The enactment of RA 10533 or the Enhanced Basic Education Act of 2013 added two years to basic education. One of the rationales offered by proponents of the law is that Senior High School (SHS) graduates can work or engage in entrepreneurial activities if they choose to do so. This study...

In the aftermath of the 2016 election, labor leaders and their political allies pushed for an immediate end to the so-called employment "contractualization", a policy proposal currently popular with voters and politicians. The idea is for the government to tighten and reduce, if not prohibit,...

It is commonly believed that mandating higher legal minimum wages (LMWs) is needed to help the poor earn a level of income that would allow them healthy and dignified lives. It is also seen as a tool to protect the weak against exploitation. This popular belief motivates and justifies the...

The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program has been much maligned and dismissed as a "dole-out" program. Critics have focused on the fact that it provides cash grants directly to poor families, believing it would promote the culture of mendicancy and dependence. Others believe that the grants would...

The Sustainable Livelihood Program - Employment Facilitation Track (SLP-EF Track) is a scheme that facilitates the employment of Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries. The SLP-EF track has much potential to bring the 4Ps beneficiaries closer to reaching the poverty threshold...

Making higher education more accessible for the poor serves the equity objective. Until today, the main policy tool to achieve this objective is funding public higher institutions. This has been shown to have no significant correlation on the enrollment of the poor by earlier studies. This paper...

The study aims to assess the Sustainable Livelihood Program (SLP) implementation processes based on recent policy enhancements and to determine additional dimensions or indicators of program success. The analysis is based on focus group discussions and key informant interviews, and a survey of a...