DBWI was the philipino economic miracle invitable?

Well the Philipines has just passed up Italy in GDP, and has long since surpassed spain, its kind of hard to think of the philipines as being anything other then a rich developed country but for a good part of the 40s, 50s, and even the early 60s they struggled and only really became an economic juggernaut during the 70s.

My question was this was it Invitable? What was it that led to the Philipino economic miracle? Was it good government, or was it made invitable by geography and culture as many economists think? What do you guys think?
 
The Philippines abandoned their post independence economic model by the 1970s. Focusing on certain industries abandoning mercantilism and import substitution in favor of comparative advantage. It is economics 101.

They abandoned the rice self sufficiency production. It was a waste of money for a product that barely makes any money. Instead they focused on more profitable agriculture products like bananas, cacao or even process food. Even though they are a rice importer they are the largest rice processed food exporter in the world from rice cake, to rice wine, etc. Abandoning rice self sufficiency production was the correct move as Mekong river countries realized who focused on rice export/production who are still poor today.

They also abandoned state sponsorship on saturated and less profitable industries like steel and focused instead on more profitable industries like shipbuilding and aircraft manufacturing. They may be the largest steel importers in the world, but who doesn't buy those high quality ships and aircraft from them just like you buy those high quality cars from Japan.

Their model is opposite of Mao's China wherein they tried to produce everything including things that didn't make a profit which led to the Great Leap Backward.

Philippine success is almost a given learning from the masters of capitalism their colonial mentor, the Americans or at least what the Americans taught them. Which in turn the Americans relearned from their former colony on economic management when Philippines overtook US shipbuilding production.
 
I think they took to heart what Korea was doing in the 60s and merely applied themselves accordingly. In fact, the Asian tigers of Japan, South Korea, South Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, Taiwan and Philippines did what all successful burgeoning economies did--ruthlessly supported heavy industry and made massive trade barriers. The economies of these countries are larger than the Eurozone and the United States as well. No wonder nationalist right wingers have been making a comeback in the west for some time.
 
One should not overlook the succesful birth prevention policies which have been modeled by many countries. Total fertility rate in the Philippines was well over seven in early 1960's. By widescale de-facto introduction of contraceptive means from 1960's onwards the TFR dropped towards 2. This made inevitable the demographic boom of 1980's when there was en masse of young people entering the workforce while coming generations were smaller. The improvement in Philipino education was also significant as age classes became smaller and more resources could be spent on schooling each kid.
 
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