Usual indicators of intertemporal rural performance are technically flawed mainly because of the shifting of the physical area of the rural sector as population grows and/or economic activity expands. The problem is illustrated using Philippine poverty data. The paper also shows that the rural...

This paper employs rent-seeking and public choice theory to explain the observation that land reform experience in the Philippines as well as in many other developing countries did not provide some degree of support for historical generalization as the East Asian experience. The analysis...

The paper provides a consistent set of estimates of poverty incidence in the Philippines, investigates the determinants of rural household welfare, and explores empirically an important aspect of the so-called poverty targeting problem. Regression techniques are employed to explain (i) regional...

The paper provides an economic assessment of the state of inter-island shipping in the Philippines, with emphasis on the efficiency implications of the industry's structure and the regulatory policies supporting the industry's organization. It is argued that the maze of regulatory policies...

Economic growth among Southeast Asian countries during the last 25 years has averaged at five percent per year and has been accompanied by a decline in the relative importance of agriculture in the national output and employment. The response of poverty to this growth and structural...

This paper analyzes the sources of rural non-farm sector growth in the Philippines, which has become the main driver of rural poverty reduction. We find that agricultural growth has significantly positive effects on service sector growth (with elasticity of about 0.20) but little effects on...

A decade and a half since the Philippines embarked on a major program of decentralization, the authors of this book have undertaken a detailed examination of all aspects of the nation’s regional dynamics and policies. Their analysis extends to comparable experiences in East Asia, particularly...