Narendra RegmiStatement of Intent for Doctorate in Economics (University of Kentucky)When I was in middle school, I inhabited two parallel worlds. The first was a fictional world in my school where I had to memorize the magic number: 83,000 MegaWatts, the total hydroelectric potential of Nepal; where I was theoretically exposed to all the positive externalities that the correct use of water resources entailed. But the reality was grim and discouraging. Once we got home from school, the rosy facts and figures regarding the potential of hydropower would vanish into thin air and the real world would take over. Blackouts of up to eighteen hours every day had paralyzed our daily lives. The price of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), a major source of cooking fuel imported, stored and distributed by a state-owned enterprise, was skyrocketing beyond the reach of many families. Massive unemployment triggered by the energy crisis has led hundreds of thousands of Nepalis to leave the country to take up menial jobs in the Middle East. Recurring news of the deaths of several workers only made the situation worse. As a teenager, I couldn't understand why we hadn't been able to harness our hydroelectric potential to benefit our economy, but I was optimistic that my constant pursuit of knowledge would allow me to better understand fundamental problems and ultimately obtain solutions feasible. a scholarship to study GCE A-levels, a high school program run by the University of Cambridge, I embarked on an intellectual journey to Budhanilkantha School, in Nepal's capital. This is where I first became interested in economics. The structure of analytical reasoning and critical thinking skills at the heart of the paper. Any seemingly complex problem can always be broken down into smaller, tractable problems and can be reverse engineered by connecting the dots to solve the problem. general problem. I am confident that these insights will be instrumental in pursuing my academic endeavors at the University of Kentucky. I would like to materialize my dream by joining the world-renowned PhD program in Public Economics at the University of Kentucky, involving myself in research work along with the pioneers in the field. During the summers of the next few years, I want to work for policy institutes and development agencies to observe how economic theories translate into policies for the betterment of our society. I will then be able to apply these valuable experiences in designing sound policies for developing economies. I know the UK will help me lead the way in that direction.