G&M: Learning poor

Letter to the Globe & Mail (November 19, 2013) Reading this essay (What I learned in law school:  The poor need not apply (Nov 17, 2013)) made me think of my own story of escaping poverty and the challenges that are common for those of lesser means to overcome institutional hurdles. Poverty meant I worked long hours in part-time jobs at restaurants and supermarkets as a student, while peers could devote themselves to studying or socializing. The part-time income disqualified me from student financial aid, even as less honest and affluent peers found ways to milk the academic loan system. Coming from a family where my parents had just primary education and scraped by on minimum wage, I was clueless about the workplace for university grads, while my peers could rely on their family social connections to help them secure good employment. Nevertheless, my story had a happy ending – I graduated with a doctorate and found gainful work that took me to Singapore, New York and now Dubai – though I know many capable people who were not as fortunate. As reader Dianne Cooper (Talking Point, Nov. 16) notes, it should come as no surprise that fairness is not embedded…

PAW: More thoughts on diversity

Letter to the Princeton Alumni Weekly (October 9, 2013 edition) In response to: Seek only the best, brightest Why are Asian-Americans always singled out in the conversation about over-representation in higher education compared with their national number (e.g. letters in the July 10 issue)? Jewish Americans form an even smaller percentage of the U.S. population (about 2 percent) and have just as large numbers in elite schools in the country, where they number roughly 25 percent at leading schools, and about 13 percent at Princeton. If former President Tilghman and those who support her ideas are so committed to the notion of bringing about skin-deep diversity, would they advocate that Jewish Americans form just 2 percent of the student body at Princeton? That idea is a non-starter, as it should be. As letter-writer Russ Nieli asserts, the only principle that should matter is talent, and we should do away with notions of skin-deep diversity when it comes to assembling the student and faculty body of Princeton. Kai L. Chan *08 Dubai, United Arab Emirates October 9, 2013 PAW letters section

FT: Fed watchers seem to have a blind spot

Letter to the Financial Times (May 29, 2013) From Mr Kai L. Chan. Sir, In the game of forecasting the next chairman of the US Federal Reserve, Edward Luce and the usual Fed watchers are overlooking one obvious choice: Alan Blinder (“Summers has an edge in the race to head the Fed”, May 27). Professor Blinder is one of the world’s foremost monetary economists, with academic credentials remarkably similar to Ben Bernanke – both earned their PhD (economics) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and became tenured professors at Princeton University. In terms of practical experience, Prof Blinder was vice-chairman at the Fed from 1994 to 1996; and at age 67 he is also younger than Donald Kohn. As a regular contributor in the media to the policy discussions surrounding central banking, it is surprising that his name has not been mentioned more often. Kai L. Chan, Dubai, UAE Letter as it appeared in the FT Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2013.

Radio interview with Dubai Eye (FM 103.8)

Kai L. Chan, PhD Advisor at Emirates Competitiveness Council looks at the issue of happiness and well-being on World Happiness Day (20.03.2013): <<Radio interview with Dubai Eye (FM 103.8)>> Copyright © 2013, Arabian Radio Network. All rights reserved.  

Economist: Student life

Letter to the Economist (December 15, 2012) SIR – Although online courses in higher education are a mostly positive development, real learning in universities does not come just from course content (“Not what it used to be”, December 1st). Interaction on academic and non-academic topics with fellow students matters in and out of the classroom, as does time spent chatting with professors. The traditional university model also forces time-scheduling habits, whereas online learning instils no such discipline. The high tuition at Harvard is the price that one pays for the opportunity to learn in an environment with ambitious, talented peers and renowned academic leaders. After all, people still pay good money to attend sporting events, even if they are broadcast live and free on television. KAI CHAN Dubai Letter as it appeared in the Economist. Copyright © The Economist Newspaper Limited 2012. All rights reserved.

Time Out Dubai (Home & Garden)

Dominka and I were featured in a Time Out Dubai article. I love how I am referredto as a Chinese-born Canada, but Dominika gets full title with her job. :-) [caption id="attachment_1691" align="aligncenter" width="538"] Time Out Dubai home & garden supplement (December 2012).  Published by & © 2012 ITP Digital Ltd.  All rights reserved.[/caption]

NP: Income inequality is still a major problem

Letter to the National Post (November 23, 2012) This article on the Fraser Institute’s take on income mobility confuses personal income growth with (inter-generational) income mobility. Over a course of a lifetime income rises as people get promoted, etc., and typically peaks in the 40s and 50s. So there’s no surprise that 83% of the lowest earners move up the income ladder over a decade. Income mobility, as it is commonly understood or measured by economists, looks at how well parental income predicts offspring income. What is important to know is where in the income distribution were Charles Lammam’s parents at similar age-experience profile. Studies on inter-generational income mobility (a.k.a. “economic mobility”) show greater portability of Canadian society vis-à-vis the United States; however, this does not negate the fact that income inequality, especially at the very top end, has been on a steep rise in Canada. Kai Chan, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Letter as it appeared in the NP © 2012 National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. All rights reserved. Unauthorized distribution, transmission or republication strictly prohibited.

G&M: Banks, race, gender

Letter to the Globe & Mail (November 8, 2012) Re Women Challenge Central Banking Men’s Club (Nov. 7): The board of the Bank of Canada is not much different than the euro zone experience. Only two of the 15 board members are women. The board fares even worse on reflecting Canada’s mosaic – it has no visible minorities, even though they account for 20 per cent of Canada’s population. The club is even more white than it is male. Nevertheless, such positions should be filled by merit only, but in a country with such a large visible minority population, are there none qualified for the role? The board counts four directors (of 12 appointed positions) from the Atlantic provinces, even though that region accounts for only about 7 per cent of Canada’s population. Kai L. Chan, Dubai Letter as it appeared in the G&M © Copyright 2012 CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

WSJ: Asian immigrant experience defies easy comparisons

Letter to the Wall Street Journal (November 2, 2012) Although Asian-Americans as a whole have achieved a lot of success (as measured by household income and education), they still lag on many indicators, most notably social inclusion, where they still seem relegated to the lower echelons of social hierarchy. Several years ago when I was working at an investment bank in New York City, I went to an Upper West Side house party of a fellow Princeton alumnus.  I was dressed in a tailored shirt with designer cuff links and wore Italian leather shoes.  I approached the security desk in the lobby with a bottle of wine in a bag and asked for the room number of my friend.  The guard asked if I was making a Chinese food delivery. Kai L. Chan Dubai, United Arab Emirates Letter as it appeared in the WSJ Copyright ©2012 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.  All Rights Reserved

The Natioanl: UAE nationals urged to get overseas research experience

UAE nationals urged to get overseas research experience Colin Simpson June 18, 2012 [caption id="attachment_3164" align="aligncenter" width="462"] The Firmenich laboratory which makes perfumes for big branded company’s in Dubiotech, Dubai Biotechnology and Science Park In Al Barsha.[/caption] DUBAI // Young Emiratis who want careers in research and development should go overseas to gain experience before returning to help the UAE become a centre for innovation, according to an expert. "There's a life cycle of talent," said Dr Kai Chan, senior adviser to the Emirates Competitiveness Council, a federal government body. "I'd encourage young Emiratis to go abroad to learn and then come back with their knowledge. "We want to ensure that young Emiratis are going into the workforce equipped, we want to encourage this as we want to be a knowledge-based economy. We do want to become a hub for R&D, we do want to be among the world's leaders." However, Dr Khaled Amiri, head of the biology department at UAE University, said he did not favour the term hub, as this implied that expatriate researchers would move to the country and then leave after two or three years without passing on their knowledge. "The nationals are going to complement…