Dr Jose Ma Luis Montesclaros is a Research Fellow with the Centre of Non-Traditional Security Studies (NTS Centre), S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

He conducts policy analysis with dynamic models of food security and climate change, having provided inputs to Singapore’s Inter-Ministry Committee on Food Security (IMCFS). He is Co-Investigator in studies on digital technology futures in Southeast Asia and beyond with various local and international partners, including the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA), the German Development Agency, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and the ASEAN Secretariat, among others. He is also First Inventor of the UrbanAgInvest tool (© NTU) tool with Prof Paul Teng (Co-Inventor), for assisting governments to draw investments into their high-tech farming sectors. He likewise contributes to grantsmanship efforts as part of the team at NTS Centre, RSIS.

His Ph.D. dissertation in International Political Economy with RSIS, NTU, focused on “Institutions and Agricultural Transformation: A Study of Induced Innovation in the Philippine Rice Sector”. Previously, he obtained his Master’s in Public Policy with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (LKYSPP), National University of Singapore as an ASEAN Scholar, and his BS Economics Degree with the University of the Philippines. He was one of the two “Leaders of Tomorrow” representing LKYSPP, NUS at the 44th Saint Gallen Wings of Excellence Awards in 2014 (Switzerland).

• Food security
• International political economy
• Political economy of development
• Complexity and dynamic modelling of public policy systems
• Governance institutions and strategy development

• Member, Institute for New Economic Thinking – Young Scholars Initiative (2014)

• Member, Execution Premium Community (2011 to present)

Monographs

• Non-Traditional Security Concerns in the New Normal

  12 July, 2022

Policy Reports

• Empowering Digitalisation in ASEAN Agriculture: Lessons from EU Regional Platforms for Geospatial Technologies

  14 July, 2023

• Community Gardens: A "Fourth Basket" in Singapore's Food Story?

  24 August, 2021

• Supporting Singapore’s "30-by-30" Food Security Target: Finding the "Sweet Spot" in Property Taxation

  02 December, 2019

• Supporting the Genome Microbial Identifier and Whole Genome Sequencing in Addressing Food Borne Diseases in ASEAN

  21 November, 2018

• Migration, Jobs and Wages: Reassessing Benefits and Challenges of Labour Migration

  25 April, 2018

• Scaling Up Commercial Urban Agriculture to Meet Food Demand in Singapore

  21 February, 2018

RSIS Commentary Series

• Collateral Effects of the Tariff War on ASEAN Food Security

  10 April, 2025

• Managing Global Biological Risks: Towards a Security-Health Coordination Framework

  08 April, 2025

• Food Security Beyond Borders: Securing ASEAN’s Food Supply Chains

  05 November, 2024

• Time for ASEAN to Step up to Biotechnology in Food Production

  11 January, 2024

• Facing Up to Climate Change-Induced Biosecurity Threats

  09 January, 2024

• Agriculture and Food at COP28: Not Just More Money

  02 January, 2024

• A Revolution in Rice Production?

  24 October, 2023

• The Dual Mandate of Food Exporting States: India’s Roles in the Global Food Order

  06 September, 2023

• Volatility in the Rice Sector: Time for ASEAN to Act?

  22 August, 2023

• The Philippine Maharlika Investment Fund

  10 April, 2023

• Uncertainty in the Black Sea: Implications for Asia’s Food Security

  09 November, 2022

• International Currency Instability and Food Security: Time to Rebuild “Real Food Economies”?

  31 October, 2022

• The Danger of Misguided Food Production Policies: The Case of Sri Lanka

  28 October, 2022

• Ukraine War and Food Security: How Should ASEAN Respond?

  25 May, 2022

• India’s Food Security Resilience: Some Tips for ASEAN?

  23 May, 2022

• COP26’s Dilemma: Sustainability vs Food Security?

  23 March, 2022

• Community Gardens: Singapore’s “Fourth Food Basket”?

  02 November, 2021

• Vaccine Resilience: Next Stage in ASEAN’s War?

