300 likes | 389 Views
Spending Our Way Out of the Global Crisis:. Making It Work for the Poor and for Our Children. Cielito F. Habito Ateneo Center for Economic Research & Development Ateneo de Manila University Philippines. Overview. The Backdrop Persistent Philippine challenges
E N D
Spending Our Way Out of the Global Crisis: Making It Work for the Poor and for Our Children Cielito F. Habito Ateneo Center for Economic Research & Development Ateneo de Manila University Philippines
Overview • The Backdrop Persistent Philippine challenges • Impacts of Financial Crisis, 1997-98 & Now Human & environmental costs • Government Responses Fiscal Stimulus Package Social Protection Measures • Looking Ahead Meeting the MDGs and beyond
Persistent ChallengesNon-inclusive Growth • Narrow:Growth propelled primarily by a few leading sectors and geographic areas • Shallow:Weak linkages to rest of economy – e.g., low domestic value-added exports • Hollow: Jobless growth; poverty-increasing growth
Top-Heavy Growth,Bottom-Heavy Needs • Poverty incidence rose from 30% in 2003 to 33% in 2006 • Real per capita income fell 10% nationally, and fell in 50 provinces between 2003 and 2006 (PHDR 2008/2009) • Basic education enrollment rates dropped in 75% of provinces between 2002 & 2004 • Wide disparities in life expectancy across provinces: from low of 53.4 (Tawi-tawi) to high of 74.6 (La Union)
The Crisis Challenge: • Measures for short-run stabilization could take a toll on human welfare and long-run sustainability (financial stability vs. sustainable human development: tradeoff or win-win?) • Financial markets: “Heads you win, tails I lose” situation for vulnerable sectors
Increased poverty Higher unemployment Increased school drop-outs Increased hunger, malnutrition and sickness Asian Financial Crisis, 1997-98 Human Costs • Reduced social investment • Budget cuts on social services • Public investments in HD • Higher cost/reduced private provision of social services
Damaged social capital Rise in Crime incidence Domestic violence Child abuse Street children Breakdown in community cohesion Asian Financial Crisis, 1997-98 Human Costs
Reduced environmental investment Low priority for environmental investments Shelve planned investments in environmentally sound technologies Non-operation of existing environmental equipment Asian Financial Crisis, 1997-98 Environmental Costs • Easing of environmental standards • Relaxed policies & standards • Non-enforcement of existing ones • Pressure on environmentally-sensitive exports
Adverse migration impacts Increased pressure on uplands & coastal areas (“The environment is the social security system of the poor”) Asian Financial Crisis, 1997-98 Environmental Costs
Liquidity & budget support (for banks) Support for social safety nets Monetary easing Fiscal stimulus Stronger international (G-20) and regional (ASEAN, ASEAN+3, EAS) cooperation International Response to the Current Global Crisis
Fiscal stimulus subject to fiscal sustainability (record fiscal deficit of PhP300bn in 2009; return of ‘debt penalty’?) Need for emphasis on social & environmental expenditures in light of “past sins” The Philippine Balancing Act:
Domestic Production (GDP):Government spends its way out of recession • Government consumption & cons-truction up 8.5% & 15.7% respectively • Consumption growth moderates as consumers pull back • but… • Total investment spending dropped 10% even with brisk government construction • Exports fell dramatically (-15%)
Digression:The Multiplier Process Multiplier = 1/saving rate = 1/.2 = 5
The Multiplier Effect is stronger when: • Marginal saving rate is lower • Import content of the stimulated economic activities is lower (= domestic content higher)
Social Sector Spending:The Best Stimulus • Labor intensive • generates more jobs (broader benefits) • money circulates more among lower-income, lower-saving individuals • Lower import content than most other government projects • money stays in domestic economy • generates more tax revenues • Uplifts people’s lives
Philippine Govt Responses for Social Protection: Four Components • Fiscal Stimulus: Economic Resiliency Plan (ERP) • Conditional Cash Transfers: Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (CCT/4Ps) • Comprehensive Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program (CLEEP) • National Household Targeting System for Poverty Reduction (NHTS-PR)
