Welcome to DLSU School of Economics
SOE pioneered many practices now considered standard within the profession: the emphasis on mathematical and econometric training for undergraduates, exposure to evidence-based research and the publication of new knowledge, development of a scientific discourse in Filipino, problem-based learning, and investment in new economic methodology.
Graduates and faculty members of SOE have been recipients of renowned national and international awards and recognition. SOE have been an active participant in economic inquiry and knowledge generation: faculty members actively participate in local and international research gatherings and collaboration, and also appeared in various platforms of media.
SOE 10th Anniversary Closing Video
News and Events
Outstanding Scientific Paper
Congratulations to Prof. Angelo Unite, Ms. Ailyn Shi, Mr. Francis Concepcion, Ms.Cheri Mae Lagunday, and Ms. Trisha Amber Ong Hian Huy, for being awarded Outstanding Scientific Paper by the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) in 2021. Their paper “An Analysis of the Effects of Foreign Ownership on the Level of Tax Avoidance Across Philippine Publicly Listed Firms” is published in the DLSU Business & Economics Review 2020, 30(1).
Rational Choices and Welfare Changes in Philippine Family Energy Demand: Evidence from Family Income and Expenditure Surveys
by
Jesus C. Dumagan, PhD
Senior Research Fellow, School of Government, Ateneo de Manila University
Affiliate Professor and Scientist-in-Residence, School of Economics, De La Salle University
Michael R. M. Abrigo, PhD
Senior Research Fellow, School of Government, Ateneo de Manila University
Senior Research Fellow, Philippine Institute for Development Studies
August 13th, Friday, 10:00 a.m to 11:30 a.m.
To join, register via: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUrc-yuqjMuG9fC_iWRAxZXTKNP9LbrBG9F
Abstract
This study found Philippine family demands for (1) electricity, (2) gas and liquid fuels, (3) solid fuels, (4) food, and (5) others—based on Family Income and Expenditure Surveys (FIES) in 2009, 2012, and 2015—are rational (i.e., expenditure-minimizing). Specifically, all own-price elasticities are negative. Cross-price elasticities between (1), (2), and (3) are positive (substitutes) while cross-price elasticities of (1), (2), and (3) with (4) or (5) are mostly negative (generally complements). Income elasticities are positive, except for (3), comprising “fuelwood, charcoal, and biomass residues” that are consumed less at higher incomes. These elasticities yield a Hicks-Slutsky substitution matrix that is symmetric and negative semi-definite—the necessary and sufficient conditions for expenditure minimization—a finding unprecedented in a Philippine demand study. These results validate computing compensating variation (CV) and equivalent variation (EV) that are changes in compensated incomes for restoring welfare after prices change. During 2009-2015, the overall Consumer Price Index increased 3.08 percent annually to which energy price increases contributed 0.23 percentage points, about equal to mid-point CV and EV estimates of welfare losses ranging 0.18 to 0.30 percent of 2009 total expenditures. However, improved household energy end-use efficiency by “waste” reduction compensated the above welfare losses even without increasing total expenditures or investing in efficiency improvements.
Bios:
Dr. Jesus C. Dumagan is Affiliate Professor & Scientist-in-Residence, School of Economics, De La Salle University, Manila. Before his US graduate studies, he taught at the University of the Philippines, Diliman and Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City. He obtained his M.A. from the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis, MN) on a Fulbright-Hays Fellowship and his Ph.D. from Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) where he was elected to the Phi Kappa Phi international honor society. In Washington, DC he worked for the US Department of Agriculture (1991-95) and the US Department of Commerce (1995-2005) where he retired as Senior Economist. In 2008, he joined the Philippine Institute for Development Studies as Visiting Senior Research Fellow and in 2014 joined the School of Economics, DLSU-Manila as Visiting Professor. His areas of interest are demand analysis, welfare measurement, and productivity analysis. He has published and refereed papers in international journals (Applied Economics, Economics Letters, Economic Modelling, Energy Economics, Journal of Productivity Analysis, Resource and Energy Economics, and Review of Income and Wealth) and is on the editorial boards of DLSU Business & Economics Review and Philippine Journal of Development. He is an occasional consultant and resource person to local and international economic organizations.
