Oligarchic rule and best practice migration management: the political economy origins of labour migration regime of the Philippines

ABSTRACT

The Philippine labour migration regime has been praised as one of the best examples of government-led migration management in the developing world, with some of the most extensive policies and bureaucratic organisations to manage and protect its citizens working abroad. However, not much knowledge has been accumulated that explains its origins or why it emerged in the Philippines and not in other large-scale migrant-sending countries. Contrary to current explanations that emphasise the economic benefits of labour migration and civil society mobilisation, this paper highlights the migration regime's compatibility with the political economy interests of the country's ruling elites. Bringing together the country's two important political and economic features, oligarchic rule and labour export, this paper suggests that the unique genesis of the Philippines’ migration regime casts doubts on the replicability of the Philippine model in other labour-sending countries as currently pursued by the international development community.

KEYWORDS:

• International labour migration
• migration management
• political economy
• civil society
• oligarchic elites
• the Philippines

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on contributor

Yoon Ah Oh is a research fellow at Korea Institute for International Economic Policy (KIEP) in Korea. Her research centers on the intersection between globalization and domestic politics in developing countries with a geographic focus on Southeast Asia. Her research interests also include ASEAN regional integration and ASEAN's external relations.

Notes

1. Based on the author's calculation using the World Development Indicators from 2005 and 2010.

2. In the Summer of 2013, emerging market currencies experienced substantial depreciation upon the announcements related to the tapering of the US Federal Reserve's Quantitative Easing. The Philippines fared far better than other emerging economies in the region, including Indonesia and Thailand, largely because of its sizable current account surplus and ample reserves (IMF, 2013, p. 6).

3. Interview with Ellene A. Sana, Executive Director of the Center for Migrant Advocacy, July 30, 2008, Manila, the Philippines.

4. The Philippines is a leading member of the Colombo Process, a regional consultative process on the management of overseas employment and contractual labour for countries of origin in Asia. The 10 participating countries include Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.