Competitiveness is technically a firm level concept. However, it is oftentimes extended to the national level--the idea of a country's 'international competitiveness' with the following analogies: market share--export share of country; price--real effective exchange rate or unit labor cost;...

The impact of the Japan-Philippine Economic Agreement(JPEPA) can be enriched by providing a regional dimension in its macro-analysis. Cebu-Japan cooperation largely hinges on Cebu's economic competitiveness which manifests itself through its quality human resources, its dynamic export sector and...

This paper investigates the implications of China's accession to the World Trade Organization in December of 2001 for the Philippines based on an analysis of Philippines-China bilateral trade structure, a presentation of the commitments made by China for its WTO accession, and a discussion of...

The international education service sector is undoubtedly growing. The movement of students across nations is expected to grow fourfold in the next quarter of a century. Undaunted by the current domination by English-speaking providers, countries in Asia have taken big steps to be centers of...

This short paper attempts to lay down the framework and basic principles for the optimum interface between competition policy and infrastructure regulation. Competition policy should address exclusionary and exploitative acts and discipline firms when such acts are committed. In certain cases,...

There is a growing emphasis on the role of trade in health services (telehealth, health tourism and retirement, investments and deployment of medical professionals) in easing fiscal constraints, generating jobs and income, improving infrastructure and financing, and upgrading the capacities of...

The paper discusses the state of the Philippine garments industry, with specific focus on its competitiveness and logistics infrastructure, and how the industry can make use of the prospective Free Trade Agreement with the US. With the signing of the Agreement on Textiles and Clothing on January...

The participation of the Philippines in the global production network of multinational electronic companies has undoubtedly shaped the pattern and structure of the country's international trade since the early 1990s. While the industry has remained the largest foreign exchange earner for the...

The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector has experienced unprecedented global growth. This has greatly benefited the Philippines, where BPO has five main segments: call centers, medical transcription, animation, software development, and shared services. High population level, cultural...

The development of the Philippine automotive parts and components sector is critical to the automotive assembly industry. The availability of competitive parts and components that are locally manufactured can significantly contribute to boost the competitiveness of the assembly sector. Given the...