“What are the prospects of the Philippine economy after the presidential election of 2004?” Before speculating on this question, the paper discusses four major problems of the economy that the new president will face after the elections. These are (a) the weak long-term performance; (b) the...

The revision of Economics, a textbook in elementary economics, using the Philippines as the basis of the study material, will be available in academic year 2003-4. The paper begins with a review of the antecedents of the efforts at the University of the Philippines School of Economics to improve...

Documentary evidence of the emergence and the eventual complete dominance of the Chinese mercantile traders (Sangleys) during the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines is first presented. We identify the critical traits in the Sangley mercantile genome and the new contractual and...

Not seeing that the power of taxation of the state is the true expression of national patrimony in economic matters, the framers of the 1935 Constitution introduced provisions on the use and disposition of land and natural resources vesting exclusive rights of exploitation to citizens. This also...

Using the United States constitution as yardstick for its essential simplicity and completeness in describing the structure of government, the constitutions of twenty-two countries were studied for their language style, brevity and coverage of provisions. Most constitutions of later years have...

A fallacy is often based on a correct argument but applied to a wrong set of circumstances. A myth is a worse form of fallacy because it is not true or correct. Myths and fallacies are used across the spectrum of debates on economic policies. Some fallacies keep acquiring a life of their own,...