There's no such thing as a free lunch...Or is there?

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It's official. The next president of Indonesia is former army general Prabowo Subianto. Quite how the next five years will pan out is anyone's guess but hopefully the foreign pundits who always bring up his dodgy human rights record will be proven wrong. Nonetheless, on policy making, Prabowo's popularist move to literally offer the poor 'a free lunch' every day of the week does not augur well for the future. Such a policy - if it ever came to fruition - would cost a phenomenal amount of money and likely lead to huge inefficiencies (food waste) and poor incentives (make people lazy). Another concern is Prabowo's strong nationalist bent. Thus, in the possible event that he finds himself with his back against the proverbial wall in the face of stern economic challenges, there is a big chance that he will simply scapegoat foreigners. But he will have to be careful. Construction of the new capital city, Nusantara, for example, is highly dependent on foreign in
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Marina Bay, Singapore

Singapore is an enigma to me. Super efficient and ultra-modern yet increasingly devoid of character. New buildings go up year after year, ever more impressive, like the monumental Marina Bay Sands development, an ultramodern hotel/shopping center with a truly remarkable infinity swimming pool perched on the platform at the top, offering far reaching views of the city. A one-night stay will cost you at least 400 bucks and you’ll need to reach deep in your pockets if you want to eat and enjoy yourself. For those without the bucks we can only look on…

Marina Bay, Singapore

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