Beyond rice price populism

September 5, 2023

The standalone rice price caps will not just be ultimately ineffective but might even backfire

National budget for 2024: A Budget Badly Made (Part 2)

August 25, 2023

FEATURES

Band-aids are not necessarily a bad thing. Social spending can be wielded to improve people’s conditions – which is important in itself even if not prioritized by the administration. But it can also be used to increase overall aggregate demand and stimulate the economy – which presumably even a narrow, growth-fixated mindset would appreciate.

National budget for 2024: A Budget Badly Made

August 25, 2023

FEATURES

Contrary to incredible “pro-poor” claims, the proposed 2024 national budget’s numbers tell a much different story about the administration’s priorities.

Growing global economic distress as G7 meet ends

May 22, 2023

The global economy is being dragged down by fundamental forces that even the mighty US is still captive to. It may be the world’s dominant imperialist power but it is still merely monopoly capitalist and as such subject to the deeply-ingrained contradictions of capitalism.

BBM’s US trip: It’s all about US

May 9, 2023

The current Marcos Jr administration will have US support despite its deeply corrupt, dynastic and rights-violating character. Or at least as long as the US keeps getting what it wants, and the Philippines doesn’t ask for anything that the US doesn’t want to give — like real freedom and development, or sovereignty and independence.

The right size for development?

March 9, 2023

The Marcos Jr administration’s rightsizing program goes in the direction of further weakening the government just when it is so needed to become bigger and better to transform the economy to serve the public interest.

“Wage hikes are harmful”: Kung ayaw maraming dahilan

March 6, 2023

It’s perplexing for the economic team to speak about workers and their wages as if they are a burden to the economy. It’s people who most of all create value in the economy and for whom the economy is for.

One Philippines, two worlds

March 1, 2023

The Marcos Jr administration is spinning a dark lie to give the impression that the situation of ordinary Filipinos is improving. The real and whole truth is that it isn’t and, if anything, has even gotten worse in the first few months of the new government.

Why are Filipinos so poor if the labor market is so vibrant?

February 11, 2023

The economic managers chronically downplay problems and prefer unfounded sunshine and smugness about the state of the economy. This hinders taking steps towards real solutions.