Why the Philippines needs a modern industrial policy

(First of a series) The Philippines stands at a critical juncture in its economic history, facing entrenched structural dependency, underindustrialization and vulnerability to global shocks. Despite decades of reforms, the absence of a coherent industrial policy has left the nation reliant on remittances, services and import-dependent consumption. This paper synthesizes two complementary strands of analysis: (1) the historical roots of underindustrialization, including colonial trade structures, the Bell Trade Act, the Parity Rights Agreement, the Dodge Plan and neoliberal reforms; and (2) the contemporary imperative of embedding science and technology (S&T) education within a national industrial policy framework. The Dodge […]...

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