Características de la empresa y restricciones crediticias de las PYMEs en Filipinas

[ENG] Access to finance is critical to support the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). However, lack of access to adequate financing is one of the biggest obstacles that SMEs face. This paper analyzed the relationship between firm characteristics and credit constraints among SMEs in the Philippines. We determined which firm characteristics are correlated to the predicted probability of being credit-constrained or “quasi-constrained” — i.e., able to borrow from informal sources. Estimates of marginal effects at the means (MEMs) from logistic regressions provide some suggestive evidence that increased firm size, previous purchase of fixed assets, and increased use of digital technologies for accounting and financial management are associated with a lower predicted probability of being credit-constrained. The use of digital technologies in accounting and financial management is also associated with a lower probability of credit constraint in informal financial markets.[SPA] El acceso a la financiación es fundamental para apoyar el crecimiento de las pequeñas y medianas empresas (PYMEs). Sin embargo, la falta de acceso a una financiación adecuada es uno de los mayores obstáculos a los que se enfrentan las PYMEs. En este trabajo se analiza la relación entre las características de las empresas y las restricciones crediticias en las PYMEs de Filipinas. Determinamos qué características de las empresas están correlacionadas con la probabilidad de tener restricciones crediticias o "cuasi-restricciones" – es decir, de poder obtener préstamos de entidades financieras no oficiales. Las estimaciones de los efectos marginales en las medias (MEMs) de las regresiones logísticas proporcionan algunas pruebas de que el aumento del tamaño de la empresa, la adquisición de activos fijos y el mayor empleo de nuevas tecnologías de información para la gestión contable y financiera, están asociados con una menor probabilidad prevista de tener restricciones de crédito. El uso de dichas tecnologías en la gestión contable y financiera también se asocia con una menor probabilidad de restricción crediticia en los mercados financieros alternativos

Entrepreneurial bricolage: A key to innovation for SMEs in a developing economy

Entrepreneurship promotes economic growth, particularly in developing economies where small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are a significant source of employment and economic activity. However, SMEs in developing countries often face various resource constraints and weak institutions, forcing them to engage in entrepreneurial bricolage behavior by creatively combining existing resources. This study explores the relationship between entrepreneurial bricolage and product, process, and marketing innovation among SMEs in the Philippines. Logistic regression estimates reveal that entrepreneurial bricolage has a significant and positive impact on product, process, and marketing innovation. As entrepreneurial bricolage behavior increases, so does the probability of innovation, highlighting the importance of creative problem-solving in settings with inadequate resources. The study also emphasizes the need for policies that support SMEs by providing enabling resources, such as robust infrastructure and reliable communication platforms, to encourage firm innovation that fosters positive spill-over effects on the broader economy

Prospects for decent work in services

This paper examines how the services sector could provide decent and gainful employment in developing Asia. Using living wages as a reference point, this paper reports that a significant portion of the workforce in developing Asian economies, the majority of which are employed in the agricultural sector, are not living wage earners. On the other hand, manufacturing, and to a larger extent, services, are able to provide their workforce with good jobs. Economies that are more successful at moving workers from low- to high-productivity sectors have done better on job creation accompanied with improved productivity, higher wages, and large reductions in poverty. Recent developments of information and communication technology industries, as in the case of India and the Philippines, is a striking example of how developing economies can open up business opportunities through global outsourcing of tradable labor. This paper highlights the importance of improving human capital through education and upskilling, as well as physical and digital infrastructure, to address the large supply of low-productivity and informal sector workers in developing Asia, and to provide new and gainful employment opportunities

Spatiotemporal Analysis of Health Service Coverage in the Philippines

We conducted a spatiotemporal analysis of trends and disparities in health service coverage indicators using PhilHealth data on insurance claims, membership, and accredited facilities merged with auxiliary datasets from the Department of Health and Philippine Statistics Authority. The results emphasize clear disparities in population coverage, facility coverage, service coverage, and financial protection across different subpopulations

Impact Evaluation of DOH's Implementation of Articles 6 and 11 of the Framework Convention of Tobacco Control

