The Philippine Review of Economics (PRE) Volume LXI, No. 2 is now available online.
The latest issue has seven articles. The articles were presentations in a roundtable discussion on industrial policy on Oct. 17-18, 2024, and then revised for publication. Each article was followed by comments from the discussants on the said roundtable discussion.
The articles in this special issue are Philippine Industrial Policy? Why Not? by Manuel F. Montes; Industrial Policy and Complexity Economics by Josef T. Yap and John Faust M. Turla; Mapping Feasible Routes Towards Economic Diversification and Industrial Upgrading in the Philippines by Annette O. Balaoing-Pelkmans and Adrian R. Mendoza; Industrial Policy for Innovation: Why Does It Matter? by Rafaelita M. Aldaba and Fernando T. Aldaba; Exploring the Prospects of Services-led Development for the Philippines by Ramonette B. Serafica; Natural Gas and Transitioning to Renewable Fuels: Considerations from Industrial Policy by Dante B. Canlas and Karl Robert L. Jandoc; and How Might China-US Industrial Policies Affect the Philippines?: A Quantitative Exercise by Ma. Joy V. Abrenica and Anthony G. Sabarillo.
Philippine Industrial Policy? Why Not? is an overview on the definition of industrial policy. The paper also examines the arguments for and against the said framework. Montes is a senior advisor of the Society for International Development, and was a visiting professor at the SE from August to December 2019 and February to December 2022.
Industrial Policy and Complexity Economics is a quantitative study on the industrial policies and the structural transformations implemented by Korea, Malaysia, and the Philippines as viewed from the “lens of complexity economics.” Yap is from the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Ateneo School of Government, while Turla is a graduate teaching fellow at SE.
Mapping Feasible Routes Towards Economic Diversification and Industrial Upgrading in the Philippines discusses the “factors that drive economic diversification in the Philippines, the role of industrialization in broader-based diversification, and the benefits of economic diversification in the country.” The authors also examine the “various routes towards economic diversification and industrial upgrading in the Philippines.” Balaoing-Pelkmans is a professorial fellow at SE, while Mendoza is an assistant professor at SE.
The paper Industrial Policy for Innovation: Why Does It Matter? aims to explain how industrial policy effectively fosters innovation to enhance productivity improvements across different sectors, tackle challenges, and aid sustainable economic growth and competitiveness. Rafaela is from the Department of Trade and Industry while Fernando is from the ADMU Department of Economics.
Exploring the Prospects of Services-led Development for the Philippines talks about the interlocking issues that the Philippines must address in working towards economic reforms through the services sector for economic growth. The author, Serafica, is a senior research fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies.
Natural Gas and Transitioning to Renewable Fuels: Considerations from Industrial Policy examines the applicability of some industrial policies of the Philippines in accordance with the Paris Agreement (to reduce the emission of greenhouse gas) to shift from the use of coal and imported oil to natural gas or renewable fuels for electricity production. Canlas is a professor emeritus at the SE, while Jandoc is an associate professor also at SE.
The last article, “How Might China-US Industrial Policies Affect the Philippines?: A Quantitative Exercise,” is a quantitative analysis of the industrial policies of China and the USA, two major economic powers, on developing economies like the Philippines. Abrenica is the dean of SE, while Sabarillo is an assistant professor at the same institution.
The PRE, a peer-reviewed and Scopus-indexed journal, is published biannually by the UP Diliman School of Economics (SE) and the Philippine Economic Society.
PRE’s latest issue can be accessed at http://pre.econ.upd.edu.ph