#PolicyProfile: Elmir Mukhtarov, MPA ’24
Jan 24 2024
By
Brittany N. Murray
Source
Princeton School of Public and International Affairs
“In 2014, I came to the U.S. as a high school exchange student as part of the Future Leaders Exchange program in New York. At the age of 18, I realized the profound differences between the economy, politics, and the overall society of the U.S. and my home country of Azerbaijan. Intrigued by these differences, I started studying economics at Baku Engineering University. I later worked at the Center for Economic and Social Development, a leading economic think tank in Azerbaijan. My work there focused on Azerbaijan’s economic topics, such as state finance and international trade. In 2018, I started writing about policy issues that interested me.
Being a country blessed with significant natural resources brings its challenges in terms of development, and as I worked on these subjects, I came to understand that economics alone is not enough to explain multifaceted policy questions adequately."Elmir Mukhtarov, MPA ’24
Instead, a more interdisciplinary approach is needed, which motivated me to apply to Princeton. Once I am done at Princeton SPIA, I hope to return home and work in the public sector where I can contribute to the development — both economic and otherwise — of my country to make it a better place.”
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