Cambodia recently said it planned to work with the Cambodia Australia Partnership for Resilient Economic Development, CAPRED, to establish a Growth Lab with Australian support. The proposed centre would use data and research to inform policy and assist economic development and diversification.
Deputy Prime Minister and Council for the Development of Cambodia First Vice-Chairman Sun Chanthol met Professor Ricardo Hausmann, founder and director of Harvard University's Growth Lab, while attending the 2026 World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos. They discussed the feasibility of the research centre. The proposed lab would draw on Harvard's research model and provide a scientific basis for government decisions through systematic economic analysis and growth diagnostics.
The cooperation would rely on continued support from Australia's CAPRED programme and aim to enhance Cambodia's long-term economic resilience and inclusive growth. Hausmann had already worked with Cambodia on economic complexity and identifying higher-value development sectors, to help accelerate the country's progress towards middle-income status.
Compiled reporting by this station.
