Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Gerardo P. Sicat Author-Email: gsicat@skybroadband.com.ph Author-Workplace-Name: University of the Philippines School of Economics Title: Reforming the Philippine Labor Market Abstract: The Philippine labor market is highly regulated and labor market policies tend to conform to standards of highly developed markets. The policies adopted by the government are geared more toward protecting the employed rather than promoting the overall employment of the labor force. These policies caused the country to veer off the path of labor intensive development in industrial enterprises and strengthened a powerful labor bureaucracy in the government. Side effects of the regulations and the culture surrounding the disposition of labor management issues encouraged rent-seeking and other motivational distortions in the behavior of labor when employed. The welfare policies as developed have contributed to the distortion in labor skill formation and the tendency to provide an increase of emoluments without any link to productivity growth. The balance between welfare and employment creation needs to be continually brought to the forefront. In undertaking reforms, productivity change needs to be placed in the center stage of reforms. Finally, the labor sector would find it in its interest to deal positively with the challenges of globalization. This means recognizing that labor market policies need to adjust to global competition. Furthermore, this emphasizes the need to accept that economic liberalization requires encouraging the growth of investments from all sources—including foreign direct investments. Such a route will create jobs and improve welfare for the working man. Classification-JEL: J38, J40 Keywords: labor market policies, economic reform, employment, Philippines Journal: Philippine Review of Economics Pages: 1-36 Volume: 41 Issue: 2 Year: 2004 Month: December File-URL: http://pre.econ.upd.edu.ph/index.php/pre/article/view/170/584 File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:phs:prejrn:v:41:y:2004:i:2:p:1-36 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Gigette S. Imperial Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Labor and Employment, Manila Title: Understanding Philippine labor policies Abstract: In order to come up with good recommendations on how to improve the labor policy environment, it is important to have a good understanding of the context of present labor policies—their foundations, purpose and role, and the realities facing their implementation. Much of the difficulty in reforming labor policy is due to the societal values labor policy is made to bear. Policy-makers before us have left a legacy of high labor standards that are protective of workers' rights and welfare, and a labor policy making and implementation process that is democratic. Classification-JEL: J38, J40 Keywords: labor market policies, social policy, employment, Philippines Journal: Philippine Review of Economics Pages: 37-48 Volume: 41 Issue: 2 Year: 2004 Month: December File-URL: http://pre.econ.upd.edu.ph/index.php/pre/article/view/171/580 File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:phs:prejrn:v:41:y:2004:i:2:p:37-48 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Karl Kendrick Tiu Chua Author-Email: kchua@ateneo.edu Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Economics, Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City Title: Village characteristics and employment choice in rural Philippines Abstract: This paper examines Philippine rural employment choice and patterns. It uses a first-of-a-kind dataset that consolidates data from the Family Income and Expenditure Survey 2000 (FIES), the Census of Population Barangay Schedule 2000 (CPH5), and the Agrarian Reform Community (ARC) Level of Development Assessment 2000 (ALDA). A multinomial logit model is utilized to determine employment likelihood in different sectors given a set of individual and household attributes, and village characteristics. The results reveal that the lack of facilities, services, and formal establishments is primarily responsible for keeping rural dwellers in the impoverished agricultural and informal service sectors. This study also shows that individual and household attributes are generally in accord with theory and other empirical studies. Classification-JEL: J23, J24, R10 Keywords: labor demand, human capital, skills, occupational choice, labor, productivity Journal: Philippine Review of Economics Pages: 49-79 Volume: 41 Issue: 2 Year: 2004 Month: December File-URL: http://pre.econ.upd.edu.ph/index.php/pre/article/view/172/583 File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:phs:prejrn:v:41:y:2004:i:2:p:49-79 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Sajid Anwar Author-Email: sajid.anwar@unisa.edu.au Author-Workplace-Name: School of Business, James Cook University, Cairns QLD, Australia Title: Primary inputs supply, government size and welfare in the presence of monopolistic competition Abstract: The paper considers the impact of exogenous changes in the supply of primary inputs on government size and welfare in the presence of monopolistic competition. By making use of a simple general equilibrium model, this paper shows that an increase in the supply of labor increases (decreases) the relative size of government if the share of capital in the final good sector is larger (smaller) than the share of capital in the public good sector. An increase in the supply of capital decreases the relative size of government only if the share of capital in the final good sector is equal to (or larger) than the share of capital in the public good sector. An increase in the overall size of the country decreases the relative government size. In addition, an increase in the supply of both capital and labor increases welfare. Classification-JEL: F20, H19, H41 Keywords: government size, monopolistic competition, primary inputs Journal: Philippine Review of Economics Pages: 81-91 Volume: 41 Issue: 2 Year: 2004 Month: December File-URL: http://pre.econ.upd.edu.ph/index.php/pre/article/view/173/579 File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:phs:prejrn:v:41:y:2004:i:2:p:81-91 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Amelia Correa Author-Email: correa@economics.mu.ac.in Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Economics, St. Andrew’s College, Bandra (West), Mumbai, India Author-Name: Romar Correa Author-Email: romar77@hotmail.com Author-Workplace-Name: Department of Economics, St. Andrew’s College, Bandra (West), Mumbai, India Title: Basics, non-basics, money and credit : a development perspective Abstract: We approach the developing economy through an agriculture/industry and basics/ non-basics demarcation. A Classical-Keynesian rationale for the high interest rates in the country and low interest rates in the town is provided. The institutional requirement is for a strongly inequality-reducing state, intervening in the financing and production of basics and, correspondingly, setting in place disincentives to the production of non-basics. Classification-JEL: E11, E12, O11 Keywords: Basics, non-basics, interest rates Journal: Philippine Review of Economics Pages: 93-102 Volume: 41 Issue: 2 Year: 2004 Month: December File-URL: http://pre.econ.upd.edu.ph/index.php/pre/article/view/174/581 File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:phs:prejrn:v:41:y:2004:i:2:p:93-102 Template-Type: ReDIF-Article 1.0 Author-Name: Norhazlin Ismail Author-Email: Norhazlin.Ismail@mmu.edu.my Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Management, Multimedia University, Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia Author-Name: Zarehan Selamat Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Management, Multimedia University, Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia Author-Name: Ong Hway Boon Author-Workplace-Name: Faculty of Management, Multimedia University, Cyberjaya, Selangor, Malaysia Title: Bank selection and customers’ perception of banks in Malaysia   Abstract: The process customers go through in choosing a bank has been studied for several decades using different approaches. Understanding the needs and analyzing how the customers select their banks are crucial steps towards the improvement of customer satisfaction. In this study, an attempt is made to identify the determinants of bank selection and customers’ perception of banks in Malaysia. Classification-JEL: E11, E12, O11 Keywords: banking, marketing, customer satisfaction, Malaysia Journal: Philippine Review of Economics Pages: 103-122 Volume: 41 Issue: 2 Year: 2004 Month: December File-URL: http://pre.econ.upd.edu.ph/index.php/pre/article/view/177/582 File-Format: Application/pdf Handle: RePEc:phs:prejrn:v:41:y:2004:i:2:p:103-122