World Development Report 2009
Reshaping Economic Geography

posted 24 February 2009

The Philippine Economic Society, together with the World Bank, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and the Asia-Pacific Policy Center (APPC) organized a forum to discuss the findings of the 2009 World Development Report and its implications for the Philippines. The theme of the report is Reshaping Economic Geography. The forum, which was attended by a select group from business, the academe, government, civil society and media, was held at the Asia Institute of Management (AIM) in Makati last January 12, 2009. Joining the forum via video conferencing were participants from the Knowledge for Development Center (KDC) of the Central Philippine University in Iloilo City.

The principal authors, Indermit Gill and Chorching Go of the World Bank, gave a summary of the report. The authors argued that the concentration of economic activity in a few cities is the inevitable consequence of economic growth. Rather than fight it, governments should facilitate the geographic concentration of production in order to promote efficiency and prosperity. But policy makers can also make growth more inclusive by spreading social services such as health, education, social protection and security more evenly and integrating leading with lagging regions through infrastructure. Dr. Arsenio Balisacan, former President of the PES and current member of the Board of Directors, who contributed a paper for the 2009 WDR entitled Spatial Disparities and Development Policy in the Philippines, presented his findings. Dr. Arturo Corpuz, also a member of the PES Board, gave his reactions to the report while the President of the PES, Dr. Winfred Villamil, moderated the open forum.