RP Fiscal Stimulus PackageEconomic Resiliency Plan (P330bn) • P160B for hiring more teachers, police-men, soldiers & doctors; repair/ rehab govt buildings; supplies and equipment e.g. patrol cars, ambulances; agri support • P100B for infra investments by SSS, GSIS • P30B additional SSS, GSIS & PH benefits • P40B in income tax cuts
CCT/4PsFeatures • Beneficiary household receives PhP500(USD11)/mo. for health & nutrition + PhP300(USD6.50)/mo. for education expenses for a maximum of 3 children • Eligible household with 3 children receives up to PhP1400(USD30)/mo. or PhP15,000(USD326)/year • Allotted PhP5 bn(USD109m) in 2008 (350,000 beneficiaries); PhP10 bn (USD218m) in 2009 (targeted beneficiaries doubled to 700,000)
CCT/4PsFeatures • Conditions for Grants • Pregnant women must get pre/post-natal care; must be attended by trained professional at childbirth • Parents/guardians attend parenting sessions/classes • Children 0-5 yrs must receive regular preventive health checkups & vaccinations • Children 3-5 yrs must attend preschool at least 85% of the time • Children 6 -14 yrs must enroll in elementary/HS and attend at least 85% of the time • Children 6 -14 must avail of deworming pills every 5 months • Compliance monitored by the DSWD; noncompliance leads to suspension/cessation of grants
CLEEPFeatures • Targets the poor, returning expatriates, export industry workers, & out-of-school youth by providing emergency employment and funding/supervising livelihood projects • Allotted PhP10bn(USD218m) in 2009 • Administered by National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC) • Participating Agencies: DA, DepEd, DENR, DFA, DOH
CLEEPContributed Programs • DA:Gulayan ng Masa, ISLA for Fisherfolks • DepEd: 1,500 OSYs as school utility workers; 12,300 OSYs trained for livelihood; Negosyong Pang-Eskuwela (school co-op enterprises) • DENR: 111,536 “green collar” workers for Upland Devt Pgm, Bantay Gubat; Jatropha planting, tricycle LPG retrofitting, etc. • DFA: FAME (Financial Assistance & Microfinance for Expatriates) – for laid-off OFWs • DOH: Botika ng Bayan, Nurses Assigned in Rural Service (NARS)
Who need the jobs?Profile of the Unemployed • 63.8% are male, 36.2% female • 50% are under 24 years old; 80% are under 34 years old • 60 percent managed to make it only to high school or less • 12.6% only made it to elementary grades • 47.2% went to high school; only 34.7% finished • 39.7% made it to college, but only 18% graduated
Why can’t we generate the needed jobs? • 2.8 million unemployed • Mostly male, young and undereducated • 7 million underemployed • Mostly in agriculture • budget allocation for “Social Security, Welfare, and Employment” increased from 4.5 percent in 2007 to 5.7 percent in 2008 and to 6.1 percent in 2009.
Habito 2009 (ADBI Study)*: • For every one percent of GDP spent on education and health, poverty elasticity of growth improves by 0.2 percent • RP social expenditures (as % of GDP) in 2000-2007 less than Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka & Nepal; higher than Bangladesh, Cambodia & Indonesia • Philippines had perverse experience of rising poverty (30% 33% from 2003-2006) at a time GDP reportedly grew the fastest in decades. “Patterns of Inclusive Growth in Developing Asia: Insights from an Enhanced Growth-Poverty Elasticity Analysis,” ADBI Working Paper.
What Needs To Be Done? • Boost multisectoral initiative for massive education reform • Open up Local School Boards • Education for entrepreneurship • Entrepreneurship values from primary school • Entrepreneurship skills from high school onward • Strategic education planning • Anticipate and respond to emerging requirements
What Needs To Be Done? • Triple government housing targets; quadruple budgetary allocation to public housing (Karaos et al 2009) • Strong multiplier effect to create massive jobs boost • Address governance impediments to investment growth • Corruption, corruption, corruption • Streamline business registration & start-up • Business-friendly, not extortionary LGUs • Boost tax compliance & collection efficiency