Philippines' Progress Towards the Millennium Development Goals: geographical and political correlates of subnational outcomes

While the Philippines seems to be on track towards achieving some Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), subnational disparities exist indicating possible patterns of isolation or discrimination. This paper examines whether and how geographical and political economy factors help to explain these disparities, focusing specifically on the MDG targets most closely related to the Human Development Index: poverty incidence, per- capita income, infant mortality and primary education completion rates. The paper shows that climate, topography and other spatial factors affect the pace of communities with respect to human development targets. In addition, history and institutions also play a role: provinces characterized by ongoing social-political or socio-cultural conflicts with the state, or those governed by local political dynasties, are lagging on most outcomes.