Contrary to earlier findings, tariffs in most favored nations have significantly declined by as much as 51 percent since 1986. Nevertheless, the obduracy of some sectors to remain behind the protective tariffs and the existence of nontrade barriers still remain to be hurdled. Key strategy in...

Due to the increase in prices of basic agricultural commodities in 1995, food price stability and food security have again emerged as a major policy concern. This paper argues that the sharp increases in prices of rice, corn and sugar have been caused largely by the choice and management of...

Despite the government’s credit program approach, access of poor households to microfinancial services has remained limited. This paper explains the microfinance policy environment in the Philippines and evaluates the institutional and financial capacity/performance constraints of MFIs. This...

Credit provision for small and poor households has always been the major element of nongovernment organizations in alleviating poverty. Recently, there has been a move to replicate the Bangladesh Grameen Bank in the Philippines known as Landless People’s Development Fund. This paper assesses...

The GATT/WTO may affect the Philippine economy in three ways: through changes in tariff structure resulting from the country’s commitment in the Uruguay Round, through the expansion of world trade as developed and less developed countries adjust their protection structures and through the...