The Importance of Context, History, Learning, Emulation, and Timing in Policy Planning and Implementation

Reference to Mike Luz's article in Rappler here:
The importance of history


Here are some useful and commonsensical policy-making pointers for the Philippine government from Juan Miguel Luz. I particularly like the last section on 'How to ask the right questions'.... 

I agree with Luz's main thesis on the importance of 'history' and 'timing' in policy planning and implementation, but I'm afraid that he has failed to provide an adequate and astute historical perspective on his diagnosis of the problems and challenges specific to the Phillippine political-economic experiences in the intricate issues of land reform, devolution, ARMM, and K-12. 

Luz's institutionalist approach to the analysis and resolution of social and developmental issues reminds me of my short stint as a fresh grad researcher at his current institute, the Center for Development Management (Asian Institute of Management-Makati) exactly ten years ago. I remember the methods of 'organizational diagnosis' and 'lesson-drawing', as well as the related concepts of best practice, learning, emulation, and innovation. However, I think that Luz's institutionalist method has got the better of his intelligent analysis whereby he has ended up misreading the specificities of the complicated issues (especially of land reform, local government devolution, ARMM autonomy, and K-12 basic education reform) and almost reduced the complex and convoluted political-economic-social-cultural-historical problems to a simple question of institutional reform. Here, we are reminded of the Law of Instrument - 'If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail'. 

Nevertheless, this article is a reflective advice for serious consideration of our policy makers and development planners. We ought to remember that the method of best practice lesson-drawing must be examined and/or balanced with context-specific and history-sensitive policy analysis and prescriptions.

Just in time for Filipinos' reflection and for PNoy administration's prompt action....

The Enduring Challenge for PNoy's Legacy

After two years, I also give PNoy's administration a passing mark.... No doubt, some important institutional reforms are under way.... But the greatest challenge for an underdeveloped country remains: instituting fundamental 'economic' reforms, which stays forever in Filipinos' memories and the determinant of a national leader's legacy. As Walden Bello rightly asks, "What does 'inclusive growth' mean?". In our 'elitist' development structure, once the economy gains growth, it is only enjoyed by 'the few'.

The workers, the 'informal' labourers, and the poor are all organically included in the system of production and process of accumulation, but they are systematically excluded from the fruits of their own produce and labour, or simply they are inhumanely dispossessed of their collective rights to wealth, resources, nature, social entitlements, and a life of dignity.

At this time when the advanced capitalist countries of the US and Europe are in crisis - with their neoliberal, market-oriented, growth-obsessed development paradigm losing legitimacy - we should be daring enough to explore alternative futures.

The administration's ADB fanboys of 'inclusive growth' should give way to the wisdom of progressives who drafted the 'Blueprint for a Viable Philippines' for PNoy's legacy, for national development, for the good life of hopeful Filipinos....

Four more years left for PNoy's presidency, but there are only three more years left to attain the Millennium Development Goals!

To be for hope.

Budget Deficits For Whom, Deficit Spending For What

Reference to the News Article from the Philippine Daily Inquirer here:

5-month budget deficit hits P22.79B

There's cause and reason to be skeptical about this.... In principle, I am for deficit spending, and I made this argument when the PNoy administration registered a surplus in its first year in office. But then we have to ask: deficit for whom, and what for? I am all for deficit spending for boosting our mode of 'production' in employment-generating and job-creating projects, and also for the workers, the poor, and those vulnerable to become poor.

In this news article, it says that government spending has been primarily 'driven by MOOE' — that is, mainly for maintenance, rather than spending on new public facilities. My worry is that our government's economic managers are not Keynesians; most would in fact proudly claim to be neoliberals. As such, this evokes of the nightmare of the old Ramos-style justification for rampant privatization of state assets (i.e., private-public partnerships [PPP] under PNoy) to offset the deficits and that was said to be instrumental to the attainment of years of budget surpluses in the mid-1990s. 

As always, vigilance is necessary. 'Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will'.

Much is Expected from Merkel's Germany

With the impressive way Germany has been playing in the Euro 2012, winning won't be easy for its semis and finals(?) contenders. But, just like in life, sometimes all is needed is one good luck!