  02 August, 2021

• Lockdowns in ASEAN: Winning the Pandemic War

  22 February, 2021

• Pandemic Fatigue: Re-Examining Re-Opening’s Logic

  22 July, 2020

• COVID-19: Health Pandemic to Food Crisis?

  06 April, 2020

• The Burden of COVID-19: Urgent Need for Social Safety Nets

  19 March, 2020

• Beyond COVID-19: Global Priorities Against Future Contagion

  20 February, 2020

• Manila’s Tariff Move on Imported Rice: Implications for the Region

  25 November, 2019

• Singapore’s ’30 by 30’ Strategy: Can Food Self-Production Be Achieved?

  25 March, 2019

• Singapore’s Nascent Urban Farming: Potential Future Regional Centre?

  23 November, 2018

• Enticing the Private Sector: The Value Chain Approach

  30 October, 2018

• Transforming the Rice Value Chain: A Whole-of-Society Approach?

  24 October, 2018

• CO18163 | The Private Turn in Humanitarian Aid

  05 October, 2018

• CO18146 | Food Safety in ASEAN: Pitfalls of Complacency

  07 September, 2018

• CO17146 | Future of Agriculture and Implications for ASEAN

  03 August, 2017

• CO17142 | Jobs in Agri-Food Industry: Silver Lining for Youth

  28 July, 2017

• CO17100 | Haze Prevention: Transforming Agriculture Use?

  19 May, 2017

• CO16308 | Disease-free Farm Production in ASEAN: Goal For 2018?

  20 December, 2016

• CO16113 | Food Prices: A Double-edged Sword

  16 May, 2016

• CO15047 | It’s Not the Size, But How It’s Used: Lesson for ASEAN Rice Reserves

  09 March, 2015

Annual Reviews

• Food Security as Supply Security: Geopolitical Implications for ASEAN

  15 January, 2025

NTS Insight

• Is Rice Production Becoming a Wicked Problem?

  11 October, 2023

• Food Insecurity Beyond Borders: Untangling the Complex Impacts of Ukraine War on Global Food Security

  16 August, 2022

• India’s Approach to Food Security Resilience Amid COVID-19: Relevance to ASEAN?

  04 May, 2022

• COVID-19 and Food Security in Asia: How Prepared are We?

  09 June, 2020

• The Evolving Singapore Agrifood Ecosystem

  19 August, 2019

• Ensuring a Successful Singapore Urban Food Cluster

  28 February, 2018

Journal Articles

• “Geostrategic Dimensions of Recent Food Policy Decisions” (with Wieck, Christine, Rudloff, Bettina, Kristina, Mensah, Kareem, Olayinka, Orden, David, Søndergaard, Niels, and Yu, Wusheng) in APPLIED ECONOMIC PERSPECTIVES AND POLICY, DOI:10.1002/aepp.13479, 2024. pp. 1-22
• “Agricultural Transformation for Small (Island and Developing) States” (with Paul Teng) in Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development, Vol. 20, No. 1 , 2023. pp. 13–30
• “Changing the Narrative of ASEAN Progress in Addressing Hunger: ‘Snoozing’ the Alarm for SDG #2?” in Food Security Journal, DOI: 10.1007/s12571-021-01158-8, 2021
• Iwata, Chikako, Jose Ma. Luis Montesclaros, Xiao Qi. “Systemic risks of asean+3 financial integration: Challenges, opportunities and the future (In Spanish).” Revista Digital Mundo Asia Pacífico Vol. 4 No. 6. 2015.
• Montesclaros, Jose Ma. Luis. “Governance and Development: Tradable and Non-Tradable Industries in Indonesia.” Asian Journal of Public Affairs, Vol.6, No.1. 2013.

