The Philippine government's Comprehensive Tax Reform Program Package 1 (CTRP-1) has sparked considerable discussion on its effects on households at different income levels. This paper focuses on the impact on income inequality of the CTRP-1, discerning gaps that continue to exist in the...

Even deeper decentralization (de-concentration and devolution) in the Philippines will likely face chronic challenges in local governance. Emerging evidence from several decades of policy experience from the implementation of the Local Government Code suggests that weak governance and...

This paper develops a unique dataset of Supreme Court land dispute cases in the Philippines spanning 2002 to 2016. The sample includes 1,409 cases with complete information on the estimated land value (through zonal value estimation), land size, land location, litigation time, and win rate...

This research attempts to examine the legal mandate of Philippine local government officials, mayors and barangay captains, within the national government's anti-illegal drug campaign, notably the police-led Project Double Barrel and Oplan Tokhang. To determine their duties, the General Welfare...

Public sector subsidies (e.g. direct public financing of certain activities or sectors in the economy) are among the key interventions to accomplish public policy goals, including boosting social safety nets for vulnerable groups, empowering different sectors to become much more resilient to...

Poverty reduction programs are known as an effective instrument to produce electoral rewards. As such, they are generally politically appealing. But not all programs are the same from the perspective of a politician — some are more supportable than others. This article identifies the features...

How did political dynasties fare in the 2019 midterm elections? This paper extends and analyzes the Ateneo Policy Center's political dynasties dataset, covering the period from 1988 to 2019. It finds evidence that over the past 30 years (or 10 election periods), political dynasties have become...

Case studies and multi-country empirical analyses paint a mixed picture as far as the general link between extractive industries and inclusive growth and development. On the one hand this relates to the significant risks commonly associated with the natural resource curse, faced by countries who...

This paper reviews the empirical literature on the impact of economic downturns on infant mortality. Drawing on this, it examines the possible impact of the presently unfolding global economic slowdown. While there is scope for further improving our understanding of the links between economic...