Anyway, while Merkel's tough stance and austere response on the crises in the Eurozone and EU members' sovereign debts is akin to Germany's government acting as if it's now the indebted countries' new colonial master, we should also not forget that the irresponsible, greedy, and inept political-business-financial-banking elites in Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Spain, and Italy should also be made accountable. As it's said, it takes two to tango - both creditors and debtors have caused the crises and in both of them also can we find resolutions to these crises. At this moment, however, most is expected from the strong, that is, Merkel's Germany. 

Oh well, if only football could effectively resolve the ongoing predicament....

Why the Philippines Has Remained Poor: An Important Reason

Reference to the news article here:

Henry Sy still tops Forbes 2012 list of PH’s 40 Richest

Here's one important reason the Philippines has remained poor.... 

Among many other socio-economic dimensions, this new Forbes' list of Philippine billionaires is telling about the relative backwardness of our country's productive and technological structures. Philippine capitalists are mainly merchandisers and marketers and not producers of industrial and technological goods. In effect, no productivity explosions, no technological innovation, no diversity of specializations, no huge division of labour, no high wage regime, no larger tax base for the government, etc. A country of SM or tobacco or condos won't be as rich as a country of Samsung, Toyota, or Silicon Valley!

P.S. These richest peoples in the Philippines are ethnically Chinese and Spanish. In a highly unequal, elitist, and exclusionary society like ours, it would be difficult now to catch up with the wealth of these blokes/families since they enjoy all the first mover advantages in business and the society as a whole. It's very easy for them to diversify interests and even overcome barriers to entry. We thus need a government with a vision and the will to build a mode of production conducive to wealth creation and the necessary institutions for serious asset distribution.

The Filipino Connection .... Congrats Miami!

At 4:50, there goes an expression of the Filipino connection.... Congratulations to the Miami Heat! To the Filipino-American coach Erik Spoelstra! And, of course, here's to the super LeBron James! :)

On the USD 1 Billion Pledge to the IMF: Irresponsible and Risky

Reference to a Philippine Daily Inquirer news article here: 
Palace: Philippines duty-bound to help poor nations

This issue is too important to be left to bureaucrats and technocrats. It involves people's money, especially from hard-earned OFW remittances where most of our foreign currency reserves come from. We work, we earn, we send remittances, and who are they to decide on this lending???? There must be a mechanism to democratize issues of finance (and the economy) in the country. 

Yes, Malacañang, we are duty-bound to be in solidarity with our fellow poor nations. But I'm afraid that this lending of the Philippine government of USD 1 billion to the IMF for the Eurozone is, among others, irresponsible and too risky.

Irresponsible. IMF and EU (especially Germany's) terms on Greece, for instance, will just deepen the sovereign debt crisis. It's not only debtors that are expected to be responsible, but creditors as well - the problem with Merkel's government is that it thinks the Greeks are the problem. If we do indeed care for collapsing economies in the Eurozone, we should have shared them lessons of our own traumatic experience when we have been painfully entangled in IMF and other foreign lenders' decades-long (and continuing) conditionalities and structural adjustments. 

Too Risky. My sense is that lending for sovereign debt crises is very risky especially for poor economies like ours with very limited reserves simply because there's always a big option and high probability for default. If Germany won't change its austere response or even to expand aggregate demand that Greece needs, the only way out of the crisis for Greece is to default on these onerous loans. Besides, indebted countries in Europe would only have to emulate how Iceland is managing the recovery well - through debt default, political will, and other reforms. 

The technocrats from Bangko Sentral are peddling lies that these reserves cannot be used for tangible national development projects.... Come on! Of course, you/we can! It boils down to political will!

Comparing Mahathir to Rizal: Disgraceful, Insulting!

There is this disgraceful and insulting commentary in the PDI today comparing our national hero, Jose Rizal, to the megalomaniac Mahathir of Malaysia. Within a week, Mahathir has been in the national dailies. On the 12th during our Independence Day, Mahathir criticized our democracy. Today, the birthday of our national hero, a Filipino veteran journalist simply misunderstood Rizal's social critique of colonial Philippines and completely misread Mahathir's racist/culturalist ideas and the political economy of development of Malaysia.

Lest our mainstream observers and media continue to extend blind adulation to the authoritarian, self-indulgent Mahathir, I'd rather post below Randy David's more grounded and reflective essays on Rizal's sociology and 'Indolence of the Filipinos'....

