NYUAD: Polcy advising in theory and practice (in the Middle East)
This was a talk given to NYUAD students in their economics programme: "Policy advising in theory and practice (in the Middle East)" The slides can be found here.
This was a talk given to NYUAD students in their economics programme: "Policy advising in theory and practice (in the Middle East)" The slides can be found here. 
This topic was first presented at the Asia Global Institute (AGI) on the campus of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) on 11 Jan 2019. It was subsequently also shared at: The Conference Board of Canada - CBC (Banff): 17 Oct 2019 Oliver Wyman (Montreal): 03 May 2019 HKU SPACE (Hong Kong): 28 Mar 2019 Centre for the Study of Living Standards - CSLS (Ottawa): 18 Mar 2019 Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business - CKGSB (Beijing): 21 Jan 2019 The version presented at the Conference Board of Canada (National Immigration Centre) is available here. 
I spoke at the Kazakhstan Growth Forum 2019 (K19) on 19 Sep 2019. The title of my presentation was "The transformation of economies: The role of technology and human capital in rising economies". This was my second time at the KGF and quite a few people remembered me from my 2016 talk. Hopefully, there will be more KGFs in my future. The Kazakhs are fun and gracious hosts. The presentation can be found here 
The below is my presentation at LangFest 2019. Le dessous est ma présentation au LangFest 2019. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAET9DY2NOY English is the most powerful language from a global perspective (as measured by the Power Language Index). At the local level, even in places where it does not have status, English can still overwhelm the local language(s). This presents a dilemma for societies that want to participate in a globalised world yet retain and protect their local tongue. The power dynamics of Montreal are examined using the lens of the Power Language Index. L'anglais est la langue la plus puissante au niveau mondial (selon le «Power Language Index» ou «Indice des langues influentes»). Au niveau local, même dans les endroits où il n’a pas de statut, l’anglais peut toujours submerger la/les langue(s) locale(s). Cela pose un dilemme aux sociétés qui souhaitent participer à l'économie mondiale tout en conservant et en protégeant leur(s) langue(s) locale(s). Les dynamiques linguistiques de Montréal sont examinées en utilisant le «Power Language Index». Bio: Dr Kai L. Chan is a Distinguished Fellow at INSEAD. Previously he was a special adviser to the UAE federal government on competitiveness and statistics, where he focused on that country’s positioning on global performance… 
I was a guest lecturer at the University of Hong Kong in their School of Professional and Continuing Education (SPACE) in 2019: "Managing public services in the transitional nature of Bangladesh: Institutional integrity, sustainable development, and advanced technology applications." The programme had two intake groups (Feb 18-Mar 1, and Mar 18-29). The below are the titles of my lectures as part of their executive education course. AI and inequality: How smart machines exacerbate demographic bias and inequality Policy workshop on advanced technology applications: Innovations and policy initiatives Policy workshop on advanced technology applications: Policy cycles, implementation gaps, and case studies Bangladesh’s competitiveness landscape: Competitiveness and positioning of Bangladesh in global performance indices in the 21st century 
I spoke at the Montreal office of Oliver Wyman, sharing my experience of life after consulting and as a global expat. The presentation can be found here. 
AI AND INEQUALITY: HOW SMART MACHINES EXACERBATE DEMOGRAPHIC BIAS AND INEQUALITY Date: Friday, January 11 2019, 1230 – 1400 Venue: Asia Global Institute, MB 328, 3/F Main Building, HKU How does AI generate riches, redistribute wealth and distort the labour market in multicultural societies? How will AI distort off-shoring and upend the traditional development model? As AI displaces humans from their jobs, economic value will be transferred from labour to capitalists, particularly the ‘super-elites’. In an era where capital is mobile while labour is less so, AI will exacerbate already-high levels of inequality if left unmanaged. The slides can be found here. https://youtu.be/EBvrc-NPhaM 
I spoke at the University of Aruba at their "Home Languages & Higher Education" symposium (19-20 Sep 2018). My talk was on the Power Language Index and an assessment of the language dynamics in Aruba, where the island operates seamlessly in four languages (Dutch, English, Papiamento and Spanish). Papiamento is the majority language and along with Dutch is an official language of the island. However, only Dutch has status in official/government interactions and schooling is almost universally in Dutch. Given its geography, Spanish is also widely known/spoken. English is the dominant language for tourism and is globally powerful. Applying a modified version of the Power Language Index to the language scene in Aruba we arrive at a language hierarchy with English at the top, even though it has no status on the island. The presentation can be found: here. 
The below is my presentation at LangFest 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lfNaP_ySFrE There are over 6,000 languages spoken in the world today, but some 2,000 of them count fewer than a thousand speakers. Moreover, just 15 of them account for half of the languages spoken in the world. Which are the world’s most influential languages? The Power Language Index (PLI) is a measure of a language’s efficacy by measuring its influence in 5 domains (“opportunities”): (1) geography, (2) economy, (3) communication, (4) knowledge & media, and (5) diplomacy. Altogether the PLI uses 20 (cardinal) indicators to arrive at an assessment of the power of over 100 languages. Dr Kai L. Chan is a Distinguished Fellow at INSEAD. Previously he was a special adviser to the UAE federal government on competitiveness and statistics, where he focused on that country's positioning on global performance indices. Prior to his stint in the UAE, Dr Chan served as an associate and the in-house economist for a consumer finance merchant banking firm in Manhattan. Before that, he worked in the Singapore office of a global management consulting firm. Chan’s expertise/research cover education, income distribution, migration, government & policy, and performance measurement. He is the creator of the Power… 
I spoke about the state of the French language, as described by its positioning in the Power Language Index, at a meeting of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie in La Chapelle en Serval (near Paris). This was my first professional talk done in a language other than English (French). The slides can be found here. 
