Creation of the ePerspective

Hi, my name is Vu T. Chau, an Economics student at Princeton University, class of 2015. My research interest includes macro theory, (international) monetary policies, and financial crises. These three aspects of Economics are of course very intertwined both in the literature and in practice, yet they are also quite distinctive in their own rights. This blog, therefore, will focus on the macroeconomic conditions of the United States, Europe, and emerging markets (in a narrow sense, BRICS + Turkey + Indonesia); as well as the interaction, monetary, and the resulting spillovers between them. Though, over time, there might be some posts on labor market/labor theory and developmental economics, as these are also part of my research interests.

Why did I create this blog?

This blog is created merely for personal objectives:

1) To improve my economic understanding: Two years ago, when I first read several economic newspapers and blogs, I was shocked by (1) how little knowledge I had of the real economic world, and (2) how unable I was to apply the textbook economics I learned into real world thinking. Over time, this has improved (luckily), though I still feel that there exists a gap between my economic theory and reality. Hence, this blog, first of all, is to complement economic understanding with real world analysis.

Also, last year I went to see a professor in my department to explain to him an idea for a theoretical that I planned on writing for my Junior Independent Work (required for all non-engineering students at Princeton). After listening to my explanation for 10 minutes, the professor simply said: "The idea is cute, but it's not true in practice at all." Thanks to him, I learned to look around for more real life evidence and ended up writing a better, more useful and applicable JIW than I would have if I had gone with the original cute idea. Now the professor has become my thesis advisor, and I am trying my best to understand the real economy before attempting to write anything.

2) To improve my critical writing: I realized an inconvenient truth last year that I cannot write very well, mostly due to my no-essay-class policy (that is, I avoid all courses that require the students to write essays). Though I definitely enjoy a more quantitative approach to everything, I think learning to express myself through concise and precise writing is also very important.

All in all, I hope this blog will be among the foundations that I need for my academic career and future economic thinking.

Why is this blog called "ePerspective"?
Well, first, the "perspective" part means this blog is a continuation in my blog series, alongside with "Just a thought" (EN) and "Suy nghĩ" (translation: "Thinking" - VI). The letter "e" at the beginning simply comes from the fact that there are many important concepts in Economics that start with "e": economics, equilibrium, equation, exchange (rate), export, efficiency, emerging markets, envelope theorem, etc. So I just thought, maybe this one "e" at the beginning could summarize all these essence of Economics.

So, welcome to ePerspective. :)