Here's a line in my thesis: " ... Mahathir remains an apologist for his perceived socio-economic and political achievements, putting the blame on a people’s culture without even questioning his own politics and economic policies."

And here's a paragraph from my thesis summing up the achievements of Mahathir's political economy:

"After two decades of neoliberalization, if the project had to be assessed of its progress vis-à-vis the overall NEP-NDP objectives as well as Mahathir’s vision for Malaysia’s capitalist development, the outcome would be frustrating and disappointing for Mahathir and the power bloc behind the project, and more so for the peoples of Malaysia who were unwittingly implicated in this particular accumulation process. Despite modest economic growth achievements for 20 years, interrupted by the crises and recessions in 1985-1986 and 1997-1998, this accumulation regime under the Mahathir government had been replete with missed targets, failures, malpractice, economic inequalities, and social injustice. NEP-NDP ownership restructuring target of 30% for Malays remained elusive (Gomez and Jomo 1997; Khoo 2001, 2006a). Big privatization projects led to renationalization (Jomo and Tan Wooi Syn 2005; Tan 2008). The BCIC and many protected Malay conglomerates failed to emulate the success stories and global competitiveness of the Japanese keiretsu and South Korean chaebols (Rasiah 1995, 1998, 2010; Jomo and Edwards 1998; Jomo 2000, 2001a, 2001b; Gomez 2009). Malaysia Incorporated had been ridden with serious issues of graft, corruption, rent-seeking, nepotism, inefficiency, and incompetence (Gomez and Jomo 1997; Jomo and Gomez 2000; Wain 2009). Both inter-ethnic and intra-ethnic inequalities deepened and widened (Jomo 2004; Khoo 2004; Jomo and Tan Eu Chye 2006). If it is any indication, Mahathir’s frustrations on the nonfulfillment of his ideals of progress and the disappointments on the Malay recipients of decades-long affirmative action have been well conveyed in a memorable speech a year before his retirement: ‘The New Malay Dilemma’, which is about ‘whether [Malays] should or should not do away with the crutches that they have gotten used to, which in fact they have become proud of’, whereas the ‘old dilemma was whether they should distort the picture a little in order to help themselves’ (see Mahathir 2002). Still, Mahathir remains an apologist for his perceived socio-economic and political achievements, putting the blame on a people’s culture without even questioning his own politics and economic policies."

Links:

• Randy David's 'Rizal's sociology of colonial society' (19 June 2010)
• Randy David's 'Rizal's "Indolence of the Filipinos"' (29 December 2007)

From OKC to Miami: Get it, Coach Spo!

Respect for these two wonderful players, LeBron and Durant.... Both deserve the championship ring - LeBron's competitive spirit and Durant's graceful artistry....

Initially, I wanted OKC to win, but I also realize that for the Philippine national pride, it would be better if the Heat's Filipino-American coach Erik Spoelstra got the championship this time around!

Some Good Prospects for the Philippine Economy

Some good prospects for the Philippine economy (i.e., 'newfound business confidence') featured in the first 4 minutes of this Al-Jazeera report....

Let's hope that the PNoy government, especially his economic team, does not squander the series of positive reviews that the country has been receiving these days from mainstream media and market pundits....

Well, I wish favourable perceptions could heal, rather than just conceal, poverty and underdevelopment....

On Mahathir's Authoritarianism and the Need for a 'Theory of Democracy for Development'

Reference to the ABS-CBN news article here:

Mahathir questions Filipino-style democracy | ABS-CBN News

Well, Mahathir has to! Democracy is dangerous to authoritarian leaders like him and his ilk! 

The more I study the political economy of Malaysia, the more I realize that there are so much to "unlearn" from its racist, elitist, corrupt, authoritarian, and unjust political relations and socio-economic development. 

But there's a very strong argument of Mahathir and all the other proponents of 'Asian Values' that I still am having difficulties to counter: that is, these guys have a 'theory of authoritarianism for development' (Why is authoritarianism conducive to capitalist development?). They also have strong empirical evidence to flaunt — Singapore, China, and Malaysia (and this may include Japan and South Korea during their catching-up period, as well as England and Western Europe during the colonial times). 

