About Per SE

Commentary and research on current events and public policy by economists from the University of the Philippines
Position Papers

Letter to the Board of Regents on the age requirement for the UP Presidency

There is nothing in the law, the Charter, the Code, or the University's cherished traditions to suggest that advanced age must be a factor in the administration of the University's affairs.

A blow to UP’s honor

We deplore in the strongest terms the violence perpetrated last Wednesday, September 17, by a group of protesters against Secretary Florencio B. Abad outside the U.P. School of Economics auditorium.

Investing in ‘suprastructure’ in the run-up to AEC

(with RL Clarete and GP Concepcion) Much has been said about our country’s huge infrastructure deficit, particularly in transport, power, and water. And criticisms or suggestions on this vital issue loudly persist which are just kosher till the public sees palpable improvements. By contrast, little is said about our deficient ‘suprastructure’.

Population, poverty, politics and the Reproductive Health bill

The population issue has long been dead and buried in developed and most developing countries, including historically Catholic countries. That it continues to be debated heatedly in our country merely testifies to the lack of progress in policy and action. The Catholic Church hierarchy has maintained its traditional stance against modern family planning (FP) methods,...

Population, poverty, politics and the Reproductive Health bill

Following an earlier paper titled “Population and Poverty: The Real Score” (UPSE Discussion Paper 0415, December 2004), the present paper was first issued in August 2008 as a contribution to the public debate on the population issue that never seemed to die in this country. The debate heated up about that time in reaction to...