Importance of good governance to progress

The medium-term headline goals of the Marcos Jr. administration are very challenging amid the economic scarring caused by the pandemic and the disruptions in the global supply chain and financial system.

With the immediate goal of recovery and regaining the development momentum, a rethinking of economic approaches and how the government could facilitate development points to the strategic importance of investments to our economy and everyday life.

To address joblessness, which currently stands at 6 percent and translates to 2.99 million jobless Filipinos, domestic and foreign investments can fund many projects and support the MSMEs in terms of providing jobs, income, and livelihoods. Read More

Seize the opportunity to be a digital economic power

Moving beyond the crisis entails a wide range of development challenges and opportunities for the Philippines under the President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. administration.

While the investment-led, export-oriented, manufacturing, and agricultural approaches offer viable and effective solutions to economic problems, digitalization is the critical enabler for recovery and sustainable growth. The use of digital technology offers much more in terms of speed, efficiency, and reach.

Cognizant of the unlimited opportunities at hand, President Marcos Jr., in three of his 19 priority bills, emphasize the need for digital transformation, i.e., the E-Government Act, E-Governance Law, and the Internet Transactions Act. Read More

A new chapter in PHL foreign relations

“A friend to all and an enemy to none” was the phrase used by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.  to define his independent foreign policy. To a large extent, this signifies continuity with reference to past presidents’ standpoint, domestically and internationally.

Change, however, lies on the dynamics involved in operationalizing the policy amid the ever-changing global environment of interconnectedness and uncertainty. Read More

Paths to inclusive governance

The dust has settled.

After the first State of the Nation Address (Sona) of the President, which characterized the state of the nation as “sound” and which outlined his 19 legislative priorities, governance opportunities abound.

Consequently, the paths to good governance became more pronounced as the eight-point socioeconomic agenda of the Marcos Jr. administration was spelled out by Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno in a post-Sona economic briefing. Read More

ADRi Occasional Paper: “Building Back Better Towards Inclusive Growth with Innovative Public Sector Governance”

The Stratbase ADR Institute has published its Occasional Paper for July 2022. It is entitled “Building Back Better Towards Inclusive Growth with Innovative Public Sector Governance” and authored by Charlotte Justine Diokno-Sicat, PhD., a Research Fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies and President of the Philippine Economic Society.  This paper analyzes the prospects and challenges of the new administration anchored on the main question: “How… Read More

ADRi Post-SONA Forum: “A Government Agenda for Development in the Marcos Jr. Presidency Post Pandemic”

In the inaugural address of President Marcos Jr., he gave much emphasis on the need for national unity and his concern of being one with the Filipino people in the dream of peace, progress, and brighter future. 

With respect to the need of addressing post pandemic development, the new president devoted attention to sectors and issues that are also publicly preferred to be prioritized, such as agriculture, food sufficiency, OFWs, teachers’ upskilling, the energy supply, infrastructure plan, the need for investments, pollution, climate change, pandemic management, and tourism alongside having a comprehensive, inclusive economic plan. Read More