SONOBE, Tetsushi (Transferred to the Asian Development Bank Institute on April 2020)

My research interest centers on economic development and state building. It is related to the 8th to 11th and 16th SDGs as follows. Many emerging economies and states are still in the middle-income status and seeking further economic development with equity. Because of soaring labor costs, they cannot compete with low-wage economies and instead are attempting to compete with advanced economies by increasing innovation capacity. Because most innovations take place in agglomerations, such as cities and industrial clusters, they need strong agglomerations with efficient division of labor among specialists, a high level of regional and global connectivity, and comfortable living environment free from pollution, which attract innovative talent from the world. If the attempt is successful, however, the society will become more unstable and unequal because innovations are nothing but creative destruction which makes winners and losers. There will be a need for social safety nets and inclusive institutions. The question arises as to how the state capacity can be increased to meet these needs. My research is empirical and on a case study basis. Its results are used as teaching materials in my courses.