Labor Policy Analysis for Jobs Expansion and Development

The Philippines is at a crossroad. It can choose to continue to follow current unrealistic policies that despite good intentions have been shown to be actually detrimental to the poor. Or, it can elect to try another development path to get a better chance at reducing poverty.This study proposes a 12-point agenda, conveniently referred to as the Jobs Expansion and Development Initiative (JEDI) for poverty reduction. JEDI has two objectives. One is to expand gainful jobs through the acceleration of labor intensive production, particularly, the manufacturing of tradable commodities. The other is to improve investments in education and other human capital development and sustain total factor productivity gains. These objectives require inter alia minimum wage reform, which should be undertaken immediately, while investors are looking for new places to locate labor-intensive production and the Philippine economy is getting another look as a potential destination.The study recognizes the Filipinos' aspirations for secure jobs with decent wages. But it challenges the idea that imposing minimum wages and other current labor regulations should be the weapons of choice. They do not work; worse, there is preponderant evidence of its detrimental consequences. Alternatives should, therefore, be considered, such as better education, increased labor-intensive manufacturing, and greater opportunities for training on the job. Arguably, alternatives like these might take time. Consequently, bridging social protection programs need to be implemented in the meantime to help the poor directly with their subsistence needs. For this, instead of imposing mandatory minimum wages, the paper points out that it would be better to use direct and temporary income subsidy, carefully targeted to extremely poor households to meet suitable norms that society considers a public good. Such an approach would be both efficient and equitable, conforming to the general principle of public economics that a public good should be financed by general tax revenues.The study concludes that the time has come for the country to leave the beaten path and try new approaches that would rebalance current labor laws and practices to expand gainful jobs and minimize unintended consequences detrimental to the poor, the young, the women, the less educated, and the unorganized workers

Micro Impacts of Macroeconomic Adjustment Policies (MIMAP): A Framework Paper and review of Literature

This paper attempts to lay the groundwork for more vigorous studies on the micro impact of macroeconomic adjustment policies in the Philippines. Specifically, it provides a framework for analyzing the impact of macroeconomic adjustment policies at the micro level. It also describes and analyzes the current state of macroeconomic policies and their impact to the economy and reviews sectoral studies that may provide insights into the factors that may play important roles in understanding the impact of macroeconomic adjustment policies. Moreover, it assesses the availability of data required to monitor the impact of macroeconomic policy at the household level and suggests areas for future research.policy analysis, planning tools and monitoring systems, MIMAP, macroeconomic adjustments

Qualitative exploration of factors affecting progress in antipoverty interventions : experiences from a poverty-reduction program in Bangladesh

Understanding and addressing the factors that affect progress in antipoverty interventions is central to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. In Bangladesh this topic has been largely explored through quantitative approaches, and we believe in-depth qualitative analyses of household dynamics in the context of antipoverty interventions is lacking. This article addresses this lacuna. Based on 49 focus group discussions and 15 case studies, we analyse livelihood dynamics of beneficiary households within a national extreme poverty alleviation program. We identify five determining factors to the effectiveness of antipoverty interventions: 1) health shocks, natural hazards, and vulnerabilities; 2) household demography; 3) inappropriate IGA planning, implementation, and monitoring; 4) dependence/inaction; and 5) political and social instability. We argue that livelihood-based antipoverty initiatives often fail because they do not address these five factors, and call for a comprehensive approach that prioritises them in program design

The impact of legal minimum wages on employment, income, and poverty incidence in the Philippines

It is commonly believed that mandating higher legal minimum wages (LMWs) is needed to help the poor earn a level of income that would allow them healthy and dignified lives. It is also seen as a tool to protect the weak against exploitation. This popular belief motivates and justifies the recurrent demands for hefty increases in LMW. But what is the empirical evidence behind this? This article seeks to address this question. It finds that in the Philippines, higher LMWs: (i) are likely to reduce the work hours of average workers; (ii) can be disadvantageous against the very groups that LMWs are intended to protect; (iii) decrease the employment probability of the young, inexperienced, less educated, and women laborers; and (iv) tend to ironically reduce average income and raise household poverty rate. These results illustrate how rapid rises in LMWs can be counter-productive and can go against the spirit of equal protection principle of the Constitution. If the goal is to help the poor and protect the weak, then these findings warrant the need to think more deeply and prudently about the use of LMWs and to consider other tools for achieving decent wages

Assessment of implementation issues and livelihood success on the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) of the DSWD

The study aims to assess the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) implementation processes based on recent policy enhancements and to determine additional dimensions or indicators of program success. The analysis is based on focus group discussions and key informant interviews, and a survey of a small sample of beneficiaries. Majority of those served by the program have expressed positive results from the SLP intervention particularly when it comes to the skills training. There is a felt improvement in the standard of living experienced from additional household income, business expansion, and a stable source of employment. Other dimensions of success include increased motivation to be productive; better links to employment or that the program provided a form of social protection. However, beneficiary targeting is poor with parent leaders, their friends and relatives capturing most of the benefits. Delays in project review and approval caused potential beneficiaries to drop out, back out, or find other opportunities. Moreover, the establishment of SLP associations is viewed as a deterrent instead of a mechanism for success. Overall, additional reforms in the delivery of program services is still needed. The reforms should focus on beneficiary targeting and development of characteristic-based assessment tool on beneficiary readiness and capacities. The Department of Social Welfare and Development also needs to examine project review and approval, caseload of project development officers, and issues with regard to social preparation and development of associations. Lastly, an impact evaluation has to be undertaken to provide better evidence of program success

