46th Annual Meeting

Theme:
Competitiveness, Growth, and Equity in a Globalizing Economy
14 November 2008 * Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Manila

Towards the end of each year, the Philippine Economic Society holds its annual meeting which brings together scholars and practitioners from all over the country to present and discuss papers on a wide range of topics in economics. The 46th Annual Meeting of the Society will be held at the Assembly Hall of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, Manila, on 14 November 2008. The theme for this year's annual meeting is Competitiveness, Growth and Equity in a Globalizing Economy.

Almost two decades have passed since the Philippines, lured by the promise of prosperity, adopted policies to integrate the economy with the rest of the world. There is a growing perception, however, that the country has not benefited much from it. Until recently, growth has been, at best, lackadaisical, income inequality has worsened, and poverty and hunger have increased. Economic integration has exposed firms to intense competition and made them vulnerable to external shocks with the costs of adjustment falling heavily on the back of labor and the poor in the form of job uncertaintly and earnings volatility.

On the oher hand, more sober assessments argue that trade liberalization is not the culprit. Instead, they point to policy inconsistencies and the need for complementary interventions in the areas of energy and infrastructure, human capital investments, asset reform, governance, and competition policy to bring forth the country's inherent strengths and comparative advantages, facilitate structural change, and mitigate the inevitable social costs of adjustment.

The objective of the conference is to shed light on the on-going debate by providing a venue for the country's economists to share current research on the issue. The specific questions the conference hopes to address are: What is the impact of globalization on the economy? How have the country's stakeholders coped? What policies and programs must we put in place to make globalization work for the country and the majority of its people?

The 46th PE Annual Meeting is expected to attract wider international participation as it is being held in conjunction with the 11th International Convention of the East Asia Economic Association, scheduled for November 15-16, 2008, at the Diamond Hotel, Manila. The Philippine Institute for Development Studies is a co-host of the EAEA convention.