Robert Walker

Research Associate, Indo-Pacific Development Centre
Areas of expertise

International economics and political economy, geoeconomics, growth and development, macroeconomics

Robert Walker
Biography
Publications

Robert Walker is a Research Associate at the Lowy Institute and works as an economist in the Institute’s Indo-Pacific Development Centre. His work focuses on emerging Asian economies as well as growth and development in the Indo-Pacific region. Robert’s interests include macroeconomic policy, aid and development, geoeconomics and Indo-Pacific and European international political economy.

Prior to joining the Lowy Institute, Robert worked in the Australian Department of the Treasury in international macroeconomic forecasting and at the Australian National University’s Australian Centre on China in the World. He holds a Master’s degree in International and Development Economics from the Australian National University with a specialisation in macroeconomic policy, and a Bachelor of International and Global Studies from the University of Sydney.

What I’ll be watching for in 2025
What I’ll be watching for in 2025
Lowy researchers gaze at their crystal balls – with questions, more than answers, for the year ahead.
Australian industrial policy more liberal and less distortionary than most
Australian industrial policy more liberal and less distortionary than most
Australia followed the crowd as a new wave of industrial policies swept the globe. Six months on, it is useful to hold the government to account.
Why Indonesia should join the Minerals Security Partnership
Commentary
Why Indonesia should join the Minerals Security Partnership
Originally published in The Jakarta Post
A glimpse into Indonesia's nickel policy
A glimpse into Indonesia's nickel policy
China has become a key partner, but locals pay the price and need more support to realise the benefits.
Indonesia's EV drive faces geopolitical headwinds
Commentary
Indonesia's EV drive faces geopolitical headwinds
Originally published on Nikkei Asia
Southeast Asia after the shocks: Economic growth, but not as we know it
Southeast Asia after the shocks: Economic growth, but not as we know it
New Lowy Institute research shows the pandemic and Ukraine war have taken a toll, while the benefits from supply chains shifting out of China have so far been limited.
Constrained Recovery: Global Shocks and Emerging Southeast Asia
Data Snapshot
Constrained Recovery: Global Shocks and Emerging Southeast Asia
How growth and development in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam have been reshaped by the Covid-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
If industrial policy is the new candy house, developing countries need to gain more than just the bread crumbs
If industrial policy is the new candy house, developing countries need to gain more than just the bread crumbs
Local efforts to reshape national economies must account for the international implications.
Global economic prospects are the worst in decades but investing in the future could be the answer
Global economic prospects are the worst in decades but investing in the future could be the answer
The World Bank reports on why global growth and poverty reduction are slowing but points to investment as a way forward.
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