The Perils of Economic Reform: A Cautionary Tale From Myanmar
For a private link to the recording, please email admin@esansw.org.au and specify which email address you wish to have the link shared with.
For 650 days, the author and economics professor Sean Turnell was unjustly incarcerated in a Myanmar jail on a trumped-up charge of being a spy. When he was imprisoned alongside Myanmar’s democratic leadership following the military coup in February 2021, Professor Turnell was an economic policy advisor to Myanmar’s leader, Aung San Suu Kyi.
This will be a compelling and insightful talk as Sean reflects on his deep commitment to using his economic expertise to promote social justice.
The session is presented by NSW Treasury and the NSW Branch of the Economics Society of Australia.
About The Speaker
Professor Sean Turnell was accused of violating the Official States Secrets Act. Following a secret trial in September 2022, he was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison. After 650 days of incarceration and severe ill-treatment, including solitary confinement, he was finally released in November 2022.
Sean has worked relentlessly in the cause of improving the economic, social and cultural circumstances of Myanmar’s population. His commitment to, and impact on public policy in Myanmar has won wide respect, both within Myanmar and beyond. The people of Myanmar and Australia’s Burmese community are extraordinarily grateful for Sean’s contribution. Sean’s book about his experience, An Unlikely Prisoner, will be published on 14 November 2023.
Sean is an Honorary Professor of Economics at Macquarie University, and non-resident Fellow at the Lowy Institute in Sydney. He has been a Senior Economic Analyst at the Reserve Bank of Australia, and a policy adviser to a range of international institutions, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. Sean’s work is regarded as some of the most insightful on Myanmar’s economic development and was requested by Aung San Suu Kyi (former State Counsellor of Myanmar and Nobel laureate) to design and plan economic reforms in Myanmar.
