An Interview with Ha-Joon Chang, Aporde 2024 Lecturer

With Aporde 2024 having recently taken place, we are pleased to present a series of interviews with some of this year's lecturers and attendees.. These interviews are hosted and conducted by Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) Communications Officer Nondwe Majundana and feature a diverse range of specialists in the field of development economics.

Ha-Joon Chang has worked on a wide range of issues related to economic development, especially trade and industrial policies, productive capabilities development, institutions and development, global economic system, the history of economic development in today’s rich countries, and the political economy of development.

In addition to numerous journal articles and book chapters, he has published 17 authored books (five co-authored) and 11 edited books (seven co-edited). His main books include The Political Economy of Industrial Policy, Kicking Away the Ladder, Bad Samaritans, 23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism, and Economics: The User’s Guide. His latest book is Edible Economics. His writings have been translated and published in 45 languages and 46 countries. Worldwide, his books have sold around 2.5 million copies.

Chang has advised numerous international organizations, national governments, civil society organizations, and corporations (both private-sector and public). He is currently a member of CDP (Committee for Development Policy), the highest advisory body of the United Nations on development issues, as well as committees overseeing or advising other international organizations (e.g., UNRISD, AIIB) and academic bodies (e.g., IDS, Sussex). Chang is the winner of the 2003 Gunnar Myrdal Prize and the 2005 Wassily Leontief Prize.