Dr. Bijesh Mishra

I have been trying to write this closing summary post for 2024 since December 20. I enthusiastically summarized 2023 on a positive note despite being a slow year. I wanted to write the summary post positively, just like I did for 2023. As I developed ideas for this post, my inner guts did not agree with what I wanted. I found it hard to write this post as I was battling with what I wanted to write vs. what I should write. I decided to write whatever I had on my mind in these few last hours of the year. Hopefully, this post will help reset my battling mind for a fresh start in the new year. I will try to make this post positive, setting the stage for a hopeful 2025.

I started my 2024 continuing my work on the solar survey from last year (read my previous year’s (2023) post here). Our plan involved asking for rating scale statements about AV adoption among solar developers. We developed a structural equation modeling framework with a point rating scale. Statements were about beliefs, behaviors, agreements, disagreements, and so on. These statements can be ambiguous and perceived in multiple ways depending on context. The solar industry did not receive these statements well. After six months of arduous work, we–a team of several economists, survey experts, and AV experts–felt a sense of utter failure. We had no idea how to proceed with all these failed attempts to develop the survey. More importantly, I was close to the end of my two years of postdoc journey with no output. It was an unpleasant experience and a failure in my career.

I managed to produce the more simplistic form of the survey—Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) Approach. After several internal meetings, we finalized SWOT phrases and assessed them among solar developers to see their responses. Developers well received this version. We move forward with the SWOT survey. The rest is less cumbersome. I hope to publish this research in 2025.

I must say economists appreciate SWOT AHP less than quantitative methods. However, it is one of the most effective decision-making tools in business and is widely used by business managers. It is a highly effective tool for establishing a baseline for any new project and assessing feasibility. We often ignore the power of simplicity, but simplicity can be the best approach on several occasions.

In the latter half of the year, I got involved in another project with Auburn University Rural Partnership Institute, continuing my postdoc. The progress of my second project is satisfactory. I launched an online survey in December, the data collection process of which is ongoing. I am developing a second survey, which will be sent out in January 2025. I am excited about these two projects and the early success with the data collection and overall progress.

This year is also a year of self-realization and realization of my passion. I rekindled my love of economics. My passion for economics was not new. I have been passionate about developmental and political economics since I started learning about economics and paying attention to politics. For example, my two short political analyses aired on BBC Nepali Service when I was a college senior are here and here. I used to keep record of major political histories and archive them. I am also an agricultural economist by training. However, I lost track of becoming an economist as I progressed through my academic journey. Perhaps, because of circumstances, I could be naive. Possibly, I might have rushed to grab opportunities without thoughtful consideration. I missed the easy chance, and regret won’t bring it back. Until this year, I was walking at the edge of where I could become an economist or something else. Moving forward, I want to be known as an applied economist, even though people may perceive me differently, seeing my past works. I will shape my research accordingly. This transitional phase of self-realization and realizing my passion has shaped my career path.

I want to positively end the last post of 2024, being hopeful about 2025. In 2025, I will work towards shaping my research journey as an applied economist. The end of 2024 has set the stage for a more productive 2025 year. This year has made me realize that my career is my sole journey even though it is influenced by factors beyond my ability to control them. At the end, I am solely responsible and accountable for it. This lesson will shape me as an economist and academic researcher.

Happy New Year, 2025!