Chapters in Edited Books

• “Impact of COVID-19 on Singapore’s Rice Supplies” in Jamie S Davidson (Ed.), Just Another Crisis? The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Southeast Asia's Rice Sector. Singapore: ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute, 2023, pp.161-189. ISBN: 9789815011920
• “Will the Benefits of Laos’s Future Hydropower Infrastructure Projects Outweigh the Costs?” in Brahma Chellaney and Frederick Kliem (Eds.), The Displaced: Disrupted Trade, Labour, and Politics in the Mekong River Basin.. Japan: Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung’s Regional Economic Programme Asia (SOPAS), 2022, pp. 80-105
• “ASEAN Responses to COVID-19 for Assuring Food Security” (with Paul Teng, and Mely Caballero-Anthony) in Marc J. Cohen (Ed.), Advances in Food Security and Sustainability. : Elsevier, 2021, pp. 83-118
• “Food Security in a Time of Climate and Economic Uncertainty” in Alistair D B Cook and Tamara Nair (Eds.), Non-Traditional Security in the Asia-Pacific: A Decade of Perspectives. Singapore: World Scientific, 2021, pp. 111–116
• “Agriculture and Food Security in Asia” (with Paul Teng) in Juan M. Pulhin, Makoto Inoue and Rajib Shaw (Eds.), Climate Change, Disaster Risks, and Human Security, Disaster Risk Reduction Book Series. Singapore: Springer, 2021, pp. 137-168
• “What are the Economic Impacts of a Pandemic?” in Dr. Majeed Khader (Principal Psychologist, Home Team Behavioural Sciences Centre, Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore) (Ed.), How to Prepare for the Next Pandemic. Singapore: World Scientific, 2020, pp. 23–41
• “Pandemic Fatigue: Re-Examining Re-Opening’s Logic” (with Mely Caballero-Anthony) in Lina Gong and Julius Cesar Trajano (Eds.), NTS Year in Review 2020. Singapore: NTS Centre, 2020, pp.12-13
• “Disruptive Technologies in Food Production: The Next Green Revolution” in Scott Romaniuk, Manish Thapa and Péter Marton (Eds.), The Palgrave Encyclopedia of Global Security Studies. Online: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2020, p.2 of 10
• “Southeast Asia’s Food Security: Inflection Point?” in Mely Caballero-Anthony (Ed.), Lina Gong(Ed.), Non-Traditional Security Issues in ASEAN: Agendas for Action . Singapore: ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute, 2020,
• “Public-Private Partnership for Addressing Southeast Asia’s Growing Hunger Problem” in Tamara Nair and Alistair D. B. Cook (Eds.), NTS Year in Review 2019. Singapore: NTS Centre, 2019, pp.16-17
• “Evaluating the Distributional Impacts of Disasters and Climate Change, and the Development of Adaptation Roadmaps: Rethinking ASEAN Strategy, Policies and Actions” (with Mely Caballero-Anthony, and Margareth Sembiring) in V. Anbumozhi, J. Gross and Stefan Wesiak (Eds.), Towards a Resilient ASEAN (Volume 2): Advancing Disaster Resilience and Climate Change Adaptation: Roadmap and Options for Implementation. Jakarta, Indonesia: Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, 2019, pp.39-71
• “Climate-Resilient Agriculture in Southeast Asia” in Tamara Nair and Alistair D. B. Cook (Eds.), NTS Year in Review 2018. Singapore: NTS Centre, 2018, pp.16-17
• “Securing the Food Production Base: Youth and Technological Adaptation” in Tamara Nair and Alistair D. B. Cook (Eds.), NTS Year in Review 2017. Singapore: NTS Centre, 2017, pp.12-13
• “Bridging Technology Gaps in Agriculture 23 through Innovation Brokers” in Tamara Nair and Alistair D. B. Cook (Eds.), NTS Year in Review 2016. Singapore: NTS Centre, 2016, pp.12-13

Policy Reports

• Emerging Biosecurity Landscape in Southeast Asia-Updated Report (Executive Summary) (with Mely Caballero-Anthony, Julius Cesar Imperial Trajano, and Jeselyn), Emerging Biosecurity Landscape in Southeast Asia - Updated Report (Executive Summary), Centre For Non-Traditional Security Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, 17 March 2025
• Emerging Biosecurity Landscape in Southeast Asia (with Mely Caballero-Anthony, Julius Cesar Imperial Trajano, and Jeselyn), Emerging Biosecurity Landscape in Southeast Asia , Centre For Non-Traditional Security Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, 16 September 2024
• Climate Change and Its Impact on Peace and Security in Southeast Asia (with Mely Caballero-Anthony, Julius Cesar Imperial Trajano, Alistair D. B. Cook, S. Nanthini, Keith Paolo Catibog Landicho, and Danielle Lynn Goh), Climate Change and Its Impact on Peace and Security in Southeast Asia, Centre For Non-Traditional Security Studies, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, 23 January 2024
• Digital Technology Utilization in the Agriculture Sector for Enhancing Food Supply Chain Resilience in Asean: Current Status and Potential Solutions (with Paul Teng, and Mely Caballero-Anthony), Project Report, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies and Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia, 20 June 2023