I have yet to find a 'theory of democracy for development' (Why is democracy conducive to development? Or, what does democracy have that is necessarily developmental?). What we have so far are 'normative' arguments (i.e., why should democracy come with development) like the one from Amartya Sen's 'development as freedom'. I believe this is an important theoretical and practical challenge for democratic forces to communicate with the people and show that democracy is indeed conducive to development so as to put an end to the false nostalgia of the Marcos regime which continue to arouse the imagination of countless Filipinos. 

Anyway, today is our Independence Day! Maligayang Araw ng Kalayaan, Minamahal kong Pilipinas! Tungo sa tunay na kalayaan sa kahirapan at kawalan ng katarungang panlipunan! Tungo sa tunay na demokrasya ng mga mamamayang Pilipino! 

Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!

Let sports be a sphere where natural talents bloom and refined skills contend!

Reference to the Guardian news article here:
Euro 2012: 'racism' mars Dutch training session - video

Bad day for world sports!!!
Earlier, capital accumulation in Las Vegas Boxing - "Using MANNY to make more MONEY"!
Oh well, tomorrow is another day....
Let sports be a sphere where natural talents bloom and refined skills contend!

Corona's Conviction: A Step Towards Real Social Justice

Reference to the GMA News Online report here:
Corona convicted

Celebrate for now. Every victory counts. Believe us, we are also well aware that soon enough we are faced with sober senses the real conditions of our people, our polity, our economy, our nature....

We believe that the time will come when real social justice, change, and development are realized through people's conscious collective action and active citizenship. And that shall be the time when we are no longer elite-struck and entangled in the vicious cycle of alternatively cheering and jeering the same elites and politicians who have perpetually caused misery and oppression to our people.

To be for hope.

On France's New President and the Continuing Challenge for the European 'Left'

I was in Paris five years ago at the time Sarkozy just won the presidency, and I thought Sarko won't be a good president. Some French classmates-friends even despised me for being critical of 'their' new president. What now?!? Au revoir, King Sarko! So that's 'karma' for you, killing your most generous benefactor, Qaddafi!!!

I must say I'm pessimistic about the difference Francois Hollande can make at this time of crisis. But let's give him a chance. What does it mean to be leader of the 'socialist' party in France, in Europe these days?!? Though not supported by MEDEF or the bosses, I find Hollande's policies still very much within the ethos of 'neoliberalism', still pro-capitalist market, pro-capital, pro-business, and less on labour and the marginalized. To be socialist is not only to be anti-austerity. Austerity measures are only symptoms of the failed neoliberalism framework underpinning them.

My bet was Jean-Luc Mélenchon who understands pretty well what being a 'socialist' mean, why neoliberalism is deepening Europe's crisis, and why xenophobia and Islamophobia should end!

On the surface, it looks like Europe is now turning 'left' or 'socialist', but what frightens me is the constantly increasing number of supporters of fascist, extreme right parties. Imagine, the fascist Marine Le Pen getting 18% of votes, a considerable figure, truly alarming. Combine it with the numbers of neoliberal economic right-wingers! Meaning, progressives cannot afford to be complacent and there are more consciousness raising and touching lives to do!

I just hope that in France, in Denmark, in Greece, and soon in Germany, these so-called 'left' - or whatever is left in their socialist ideals - won't just prepare the ground for the return of the right neoliberal, xenophobe idiots!

To be for change!

On Marx's Birthday: Nemenzo's Lecture 'Marxism in Our Time'

On Marx's birthday, I've found myself watching a classic lecture of the inimitable Ka Dodong, the first who taught me 'Marxism', particularly Marx's analytical method and normative ideals....

Indeed, so long as there is injustice and exploitation in the world, Marx's ideas will continue to inspire the social forces for change and haunt the exploiters!

Link to the videos of the lecture of Francisco 'Ka Dodong' Nemenzo, 'Marxism in Our Time':

http://www.dilc.upd.edu.ph/index.php/vod-socsci/41-marxism-in-our-time

Wanted: Alternative Leaders for Manila!

Reference to GMA News report here:

Erap begins campaign attack: ‘Police mentality’ no longer working in Manila

Oh, my Manila.... God, save my city! Another breed of competent, visionary, innovative, creative, no-nonsense Mayor and local leaders is most urgently needed! 

