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This study aims to examine the extent and nature of Philippine SME participation in ASEAN economic integration. Based on a survey of 205 establishments, the results indicate that out of [...]

Income inequality affects substantive outcomes such as redistribution and voter turnout. Nevertheless, a country's level of income inequality has a differential impact on citizens' evaluation of the same because individuals [...]

President Obama's post-election visit to Asia last November was a vivid reminder that America is in the process of making a strategic pivot east. That Burma was one of his [...]

The effect of migration and remittances on asset holdings and consumption expenses of households in the Philippines, where migrants originated, is studied. Based on the study, both investment on human capital and the amassing of assets increased due to remittance-motivated rise in expenses. Meanwhile, migration neither remittances have not affected the households' credit constraint status.

A synopsis of the key strategic developments in corporate responsibility around the globe over the last quarter The return of government A MAJOR IMPLICATION OF THE GLOBAL financial crisis is [...]

This qualitative study investigated the psychological experience of poverty among 2 groups of Filipinos who were interviewed about the effects of being raised poor, 12 who became rich, and 13 who remained poor. Using constructivist and critical theories as research paradigms and grounded theory as methodology, the results of the study illustrated perceived causes, coping mechanisms, and cultural factors. Surprisingly, both groups were very similar in their experiences of not having basic needs met, of negative emotions, and of generally attributing their poverty to familial circumstances. The ways of coping with poverty, such as receiving and giving assistance and imploring God for help, and the cultural features of perseverance (pagpupunyagi) and reliance on others (pakikipagkapwa) were similarly influential in both groups. Because the main difference between both groups is the occurrence of chance events that provided access to education and opportunities to emigrate for those who have become rich, the oppressive structures of a society that perpetuate poverty are discussed. In developing countries such as the Philippines, the psychological experience of poverty is characterized by the impossibility of upward mobility. Keywords: poverty, Philippines, qualitative, culture, social justice

FedEx's expansion in the Philippines has been successful due to the country' s efforts in expanding free trade zones, im proving privatization and oppenness towards international trade. The country has a business environment that is favorable for international outsourcing. The different factors significant in a country's international attractiveness are also discussed.

The article reviews the political instability faced by Philippines in 2007 plagued by violence and corruption scandals. The 2007 elections were violent with hundreds of people killed or injured but despite the ongoing political upheaval the economy was strong and it was the first time in three years that the House, Senate, and president came together to pass a budget.

A study was conducted to examine how the activities and presence of anti-state groups in the Philippines create problems for a mining-based development paradigm. Findings show that violence is a sign of problems such as poverty and social exclusion in the country. It is expected that violence will continue unless these problems are alleviated.

The Asian financial crisis provided an opportunity to politicians in Philippines to install populist governments and capitalize on the situation. The political underdevelopment of the Philippine society is reflected in this situation.

Membership in community Landcare groups in the Philippines can be seen as an accumulation of social capital by farmers to improve their access to, and ability to implement, soil conservation and agroforestry technologies. An improved understanding of the factors affecting farmers' decisions to invest in such forms of social capital is likely to be helpful to agencies concerned with supporting these collective conservation farming efforts. A logistic regression model, based on household survey data from one municipality in central Mindanao, was used to analyse factors influencing farmers' investment in social capital in the form embodied in membership of a local Landcare group. The results indicate that the assumption of homogeneous and cooperative communities that underlies many community-based resource management approaches may not be valid in practice. Both individual and group-level characteristics lead to different degrees of investment in community-based activities such as Landcare. Differences between individuals affect their willingness to invest time and resources in social capital formation; middle-aged farmers with somewhat less education but more land and a greater focus on farming were more likely to participate in Landcare groups. Differences between communities further affect individual incentives to accumulate social capital; some local communities were more likely to encourage individual members to augment their stocks of social capital, including through Landcare membership. Programs to assist rural communities in the formation of social capital for beneficial collective action need to allow for such individual and community differences. Keywords: Landcare, social capital, the Philippines, collective action, soil conservation, upland communities, farmer decision-making

Trade and financial policies in ASEAN member countries have contributed to the goal of economic integration. One important feature of this process is the need to narrow the development gap in the region in order to make economic integration more effective and meaningful. This paper examines the Philippine experience with economic reform, particularly in its attempt to integrate with ASEAN. The Philippines simplified its tariff structure and reduced tariffs in accordance with the CEPT Scheme. Monetary and financial reform--particularly adopting the inflation-targeting framework--and fiscal consolidation were undertaken to strengthen the financial system and address the fiscal deficit. These efforts also facilitate regional monetary co-operation and integration. However, the Philippines continues to lag behind the larger ASEAN economies particularly with respect to reducing poverty incidence. The Philippine experience has shown the importance of having economic reform supported by strategies to enhance good governance and strengthen institutions. Keywords: regional economic integration, development gap, trade and investment reforms, financial co-operation, governance, institutions, Philippines., I. Introduction Over the past decade, efforts at promoting closer regionalism in East Asia have been stepped up for various reasons, including: (i) a response to the experience and lessons [...]