Micro Impacts of Macroeconomic Adjustment Policies (MIMAP): A Framework Paper and review of Literature

This paper attempts to lay the groundwork for more vigorous studies on the micro impact of macroeconomic adjustment policies in the Philippines. Specifically, it provides a framework for analyzing the impact of macroeconomic adjustment policies at the micro level. It also describes and analyzes the current state of macroeconomic policies and their impact to the economy and reviews sectoral studies that may provide insights into the factors that may play important roles in understanding the impact of macroeconomic adjustment policies. Moreover, it assesses the availability of data required to monitor the impact of macroeconomic policy at the household level and suggests areas for future research.policy analysis, planning tools and monitoring systems, MIMAP, macroeconomic adjustments

"Starting where the children are": A process evaluation of the mother tongue-based multilingual education implementation

The primary rationale of the Mother Tongue-Based Multilingual Education (MTB-MLE) program is to begin where the children are, which means building up on what children already know. It is designed to implement a learner-centered education from the beginning of the education ladder. The MTB-MLE policy may be said to be in its infancy in terms of official implementation, but it has had a long and unrecognized history in Philippine education. Implemented along the margins of dominant language-in-education policies as "auxiliary" medium of instruction (MOI) from the turn of the century until recently, the mother tongue (MT) became primary MOI and official Department of Education (DepEd) language-ineducation policy in 2009 via Department Order (DO) No. 74. This process evaluation (PE) sought to determine how the program is proceeding since the passage of RA 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013. It specifically looked at program theory, service delivery and utilization, and program organization. To capture the breadth of conceptual and implementation issues, eighteen (18) randomly selected elementary schools were visited from among private and public school systems, distributed according to DepEd's typology of small, medium, and large schools; island groupings of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao; and from both linguistically diverse contexts (LDCs) and less linguistically diverse communities (L-LDCs). Key informant interviews (KIIs) with former and current DepEd officials at the national, regional, and division levels, and focus group discussions (FGDs) with teachers and parents, were done. An online survey to determine the extent of implementation at the school level was also conducted. Findings show the breadth of challenges the program is facing emanating from conceptual to implementational. [...

Status of senior high school implementation: A process evaluation

The enactment of the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 (RA 10533) put into law the major reforms proposed to improve the country's educational system. A key feature of this law is the Senior High School (SHS) program. This added Grades 11 and 12 making compulsory basic education 13 years in total. The primary goal of the reform is to produce holistically developed and well-prepared students equipped with 21st century skills. This study conducts a process evaluation to determine the extent of implementation of the SHS program and identify best practices, issues and areas for improvement. It looks at three specific components namely, program theory, service delivery and utilization, and program organization. To capture a wider range of school context and experiences related to the implementation of the SHS program, 25 schools were randomly chosen based on their size, tracks offered as well as area classification. Focus group discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews (KIIs) with program implementers and program beneficiaries were conducted in the chosen schools. Interviews with current and past DepEd senior officials and policy makers were also conducted. To provide comprehensive background to the FGDs and KIIs, enrollment data at the school level were also processed. Findings of the study reveal notable gains foremost of which is enrollment exceeding expectations. It is to the credit of the Department of Education (DepEd) bureaucracy to have launched the SHS program to a very good start considering the enormity of the needs and challenges of implementing a new and nationwide program. The DepEd bureaucracy was found to have prepared well to implement the program and program support was conceptually well-organized. Several implementers, teachers, parents and students highlighted varying experiences and opportunities which are very instructive. Certainly, the program is facing many challenges which hopefully are mostly mere birthing pains which can be addressed soon as implementation procedures continue to stabilize and take root. These challenges are summarized in the study. The final section offers key recommendations to improve SHS program implementation

Preparing the Philippines for the fourth industrial revolution: A scoping study

Technological breakthroughs and the interplay of a number of fields, including advanced robotics, artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, neurotechnology, data analytics, blockchain, cloud technology, biotechnology, Internet of Things, and 3D printing, have ushered in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (FIRe). Philippine industries have already been adopting these technologies, although in varying degrees of diffusion. The extent of the potential benefits that may be realized from the FIRe will depend on the country's ability to adapt to the global disruptions that come along with the industrial revolution. The country needs to establish a solid foundation for sustained learning and to accumulate various types of capital, while progressively and systematically closing existing technological gaps. Both the public and private sectors need to pay attention to the minuscule investment going to research and development. Concomitantly, the government must have an informed view on how to improve its deployment efficiency. Trade openness, competition in key industries, labor market flexibility, human capital development, and an established social protection system, among others, must also be ensured to catch up with and benefit from the technological revolution