Next >>

Borders, Boundaries and Bridges: The Faces of Migration in the Big Cities

AIM Policy Center
Initiatives for Dialogue and Empowerment through Alternative Legal Services
Ateneo School of Government
League of Cities of the Philippines
The Hague Process on Refugees and Migration
Royal Netherlands Embassy
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
February 2009

The experiences and lessons drawn from the consultations and the Regional Conferences on migration in three Big Cities have been gathered in this book, Borders, Boundaries and Bridges: The Faces of Migration in the Big Cities, in the hope of taking the reflection and discussion to the next and higher level –to push for the introduction of new mindsets and mechanisms to address the issues, to aspire for reforms where needed, and to evolve to new legislation on immigration both at the local and national level that would be more responsive to the actual situation and needs of the migrants, their families and their communities .

---

Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project 2007

AIM Policy Center
German Technical Cooperation
International Finance Corporation
International Labour Organization
Petron Corporation
SM Investments
October 2008

The Philippine Cities Competitiveness Ranking Project is a flagship research undertaking of the AIM Policy Center which measures and ranks the Philippine cities’ competitiveness.

Now on its fifth round, the study assessed the general well-being of 90 Philippine urban centers using 43 relevant indicators distributed among the six drivers of competitiveness (Cost of Doing Business, Dynamism of Local Economy, Human Resources and Training, Infrastructure, Responsiveness of LGUs to Business Needs and Quality of Life). More than a ranking process, the PCCRP 2007 provides local executives, the academe, and the business sector a tool in analyzing their city’s strengths and weaknesses relative to other cities.

This publication also features historical data of cities already included since the project’s inception, a general view of Philippine Urban Governance and its issues, key results and findings per city category, and valuable recommendations for the national government, local government units, the business sector and the academe.

---

International Conference on the Implications of the ASEAN Charter for East Asian Integration

AIM Policy Center
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
August 2008

On 4 February 2005, the combined efforts of the AIM Policy Center, Fidel V. Ramos Research Chair in Policy Studies, and the Japan Economic Foundation (JEF), paved the way for an insightful discussion on the prospects for regional integration through bilateral and regional free trade agreements (FTAs). The high-level conference, entitled An Integrated Roadmap to an East Asian Free Trade Agreement (EAFTA), brought together leading Asian personalities championing the discussion of FTAs.

After three years, and in light of recent developments in the region, the AIM Policy Center and the Fidel V. Ramos Research Chair in Policy Studies are poised to build on the success of the 2005 conference, this time in partnership with the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung, Ramos for Peace and Development Foundation, Inc. (RPDev), UP Asian Center, and the Philippine Business Leaders Forum. The AIM-World Bank Global Distance Learning Center, BusinessMirror, and BusinessWorld also supported this event.

---

A Climate of Conflict: The links between climate change, peace and war

AIM Policy Center
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
April 2008

The AIM Policy Center, through its Globalization Lecture Series and FVR Chair, has launched an initiative to raise awareness on climate change and its relationship to poverty and conflict, based on the London based organization, International Alert’s publication,
A Climate of Conflict.

The core message of the said publication is “that conflict-sensitive climate change policies can actively promote peace-building, and that climate-proof peace-building and development policies can be effective climate change adaptation policies.”

The message is derived from the premise that the world is now facing the “consequences of consequences,” that from climate change may stem violent conflict, most especially in poor, under equipped countries. The four key elements of risk, according to the publication, are: political instability, economic weakness, food insecurity and large-scale migration. Because the problem is clearly upon us, the urgent need is no longer prevention, but adaptation—the right kind. And much of its concentration should be in handling conflicts.

The publication notes: “The consequences of consequences are bound to include conflict, but need not include violent conflict up to and including the level of war.” Part of adaptation is also avoiding “maladaptations, which are the result of responses to climate change that lack foresight about climatic or relevant social trends.” (p.10)

---

In Pursuit of the Philippine Competitive Edge:
An Oral History of a Continuing Journey by 50 Wisdom-Keepers

AIM Policy Center
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
December 2007

On the occasion of its tenth anniversary as the Institute’s think tank, the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center, together with its institutional partner, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, embarked on an ambitious oral history project that sought out fifty Filipino luminaries, asking them to reminisce, recount and reflect on fifty years of Philippine history that they have lived through. These “wisdom-keepers” are among the most notable and influential names that helped shaped society as it is today. They come from the fields of politics, economics and culture.

In random and candid musings, drawn out through interviews and focused group discussions, these men and women share their experiences, observations, insights, analyses and judgments on their own nation and their own people. What results in a rich tapestry of stories of what went wrong or right for the Philippines, and the most important question, why. And what this offers us today is a treasure-trove of counsel and lessons from which to draw as we live out our own history and confront our own issues of competitiveness.