Ka Lok Wong (Steve)

Economist at UNECA ; PhD @GVAGrad ; Views my own

[David Mihalyi @davidmihalyi]

Great coverage in @TheEconomist of Africa’s domestic debt surge — and our African Debt Database behind the analysis.
@MarkManger @upanizza @NiccoloRescia @Ch_Trebesch @SteveKLWong
https://t.co/QWd2gvGF1e

[VoxDev @vox_dev]

🆕 Africa’s domestic debt boom: New evidence from the African Debt Database

Today on VoxDev via @voxeu w/ @MarkManger (@munkschool), @upanizza (@GVAGrad), @NiccoloRescia (@globalsov), @Ch_Trebesch (@kielinstitute) & @SteveKLWong (@ECA_OFFICIAL): https://t.co/xyFqSBIHtZ

[𝙐𝙜𝙤 𝙋𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙯𝙖 @upanizza]

The data are here https://t.co/JiNSn5h8zy

[Ka Lok Wong (Steve) @SteveKLWong]

@cepr_org @MarkManger @davidmihalyi @upanizza @globalsov @amseaixmars @CNRS @Ch_Trebesch @ECA_OFFICIAL Tagging myself to the post ^

[Kiel Institut @kielinstitute]

A new collaborative project brings transparency to Africa’s public debt. The African Debt Database (ADD) covers 50,000+ loans & securities worth $6.3 trillion across 54 countries.
Explore the data 👉 https://t.co/C96k9k1drs
Background & insights👉 https://t.co/mWHNXSVAfk

[Ka Lok Wong (Steve) @SteveKLWong]

If so many lifelong co-authors and friends come from our PhD cohort… was that just trauma bonding or great search-and-matching?

[Arpit Gupta (in DC Sep-Dec 2026) @arpitrage]

These results suggest that getting a PhD causally worsens mental health, or at least receiving psychiatric medicines. The reversal post PhD degree is particularly convincing.

But the up trend among the control group is intriguing. The highly educated are in distress.

[𝙐𝙜𝙤 𝙋𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙯𝙖 @upanizza]

1/ 🌍 Today at #DebtCon8 we’re launching the African Debt Database (ADD) — the first comprehensive, instrument-level dataset covering both domestic and external sovereign debt across the African continent.

@MarkManger @davidmihalyi Niccolo Rescia, @Ch_Trebesch Ka Lok Wong.

[Ka Lok Wong (Steve) @SteveKLWong]

More than happy to share that I’ve joined UNECA at Addis Ababa as economist since Feb 1. It’s been a journey in Geneva, I’m grateful to the time and opportunity through the past 5 years with @GVAGrad_CFD , and @upanizza whom brought me into the realm of sovereign debt.

[𝙐𝙜𝙤 𝙋𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙯𝙖 @upanizza]

1/ 🚨 Want to do a Phd in Economics?

besides our normal intake @GVAGrad we have 3 generously funded PhD positions with a 4-year @snsf_ch package! @GVAGrad_CFD

Read on for details and please RT
@marko25mlikota @AnjezaKadilli
🧵

[Ka Lok Wong (Steve) @SteveKLWong]

@jmwooldridge At the end of the day, the best an econometric teacher can give is to make the audience understands what’s going on under the hood and adapts their future methodology given the data constraints. Whether they ask for explanation from Google or from AI, hopefully cross-validate so

[Ka Lok Wong (Steve) @SteveKLWong]

@KhoaVuUmn I’m happy to pay a monthly subscription if someone writes a wrapper to set it automatically 😂

[Ka Lok Wong (Steve) @SteveKLWong]

@VenturiniMiri https://t.co/KLp16h87hC
might help!

[derek guy @dieworkwear]

There's a common misconception that clothes made in the United States or Western Europe are "good" and clothes made in low-cost countries such as China are "bad." Let's talk about it. 🧵

[Ka Lok Wong (Steve) @SteveKLWong]

The entire database might have more info than you need—e.g., GBP/USD in 1791. You can filter it before getting the API code snippet from 'Export'. 4/4

[Ka Lok Wong (Steve) @SteveKLWong]

Pulling all available bilateral FX rates from BIS in less than a minute! BIS Data Portal let you fetch data directly with Python/Matlab/R via an API now. My attempt took just 47 seconds. 1/4 #EconTwitter @BIS_org #FX #Python

[Ka Lok Wong (Steve) @SteveKLWong]

Select the code snippet option and run it in your machine. Voilà, no more massive excel files! 3/4

[Ka Lok Wong (Steve) @SteveKLWong]

@KhoaVuUmn patiently waiting for memes from you

[Ka Lok Wong (Steve) @SteveKLWong]

@TheoMaret Upcoming refinancing cycle might push up the debt servicing % even higher, given the current rate

[𝙐𝙜𝙤 𝙋𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙯𝙖 @upanizza]

On Debt and Climate with Patrick Bolton @ImperialBiz, Lee Buchheit, Mitu Gulati @UVALaw, @bweder & @jzettelmeyer is now available in full open access at Oxford Open Economics @OUPEconomics.

@cepr_org @Bruegel_org @GVAGrad @GVAGrad_CFD

https://t.co/EUtcXXdJsH