Spotlight on the Summer Internship Project of Princeton Politics Junior Mai Kasemsawade
Many students walk into Princeton intending to change the world, Mai Kasemsawade ’26 is an extraordinary example of how one’s summer research can kickstart global political change. This past summer, Mai worked within the The Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia as an intern in the Princeton International Internship Program. She connected her interests in political science research and data science to pursue an ambitious project in advancing Malaysia’s laws on funding for political parties in order to encourage a more democratic political scene. Her experience meeting with Malaysian government leaders, hosting a political engagement workshop, writing articles on critical policy, and conducting interdisciplinary research exemplifies the multitude of eye-opening opportunities that a research experience can offer!
From the moment I met Mai at Princeton Entrepreneurship Club, I’ve admired her tenacious journey to Princeton and her passion for building systemic, political change. She traveled all the way from Bangkok, Thailand to study politics at Princeton! Her interests in politics, economics, and data science inspired her to apply for a research internship position this past summer at the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS), a policy think tank based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She was connected to this internship through the International Internship Program, which is run by the Office of International Programs. They provided the financial support for her to travel to and stay in Kuala Lumpur, empowering her to focus fully on her research.
Her primary research project compared the policy implications of political financing regulations from different countries. These financing regulations detail in what ways political parties and candidates are permitted to earn and spend money. Currently, political parties and candidates in Malaysia rely primarily on private funding, which is susceptible to corrupt influence and policy capture. This is due to a lack of regulation in their policy financing regimen. On the other hand, other countries that Mai studied provide public funding to help counterbalance this reliance on private funding. By adapting the practices she analyzed in other countries, IDEAS hopes to empower a healthier democracy in Malaysia. Thus far, her investigation has been used to support IDEAS’ bill proposal to the Malaysian parliamentary subcommittee. This bill proposes that the state allocate a small portion of the national budget for public funding to political parties’ finances and establish an independent commission to oversee political financing. It is absolutely incredible that Mai is changing the political scene across oceans in her summer internship!
Mai was thrilled to hone so many incredible research skills during her internship that go far beyond her project topic. While studying policy financing, she learned to extract budgetary data and write policy papers. As someone who also has reviewed these documents before, I know that this is no small feat! Just looking at the mountains of papers is enough to get any professional scholar to break out in a sweat. It is amazing that Mai was able to gain hands-on experience in this study and apply it to developing such an impactful bill. She was also excited to prepare stakeholder engagements, especially for the meetings with Malaysian parliamentary members! With the goal of becoming a diplomat after Princeton, Mai was delighted to help host and meet with the members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia for a Political Financing meeting.
Mai was surprised to be able to connect her research work on political financing regulation and their political outcomes in Malaysia to her home country of Thailand. She was excited to see how some of the policy solutions in Malaysia that she was working to develop could potentially be implemented in Thailand as well. Her research internship has certainly inspired her to make a difference around the world.
Additionally, Mai was also involved in several other projects. She led research on the effects of tariffs on export capabilities of small and medium-sized enterprises in three Association of Southeast Asian Nations countries. Especially in these developing countries, high tariffs can significantly impede the ability of smaller businesses to be competitive participants in the trading market. Therefore, she hopes that her research can support policies that provide public funding to small and medium-sized enterprises in developing nations to promote a more active and diverse economy. On top of all of her incredible research, Mai has also contributed her skills in journalism developed during her time as a Communications Intern for the Princeton Entrepreneurship Council to write an op-ed article on Thailand Electrical Vehicle (EV) policy with the support of her supervisor at IDEAS, which was published on Malaysia Business Today. She pointed out that, despite a booming EV industry in Thailand, the country is heavily reliant on Foreign Direct Investment-driven policies, which often overlook the development of local supply chains. Her article discusses the concern that Thailand’s EV production may primarily involve final-stage assembly, which offers limited benefits to the local economy. Mai’s detailed examination of the relationship between public policy and economic health in her research and op-ed embody her growth as an interdisciplinary researcher during her summer internship.
Even more importantly, Mai cherishes each of the strong relationships she built with her internship supervisor, co-workers and fellow interns. IDEAS gave her the invaluable opportunity to “find a community—a home away from home”. Together, they have helped each other grow and push for transformative change.
Mai’s incredible IIP experience showcases how much one can learn in an interdisciplinary research environment in a wonderful new country. This can be something that you experience as well! The International Internship Program (IIP) hosts hundreds of incredible research opportunities like these every summer for current first-years through juniors. If you’re interested in joining IIP for the summer of 2024, you can register for an information session in October. Additionally, you can browse the available internships for this upcoming summer. We encourage you to connect with an IIP adviser and an IIP ambassador to learn more about the student experience. We hope that your life can be similarly transformed at IIP!
— Yubi Mamiya, Engineering Correspondent
