BPO Sector Growth and Inclusive Development in the Philippines

Special economic zones (SEZs) and gated communities both constitute ‘spaces of exception’, but have rarely been analysed together. As both processes have empirically converged in the form of mixed-use urban enclaves, I connect disparate literatures to understand the fragmented and exclusive nature of the Philippines’ economic development in general, and Metro Manila’s urbanization trajectory in particular. Based on grounded qualitative research, I explicate the rise of ‘spaces of exception 2.0’ that form globally connected but locally disembedded wealthy enclaves. I show how the integration of the Philippines into global capital flows, its historically grown ‘anti-developmental’ state, and the rise of a powerful real estate sector together have led to a proliferation of exclusive and exceptional spaces. The contemporary enclave spaces epitomize an urban and national development model of ‘exclusive development’, based on spatial processes of post-industrial capital accumulation in enclosed spaces, presenting a stark contrast with discourses on inclusive development.

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Bridging the Agriculture Credit Gap: A Case Study of the Farmer Entrepreneurship Program of Jollibee Group Foundation

Philippine Journal of Public Policy: Interdisciplinary Development Perspectives ◽

10.54096/azcz1645 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2021 ◽

Author(s):

Jane Lynn Capacio ◽

Emmanuel de Dios ◽

Rob van Tulder

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

Fast Food ◽

Developing Economies ◽

The Philippines ◽

Inclusive Development ◽

Government Interventions ◽

Access To Credit ◽

Development Goals ◽

Credit Gap

Access to credit presents a distinct problem for smallholding farmers and lenders alike. As a consequence, in the Philippines—as in many other developing economies—a sizable “agriculture credit gap” exists. This paper explores whether it is possible to rethink existing credit arrangements to support inclusive development goals. Our observations are based on a unique in-depth case study of an interlinked financing arrangement in the Farmer Entrepreneurship Program (FEP). This program is managed by the corporate foundation of Asia’s biggest fast-food chain, Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC). The lenders in this program are FEP partner-cooperatives that interlink credit, crop buying, and other interventions to enable smallholders to sell their products to JFC and other buyers. For inclusive interlinking to materialize, significant social investments are required from program partners. Using a progressive case study method, three subunits within the study explain how financing can be made available. We use these observations to draw out possible generalizations of financing mechanisms that may be used in other commodity chains. We identify partnerships, particularly long-term relationships, as indispensable requisites for institutional voids to be filled and financing to flow into rural areas. We recommend key government interventions, especially since some of the requisites are in the nature of collective or public goods.

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Trading in Vain? Investigating the Philippines' Development-oriented National Security and Free Trade Linkages

Japanese Journal of Political Science ◽

10.1017/s1468109915000407 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

pp. 84-105

Author(s):

MICHAEL I. MAGCAMIT

Keyword(s):

Economic Development ◽

National Security ◽

Free Trade ◽

The Philippines ◽

Inclusive Development ◽

Security Model ◽

Key Factors ◽

The Government ◽

Structural Poverty ◽

Philippine Government

AbstractThis paper examines the manner through which the Philippine government has utilized free trade in pursuing its development-oriented national security policies and strategies in the twenty-first century. It argues that against the backdrop of uneven economic development being perpetuated by a deeply entrenched oligarchic system and patronage culture, the primary referent of Philippine national security is its diminishing development space. Despite the government rhetoric with regard to the role of inclusive development in enhancing national security, the Philippine political economy remains highly oligarchic and patrimonial. Such a condition has resulted in institutionalized inequality and structural poverty that undermine the country's supposedly development-based security model. The ability of the very few yet very powerful Filipino elites to transform the country into an oligarchipelago underscores the inefficiencies emanating from this type of politico-economic arrangement. In light of this, the paper evaluates the impacts of the Philippines' free trade activities on its overall level of development space by focusing on several crucial aspects of free trade that the government has failed to properly consider. Moreover, it scrutinizes the key factors that affect the utility of free trade for securing and enhancing the Philippines' development space. The paper concludes by arguing that the Philippine government's attempts at linking its development-centric security interests and free trade objectives have resulted not only in the preservation of uneven economic development and but also the further reinforcement of the existing oligarchic system and patronage culture in the country.

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