Abstract
This issue explores key economic themes, including labor costs, export-led growth, poverty measurement, and education spending. The studies presented offer valuable insights into competitiveness, economic growth, and social development. One paper examines unit labor costs in the Philippines, arguing that they reflect not just technical efficiency but also social and institutional factors influencing income distribution. It challenges the notion that lower labor costs necessarily indicate greater competitiveness and introduces unit capital cost as an alternative measure. Another study tests the “export-led growth” hypothesis in three BIMP-EAGA countries, finding no significant long-term relationship between exports and GDP growth. Poverty measurement is also a focus, with one paper introducing a simple yet accurate poverty scorecard based on the 2002 Annual Poverty Indicators Survey. This tool enables real-time poverty estimation, aiding in better targeting and tracking of development interventions. Another study evaluates government education spending, using benefit incidence analysis to assess whether it has effectively reached the poor and contributed to reducing intergenerational poverty.
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