More fundamentally, therefore, it is essential to improve the overall performance of government, insulate it from the plunder of oligarchic groups, and promote new types of private sector initiative.” Specifically, the authors recommend strengthening the judicial and law enforcement systems and political and bureaucratic institutions. De Dios and Hutchcroft conclude that “there is no size of government that is immune to damage from rogue elements thrown up by an unsophisticated political process. The book proceeds smoothly to the chapter on political economy, which traces the historical evolution of a national oligarchy and the weakening of political and government institutions vis-à-vis particularistic interests. The authors do not discuss culturalist social explanations (as represented by James Fallows’ damaged culture hypothesis) or state-centered views that depict the Philippines as controlled by some internal or external force. These include: conventional growth explanations, bad luck, and political and institutional barriers to good policy. Drawing from those offered by economists, political scientists, and sociologists, they present three sets of hypotheses that are not mutually exclusive. The editors pose this problem in their introductory chapter and review some of the numerous attempts to solve it. The classical problem of Philippine economic development, often called the Philippine development puzzle, is the search for explanations for the country’s weak long-term economic performance despite initial superior endowments and characteristics. The rest of the book’s chapters are devoted to policies and challenges in three major dimensions: macro, sectoral, and social. There is an extensive introduction by the editors, as well as a chapter on political economy by Emmanuel de Dios and Paul Hutchcroft, an American political scientist whose Booty Capitalism is now standard reading in Philippine political economy. Written with depth by highly respected authors, the book is a comprehensive review of the various aspects of the Philippine economy.
#Damaged culture james fallows reaction paper update
Quezon City / Ateneo University Press / 2003 This edited volume represents the latest important update to the study of problems of Philippine economic development. The Philippine Economy: Development, Policies, and Challenges