There's really something essential to human dignity and respect for electorate intelligence that has been lost with the wretched socio-economic conditions of the city and with the dumbing down politics of the country. To be for alternative futures. To be for change.

On China's Capitalism: Mao must have been turning in his grave

Reference to BBC News:
'In pictures: Chinese warships dock in Hong Kong'

And the bully is showing off its arsenals.... Mao must have been turning in his grave as the greedy spirits of capitalism and imperialism have possessed the Chinese government and the country's clique of new political-economic elites....

Before capitalism — with its logic of accumulation, interests in expansion, and requirements for more energy and natural resources — discovered these disputed islands, there was peaceful coexistence and a sharing community among diverse fishers, among nations.To be for peace.

Reform and revolution can be both 'cerebral' and 'libidinal'....

Reference to the article:
Asia Times Online :: Love in a time of revolt

Oh, that time when the Filipino Ilustrados thrived in Europe in the late 19th century against Spanish colonialism.... Reform and revolution can be both "cerebral" and "libidinal" - thus entailing political and gender dimensions! Oh la la! ;)

"It is thus intriguing that the impetus that drove these men to seek reforms - and in the end inspiring an armed revolution against a Western colonial power, the first in Asia - was as much libidinal as cerebral."

Tourism as a Wholistic Development Strategy

"It's more fun in the Philippines." Indeed! I approve, I support this clever new tag line of Philippine tourism — a catch-all blurb that can be applied not only to tourism but also to business and investment strategies, and the project of attracting Filipino talents back to the homeland. I always say that the Philippines' natural beauty can easily offer (almost) all experiences tourists want and need.

Now, since tourism is a wholistic development strategy and process, it's time to make all government agencies coordinated and oriented towards the realization of this as a rallying slogan:

• NEDA, DBM, DOLE, DOF, DTI embodying it in the economic development strategy;

• DENR caring for our environment and making eco-tourism worthwhile;

• LGUs, DILG aligning local development plans with it;

• DFA facilitating and promoting it;

• DPWH, DOTC providing transportation and communications infrastructure and facilities;

• NAPC adopting it as a job creating program to address poverty;

• DSWD reaching out to tourists with a heart for philantrophy and volunteerism;

• DOH ensuring wellness;

• DND, PNP guaranteeing safety and security;

• NHI, DepEd making our history and museum and other important facts correct and interesting to know;

• DOST showcasing and enhancing Filipino science, technology, invention, innovation, and tacit knowledge;

• PAG-ASA, PhiVolcs coming up with accurate weather forecasts and scientific presentation about the country's geology;

• DAR, DA promoting and developing our agricultural goods and systems;

• DOE looking after energy needs and featuring alternative sources of energy;

• DOJ, BI, NBI dealing with immigration rules and services and intelligence. 

 And, of course, Filipinos home and abroad must believe in the beauty of our country and act and live with the principle and reality that "It's more fun in the Philippines!" :) 

PNoy and the Process of Social Change

Reference to the InterAksyon news report:
PNoy overall popularity still up, except in Metro Manila

PNoy is still lucky to have this good level of political capital. But he can't afford to be too complacent. Apparently, his 'political' team is doing good. However, I'm wary of his 'economic' team for we badly need Keynesians among them in this time of crisis — at least, those who believe in deficit spending on employment-generating, job-creating projects and the goal of (full) employment.

I don't believe in the flimsy and simplistic logic of "kung walang corrupt, walang mahirap". To me, it's an empty rhetoric. I'd rather say "kung walang kahirapan, walang mahirap!" (Note: Right now, Gloria is not being arrested and tried for corruption, but for alleged electoral sabotage). The greatest threats to PNoy and to the welfare of the people are not Gloria and her ilk but the interdependent, global structural crises (global economic crisis, eurozone crisis, food price crisis, geopolitical crises, environmental crisis).

While the DOJ and appropriate agencies, civil society, social critics, and media look after the prosecution of Gloria, PNoy should seriously focus and act on poverty reduction/containment/elimination strategies. We need a concrete vision; we should plan precisely because of the uncertainties and volatility of the local and global economy; we should know exactly where the "daang matuwid" is leading to.