Michael R.M. Abrigo is a Senior Research Fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, where he studies the welfare implications of population dynamics and health policies, among others. He is also a Senior Research Fellow at the Luzon Clean Energy Living Laboratories at the Ateneo de Manila University School of Government. He has published numerous academic papers in journals such as Stata Journal, Public Finance Review, National Tax Journal, Lancet, and Nature. He obtained his MA and PhD in Economics degrees from the University of Hawai`i, and his BA (magna cum laude) and Master of Statistics degrees from the University of the Philippines.
The full paper can be accessed at: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3837066.
Resurgence of Bundling Mechanisms in Digital Services Trade
Speaker:
Tereso S. Tullao, Jr., Ph.D.
Br. Vincenzo Dela Croce Professorial Chair in Business Economics
Date and Time: 09 July 2021, Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Professor TERESO S. TULLAO, JR. is a University Fellow, Adjunct Professor of Economics, and the Director of the Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the DLSU Business and Economics Review. He was former Dean of the College of Business and Economics (CBE) at De La Salle University (DLSU). He has been teaching for more than four decades at DLSU. He was visiting professor and scholar at various institutions in Japan, USA, China, Thailand, France, and Laos. As a researcher, he has published several articles, monographs, and books in Filipino and English in the fields of economics of education, trade in services, movement of natural persons, migration and remittances.
Does formalization make a difference in small-scale gold mining?
Maria Eugenia Robles Mengoa
Boris Verbrugge
Sara Geenen
Policy makers and governments have looked at formalization as a remedy for several of the social and environmental challenges associated with informal and illegal mining. Around the globe, formal and certified small-scale mining companies have been portrayed as exemplary cases providing decent working conditions, diminishing environmental damage and avoiding conflict with local population. Yet this overly optimistic view of formal small-scale mining conceals the fact that it replicates rather than alleviates some of these challenges. We collected both quantitative and qualitative data on labor conditions in formal and informal mines in the province of Agusan del Sur, the Philippines. More specifically, we study similarities and differences at the level of the composition of the workforce, payment systems, and health and safety conditions. The findings show that formal mining replicates some of the structural disadvantages faced by workers at the lower end of the labor hierarchy. They also demonstrate a preference for informal revenue-sharing systems. Based on these findings, we discuss key challenges and possible improvements for formalization policies.
Boris Verbrugge is a senior researcher at HIVA-KU Leuven. He specializes in decent work challenges in global value chains, and in whether different governance initiatives (e.g. certification, formalization, due diligence) make a difference for workers and small firms that vitally depend on these value chains. Boris is currently involved in action research on together with companies and public actors, attempting to develop supply chain policies that are both feasible (for companies) and effective in realizing impact throughout the supply chain.
Sara Geenen is an assistant professor in International Development, Globalization and Poverty at the Institute of Development Policy (IOB), University of Antwerp, Belgium. She is co-director of the Centre d’Expertise en Gestion Minière (CEGEMI) at the Université Catholique de Bukavu, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Her current research interests lie in the global and local development dimensions of extractivist projects, addressing questions about more socially responsible and inclusive forms of globalization. She is the principal investigator in the InForMining project which is funded by the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO).
Maria Eugenia Robles is a PhD Candidate in development studies at the Institute of Development Policy (IOB), University of Antwerp, Belgium. She is part of the InforMining Project, together with Sara Geenen and Boris Verbrugge. Her current research aims to understand global to local connections, labor relations and commercialization in artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM) by looking at the cases of Colombia, Peru and the Philippines. She is also interested in the topics of health, gender relations and gender-based violence in ASGM.
Endogeneity bias and other problems in the estimation of production functions by Jesus Felipe, Ph.D.
Asian Development Bank (ADB) Advisor
Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department
Date: May 7th, Friday, 1:00 p.m to 2:30 p.m.
