Paradoxical Success: A Contemporary Examination of the Philippines' Steps Forwards and Backwards vis-a-vis Socioeconomic Development (original) (raw)

2019, International Relations Journal

Much literature continues to highlight how the Philippines has emerged as a critical actor in global trading and how it has witnessed dramatic and positive structural changes. While this is true to a certain extent, such scholars have not only mistakenly overlooked these so-called “successes,” they have even glossed over more important problems. Thus, by adopting a holistic lens of the Philippines’ socioeconomic development, I am able to deduce more qualifiable conclusions for both the domestic and national levels. This has led me to explore the following questions: how has the Philippines succeeded in improving its socioeconomic sectors; who and at what levels are these successes felt; and what does this mean for its future socioeconomic growth? I argue that the Philippines has witnessed paradoxical successes. That is, many lives have been spared, gender disparities have decreased, and national poverty levels have improved; conversely, however, invisible and physical structures such as poor accountability, corruption, poverty, and vested interests continue to hamper growth at both the domestic and national levels—hence, yielding vicious and self-perpetuating cycles of inequality. It is important to remain critical of the Philippines’ socioeconomic development because it will yield more insight on their future and on more important issues, structures or agents, and factors which are—or are not—stymying their overall socioeconomic and aggregate growth.