Indeed, we are confronted with the persistent historical structural contradiction in the struggle for social change: "People make history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past...."

Meanwhile, PNoy has four (4) years left to end his term of office, to fulfill his promises, and also to meet the targets of the Millennium Development Goals. The Filipino people's support to PNoy and the government is most urgently needed.

NAIA Terminal 1 Rehabilitation

Make this happen for the rehabilitation of the Philippine national airport. We have the money. We have the world-class designers, architects, and engineers. This design is allegedly from Holywood-caliber designer, Kenneth Cobonpue, a Cebuano!

We have the skilled construction workers who were the labour force who built some of the major infrastructure projects in the Middle East, East & Southeast Asia, Africa, and the US. We have the creative real estate developers such as Ayala, DMCI, and SM.

What's missing? As always, it's the will to make this a reality! What to do with our huge surplus of last year? Spend them and invest in job-creating projects like the renovation of airports. It's good for incomes, employment, profits, productivity, future tax base, investments, and overall development. To me, it's just perfectly fine for PNoy to run a budget deficit so long as we invest in job-creating projects.

P.S.1. Given Metro Manila's overburdened landscape, I think that the government should seriously consider moving our country's main airport to the Clark International Airport sooner than later.

P.S.2. The longstanding investments disputes over the NAIA-3 between the Philippine government, Germany's Fraport AG, and the Filipino-Chinese PIATCO should be put to an end. Determine reasonable compensation to the developer-contractors and ensure another competitive bidding for its renovation and operation that is free from corruption. Importantly, make sure justice is served against the corrupt who have sabotaged the nation's transportation function, plundered the government's treasury, and impeded our society's development progress.

Abstract - "Capitalist Development in Contemporary Southeast Asia: Neoliberalization, Elites, and Authoritarian Liberalism in the Philippines and Malaysia"

Capitalist Development in Contemporary Southeast Asia:

Neoliberalization, Elites, and Authoritarian Liberalism in the Philippines and Malaysia

Bonn Juego

Abstract for the 5^th Annual Nordic NIAS Council Conference

Stockholm, 22-23 November 2011

There is something distinctive in the evolution of capitalism in Southeast Asia. This historical specificity of present-day capitalist moment concerns the differences in dynamics that the process of neoliberalization may have in different social contexts depending on the conflict-ridden interaction between local and transnational elite interests and on the contradictions between the political and economic imperatives of capital accumulation. Understanding the region’s complex structural relations and their attendant manifestations demands a dynamic analysis of processes, interests and transformations.

The paper will seek to identify the specificities of capitalism in Southeast Asia focusing on the contrasting cases of the Philippines and Malaysia and explain the social transformations and struggles that brought it about, producing a particular social form with distinctive dynamics. To this end, it opens up three important areas of inquiry about post-1997 political-economic transformation and social change in the region. 

• First, how has the process of neoliberalization evolved since 1997? Here the impetus given by the crises of 1997 and 2008 to the construction of new opportunities for economic restructuring and political reforms is called into question. 

• Second, how and why class relations, specifically national and transnational elite interests, shape the evolution of capitalism in the region? This examines the role of domestic and transnational political-economic elites and the extent of their respective vested interests in shaping, negotiating, promoting, or resisting neoliberal reforms. 

• And third, what particular social form (political-economic structure) is emergent in the region as a consequence of the interactions between the process of neoliberalization and the dynamics of elite interests? It also interrogates the how and why in the emergence of a seemingly contradictory social regime called ‘authoritarian liberalism’, which combines a strong state with liberal market economy, in the Philippines and Malaysia that results from conflicts in contemporary capitalist relations.

Lecture Notes on "Development: Theories, Policies, and Strategies in Critical, Historical, and Interdisciplinary Perspectives"

Lecture Notes on

"Development: Theories, Policies, and Strategies in Critical, Historical, and Interdisciplinary Perspectives" 

for the Master's Programme in Development and International Relations (DIR),

Aalborg University, Denmark

Autumn Term, 2011

Bonn Juego - Lecture on Development: Theories, Policies, and Strategies in Critical, Historical, ...



Bonn Juego - Lecture on "Development: Theories, Policies, and Strategies in Critical, Historical, ...