To join, register via
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0rdeCtrT0sGNdRqyj1RFv-Z_SBLbApgpnG
Abstract:
The possible endogeneity of labor and capital in production functions, and the consequent bias of the estimated elasticities, has been discussed and addressed in the literature in different ways since the 1940s. This paper revisits a very much neglected argument, first outlined in the 1950s, that questioned the usefulness of production function estimations. It has implications for understanding and solving the potential problem of regressors’ endogeneity. The argument is that the series of output, employment and capital used in empirical exercises are linked through a distribution accounting identity. This identity can be rewritten as a form that resembles exactly a production function (Cobb-Douglas, CES, translog). This happens because the series used are not physical quantities (for output and capital) but value data. The argument has clear predictions about the size of the factor elasticities and about the bias of the estimated elasticities. To test these predictions, we estimate a typical Cobb-Douglas function with five estimators and show that the identity is responsible for the fact that the elasticities are often close to the factor shares. We also show that the bias of the estimated elasticities is, in reality, caused by the omission of a term in the identity. Estimation methods that theoretically deal with endogeneity, including the most recent ones, cannot not solve this problem. It is concluded that the use of value rather than physical data poses an insoluble problem for the estimation of production functions. This is, consequently, far more serious than any supposed endogeneity problems.
Bio:
Jesus Felipe has been Advisor in the Asian Development Bank’s Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department since 2012. He has been with ADB since 1996, and he is a member of the Editorial Board, as well as the Managing Editor of the Asian Development Review.
He has also held academic positions with the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
His research interests spread across areas such as long-run growth in Asia, the dynamics of structural transformation, industrial policy, inclusive growth and full employment, the impact of technology on employment, productivity, technological progress, the functional distribution of income, business cycles, and the path of profit rates.
He has published extensively in academic journals on different aspects of Asia’s development, productivity and structural transformation; as well as books on labor markets, structural transformation, industrial policy and the foundations of the aggregate production function.
Jesus Felipe is a national of Spain, but has lived most of his life abroad, in Asia in particular (a continent that he has travelled extensively), and most of it in the Philippines (since 1996).
Unemployment insurance and moral hazard in equilibrium
Nikolaos Kokonas, Ph.D.
University of Bath
Paulo Santos Monteiro, Ph.D.
University of York
Date: April 23rd, Friday, 4:00 p.m to 5:30 p.m.
Abstract:
We study optimal unemployment insurance in an economy with heterogeneous agents, in which markets are complete but moral hazard restricts the set of incentive compatible competitive equilibrium allocations. We show that in such an environment generous benefits may be optimal even when the resulting disincentive effects from moral hazard far exceed the measured private value of additional insurance. The reason is that in equilibrium the macro elasticity of effort is zero, even for an arbitrarily large micro elasticity of unemployment duration to insurance benefits extension.
Speaker’s Bio:
Nikolaos Kokonas joined the Department of Economics at the University of Bath in September 2013 as a Lecturer (Assistant Professor). Nikolaos completed his PhD at the University of Warwick in June 2013. His interests lie in the areas of Macroeconomics and Labour markets.
The Linear Probability Model and Its Discontents
by
Andrew Pua, PhD
Xiamen University
Date: March 19th, Friday, 10:00 a.m to 11:30 a.m.
To join, register via
https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJModO2ppz4oGd0WVrgTcDTZea7z_3gbZ8Ku
Abstract:
The temptation to use straightforward and readily available methods is very strong, especially if we desire immediate answers to research questions. An example showing up often in applied work is to determine marginal effects in a panel setting with binary outcomes, which naturally leads to a default procedure of using a linear probability model with fixed effects and sometimes with dynamics. I give a set of pros and cons of this procedure and conclude that this procedure should be treated with caution. I also show that there exist certain DGPs that can push the large-n, fixed-T limits of these estimators outside the identified set for the true average marginal effect. The only good news is that nonparametrically testing the point null of zero first-order state dependence is possible with default routines. Unfortunately, this nonparametric test can have low power.
Bio:
Andrew Pua is an Assistant Professor of Quantitative Economics at the Wang Yanan Institute of Studies in Economics and at the Department of Statistics of Xiamen University. He is also the current director of the International Graduate Programs in Economics at these institutions. His research interests are broadly in econometrics but has mainly worked on providing theory for existing practices in econometrics and for providing practical procedures that would hopefully be of use to applied economic research. He is no stranger to double degrees as he received his PhD in Economics from the University of Amsterdam and the Université Catholique de Louvain in 2016, his Master in
Quantitative Economics from the Université Paris 1 and Universität Bielefeld, and his AB in Economics and BS in Accountancy from De La Salle University.
