Robust Determinants of Income Growth in the Philippines

This paper studies the relationship between population dynamics and income growth in the Philippines using data from 74 provinces for the period 1985-2003. Simulation techniques were used to quantify the effect of population dynamics on the differences in income of the provinces. It also examines the robustness of the explanatory variables to determine "deep" determinants of income growth. The study shows that population variable is robustly related with growth and while it is not the sole culprit for the dismal growth performance over the years, it shows that the opportunities associated with the demographic transition are real and can provide the stimulus needed by the country.economic growth, population, population growth, demographic transition

Robust Determinants of Income Growth in the Philippines

This paper studies the relationship between population dynamics and income growth in the Philippines using data from 74 provinces for the period 1985-2003. Simulation techniques were used to quantify the effect of population dynamics on the differences in income of the provinces. It also examines the robustness of the explanatory variables to determine "deep" determinants of income growth. The study shows that population variable is robustly related with growth and while it is not the sole culprit for the dismal growth performance over the years, it shows that the opportunities associated with the demographic transition are real and can provide the stimulus needed by the country.economic growth, population, population growth, demographic transition

Population Management should be mainstreamed in the Philippine Development Agenda

The performance of the Philippine economy has been hindered by the country’s bourgeoning population due to its rapid population growth. For the last decade, the Philippines had the highest annual population growth rates in the Southeast Asian region. In 2009, it has become the second most populous country in the region with a population of more than 92 million, next only to Indonesia. Unfortunately, these have resulted to forgone economic growth, losing the chance to improve the poverty situation in the country. Thus, it is imperative to speed up the demographic transition in the country through proactive government population management policies aimed at harvesting the demographic dividends quickly. By performing simulation analyses on total fertility rate (TFR) under two scenarios, it was shown that the Philippines can hardly experience in the near future the Goldilock period, or the generation when fertility rate is neither too high nor too low, especially when the government does nothing to address the problem. Under the business-as-usual scenario, the Goldilock period will be reached by year 2030, or twenty years from now. In the second scenario where the government intervention targets only the households with unwanted fertility, the Goldilock period will be achieved ten years earlier, or in about 2020.Demographic Transition, Goldilock Period, Fertility Rate

Cooperação multidimensional e expansão econômica: a África como espaço de projeção internacional do Brasil durante o Governo Lula (2003-2010)

Este artículo tiene como objetivo proporcionar un análisis amplio de la estrategia africana en la política exterior brasileña durante el gobierno de Lula (2003-2010). Con énfasis en la cooperación técnica entre países en desarrollo (CTPD), así como en las relaciones económicas y comerciales, la presente investigación tiene como objetivo registrar los avances y límites de esta política dada la dinámica multidimensional de las relaciones brasileño-africanas durante este período. Este documento busca contrastar el amplio alcance de las acciones del CTPD de Brasil con los países africanos con la utilización restringida del potencial económico y comercial de Brasil.This paper aims to provide a broad analysis of the African strategy of Brazilian foreign policy during the Lula government (2003-2010). With emphasis on the technical cooperation among developing countries (TCDC) as well as economic and trade relations, the present research aims to record the advances and limits of this policy given the multidimensional dynamics of Brazilian-African relations during this period. This paper seeks to contrast the wide scope of Brazilian TCDC actions with African countries with the restricted utilization of Brazil’s economic and commercial potential.O presente artigo visa efetuar registro e análise panorâmica da estratégia africana da Política Externa Brasileira (PEB), durante o governo Lula (2003-2010). Tendo por ênfase as ações de cooperação técnica para o desenvolvimento (CTPD) e as relações econômicas e comerciais, o presente estudo tem por objetivo expor os avanços e limites apresentados à dinâmica multidimensional das relações Brasil-África no período. Em seu desenvolvimento, busca-se contrapor o escopo multidimensional das ações de CTPD brasileiras junto a países africanos e o baixo aproveitamento da potencialidade da dimensão econômico-comercial.peerReviewe

Population, poverty, politics and the reproductive health bill

Following an earlier paper titled 'Population and Poverty: The Real Score' (UPSE Discussion Paper 0415, December 2004), the present paper was first issued in August 2008 as a contribution to the public debate on the population issue that never seemed to die in this country. The debate heated up about that time in reaction to a revival of moves to push for legislation on reproductive health and family planning (RH/FP). Those attempts at legislation, however, failed in the 13th Congress, and again in the 14th Congress. Since late last year, the debate has been heating up further on the heels of President Noy Aquino's pronouncements seeming to favor RH/FP, though he prefers the nomenclature 'responsible parenthood'. With some updating of the data, this paper remains as relevant as ever to the ongoing public debate. It is being re-issued as a Discussion Paper for wider circulation

Population Management should be mainstreamed in the Philippine Development Agenda

The performance of the Philippine economy has been hindered by the country’s bourgeoning population due to its rapid population growth. For the last decade, the Philippines had the highest annual population growth rates in the Southeast Asian region. In 2009, it has become the second most populous country in the region with a population of more than 92 million, next only to Indonesia. Unfortunately, these have resulted to forgone economic growth, losing the chance to improve the poverty situation in the country. Thus, it is imperative to speed up the demographic transition in the country through proactive government population management policies aimed at harvesting the demographic dividends quickly. By performing simulation analyses on total fertility rate (TFR) under two scenarios, it was shown that the Philippines can hardly experience in the near future the Goldilock period, or the generation when fertility rate is neither too high nor too low, especially when the government does nothing to address the problem. Under the business-as-usual scenario, the Goldilock period will be reached by year 2030, or twenty years from now. In the second scenario where the government intervention targets only the households with unwanted fertility, the Goldilock period will be achieved ten years earlier, or in about 2020

