nna

734 Words2 Pages

Narendra Regmi
Statement of Purpose for PhD in Economics (University of Kentucky)
Back when I was in middle school, I dwelled in two parallel worlds. The first one was a fictitious world at my school where I was required to memorize the magic number: 83,000 MegaWatts, the total hydroelectric potential of Nepal; where I was theoretically exposed to all the positive externalities that the proper utilization of water resources entailed. But the reality was bleak and disheartening. After arriving home from school, the rosy facts and figures regarding the potential hydroelectric energy would vanish into thin air, and the real world would set in. Blackouts up to eighteen hours every day had crippled our daily lives. The price of Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), a major fuel source for cooking which was imported, stored, and distributed by a state enterprise, was skyrocketing beyond the reach of many families. Massive unemployment triggered by energy crisis led hundreds of thousands of Nepalese to leave the country to pursue menial jobs in the Middle East. The recurring news of deaths of several workers only made the matter worse. As a teenager, I could not comprehend why we had been unable to harness our hydroelectric potential to benefit our economy, but I was optimistic that my consistent pursuit of knowledge would enable me to better understand the core problems and eventually obtain feasible solutions.
After obtaining a scholarship to study GCE A-levels, a high school program administered by the University of Cambridge, I embarked on an intellectual journey at Budhanilkantha School, in the capital city of Nepal. This is where I was first introduced to Economics. The framework of analytical reasoning and critical thinking skills th...

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...ery ostensibly complex problem can always be broken down into smaller tractable problems and can be reverse engineered by connecting the dots to solve the overall problem. I am confident that these insights will be instrumental in pursuing my academic endeavors at the University of Kentucky.
I would like to materialize my dream by joining the world renowned Public Economics PhD program at the University of Kentucky by involving myself in research works alongside the pioneers in the field. During the summers for the next few years, I wish to work for policy institutes and development agencies to observe how economic theories are translated into policies for the betterment of our society. I will thus be able to apply these invaluable experiences in designing robust policies for developing economies. I know U.K. will assist me in paving the path towards that direction.

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