Milhatun Nisa

Milhatun Nisa is a PhD Student in Economics at SOAS University of London and an affiliated member of the Centre for Sustainable Structural Transformation (CSST) PhD cohort.   Milha’s research interests lie at the intersection of industrial policy, energy transition, political economy, institutional analysis, and structural transformation. 

She is particularly drawn to understanding how late-industrialising countries design and coordinate sustainable development strategies in the context of global climate commitments and domestic political-economic constraints, while also considering their historical trajectories. In addition, she has developed a strong interest in green economics and macroeconomic areas through her previous research experience. Her dissertation builds conceptually on the works of Antonio Andreoni and Ha-Joon Chang, with particular inspiration from their article “The Political Economy of Industrial Policy: Structural Interdependencies, Policy Alignment and Conflict Management” (2018). 

Guided by these insights, her research examines Indonesia’s clean energy transition pathway, focusing on the political economy of coal phase-out, the institutional capabilities required to manage structural interdependencies within the energy system, and the tensions that arise from competing sectoral interests. Her work seeks to understand how state capacity, policy coordination, and conflict management shape the direction, pace, and feasibility of energy transition strategies, especially in resource-dependent economies.   

Before joining SOAS, Milha completed her first master’s degree in Indonesia, where she researched the role of financial instruments, particularly green bonds and Islamic financing, as catalysts for Sustainable Forest Management (SFM). In this work, she analysed how political dynamics and macroeconomic conditions shape the effectiveness of SFM outcomes across G20 and D-8 countries. Beyond her dissertation, Milha has been actively involved in publishing academic articles on green economics and economic transformation, and she has secured a research grant in collaboration with the Australian National University. She has also worked with a policy-oriented think tank that frequently partners with key Indonesian government ministries, including the Ministry of National Development Planning and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, contributing to a range of projects aimed at generating policy insights.

• Industrial Policy
• Energy Transition
• Political Economy
• Institution
• Structural Transformation
• Green Economics
• Macroeconomics