Many non-communicable diseases (NCDs), while preventable, are caused by modifiable behavioral risk factors which include harmful consumption of alcohol, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and unhealthy diet. Tobacco use has been one of the biggest public health threats linked with NCDs killing more than 8 million people worldwide annually, with 7 million deaths associated with direct tobacco use, and 1.2 million from non-smokers exposed to second-hand smoke. It is estimated that there are 1.3 billion tobacco users globally, 80 percent of which reside in low- and middle-income countries. There are also considerable amounts of economic costs and burden, especially for families, arising from significant expenses for health care in treating tobacco-related diseases, and losses in human capital from morbidity and mortality. Published studies on the impact of the Sin Tax Reform Law in the Philippines remain sparse and therefore warrant a systematic review of the landscape of local evidence available, and this paper examined the impact of tobacco taxation and progress on the implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) Article 6 on tobacco taxation. The systematic search yielded a total of 103 records (17 peerreviewed articles; 86 gray literature). Upon screening against eligibility criteria, a total of 25 records were included. To capture the breadth of evidence, this review did not exclude studies on the sole basis of quality, hence the review includes a mix of peer-reviewed literature, and both published and unpublished gray literature. The review found that, consistent with the existing literature outside the Philippines, cigarette consumption is price inelastic and responsive to an increase in excise taxes. Consumption is also affected by other determinants such as gender, educational level, and income classification. While illicit trade was found to have increased after implementation of the Sin Tax Reform Law, it was emphasized that there was no direct relationship between illicit trade and excise tax increases given the data and evidence. Lastly, excise taxes generated a dramatic increase in government revenues earmarked for alternative livelihood programs for tobacco farmers and healthcare expenditures

Avaliação muscular respiratória nas toracotomias e laparotomias superiores eletivas Respiratory muscle evaluation in elective thoracotomies and laparotomies of the upper abdomen

OBJETIVO: Verificar se existe associação entre a função muscular respiratória pré-operatória abaixo dos valores previstos e a incidência de complicações pós-operatórias e o óbito, nas laparotomias superiores e toracotomias eletivas. MÉTODOS: Estudo de coorte prospectivo, no qual 70 pacientes acima de dezoito anos foram acompanhados, em dois hospitais similares. A avaliação durante a internação pré-operatória classificou-os em não expostos (50) ou expostos (20), estes quando os valores das pressões respiratórias máximas foram abaixo de 75% dos valores previstos. O acompanhamento foi feito até a alta hospitalar, verificando-se a incidência de pneumonia, insuficiência respiratória aguda, broncoespasmo, ventilação mecânica prolongada, atelectasia, derrame pleural, pneumotórax e óbito nos dois grupos. Realizou-se análise comparativa entre os grupos e cálculo do risco relativo. RESULTADOS: A incidência total de complicações pós-operatórias da amostra foi de 22,86% (16/70); no grupo exposto foi de 55% (11/20) e no grupo não exposto de 10% (5/50). Os pacientes expostos apresentaram risco relativo de 5,5 (intervalo de confiança de 95% entre 2,19 e 13,82). CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados indicaram que a função muscular respiratória pré-operatória abaixo do valor previsto esteve associada a um risco relativo maior de complicações pós-operatórias nas cirurgias pesquisadas.<br>OBJECTIVE: To identify any possible relation between lower than predicted preoperative respiratory muscle function and the incidence of postoperative respiratory complications and death in elective thoracotomies and laparotomies of the upper abdomen. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted, in which 70 patients over the age of 18 were monitored in two similar hospitals. In the preoperative evaluation performed at admission, patients were classified as presenting respiratory muscle function (as determined by measurement of maximal respiratory pressures) > 75% of the predicted value (n = 50) or < 75% of the predicted value (n = 20). Patients were monitored until discharge. In both groups, the incidence of pneumonia was determined, as was that of acute respiratory failure, bronchospasm, prolonged mechanical ventilation, atelectasis, pleural effusion, pneumothorax and death. A comparative analysis was made between the groups, and relative risk was calculated. RESULTS: In the study sample, the overall incidence of postoperative complications was 22.86% (16/70): 55% (11/20) in the group of patients presenting < 75% of the predicted value; and 10% (5/50) in the group of patients presenting > 75% of the predicted value. Patients in the < 75% of the predicted value group presented a relative risk of 5.5 (95% confidence interval between 2.19 and 13.82). CONCLUSION: Respiratory muscle function below the predicted value was found to be related with higher relative risk of postoperative complications in the surgical procedures studied