
LLB, University of Liverpool; LLM in Transnational Law, King’s College London
Derek’s research focuses on social and welfare policies for children, particularly the linkages between social protection and child malnutrition. His recent publications reviewed childhood stunting in Malaysia, universal school breakfast schemes, and cash transfer programmes from a social protection framework. Derek has worked on public policy at both the national and international level – developing policy responses to violent extremism in Malaysia, drafting the national private sector anti-corruption framework for the Bhutan Government, and assisting on land & constitutional reform initiatives in Myanmar. His work and comments have been featured by the likes of Financial Times, South China Morning Post, Malay Mail, and Astro Awani. Derek holds an LLB with first class honours from the University of Liverpool and graduated with distinction with an LLM in Transnational Law from King’s College London.
Affiliations
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Current Projects
- Introducing a Universal Child Grant in Malaysia
- Qualitative Evaluation of the Kasih Ibu Smart Selangor (KISS) Programme
- Multidimensional Child Poverty Indicators
- Social Protection and Child Malnutrition
- The Politics of Social Policy and Welfare Reform
Selected Publications
- Derek Qi Ren Kok, Wing Thye Woo; Saving Lives and Livelihoods in the COVID-19 Pandemic: What Have We Learned, Particularly from Asia?. Asian Economic Papers 2021; 20 (1): 1–29. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/asep_a_00833
- JCI-JSC-PB-2020-03: The Wide Range of National Reactions to the Common COVID-19 Shock: Observations on Causes and Effects
- Derek Qi Ren Kok & Wing Thye Woo (2020) The wide range of national reactions to the common COVID-19 shock: observations on causes and effects, Journal of Chinese Economic and Business Studies, 18:4, 379-383, DOI: 10.1080/14765284.2020.1855928
- JCI-JSC-PB-2020-01: Children and Coronavirus: A Social Protection View
- JCI-JSC-WP-2019-01: Stunting in Malaysia: Costs, Causes and Courses for Action
Selected Presentations
- 15 September 2020: Time for a Universal Child Grant in Malaysia, TEDxSunwayUniversity Talk.
Selected Talks and Presentations
- 14 Nov 2019: “Issues in Social Protection”, The Malaysian National News Agency
- 24 Oct 2019: “Free For All: The Case For A Universal School Meal Programme”, Policy Discourse Series, Razak School of Government
- 22 Aug 2019: “Stunting in Malaysia: Costs, Causes and Courses for Action”, Public Health Programme Continuing Medical Education Series, Ministry of Health Malaysia
- 30 May 2019: “Stunting in Malaysia: Costs, Causes and Courses for Action”, Development Research Seminar Series, World Bank Group Global Knowledge and Research Hub
Multimedia
Video: Realiti Rakyat: Kanak-kanak masih dibelenggu isu malnutrisi
Derek Kok, Research Analyst at JCI, speaks to Astro Awani on Malaysia's growing child stunting, even amongst affluent families.
Children and coronavirus: A social protection view
The recently announced initiatives do not address the burdens that poor families with children have to disproportionately shoulder due to Covid-19.
ORANGKATA – Masalah STUNTING (Tumbesaran Terbantut) di Malaysia
View the video here...
Kurang nutrisi, stimulasi psikososial punca tumbesaran terbantut
Kekurangan nutrisi makanan, jangkitan berulang kali serta kurang...
AWANI Pagi: Masalah tumbesaran terbantut kanak-kanak
Nailah Huda dan Hafizi Rosli bersama Derek Kok, penyelidik di Sunway University untuk membincangkan...
AWANI Pagi: Penyelesaian masalah kekurangan nutrisi dalam kalangan kanak-kanak
AWANI Pagi bersama Penyelidik di Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia...
News & Op/Eds
Shocking That Child Hunger Still An Issue in Malaysia
Malaysians were shocked when two Myanmar children died after eating out of the trash in Langkawi recently. Derek Kok advocates for Universal Child Grants.
Children and coronavirus: A social protection view
The recently announced initiatives do not address the burdens that poor families with children have to disproportionately shoulder due to Covid-19.
How Malaysia is measuring poverty levels and how it can do better
Experts say Malaysia can do better in how it measures how many Malaysians are officially considered poor...
Malaysia’s Child Stunting Worse Than Palestinian Territories
Two out of 10 Malaysian children below five are stunted...
Pakatan Harapan must address previous government’s shortcomings in tackling child stunting — Derek Kok
The implications of stunting are extremely serious, both for the child and country...
Sugar tax may not solve Malaysia’s obesity crisis
Food companies in spotlight as debate continues on how to tackle epidemic...
Free breakfast for all schoolchildren, not only B40 — Derek Kok
Researchers have found that school meal programmes like free breakfasts have positive effects on both health and cognitive outcomes...