Can the theories and frameworks taught at the LKY School be applied to the reality of Cambodia's economy?

Chea Kok Hong believes the answer is a resounding yes. When he graduated from the LKY School in 2011, Cambodia was at the crossroads of transitioning into a lower middle-income nation, with ongoing challenges in reducing income disparities and achieving sustained economic growth. With the training and perspective gained from the LKY School, he set out to design and implement policies that would steer Cambodia towards a brighter future.

From Vision to Reality

In the past decade, Kok Hong has been responsible for shaping historic policy instruments to upgrade Cambodia’s workforce and promote SMEs and entrepreneurship, with the broader purpose of diversifying Cambodia’s economy and boosting private sector development and employment. One of these policies is Cambodia’s Sub-Decree on SMEs Tax Incentives, which took effect in 2018, allowing local SMEs and startups to benefit from tax exemptions and special deductible expenses.

Within the year, Kok Hong also worked with a team to launch the Skills Development Fund, aimed at advancing technical and vocational education in Cambodia. The fund targeted large firms, SME owners, SME employees, and trainers. By offering enticing incentives such as a cost-sharing scheme for ‘upskilling’ and ‘pre-employment’ training programmes, it empowered private sector firms in the country to step up and invest in training their own staff and management teams.



To modernise the policy design process, he adopted design thinking principles and an agile operating model prioritising the needs of entrepreneurs. With the help of his team, he was able to deliver supporting programmes with a ‘test and learn’ approach, and allow for flexible and iterative improvements based on data-driven insights.

Digital Solutions for a Better Tomorrow

With his bold policy moves, Kok Hong has earned the respect and support of Cambodia’s business communities for being a like-minded ally. This bodes well for his next mission—to position Cambodia for a sustainable future in the age of rapid digital growth.

In 2021, Cambodia’s cashew nuts and pepper products hit the virtual shelves of the Chinese e-commerce platform Alibaba for the first time. This was an attempt to gauge the demand and export-readiness of Cambodian products in the digital realm, and through the agile methodology, Kok Hong was able to identify Cambodia’s export limitations. As Director of the Entrepreneurship Development Fund, he will now need to reshape support programmes to address pressing gaps such as the capacity to produce standard packaging, and the scalability to meet consumer needs.

Through such initiatives and more, the aspiration is to open the doorway to millions of global shoppers and draw investors from China, while helping Cambodian producers to widen their markets.

Bringing Alumni Together for Greater Good

Although it’s been over 10 years since Kok Hong was a student at the LKY School, the knowledge that he has acquired remains an invaluable asset.

“Studying at the LKY School has deepened my understanding of the interplay between economics and public policy, equipping me with the skills to assess the economic impacts of policy decisions and craft innovative solutions,” he says.

“The real-world case studies, diverse perspectives, and rigorous coursework have also provided me with a well-rounded perspective and practical policy tools to tackle complex economic challenges, which has been a truly transformative experience for my career as a senior economist.”

As the new president of the LKYSPP Alumni Cambodia Chapter, Kok Hong is eager to give back and make a positive impact. His immediate task is to find more ways for the Cambodian alumni to stay connected and engaged, but he also has his sights set on a loftier goal—building a community of mentors to provide networking opportunities for Cambodian youths, to groom the next generation of public policy talents for the country.