Philippine Growth and the Balance of Payments Constraint
Jesus Felipe
Asian Development Bank
Date: February 5, 2021, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm
The presentation provides an analysis of the Philippine long-term growth rate. It is argued that the country’s main constraint on growth is the need to maintain a healthy current account on the balance of payments. This is because most countries (certainly developing countries) cannot run current account deficits permanently. We derive the balance-of-payments equilibrium (BOPE) growth rate of the Philippines by estimating time-varying coefficients of the price and income elasticities of the demands for exports and imports. We show that the estimated BOPE growth rate tracks well Philippine actual growth. We disaggregate it into its components and analyze their relevance for policy. We conclude with a discussion of what the Philippines needs to do if it wants to return to the high growth rates experienced during 2010-2019.
Non-Tariff Measures and Their Impacts on ASEAN Economic Integration
by Professor Myrna S. Austria
DLSU School of Economics
Abstract:
Using a gravity model that accounts for the asymmetric effects of non-tariff measures (NTMs), the study examined the impact of the five (5) most prevalent NTMs in the region on intra-ASEAN imports. The study found that all five NTMs are significant factors affecting intra-ASEAN imports. However, their effects vary at the sectoral level, by pairs of trading partners, and by MRA status. For example, sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures, in general, negatively affect imports and are trade-reducing. Exceptions are prepared foodstuff and medicinal products, both of which are covered by MRAs & harmonization agreements among the ASEAN. The positive effects of SPS measures on these two sectors provide evidence that measures that assure consumer safety and protection, while they could increase costs and price, increase consumer trust and hence, promote trade. Also, technical barriers to trade (TBT) measures are also deterrent to imports, in general. However, they are found to promote imports and are trade-enhancing for products covered by MRAs and harmonization agreements such as electrical machinery and equipment, prepared foodstuff, telecommunications equipment, and medical devices. The study also found that regulatory distance between ASEAN Member States (AMS) contributes positively to the effects of SPS and TBT. This means that in instances when an SPS or TBT measure is a deterrent to imports, regulatory distance lessens the negative effects.
Bio:
Dr. Myrna S. Austria is a University Fellow and Full Professor at the School of Economics, De La Salle University (DLSU). Her areas of specialization include: trade, investment and industrial policy, development economics, competition policy, and regional economic integration. She has published journal articles, monographs, chapters in books and policy briefs along these areas. She earned both her Master degree and Doctor of Philosophy in Economics at The Australian National University. She has served De La Salle University in various capacities: Vice-Chancellor for Academics (May 2010–July 2015); Dean of the College of Business & Economics (May 2006-May 2010); and Director for the Center for Business and Economics Research and Development (January 2003- May 2006). She has assessed several top universities in ASEAN as Chief and Lead Quality Assurance Assessor under the ASEAN University Network (AUN).
Prior to joining the academe, she was a Senior Research Fellow at the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), and Director of the Philippine APEC Study Center Network (PASCN) Secretariat. She was also involved in regional economic planning during her stint with the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). She has done consultancy work with international agencies such as the World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), International Development Research Centre (IDRC-Canada), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), Regional Economic Policy Support Facility (REPSF) of the ASEAN-Australia Development Cooperation Program, and the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
Automation, Tasks, and Wages
by Professor Daron Acemoglu
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The lecture will feature Prof Daron Acemoglu’s body of theoretical and empirical work on automation, artificial intelligence or robots. He will also discuss policy implications for consideration especially within the context of shifting labor market dynamics.
Daron Acemoglu is an Institute Professor at MIT and an elected fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Econometric Society, and the Society of Labor Economists. His academic work covers a wide range of areas, including political economy, economic development, economic growth, inequality, labor economics, and economics of networks. He is the author of five books, including Why Nations Fail: Power, Prosperity, and Poverty and The Narrow Corridor: States, Societies, and the Fate of Liberty (both with James A. Robinson).
