Country Report: Philippines Essay -- essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Improving conditions for the entire world may seem like a daunting task. It may be more beneficial to look at a single piece of the puzzle and its experience of improving conditions. Narrowing the field of study to a single country allows for a more detailed analysis of the path taken to achieve improved conditions for the single country. Improving the conditions of a country through a process of change is called development. Measuring development in a single country allows us to understand some of the policy, historical trends and natural conditions that are better for development. By looking at the Philippines background, recent political and economic issues, and the economic performance of the past and perspective future, a better understanding of development will be achieved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Philippines became known to the western world in the early 1500’s with the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan. In 1565 Spain officially colonized the area under Miguel Lopez. Spain controlled the area for over 300 years before, with the help of America, Spanish control was lost and an American-Philippine joint rule occurred. The colonial system had two major influences on the path of development that the Philippines took. The manorial system set up by Spanish colonialists brought a strong divide in the wealth of the country that is still seen today and the religious influence of the Roman Catholic Church makes the Philippines the only country in Asia that is predominately Christian. Over ninety percent of the population is Roman Catholic or Protestant (ACTD Berkly). These influences took the development path through a constant fight of poverty and western ideas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The isolation provided by a mountainous terrain and an island country was used by the United States to keep influence on the area until occupation during World War II. After the defeat of Japan, the Philippines gained their independence on July 4th, 1946. The country experienced dictatorial rule until President Marcos was ousted in a snap election held in the beginning of 1987. Soon after, the Constitution was written and ratified on February 11th, 1987 (CIA Philippines). This point marks the beginning of an important institutional strength in the form of democratic rule. The Freedom House measuring political rights and civil libe... ...elopment. The future of development for the Philippines would be most effective by focusing on the reduction of poverty and income inequality. Bibliography 2002 World Fact Book: Philippines, updated March 19th 2003: Central Intelligence Agency, [April 1st, 2003]. Available from World Wide Web: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/rp.html. Academic Talent Development Program, U.C. Berkley, 1996-2003, [April 1st, 2003].   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Available through World Wide Web. http://www-atdp.berkeley.edu/9931/jvillatl/history.html. The Philippines Economy, The Economist, August 10th, 2003: The Economist Print Group, [April 1st, 2003]. Available from World Wide Web. http://www.economist.com/countries/Philippines/. World Development Report 2000/01: Attacking Poverty, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, 2000: Oxford University Press, [April 1st, 2003]. Available through Lexus-Nexus. A World Free of Poverty, World Bank Report, 2002: The World Bank Group, [April 1st, 2003]. Available from World Wide Web: http://lnweb18.worldbank.org/eap/eap.nsf/87d06ef07cb6cd69852567c90077a6de/d18a645fa0f6e39b852567cb000e55e2?OpenDocument.