The Relationship of Child Labor and Globalization in the Philippines

The problem of child labor has long been studied by economists, and most of it focuses on the microeconomic perspective. For this study, the researchers have decided to shift their focus to macroeconomic analysis. This study focuses on the effects of globalization and economic growth on the prevalence of child labor in the Philippines, mainly focusing on globalization, by using time-series analysis. Studies suggested that there is an inverted U-shaped relationship between globalization and child labor in developing countries, while other studies have determined a U-shaped relationship. The findings of this study reveal that there is no U-shape relationship between the variables but instead follows a linear relationship between globalization and child labor in the Philippine context. However, the lack of data and research publication on a national scale could influence the empirical results. Furthermore, this research can be used as literature in future studies.

Economic Voting Theory in the Philippines

The study examined how the performance of the politicians influences the voters’ decisions in the elections. The researchers modified Reed’s (1994) performance-based voting model to evaluate the performance of the politicians during their term in office. Since the model is a repeated election framework, the researchers focused on the senatorial elections during the Arroyo to Duterte administration (2004-2019) in the Philippines. The framework was used to determine whether the prospective or retrospective voting theories occurred in the elections and was able to compute for the value of the office of the politicians and evaluate their performance in office. The study showed that the retrospective voting theory occurred more than the prospective voting theory. It also showed that the citizens would vote for the senator regardless of their performance in office.

The Effects of Labor Migration and OFW Remittances on the Level of Poverty in the Philippines

Global labor mobility and Overseas Filipino workers have been a topic of interest due to its rapid growth and its apparent links with development goals. Among the 197 countries in the world, the Philippines has one of the highest rates of migration. In this paper, the researchers have examined the statistical relationship between migration and poverty through a study, using panel data from the years 2006, 2008, 2012, 2015, and 2018 in the Philippines. Specifically, the paper examined the degree of impact of migration on poverty using the GINI coefficient and GRDP as determinants for poverty, whilst Remittances is the constant variable used. The study aimed to determine whether remittances reduce poverty as Overseas Filipino Workers continue to increase yearly. The end results showed that there is a relationship amongst poverty, international labor migration, and remittances via the fixed panel data done but show a low significance level among the said variables. Thus, there is a relationship within the variables but a low significance level to the poverty in the Philippines.

An Analysis on the Impact of Natural Disasters on the Economy of the Philippines

Over the past century, natural disasters have been terrorizing the economy by causing human fatalities and damaging infrastructure and production inputs. The Solow growth model suggests that natural disasters adversely affect gross domestic product (GDP) since these disrupt the production of inputs. On the contrary, the Schumpeterian growth theory provides an explanation behind the positive effect of natural disasters on economic growth. This study analyzed the relationship between natural disasters (i.e. earthquake, flood, and storm), economic activities (i.e. foreign aid and foreign direct investment) and GDP per capita income in the Philippines from 1990 to 2019. This study employed a multivariate analysis, time series regression, and autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) approach. The results revealed a complex relationship between GDP per capita and the regressors. In the short run, the independent variables have a negative and significant relationship with the country’s per capita income. On the contrary, only FDI has a significant long-run relationship with the economy of the Philippines. The results highlight the Philippines’ need for comprehensive disaster plans and to lessen its dependence on foreign and external factors.

An Assessment of the Philippine Hospital Resources as Predictors of the Case Fatality Rate of COVID – 19

In the heightened effects of the pandemic, health resources have been in constant limbo as supplies and availability of hospital resources take a toll as COVID-19 cases surge, resulting in shortages. Thus, health systems are overwhelmed, resulting in a higher fatality rate since the capacity to provide medical attention is diminished. In this paper, hospital resources refer to mechanical ventilators, ICU, isolation, and ward beds which are the critical factors of the case fatality rate (CFR) of COVID-19 in the Philippines. Data were retrieved from the Department of Health (DOH) Case Bulletins from October 26, 2020, to June 30, 2021, with 248 total observations. This research used the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) Multiple Regression to determine if hospital resources are the predictors of the case fatality rate of COVID-19. Furthermore, the results show a significant relationship between the hospital resources and the case fatality rate of COVID-19 in the Philippines. This study can become a framework for further research concerned about hospital resources as the predictors of case fatality rates of different diseases in a pandemic.

