Deck: Lead economist and avid trekker Limon B. Rodriguez talks about the highs of a career in public policy
Like his favourite pastime of trekking, Limon’s career in public policy and international development has seen him traverse across peaks and valleys. What drives him is a great sense of mission.
“Trekking has taught me so many things. Most importantly, to be able to climb a mountain, you need to persevere, never give up and just keep going,” says the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP) alumnus (MPP 2009 in a double master’s programme with Columbia University). He has trekked in countries like Australia, Georgia, Montenegro, Nepal and the Philippines, and dreams of hitting the Swiss Alps, Machu Picchu and Mounts Everest and Kilimanjaro once the pandemic is over.
Limon treks from Mestia to Ushguli in Georgia in 2019
Senior Economist, Accenture
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Limon’s day job is as a lead economist at Accenture Research Singapore, which he joined in 2013. He specialises in education and labour markets, innovation policy, digital government and smart cities, and economic development more broadly, consulting with governments across Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. His undergraduate degree from the University of the Philippines had been in political science and he had previously worked as an analyst at Accenture in Manila before taking his postgraduate degrees in Singapore and New York.
In the office, 60- to 70-hour weeks are not uncommon. Yet putting in the hours has allowed him to climb towards the top. Some of his highs include being able to explore contemporary challenges that deal with the poor and vulnerable in Asia, from enabling women-owned businesses in Singapore to the implications of COVID-19 for employment and the livelihoods of out-of-school youth in the Philippines.
No stranger to international development, Limon has also worked at multilateral organisations. From 2008 to 2012, he worked at various United Nations (UN) organisations in New York and Bangkok, notably, UN Development Programme (UNDP), UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. His work involved research on trade policy, human development, fragile states and women’s needs in post-conflict countries. He also joined the Asian Development Bank in Manila for a year as an economist to co-author a book analysing labour migration in Indonesia and the Philippines before working at Accenture in Singapore.
Studying at LKYSPP provided him guidance that has carried through for him today. He says: “Public policy teaches the importance of using multiple perspectives, such as from economics, political science and management to solve complex problems.”
Limon makes policy recommendations for governments as general rapporteur of the United Nations Public Service Forum 2013 in Manama, Bahrain
Subhead: Rising above challenges
Public policy teaches the importance of using multiple perspectives, such as from economics, political science and management to solve complex problems.
Limon’s journey hasn’t been all smooth sailing, with tough summits to climb along the way. When he talks about career struggles, he cites having a limited network at the start of his career in public policy. “It’s not just about what you know but also who you know. You need to have both.”
Resolving that issue took proactiveness and determination. He lacked networks in the field of global public policy when he first wanted to work at the UN in New York, so he looked for an internship himself to get his foot in the door. He remembers how the regression analysis skills he gained from Professor Vu Minh Khuong’s statistics course at LKYSPP helped him get the internship at UNDP Human Development Report Office (HDRO). During his spare time over the course of his internship, he reached out to UN staff for informational interviews to explore job opportunities in the organisation.
Limon also found that what goes around comes around. During his internship when he was running regression analysis for a research paper by his supervisor and the Director of UNDP HDRO, a colleague from another team who was writing a book asked him for research support. He gamely agreed without hesitation. That colleague later asked him if he was interested in a job at UNIFEM. And while waiting to start work at the UN agency, another colleague offered him a consultancy at UNDP in the interim.
Gradually, he began to strengthen his networks and continues to collaborate with his former UN colleagues on projects to this day. This year, he was invited to be a speaker in a UN webinar on technological innovations to manage the COVID-19 crisis. He also peer reviewed one of the UN’s flagship publications, E-Government Survey 2020.
A plenary speaker, Limon shares his research findings at the United Nations Public Service Forum 2018 in Marrakesh, Morocco
“Not knowing people in the industry was a challenge, but I overcame it through my internship while applying life skills like collaboration and networking,” he says. He attributes those skills to first being honed at LKYSPP, where he and his classmates would help one another with problem sets and group projects. That willingness to help carried over when he did his MPA in New York.
Limon has also been inspired by his mentors, from his professor in the Philippines who once studied public policy at NUS to the faculty at LKYSPP. He wants to pay it forward by helping LKYSPP students in any way he can. For instance, being accessible to those who request informational interviews from him and providing them career advice. He continues to be friends with ex-classmates. They catch up regularly over lunch or dinner, or he meets with them when he visits their home countries.
His tip for his LKYSPP juniors is to make the most of the networking opportunities offered there. “Apart from sharpening analytical skills, the school provides several opportunities to build and expand networks. If I were to relive my days at the school, I would have participated in more talks, lectures and conferences. These events enable you to network with high-level industry people and experts.
“My advice is to attend the events you’re interested in and talk to the speakers afterwards. I know of a classmate and friend who got an internship at the World Bank via a school activity and networking. You need to be proactive.”
For now, Limon intends to continue to scale difficult issues in public policy and international development for as long as he can. “I don’t have a crystal ball, but I will continue to contribute to analysing and solving problems in my own way. For instance, through carrying out rigorous research, proposing evidence-based policy recommendations and allocating resources to advance the development agenda. My goal is to help and serve the poor and vulnerable, including women, the elderly, persons with disabilities and indigenous peoples — to leave no one behind.”
He adds: “Studying at LKYSPP opened doors for me and it was a life-changing experience. If not for LKYSPP, I would have been unable to cultivate my passion. I am eternally grateful to the school.”