carry the spirit of BE KOBE into their very bright futures.


[1] Photo courtesy Kobe City Government.

 

Alison Keiko Harsch

Alison Keiko Harsch

Instructor, Stanford e-Kobe
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image of port on the left and image of mayor on right
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Opening Ceremony Held for Stanford e-Kobe

SPICE launches Stanford e-Kobe, its newest regional course in Japan.
Opening Ceremony Held for Stanford e-Kobe
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SPICE Honors Top Students from 2020–2021 Regional Programs in Japan

Congratulations to the eight student honorees from Hiroshima Prefecture, Kawasaki City, Oita Prefecture, and Tottori Prefecture.
SPICE Honors Top Students from 2020–2021 Regional Programs in Japan
view of a mountain from an airplane
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Mariko Yang-Yoshihara Empowers Girls in Japan with STEAM Education

SPICE’s Yang-Yoshihara aims to level the playing field and raise self-efficacy for all genders.
Mariko Yang-Yoshihara Empowers Girls in Japan with STEAM Education
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Hinako Saldi Sato, Women of the World, Japan tour, 2015
Hinako Saldi Sato (far left), Women of the World, Japan tour, 2015; photo credit Rio Ito
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Empowering Japanese women through community building

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 All CISAC events are scheduled using the Pacific Time Zone. 
 

SEMINAR RECORDING

Virtual only.

Sylvie Kauffmann
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Time:  7:30am-8:45am  California, USA 2 March 2022 
9:00pm-10:15pm New Delhi, India 2 March 2022
 

India’s international position has evolved sharply in the first two decades of the 21st century, and it is poised to become only more consequential in coming decades. Its strategic interests and influence have now stretched into the distant reaches of the Indo-Pacific, it has emerged as a central actor in managing global governance challenges like climate change, and it may have the capacity to take a commanding position in some key leading-edge technologies. In this webinar, veteran journalist Indrani Bagchi, who spent nearly two decades covering India’s foreign relations for the Times of India, will reflect on India’s recent trajectory and its prospects. Through the prism of some key episodes and issues of India in the 21st century, the webinar will examine India’s capacity and approach to manage international issues, as well as the constraints and challenges Indian policymakers must face. 

Speaker: 

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Headshot photo of Indrani Bagchi
Indrani Bagchi is CEO-designate at Ananta Aspen Centre, India. She was Associate Editor with the Times of India, where she reported and analyzed foreign policy issues for the newspaper from 2004 until 2022. As Diplomatic Editor, Indrani covered the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on her news beat, and interpreted and analyzed global trends with an Indian perspective. Earlier, Indrani worked with India Today, the Economic Times and The Statesman, and has held fellowships at Oxford University and the Brookings Institution. She is a Fellow of the Kamalnayan Bajaj Fellowship Class 3 of the Ananta Aspen Centre and a member of Aspen Global Leadership Network. She graduated from Loreto College, Calcutta University with English honors. 

Moderator:

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Photo Portrait of Arzan Tarapore
Arzan Tarapore is the South Asia research scholar at the Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center at Stanford University, where he leads the newly-restarted South Asia research initiative. He is also a senior nonresident fellow at the National Bureau of Asian Research. His research focuses on Indian military strategy and contemporary Indo-Pacific security issues. Prior to his scholarly career, he served as an analyst in the Australian Defense Department. Arzan holds a PhD in war studies from King’s College London. 

 

This event is co-sponsored by Center for South Asia

Via Zoom  Register at:
https://bit.ly/3HXiwTy

Indrani Bagchi, CEO-designate, Ananta Aspen Centre, India<br> Panelist
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Research Scholar at CISAC
Arzan Tarapore Headshot CISAC PhD

Arzan Tarapore is a Research Scholar whose research focuses on Indian military strategy and regional security issues in the Indo-Pacific. In academic year 2024-25, he is also a part-time Visiting Research Professor at the China Landpower Studies Center, at the U.S. Army War College. Prior to his scholarly career, he served for 13 years in the Australian Defence Department in various analytic, management, and liaison positions, including operational deployments and a diplomatic posting to the Australian Embassy in Washington, DC.

His academic work has been published in the Journal of Strategic Studies, International Affairs, The Washington Quarterly, Asia Policy, and Joint Force Quarterly, among others, and his policy commentary frequently appears on platforms such as Foreign Affairs, the Hindu, the Indian Express, The National Interest, the Lowy Institute's Interpreter, the Brookings Institution’s Lawfare, and War on the Rocks.

He previously held research and teaching positions at Georgetown University, the East-West Center in Washington, the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, and the RAND Corporation.

He earned a PhD in war studies from King's College London, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and a BA (Hons) from the University of New South Wales. Follow his commentary on Twitter @arzandc and his website at arzantarapore.com.

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<br>Arzan Tarapore, South Asia Research Scholar, Shorenstein APARC Moderator South Asia Research Scholar, Shorenstein APARC
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Suman is a professional welder, engineer, and social entrepreneur. He graduated from the University of Rochester with a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and with a master’s degree in global affairs from Tsinghua University as a Schwarzman Scholar. As a Knight-Hennessy Scholar, he is currently pursuing a master's degree in international policy at Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences. After the Nepal earthquake, he collaborated with non-profits on disaster response and prevention projects that involved designing and manufacturing machines that built 5,365 shelters for over 26,000 earthquake victims. Through his social venture, he rebuilt two schools for over 150 students and built a digital learning platform for over 500 students who had limited access to education. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, he led several COVID response technological innovation projects in Nepal by spearheading collaborations with research labs from UCSF, Berkeley, and Stanford. Through his manufacturing business, he built machines and equipment for waste-recycling factories for a local government, Nepal’s first aquaponics farm, UN’s research project, and more. He has been recognized by several world leaders such as the Queen of Belgium, Norway's and Belgium's Prime Minister, the UN’s Deputy Secretary-General, and the European Commissioner. He has been invited to speak at international conferences, including European Development Days in Brussels, One Young World in Bogota, and HPAIR at Harvard University.

Master's in International Policy Class of 2023
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