Working Papers

• IoT-enabled farms and climate-adaptive agriculture technologies: Investment lessons from Singapore (with Paul Teng, and Suresh Chandra Babu), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Washington, DC, 21 February 2019
• Evangelista, Ryan, Tanya Karina Lat, Francisca Claver and Jose Ma. Luis Montesclaros. “Philippines Property Markets Scorecard: Conditions for Small Businesses.” Washington, D.C.: Center for International Private Enterprise and Manila: Institute for Solidarity in Asia. 2014.
• Montesclaros, Jose Ma Luis. “Dynamic simulations of urban policies for sustainable food securitization: Dynamics of urban development, agriculture sector growth, and price mechanisms.” Conference Proceedings, Meeting Urban Food Needs (MUFN) project. Rome: UN FAO. 2015.
• Dynamic simulations of urban policies for sustainable food securitization: Dynamics of urban development, agriculture sector growth, and price mechanisms, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (UN FAO), Meeting Urban Food Needs (MUFN) Conference - Proceedings, , 13 February 2015
• Beath, Andrew, Yumeka Hirano, Jose Ma Luis Montesclaros. “Bridging the development gap: ASEAN equitable development monitor 2014 (English).” Washington, D.C.: World Bank Group. 2014.

Op-Eds

• “Ukraine War Threatens Global Food Security” (with Margareth Sembiring), The Jakarta Post, 22 September 2022
• “Craving India’s Food Security Success”, East Asia Forum , 3 September 2022
• “Exporting Eelectricity Generates Income, But It Also Generates Concern”, Lianhe Zaobao, 16 July 2022
• “ASEAN Should Deal with Food Security Concerns” (with Mely Caballero-Anthony), The Straits Times, 28 May 2022
• “The COVID New (Ab)Normal: Pandemic-Proofing Cities” (with Mely Caballero-Anthony), Asia Society Policy Institute, 8 December 2020
• “Lessons from Covid: Tackling disease with a city-by-city approach” (with Mely Caballero-Anthony), The Interpreter, 29 October 2020
• “新加坡须灵活应对粮食安全问题(Singapore must respond flexibly to food security issues)” (with Paul Teng, and Mely Caballero-Anthony), Zaobao, 29 July 2020
• “The ‘egg-onomics’ of food security” (with Paul Teng, and Mely Caballero-Anthony), The Straits Times, 24 July 2020
• “From a Health Pandemic to Food Crisis”, Khmer Times, 9 April 2020
• “COVID-19: Health Pandemic To Food Crisis? – Analysis”, Eurasia Review, 8 April 2020
• “The Burden Of COVID-19: Urgent Need For Social Safety Nets – Analysis”, Eurasia Review, 21 March 2020
• “Global priorities against future contagion”, Khmer Times, 27 February 2020
• “Beyond COVID-19: Global Priorities Against Future Contagion – Analysis”, Eurasia Review, 22 February 2020
• “Commentary: Singapore’s ‘30 by 30’ food production target: Is it feasible?” (with Paul Teng), Today Online, 9 April 2019
• “Transforming The Rice Value Chain: A Whole-Of-Society Approach?” (with Paul Teng), Eurasia Review, 2 June 2017
• “Transforming agriculture to prevent haze”, New Straits Times Online, 2 June 2017
• “Commentary: Is finding an alternative crop to oil palm the key to preventing haze?”, Channel News Asia, 22 May 2017
• “It’s not the size but how it’s used: lessons for ASEAN Rice Reserves”, The Jakarta Post, 17 March 2015