Week 3: A peek into Khmer Entrepreneurship
My Work
Similar to law school, my work at ODC has been reading, reading, and more reading. I have caught up on laws and initiatives that are relevant to the digital economy in Cambodia as well as looked at parallel stances put out by Cambodia’s neighbors, the EU, and the United States. Much of this preparation was done to begin the more fun, although more challenging, part of my work: interviews for the study. The study is more collaborative than desk research as I am working with another ODC intern and the communications department. We prepared lists of businesses, government officials, and other NGOs we wanted to contact and sent out the interview invitations.
Admittedly, I am quite nervous about responses. ODC is a well recognized organization, but this still means that people must find time out of their day to speak with us. Cambodia is also very oriented around its connections with other people, which means that while some organizations have connections to ODC, they certainly have not had connections with the intern that has worked for three weeks. I am sure that the amount of invitations that go out will have to be many times larger than the actual number of people that we want.
The highlight of the week was attending an event called the Innovation & Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Development hosted by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD). It was held at a co-working space called the Factory, and while I thought it was just a clever name, the space was actually an old factory. It was converted into a new working tech space equipped with classrooms, theatres, cafes, computer rooms, and more. Closest thing to compare it to is the classic tech office in Silicon Valley but on a much more massive floor plan. Needless to say, in a country that does not look very tetchy, it was a fun atmosphere.
Technology advances are relatively new here, so there is a lot to be done to support these economies. Just within the last couple of years, numerous initiatives and NGOs have emerged to help transition the economy. I was able to listen to many panels on different topics in the small business and start-up economy here in Cambodia. They spoke about the financial, legal, and marketing struggles that occur. With many new laws and policies put into place, many new businesses are not able to access the resources necessary to understand these changes and end up bankrupt. Most of the time because of hidden tax laws.
Like many growing digital economies, Cambodia is attempting to follow a pretty Western model of growth. Many French, Australian, and American representatives attended, and many of the Khmer people present had been educated anywhere but Cambodia. Through my research, I have learned that many struggles blocking the growth of the SME market stems from the fact that many businesses in the country are informal or family run. Not one of them cares about expanding or registering with the government. This means they escape the detriments of being taxed but also the benefits of creating an official business. Further, businesses actually trying to grow are hurt by competition from these unregistered businesses.
Events such as this one are super informative and keep the policy dialogue churning, but I fear that international investment companies or NGOs working with technology may not be targeting the root problems. This global effort makes it tough to realize that as much as people want to push an American or Western model on these businesses, Khmer entrepreneurship will always be Khmer. It is a balance between the laws/policies with informal norms that must be found.
The event allowed me to speak with many small businesses and organizations who were advertising their product or services. I hope that these connections will lead to possible informational interviews for my research, or else I may be out of luck.
My Travels
Naturally, the law school experience waits for no one. Although I am finishing week 3 of my time here in Cambodia, I am preparing numerous applications for next summer. I have hunkered down most nights and this past weekend to send out applications.
I took one evening to go for a walk in a mall north of the city. I figured that I could actually walk an extensive length without fear of being hit by a moto or tuk tuk. As far as malls go, this mall is very impressive. There are multiple floors with the classic stores you would usually find, but on top of that, there was an IMAX movie theatre, a VR gaming room, an arcade, carnival rides, sitdown restaurants, and a water park next door. With everyone trying to escape the heat of Cambodia, it would make sense that their indoor spaces are top of the line. I enjoyed my time walking in and out of stores and comparing prices. Most prices for big name athletic brands that I love are pretty much the same to my disappointment. The most comforting difference is that a movie ticket and a large popcorn is a total of 7 dollars!
Have no fear. Travels will be continued next week with a William & Mary crossover episode as I go to see Courtney in Bangkok!