Engendering Development

This article discusses the productive and reproductive roles Filipino women perform and assesses their contributions to human development. It also examines the reality of their marginalization from the country’s social, economic and political life. It then suggests on measures by which women can be empowered to achieve the goals of gender equality and equity.women's issues, vulnerable groups, development program, MIMAP

Philippines: Case Study on Human Development Progress Towards the MDG at the Sub-National Level

human development, millennium development goals, mdgs

Do Socio-Economic Conditions Influence Dynastic Politics? Initial Evidence from the 16th Lok Sabha of India

This study contributes to the literature on political dynasties and their links to economic development by focusing on the case of India, in particular the members of the parliament (MPs) of sixteenth Lok Sabha (i.e., the lower house of the Indian parliament). It is notable for it marked a decline in the dominance of the Indian National Congress in the country\u27s political scene. The Congress party, once led by India\u27s founding fathers Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, has long been dominated by the political family started by Nehru’s daughter Indira Gandhi. The situation of India mirrors the politics of other countries in South Asia, where the national governments are -- or were -- led by entrenched ruling families: the Bhuttos of Pakistan; the Bandernaikes of Sri Lanka; the Koirala family of Nepal; and the Sheikh Mujib dynasty of Bangladesh. The research hypothesizes that state-level socio-economic indicators influence dynastic representation to the Lok Sabha. The results of the study do not claim causation but suggest the existence of patterns and relationships worth exploring in future studies. These patterns are then compared to the Philippine case

Governing the “Golden Age of Infrastructure”: Assessing Transparency Innovations in Philippine Infrastructure Development

Amidst rising infrastructure investment across the Asia‐Pacific, glaring accountability deficits have raised questions about governments’ capacity to contain corruption in infrastructure development in the region. Recent developments in the Philippines, however, indicate the presence of challenges related to the ability of digitally enhanced transparency measures to bridge such accountability deficits. This article presents the shifting emphasis in transparency and accountability reforms related to Philippine infrastructure development beginning from the 1990s and assesses transparency innovations under the Duterte administration. While milestone measures such as the establishment of an electronic freedom of information (eFOI) platform have provided convenient access to public information, major hurdles remain in obtaining critical documents concerning infrastructure projects. As borne out in an exercise to request the feasibility studies of 48 flagship infrastructure projects, access to information is still obstructed by factors ranging from technical constraints, uneven service delivery, coordination failures, as well as active legal restrictions against the public’s right to know