No other food is more central to Filipinos' diets than rice, yet no food poses a greater burden on poor and near-poor Filipinos' budgets. According to the 2015 Family Income and Expenditure Survey, the poorest 20% of households' rice expenditures alone accounted for more than 19% of their total...

Since the beginning of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, significant changes have been made to the Philippines' foreign policy regime. Ties with the Peoples' Republic of China have strengthened, while traditional allies like the USA and European Union have been antagonized. On a...

Since the beginning of the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, significant changes have been made to the Philippines' foreign policy regime. Ties with the Peoples' Republic of China have strengthened, while traditional allies like the USA and European Union have been antagonized. On a...

The release of the final draft of the Consultative Committee (Con-Com) to Review the 1987 Constitution, officially designated as “Bayanihan Federalism”, has spurred vigorous debate, with much discussion focusing on the fiscal repercussions of moving towards a federal form of government. This...

With the lifting of the quantitative restrictions on rice imports, the Philippines is expecting an inflow of rice to enter in the next few months. Although this is expected to lead to a decrease in rice prices, this could similarly put pressure on some farmers' incomes to the extent that they...

In his 5th State of the Nation Address (SONA) last July 27, 2020, President Rodrigo Duterte called on Congress to swiftly pass the bill reinstating the death penalty, specifically for heinous drug-related crimes specified under the Comprehensive Drugs Act of 2002. Pro-death penalty lawmakers and...

This paper is the 19th Jaime V. Ongpin Memorial Lecture delivered by the author last 21 October 2020. The first section discusses inequality and its double-edged nature with respect to inclusive growth and development. The paper then elaborates on the related features of oligarchy and...

In pursuit of economic growth and development, countries have tried to strike a balance between competition and industrial policies across time. This paper will review the empirical evidence on industrial concentration and its economic correlates (notably firms' performance as measured by...

Graduating from their checkered histories of financial instability and debt-related problems is a key policy objective in many emerging market economies. The global financial turmoil that erupted in 2008 underscores the importance of this issue once again. This article maps out some of the key...

This paper contributes to the international evidence on the possible factors linked to corruption using data on over 1,700 small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in 29 Philippine Cities covered by the 2009 Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Enterprise Survey. The results suggest that...