Christian von Lübke

I've been working, researching , and teaching on Southeast Asia since 2001. The turn of the century was a time of profound change. This is particularly true for Indonesia - the largest economy  in the region - which had just experienced the most profound political and administrative transformation in recent history. After the fall of Suharto - and the end of 30+ years of  authoritarian and centralized rule - Indonesia transformed (virtually overnight) into one of the most decentralized and politically diverse nations in the region.

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During  these years of profound transformation, I had the  opportunity to assist Indonesian governments in their efforts of local economic development and poverty alleviation. I worked for GIZ  (2001-2004) and the World Bank (2006-07) - often at the interface of socio-economic development, governance, and business promotion.  Many of the key questions that defined my professional assignments - such as, what are the drivers of economic success, low corruption, and good investment climates - reemerged in my research projects at ANU (PhD, 2007), Waseda (2007-08), Stanford (2008-11), and Freiburg (2012-18). 

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Today, as a Professor for Southeast Asian Studies in Konstanz, I continue to be fascinated by the  colorful diversity, social resilience, and innovative spirit of the ASEAN region. Recent reflections of digital disruption, big data and AI - that sparked many successful eMobility, FinTech, and eCommerce startups in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Vietnam - are a powerful case in point.

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Tracing and understanding these economic, social, and political transformations  - in the context of my teaching, coaching, and research - remains a challenging and worthwhile endeavor; one that I'm  greatly interested in pursuing and sharing with all interested parties.