Residual effects of natural Zn chelates on navy bean response, Zn leaching and soil status

greenhouse experiment was conducted on weakly acidic and calcareous soils to evaluate the aging and residual effects of three natural organic Zn chelates [Zn-ethylenediaminedisuccinate (Zn-EDDS), Zn-polyhydroxyphenylcarboxylate and Zn-aminelignosulfonate] each administered in a single application to a first navy bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) crop at several different Zn application rates. In a second navy bean crop, we determined the following parameters: the extent of Zn leaching, the amount of available Zn remaining in soils, the amount of easily leachable Zn, the size of Zn fractions in soils, the pH and redox potential, the dry matter yield, and the soluble and total Zn concentrations in plants. The residual effect after 2 years of Zn fertilization mainly depended on the aging effect of Zn chelates and losses due to Zn leaching. The data relating to the evolution from the first to the second crop showed that the aging effect was noticeable in the calcareous soil. In the latter soil, the Zn-S,S-EDDS treatments showed greater decreases in the Zn uptake by plants than the other Zn treatments and the greatest Zn uptake by plants occurred when Zn was applied as Zn-aminelignosulfonate (10 mg Zn kg−1 rate, 6.85 mg Zn per lysimeter; 5 mg Zn kg−1 rate, 3.36 mg Zn per lysimeter). In contrast, in the calcareous soil, the maximum amount of Zn uptake, for the three chelates was 0.82 mg Zn per lysimeter. Consequently, a further application of Zn would be needed to prevent Zn deficiencies in the plants of a subsequent crop. The behaviour of the pH and Eh parameters in the soils and leachates did not depend on the natural Zn sources applied. In this study, the easily leachable Zn estimated by BaCl2 extraction was not adequate to predict Zn leaching from the soils in subsequent crops

The Importance of Tourism in Rural Development in Spain and Germany

The objective of this chapter is to analyse the importance of tourism in rural development in Spain and Germany, focusing in particular on the regions of Andalusia and North Rhine-Westphalia, and the impact of the LEADER programme over almost three decades since its first implementation. We present some of the main conceptual and methodological obstacles that have complicated an in-depth assessment of this complex programme, which has been implemented to varying degrees across a very diverse rural Europe. Although for many years rural tourism has been one of the most strongly supported activities by LEADER and its LAGs, it could be argued that it has not lived up to its initial expectations for promoting rural development across large areas of Europe. Today, the main efforts in support of rural tourism are centred on improving the quality of the accommodation on offer and on using ICT to drive the recovery, conservation, management and promotion of the vast natural and cultural heritage in the rural areas with greatest difficulties

Is Income Growth Enough to Reduce Total Fertility Rate in the Philippines? Empirical Evidence from Regional Panel Data

The population debate in the country has been dynamic and contentious. On the one hand, proponents of population management say that the rapid population growth in the Philippines has hindered the country’s economic development. On the other hand, others are saying that population growth is uncorrelated with economic growth. The core idea behind the link between population and economic growth is the demographic transition. Demographic transition is a change from a situation of high fertility and high mortality to one of low fertility and low mortality. Advocates of speeding the demographic transition placed emphasis on the need of public efforts to speed up the voluntary reduction in fertility rates as rapidly as possible, arguing that demographic transitions, where they have occurred, have typically been accelerated and even triggered, by proactive government policies. Those that are against direct government intervention argue that fertility rates fall when income rises and therefore, policies to increase income should be the main concern. This paper looks at the relationship between per capita income and total fertility rate (TFR), controlling for other factors, using a regional panel econometric model using data from the National Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS), Family Planning Survey (FPS), Family Income and Expenditure Survey (FIES), Labor Force Survey (LFS) and the Regional Gross Domestic Product (RGDP). The results show that increasing per capita income indeed reduces TFR but its impact is minimal and given that the country average per capita growth is low, it will take some time before the country benefits from the demographic transition through the income effect alone. The results of the analysis can also explain why the decline in fertility rate in the Philippines has been slower in recent times, lagging behind the significant changes in the international scene

Shaping the Future of Infectious Diseases: The Journey to Promote Value, Opportunity, and Positive Messaging

The field of infectious diseases (ID) offers a rewarding career path and is widely viewed as an essential subspecialty in medicine. However, in recent years, these positive aspects have been overshadowed by concerns surrounding low fellowship match rates, undercompensation, and burnout. The Infectious Diseases Society of America Fellowship Training Program Directors Committee met in 2023, discussed the future of ID as a specialty, and sought to develop strategies to highlight the value and opportunities of ID for future generations, as well as underscore the importance of and provide tools for positive messaging to trainees about the subspecialty. This paper presents ideas generated at this meeting and is meant to serve as a reference for ID training program directors, as well as the wider ID community, in uplifting and shaping the future of the field