Bio
James Owen is a Regional Program Manager with The Asia Foundation, where he leads programs on economic governance and policy reform across Southeast Asia. He works with government, research, and civil society partners on policy analysis, institutional reform, and applied problem-solving. He currently leads research on how Thai firms are adopting AI across business functions and workflows, examining the implications for productivity, skills, and economic policy. His wider work has included public finance reform, digital systems for service delivery and revenue collection, strengthening the use of evidence in policymaking, and supporting think tanks and subnational governments in Myanmar and Cambodia. An economist by training, James is interested in how emerging technologies reshape institutions, markets, and relationships among governments, firms, and citizens.