Divided politics and economic growth in the Philippines

As the 2016 elections drew near and the prospects of a Rodrigo Duterte presidency became stronger, there were concerns that the economy might be adversely affected by the expected political volatility under the new regime. Since the start of the campaign season, Duterte had been rocking the establishment through controversial pronouncements and outbursts, attracting the enmity of leaders of the Catholic Church, the United States, and the United Nations. Based on a review of recent political and economic performance, this article argues that unless there are significant changes in the major sources of macroeconomic growth and stability, the Philippine economy would likely withstand the impact of a "Duterte shock"

Zaibatsu Development in the Philippines: The Ayala Model

この論文は国立情報学研究所の学術雑誌公開支援事業により電子化されました。This article discusses the ability of the family firm to grow for several generations by examining the case of the Ayala group in the Philippines. Such an ability, called here as generational growth, has been the subject of debate regarding the future of the family firm and the zaibatsu, which is a special type of family firm. Two features that distinguish Ayala as a model are 1) the ability of the family to maintain ownership and management control for generations and 2) the rejection of the use of political influence for rent seeking. An examination of Ayala's ownership-management system points to strategies employed for the preservation of the family's position within the firm. The quality and process of such preservation, which family members called stewardship, is also consistent in family and firm's political behavior. The paper proposes that the adoption of superior stewardship strategies accompanied by skillful entrepreneurship would ensure the family's continued ownership-management of the zaibatsu

Divided politics and economic growth in the Philippines

© 2016, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies. All rights reserved. As the 2016 elections drew near and the prospects of a Rodrigo Duterte presidency became stronger, there were concerns that the economy might be adversely affected by the expected political volatility under the new regime. Since the start of the campaign season, Duterte had been rocking the establishment through controversial pronouncements and outbursts, attracting the enmity of leaders of the Catholic Church, the United States, and the United Nations. Based on a review of recent political and economic performance, this article argues that unless there are significant changes in the major sources of macroeconomic growth and stability, the Philippine economy would likely withstand the impact of a “Duterte shock.

Veto players and state decisiveness: Negotiating bilateral economic partnership agreements between Japan and Southeast Asia

This article extends the veto player framework introduced by Haggard and McCubbins in 2001 to examine state decisiveness toward bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) in developing countries of Southeast Asia. It uses as reference points Japan\u27s bilateral economic partnership agreements (EPAs) with Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines. As argued in the Haggard and McCubbins framework, decisiveness is a function of the number of effective veto players arising from a country\u27s institutional configuration. In addition, this article proposes that the political environment as it affects veto player preferences be considered in explaining decisiveness. The article further discusses the political consequences of decisive policy-making behavior in Southeast Asian democracies. © 2012 Philippine Political Science Association (PPSA)

Bypassing industrial development

Once called the Sick Man of Asia, the Philippines has recently gained a respectable record of economic performance. On the surface, the economic situation in the mid-2010s is far better than that of two or three decades ago. Both by design and accident, the country has “leapfrogged” industrial development and weathered external and domestic shocks with relative success. However, the Philippines is still beset with serious problems of poverty, income inequality, and unemployment/underemployment. Likewise, governance issues such as corruption, regulatory capture, and the lack of observance of the rule of law continue to obstruct the path to progress. This chapter, which provides a brief overview of the contemporary Philippine economy, is divided into three sections. The first revisits the 1980s, a critical period in the country’s economic history. The second outlines major institutional reforms and how they contributed to contemporary economic performance. The third and final section presents the Philippines as a consumption-driven, service-oriented economy in need of diversification in order to accelerate and sustain economic growth and development. © 2018 selection and editorial matter, Mark R. Thompson and Eric Vincent C. Batalla; individual chapters, the contributors

Police corruption and its control in the Philippines

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyse police corruption in the Philippines and to assess measures to control it. Design/methodology/approach: The paper identifies the causes of police corruption and assesses anti-corruption measures adopted by the Philippine National Police and other agencies. The paper utilizes surveys, interviews, reported cases and official documents to determine the extent of police corruption, identify its causes and assess the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures. Findings: Police corruption is systemic in the Philippines. Political and economic circumstances, both historical and contemporary, combined with weak internal controls and other inadequate anti-corruption measures perpetuate systemic police corruption. Originality/value: The paper contributes to the academic literature on police corruption in the Philippines. It would be of interest to policymakers, scholars, as well as anti-corruption and development practitioners who are involved in institutional and governance reforms. © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited

Treading the straight and righteous path: Curbing corruption in the Philippines

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the anti-corruption performance of the Philippine government, particularly under the leadership of President Benigno Aquino III. Design/methodology/approach – The paper evaluates the anti-corruption measures as represented by pertinent laws as well as anti-corruption agencies (ACAs) under the Aquino administration. Findings – The Aquino government has exercised remarkable political will in acting on high-profile cases involving former government officials, including former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. However, the government’s overall anti-corruption performance is hampered by outdated and conflicting laws, lack of compliance with anti-corruption laws and regulations by public officials and employees, poor ACA operational capacities, judicial inefficiency, deficient organizational systems and change-resistant government agencies, and selective and partial enforcement of anti-corruption laws. These problems are characteristic of Philippine political administrations and are arguably rooted in a system long characterized by fragile state institutions, strong oligarchic control, and weak citizenship. Originality/value – The paper is intended to update scholars, policy makers, and anti-corruption practitioners interested in corruption, ACA performance, and political reform in the Philippines. It discusses corruption-related problems of public administration within the purview of political economy. Based on this perspective, it argues that the key to effective control of corruption is a change in the political system’s configuration rather than the mere change in leadership. © 2015, © Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Interests, identities, and institutions in the politics of regional economic construction in East Asia

This essay examines the politics of regional economic construction in East Asia based on the comparative politics framework of Kopstein and Lichbach (2009). The framework highlights three important aspects of domestic politics, namely: Interests, identities, and institutions and relates these aspects to the global (or regional) context. The essay stresses the importance of domestic politics to regional affairs and therefore, should be considered in future assessments of the prospects of regional economic construction. It suggests a research agenda in aid of ongoing regionalization processes. © 2010 Copyright 2010 by Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands