The paper aims to assess and determine the capacity-building needs required to liberalize trade in services in the Philippines. Through the ASEAN Framework on the Trade in Services, the Philippines has committed to liberalize various sectors including air transport, maritime transport,...

The experience of the Philippines shows that FDI spillover effects are not automatically generated. Opening up the economy to FDI has contributed to the country's exports of high-technology products and overall economic growth. However, the spillover effects of FDI to domestic firms have...

This paper evaluates the implementation of the 2010-2015 ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME Development and the 2004-2009 ASEAN Policy Blueprint for SME Development. The initial interviews and survey results yielded low average effectiveness scores for the ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME...

The paper aims to identify the facilitating and deterring factors affecting the implementation of the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs) in engineering, nursing, architecture, surveying, medical, dental practice, and accountancy. On the overall, the progress of MRA implementation in...

The paper examines the state of investment liberalization and facilitation in the Philippines and suggests policy measures to enable the country to comply with its ASEAN Economic Community commitments. Based on interviews and surveys, the results indicated that investment incentives, low tax...

The paper aims to review our trade liberalization policy and its contribution to the country's industrial growth and performance. After more than twenty years of liberalization, the overall performance of the manufacturing industry has been weak, growth has been slow, and contribution to value...

The paper aims to examine how trade liberalization affects wage premium at the firm level. Using effective protection rate as trade proxy, the paper assumes that in the face of increasing competition, an import-substituting firm may decide to remain at the low value-added stage of the production...

In the light of the weak performance of the Philippine manufacturing industry and the absence of structural transformation of the economy from agriculture to manufacturing in the last two decades, the paper calls for the implementation of a new industrial policy. This is crucial not only to...