02-October-2007 SEARCA News
Former Prime Minister Cesar Virata will be guest speaker at the launching of two books on the Philippine and regional economy on Sunday, October 7, 2007, 5.00 to 6 pm, at the New World Renaissance Hotel in Makati. The books are Dynamics of Regional Development: The Philippines in East Asia, edited by Arsenio Balisacan and Hal Hill, and Reasserting the Rural Development Agenda: Lessons Learned and Emerging Challenges in Asia, also edited by Arsenio Balisacan with Nobuhiko Fuwa. The double launching is organized by the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) with the Ateneo Press.
Dynamics of Regional Development compares and analyzes economic policies in the context of globalization and decentralization, and looks closely at the Chinese and Indonesian experiences. It also examines the Philippine economy against the greater framework of local politics, governance, labor markets, infrastructure, trade liberalization, growth, and poverty. It serves as a sequel to the bestselling Philippine Economy: Development, Policies and Challenges, published in 2003, also edited by Balisacan and Hill.
Among its important findings especially with regard to the Philippine economy are that 1) decentralization can work but has to be combined with a clear, predictable, and stable regulatory environment governing the administrative and financial relations between the center and the regions; 2) infrastructure is crucial to growth and development; and 3) meaningfully resolving the complex situation in Mindanao is central to the well-being not just of the local population but of the whole country.
Reasserting the Rural Development Agenda calls our attention back to the role of agricultural and rural development (ARD) in the economic development debate. While conceding that the agricultural sector’s perceived importance in the international development discourse waned after the 1980s, and noted declining investments in both research and development in the sector, the editors and contributors revisit the evolution of ARD models and experiences, particularly in Asia, and attempt to set a reinvigorated agenda for ARD in both research and policy in the coming decades.
The books will be available at the launch and at bookstores afterwards (SEARCA: 049-536-2365; Ateneo Press: 02-4265984).
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