The approaches taken by the foreign exchange reserves in East Asian countries namely Indonesia, Korea, Philippines and Thailand for managing the foreign exchange rate volatilities following the 1997-98 Asian currency crisis are examined.

Philippines faced a state of emergency in 2006 due to attempts to force the president out of power, also witnessing unrest in the armed forces and anti-communist activities. But the economy continued to grow, mainly due to rising exports, foreign investments and remittances from overseas workers.

A critical analysis of the current political crisis in the Philippines is carried out using a neo-Gramscian focus on the emergence and alternation of hegemonic historical blocs and the state. The Philippines case demonstrates that the turn to democratization over the past 20 years has not reduced antagonistic social and political conflicts in many cases and that more sustained structural changes are needed.

A comparison of the fragile promise of Philippine democracy with the resilience long displayed by a republic of 85 million people is presented. This serves a useful step to examine the problems faced by the existing Philippine Presidents and make reforms necessary for discrete progress in governance and the economy and move on from damaging politics.

The influence of foreign direct investments on economic development and imports are comparatively analyzed by focusing on economic conditions of Thailand and Philippines during 1970-1998.

The year 2005 witnessed much argument and effort, to enact tax reforms, impeach the president, combat terrorism, amend the Constitution, and end long-standing armed insurgencies, and little real change. The outcome of these specific initiatives is likely to remain largely unresolved in 2006, as is the broader issue of the stability and substance of democracy in the Philippines, a question that predominate throughout 2005.

The relation between private, inter-household income transfers to household resources is examined. The results from the Family Income and Expenditures Survey (FIES) on income and expenditure patterns of the Philippines are presented.

The Philippines and South Korea have long had difficult corruption problems. More recently, both have experienced significant democratization. This article compares the two cases, first developing an analysis of corruption in each country, then laying out their reform strategies and assessing their effectiveness, and finally exploring the contrasting relationships between democratization and corruption that are found in these countries. The Philippines confront reformers with more difficult challenges, beginning with the size and decentralization of the society, but other contrasts are important as well. The political will required to produce successful reform has been lacking in the Philippines, for a variety of reasons, while recent anti-corruption initiatives in Korea have had stronger backing. Recent Korean reforms also emulate the successful approaches of Singapore and Hong Kong in important ways. By itself, democratization will not check corruption in either country, but where reform is accompanied by significant resources and where democratic accountability complements political will--more true of Korea than of the Philippines--significant progress can be made.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo decided to handover her power at the end of her current term as she was finding it difficult to control the fiscal deficit and politicization of economic issues. The challenges facing the Philippines were: a weak economy and persistent poverty, a deficit of peace and order and the overlapping problems of separatism and terrorism in the South.

Three issues namely, the eligibility of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to contest the 2004 elections, the crippling revenue shortfall of the government and American determination to use the country as a venue for strategic posturing in Southeast Asia shaped Philippine affairs in 2002. At the end of the year Gloria, stunned the country's citizens by announcing that she would not contest the 2004 Philippine presidential election.

Of central concern to policy makers, the net incidence of fiscal policy is rarely calculated because of the lack of reliable data on the incidence of both taxes and expenditures. This paper calculates the combined incidence of taxes and certain public expenditures in the Philippines, using various short-cuts. We find that the incidence of indirect taxes is broadly neutral, because of general-equilibrium effects. Examining the regional allocation of expenditures and pattern of income distribution, we find that health, education and infrastructure expenditures are progressive. Our conclusion - that the net fiscal incidence in the Philippines is progressive - appears robust to sensitivity analyses. Key words - Fiscal policy, incidence, taxes, public expenditures, Philippines

There is evidence that strongly suggests that it was money supply that served as the main variable in determining prices in Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines during much of the three decades since 1960. Monetarists have maintained this belief, while structuralists argue that it is the other way around. The study was based on an enhanced methodology of the four countries.

BANGKOK - Environmentalists received an early Christmas gift when the Malaysian government announced in early December that it was suspending plans to build the controversial Bakun Dam in Sarawak. Constructing [...]