The Philippines has not been immune to the worldwide trend towards the creation of semi-autonomous revenue authorities. To date, three bills are pending at the House of Representatives seeking to establish a semi-autonomous internal revenue administration to replace the Bureau of Internal...

Governance is a complex concept. It includes the state’s institutions and structures, its decision-making process, its capacity to implement guidelines and the relationship between government officials and the public. Hence, this study attempts to develop a composite index of the quality of...

The Philippines, having been integrated into the global economy, has not been spared from the financial crisis that hit Asia in July 1997. Pre-financial crisis has indicated marked improvement in the general health condition of the population, higher incomes and employment, stable prices and...

This short note provides a framework for looking at public sector governance and productivity improvements. It argues that the role of government in enhancing productivity growth is two-fold. First, government should provide an environment that is conducive in improving total factor productivity...

This study is a quantitative assessment of regional development performance in terms of economic growth and convergence (described simply as the minimization of disparities in regional income) during the period 1975-1997. The study not only takes stock of how far the goals of regional...

The prevalence of hunger in the Philippines prompted the government to launch its hunger mitigation initiative in November 2005. The initiative consisted of two programs: the Food-for-School Program (FSP) and the Tindahan Natin Program (TNP). The FSP belongs to a class of social safety nets...

This study presents an evaluation of the President’s Budget for 2003. First, it shows that the fiscal targets set out in the administration’s Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing (BESF) for 2003 are not likely to be met. In particular, the fiscal deficit target of P130 billion (or...

Focusing on the structural fiscal policy adjustments specifically in the field of tax and expenditure policy, this paper reviews the recent experience of the ASEAN countries in the area of fiscal policy reform and collects the major lessons that emerge from such endeavor. It reviews variations...

The current Philippine economic crisis has led to a series of policies designed for short-run stabilization as well as long run structural adjustment. Currently, the policymakers’ major concern is the achievement of external balance while maintaining price stability through changes in...

How much support is the Philippine government giving to its export sector by means of its financing schemes? Are the small and indirect exporters given preference or assistance? How supportive is the entire export financing system in the country to the attainment of an export-driven development...