Acemoglu has received numerous awards and prizes, including the Carnegie Fellowship in 2017, the Jean-Jacques Laffont Prize in 2018, and the Global Economy Prize in 2019. He was awarded the John Bates Clark Medal in 2005, the Erwin Plein Nemmers Prize in 2012, and the 2016 BBVA Frontiers of Knowledge Award.
Making Social Cost Salient: A Natural Field Experiment
by Prof Yohanes Eko Riyanto
Nanyang Technological University
Abstract:
We report findings from a natural field experiment conducted in a university where staff members order stationeries for work-related purposes online, and the university bears the cost entirely. We randomize staff members into a treatment and a control group. Only the former observes the cost information in the online ordering interface. We find that displaying the social cost did not change the ordering frequency, nor the quantity of requested items conditional on the items being ordered (the intensive margin), but did reduce the variety of items ordered (the extensive margin). Overall, the intervention led to around 27% reduction in the quantity of stationery consumption, saving considerable cost for the university. Thus, individuals at least partially internalize the external effects of their actions when the social cost is made salient.
Bio:
Professor Yohanes Eko Riyanto joined the Division of Economics, School of Humanities and Social Sciences NTU in July 2009. Previously he was with the Department of Economics, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences NUS. Prior to that, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Economics of the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. He obtained his Ph.D. in Economics from the Catholic University of Louvain/ Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Leuven-Belgium). His research focuses on Experimental and Behavioral Economics topics. He has published his research in leading international refereed journals such as Journal of Finance, International Economic Review, Review of Economics and Statistics, European Economic Review, Experimental Economics, and Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization (JEBO). He is an Associate Editor of JEBO.
He teaches Behavioral Economics and Microeconomics courses at both undergraduate and graduate-level at Nanyang Technological University.
The Linkage between shared Prosperity, Labor markets, and Social Programs Explained
by Prof Nanak Kakwani
Summary:
Every economy produces thousands of goods and services in a day. GDP is the monetary value of all goods and services produced in the economy. The population ultimately consumes the output so made in the economy. Individuals’ entitlement to consumption may depend on their contribution to production. Income is a composite measure of people’s entitlement, which they exchange for goods and services. People contribute to production through labor markets that provide them income, which is rewarded to them through employment. At times, people also get income through public and private transfers. Many governments have social welfare programs through which cash transfers are made to families to reduce poverty and income inequality.
This lecture provides a linkage between income inequality, labor markets, and social welfare programs. How much is the impact of labor markets and social safety net programs on income inequality? I measure these impacts using the real-world data obtained from Brazil.
My main aim is to explore the causes of a significant inequality reduction in Brazil between 2001 and 2012.The methodology presented in the lecture applies to any country, which has the appropriate data.
Bio:
Nanak Kakwani is currently a visiting Professor of Economics in China Institute for Income Distribution at Beijing Normal University. He has been a Professor of Economics for 30 years at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and until 2006 was Principal Researcher and Director at United Nations Development Programme’s International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth in Brazil.
His research areas include poverty, inequality, pro-poor growth, taxation, public policies, and human development. He has published more than 100 articles in leading international journals (including nine papers in Econometrica) and five books. He was an elected fellow of the Australian Research Committee of Social Science, and has been awarded the Mahalanobis gold medal for outstanding contribution in quantitative economics. He is well known for the Kakwani Index, which has been a standard measure for progressivity for taxation and other social intervention.
The School of Economics
is having year-long celebrations for its tenth anniversary
and we would like to
cordially invite you to the
opening ceremonies
on November 6th, Friday, 10:15 a.m. to 12 noon
and 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. (for ID120)
Attached is the program.
For the morning session, 10:15 a.m. to 12 noon:
For faculty, administrators, and staff, kindly register via this link: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAlcOCgrzssEtFQAFJp779UOUKzTQtm0T-x
For students, kindly follow our page on FB for details on the livestream:
https://www.facebook.com/dlsusoe
Contact: [email protected], [email protected]
For the afternoon session, 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. for SOE students with ID120:
Kindly register via this link: https://bit.ly/SOEireeFroshID120
Contact: [email protected], [email protected]
Thank you!
Contact Us
School of Economics (LS221)
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Trunkline: +632 5244611 local 380
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Trunkline: +632 5244611 local 137
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