Jomo Kwame Sundaram Prominent Malaysian economist Date of Birth: 11.12.1952 Country: Malaysia

1. Distinguished Malaysian Economist
2. Early Life and Education
3. Academic Career in Malaysia and Harvard
4. Leadership and Publications
5. Recognition and Personal Life

Distinguished Malaysian Economist

Jomo Kwame Sundaram is a prominent Malaysian economist currently serving as the United States Assistant-Secretary-General for Economic Development within the United Nations' Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

Early Life and Education

Born in Penang, Malaysia, Sundaram was named after two renowned African leaders. From 1967 to 1970, he attended the Royal Military College, even representing Malaysia at the World Youth Forum in 1970. He then pursued his undergraduate studies at Yale College from 1970 to 1973, funded entirely by a scholarship. After Yale, Sundaram moved on to the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, where he earned a master's degree in 1974.

Academic Career in Malaysia and Harvard

Upon his father's passing in early 1974, Sundaram returned to Malaysia and briefly lectured at Universiti Sains Malaysia. He soon returned to Harvard to complete his doctoral dissertation, which focused on social class in Malaysia. Upon graduating, Sundaram went back to his home country and began teaching at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in early 1977. Five years later, he moved to University of Malaya, where he spent over 22 years.

During his time in Malaysia, Sundaram was a visiting professor at the British Academy, a visiting fellow at Cambridge, a visiting professor at Cornell University, and a senior visiting research fellow at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore.

Leadership and Publications

Sundaram served as the Director of the independent Institute of Social Analysis until the end of 2004. From 1996 to 1999, he was the president of the Malaysian Social Science Association. In 1997 and 1999, he headed the International Malaysian Studies Conventions. In January 2005, Sundaram left University of Malaya and relocated to New York City to take up his UN post.

Sundaram has conducted research in various fields, including industrial policy, privatization, corruption, protectionism, macroeconomic policy, inter-ethnic relations, and financial liberalization. His notable publications include 'Privatizing Malaysia', 'Southeast Asia's Misunderstood Miracle', and 'Flat World, Big Gaps'. He is recognized as a leading expert on Southeast Asian economics. To date, he has published over 35 monographs, edited 50 books, and translated 12 major works, while also regularly contributing articles to academic and popular journals.

Recognition and Personal Life

In 2007, Jomo Kwame Sundaram received the Wassily Leontief Prize for 'stretching the boundaries of economic thought'. He is married to Noelle Rodriguez, and they have three children: Nadia, Emil, and Leal.