The Economic Effects of Free Trading Policies Within an Integrated Economy Between Philippines and the Asean-6 Member States

The analysis of the effects that free trade has within the context of the Philippines and its fellow co-members within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations was purposed as a conduit for greater insight on trade relations between the nations of what is being considered as a fast-growing unified economy. In a more specific lens, the paper identifies how the Philippines and its fellow nations within the bloc conduct free trade while also carefully examining the number of goods that are being imported and exported. The study will use a Quantitative research design to find the changes in exports and imports as well as to point out the association between the dependent and independent variables. The study also determines the effect of trade policy. The research is a cross-country study exclusive to ASEAN-6, namely Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, and the period of the study is from the year 1993 – 2015. The researchers used Ordinary Least Squares and showed a high degree of predictability between the dependent and independent variables. The findings confirm that there exists a significant degree of negative correlation between the import and inflation, tariff and FDI. On the other hand, there is a significant positive correlation between the FDI and import of 4 ASEAN countries, namely Brunei, Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia, besides a negative correlation between FDI and import of Malaysia. While the tariff and inflation of the Philippines and imports come up with a negative relationship, so this brings us to the conclusion that the independent variables are affected by the policy of free trade but for the good of the economies of the countries involved. With the result of the study, it is expected that further examination of this topic will expound more as the zeitgeist affecting the ASEAN bloc continues to tentatively change. The policy-makers should build an inclusive and sustainable trading system by identifying priorities for improvement and clarifying the design of new trade rules. The policy-makers should also come up with indicators, trade facilitation performance of different countries, information on the level of trade in services restrictiveness, and also records on export restrictions.

A Silent Crisis: The Impact of Public Health Expenditure on Malnutrition Prevalence in Children Aged Below Five in the Philippines

This study mainly aims to determine whether public health expenditures have been effective in reducing malnutrition among children aged below five in the Philippines. The researchers construct a Grossman (1972) model-based health production function, which treats economic, social, and environmental factors as determinants of nutritional status. OLS estimates show that an increase in food security rates, a decrease in poverty incidence rates, and an increase in the level of urbanization significantly reduce stunting rates. However, no statistically significant relationship exists between the aforementioned independent variables and underweight and wasting rates (aside from the level of urbanization and wasting). In all regression models, the coefficient estimate for public health expenditure is valued near zero and is statistically insignificant, implying that government spending on health has been insubstantial and ineffective in reducing malnutrition prevalence.

Trade Liberalization: Reaping Its Effects on the Agricultural Performance of the Philippines

Over the years, economists had been taught that "Trade can make everyone better off", thus the rationale of the dynamic shift in the Philippine agricultural trade system from protectionism to trade liberalization. It was known that the Philippines was one of the champions in the agriculture sector as it had massively produced agricultural goods and exports during the late 20th century. However, various studies and reports have shown and concluded that agriculture in the Philippine setting is now dubbed as the “poor man’s sector”. In this study, it has reaped the reality of the country’s stance in trade agreements as it has examined the correlation of trade openness, imports of goods, and employment to the Value of Production in Agriculture—wherein, it has resulted in distinct conclusions such as (1) trade openness has a negative impact to VPA, (2) imports of goods increase VPA by 0.094373, and (3) employment’s positive impact is estimated to be at 4570.708. The researchers suggest that such results and analysis are vital for the government sector and thus revisit the pros and cons of trade policies and weigh their net effects on the agricultural sector to which people owe their daily nutrition.

External Debt and its Impact on Exchange Rates in the Philippines

The exchange rate is a crucial macroeconomic factor within emerging and transition economies. External debt is a driving force for the growth of an economy. This study then aims to determine the impact of external debt on the exchange rate of the Philippines by examining the impact of external debt accumulation on the Philippines' exchange rates. The researcher applies a correlational time series analysis in order to capture the impact of external debt, debt services on external debt, and foreign reserves on the exchange rate of the Philippines within the period from 1980 to 2019. The relationships between variables based on the developed theoretical framework are analyzed through multiple regression analysis. Empirical results show that external debt and debt services positively impact the exchange rate, while foreign reserves exhibit a negative relationship. The corresponding coefficients indicate that a change in any of the independent variables will cause significant but marginal fluctuations in the exchange rate in the case of the Philippines. The author concludes that external debt encourages the growth of exchange rates in the long run in the case of the Philippines due to its positive relationship. This implies that the Philippine government should aim to focus on more efficient external debt management strategies to enhance the value of the exchange rate of the Philippine Peso relative to other countries. Accordingly, the researcher recommends that the government take the necessary means to reduce the country's external debt to better the economy.

An Analysis on the Impact of Choice Overload to Consumer Decision Paralysis

As consumers make purchase decisions, they often encounter a large number of options from which they base their choices. Traditional theories such as the Rational Choice theory imply that the more options involved, the more beneficial for the consumer. However, recent studies suggest otherwise. One such study is that of Choice Overload, a phenomenon in which individuals encounter difficulty when they are presented with too many options. Some studies show that Choice Overload causes paralysis in analysis in different industries. Decision Paralysis is the abandonment of making a decision due to overanalysis. The paper focused on proving if Decision Paralysis would take place when there is Choice Overload by analyzing whether the different antecedents of Choice Overload, namely Decision Task Difficulty, Choice Set Complexity, Preference Uncertainty, Decision Goal, and Asymmetric Information, would be affected by the number of options available. A survey was used to measure the different variables, and the data were analyzed through logistic regression and ordinary least squares regression. The results of this study indicate that Decision Task Difficulty and Asymmetric Information directly impact Choice Overload, which then contributes to the high probability of the occurrence of Decision Paralysis. It is difficult for consumers to choose when more options are offered; thus, abandoning their purchasing decision.