This special volume of the Philippine Journal of Development (PJD) is devoted to discussions and analyses of issues on the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) 2015 implementation. Except for the services liberalization paper, all the papers were carried out under the AEC Scorecard Project of the...

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

The paper aims to identify the facilitating and deterring factors affecting the implementation of the ASEAN mutual recognition arrangements (MRAs) in professional services encompassing engineering, nursing, architecture, surveying, medical, dental practice, and accountancy. Overall, the progress...

One of the recent European developments is the plan of creating a single market implying the removal of obstacles to trade in goods, services, capital and labor. Hence, it is worthwhile to examine the impact of such move to a small country like the Philippines, the growth of which depends...

The experience of the Philippines shows that foreign direct investment (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...

Applying a conjectural variations (CV) model introduced by Haskel and Scaramozzino (H&S model 1997), the paper examines the impact of trade liberalization on the Philippine cement industry where alleged cartel activities have taken place after the entry of the world's Big Three cement firms:...

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

This paper looks at the regulatory reforms in the electricity and downstream oil industries, two important inputs to the production process that were heavily regulated by the government. While electricity has strong externalities as well as economies of scale and scope, the oil industry does not...

The Philippines has been one among the few that still adheres to the home consumption valuation (HCV), a system that, according to many importers, results to overvaluation. This article assesses the validity of the claim through analysis of HCV’s impact on the level of protection structure. It...

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 (AEC) 2015 commitments. Based on interviews and surveys, the results indicated that investment incentives,...