DIR Lecture Abstract on "Development"

Abstract of my 7th semester lecture for the Masters Programme in Development and International Relations (DIR) on 3, 5, and 12 October 2011 at Aalborg University, Denmark:

 

Bonn Juego's Lecture Abstract, 7th sem, 2011 (Bonn Juego) from Bonn Juego

The lecture will be composed of three interrelated parts and will be held in three different sessions—on 3, 5, and 12 October.

The first and second parts will give a comprehensive survey and review of the classic debates — both old and contemporary — that have shaped development theory and policy in the last 500 years. The scope ranges from the political economy of capitalist development under conditions of imperialism to the particularities of state-market relations in the epoch of neoliberal globalisation. It will investigate the causes of the wealth and poverty of nations, examining varying factors (such as culture, institutions, geography, disease, technology, and economic activities) identified and promoted in development thought and practice from the 17th century to the present.

The third part will give an overview of political-economic development strategies that have made rich countries rich, from England to continental Europe and the United States of America in the 17th-20th centuries, and East Asia since the late 20th century. At the same time, it will discuss why poor countries stay poor and why it has been difficult to create middle-income countries at this historical juncture with reference to the centuries- and decades-old tragedies in major parts of Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Special attention is given to policy success and failures in specific contexts, history of colonialism, theory of uneven economic development, the crisis of neoliberalism, ‘welfare colonialism’ in the development aid system, and the material and ideological interests in the politics and economics of development.

The three lecture sessions will be discussed in an interdisciplinary approach derived from the fields of critical political economy, development economics, and economic history. Particular emphasis is given not only on the ‘history of development thought’ (i.e., what theorists said must happen) but on the seemingly non-existent academic discipline: the ‘history of development policy and strategy’ (i.e., what policies and strategies were/are actually followed).

Students are very much encouraged to read the references before the lecture sessions. Lecture slides are not substitutes for the reading references. Active participation in the debates and discussions is most earnestly sought.

Filipinos' Sensibility of Retirement

The responses to this issue of retirement reflect the state of our country's economic development, welfare, and social values. In developed countries with a history of welfare, we can expect strong resistance from workers against attempts to increase retirement age. But ours is a society thoroughly permeated with American-style, productivity-obsessed capitalist values: we live to work and we work to live. 

I hope we can sometime soon attain a certain level of development that comes with the consciousness that there are moments when we have the right to be 'lazy' and that it is fundamental to respect a natural balance between work and leisure simply because there's more to life than working!

A New Program for Philippine Tourism

Good luck to Tourism Sec. Ramon Jimenez! Get Jessica Soho and the Staff of Kapuso Mo, Jessica Soho (One at Heart, Jessica Soho) involved in tourism planning and development. Because of their insightful TV program, I've been appreciating, missing, and loving the Philippine's natural beauty, foods, culture, and peoples even more.

"Believe in the beauty of your country. Sell it at every turn...Talk about your country because we deserve a visit from the world." (Ramon Jimenez)

Philippine Capitalism with Chinese Characteristics

Big foreign capital is giving the Aquinos and the Philippines a second chance. During Cory's time, the Philippines missed out on Japanese investment under the Plaza Accord. This time around, PNoy must make sure that we 'strategically' get a share of Chinese investment. In the remaining five years of PNoy, the old capitalist triangle of US-EU-Japan will remain in crisis so he can't afford not to engage with China.

The problem, however, is that we cannot figure out the envisioned direction of PNoy for a Philippine capitalism with Chinese characteristics.

Enough of numerical 'targets'; we need concrete plans, vision, and implementation!

Politicians are like diapers....

Reference to the Al Jazeera news report here:
Japan's prime minister announces resignation - Asia-Pacific - Al Jazeera English

This is like Japan changes its PM every year. 

As it's said: politicians are like diapers; they have to be changed regularly! (From my favourite Mark Twain: “Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason.”) 

Thus, I look forward to the September 15 elections in Denmark. I believe the left coalition will win this time and get back to government after a decade of right-wing disaster. But I'm much more keen on seeing how much votes/seats the right-wing will still get because it'll give us an idea how much more people we need to reach out: to challenge institutionalized racism in Europe and elsewhere that breeds monsters like Breivik; and to reassert the humanity of the ethos of egalitarianism, socialism, welfare, and solidarity.