Who We Are

Cengkih Research is the student-led economics foresight think tank of the Southeast Asian Economics Project. We look ahead at how the region’s economic challenges may unfold over the next two decades, and at what Southeast Asia can start doing now to be ready.

Our Vision

Cengkih Research’s vision is to build a generation of Southeast Asian thinkers who are analytically grounded, pluralist in their approach, and equipped to anticipate the economic questions that will define the region’s future.

Our Mission

Cengkih Research’s mission is to help students, policymakers and regional institutions navigate Southeast Asia’s emerging economic challenges and prepare for what’s possible, by

1. building the capacities, mindsets and tools students need for strategic anticipation, so they can question assumptions, think beyond a single predicted future, and apply multidisciplinary, pluralist economic thinking to uncertainty and long-term change;
2. developing original research into emerging economic trends, discontinuities and surprises across Southeast Asia, and exploring what multiple possible futures could mean for the region; and
3. communicating our insights to students, policymakers and regional institutions through the pathways of the Southeast Asian Economics Project, so that thinking about the future shapes the programmes we run, the policy conversations we join, and the decisions we make today.

About Our Name

Cengkih is the Malay word for clove, a spice native to the Maluku Islands that was once among the most valuable goods in the world. The hunt for it redrew trade routes, helped set early globalisation in motion and shaped the fortunes of whole regions. One product from Southeast Asia sent ripples far beyond where it grew.

That is how we think about the economy, as change in one place rarely stays there. We begin with established economic frameworks, read them alongside Southeast Asia’s own history and context, and follow the effects as they spread.