Before we plunge into our interviews with policy-makers this week, we took a little time today to recover from the flight (nearly 20 hours in the air) and take in some fresh air and sunshine in Tagaytay.



Dear friends and faithful readers,
Tomorrow morning, we finally depart for our trip to the Philippines. !!! After weeks of researching, presenting, and sharing; months of planning and contacting stakeholders; and 10 years of IEDPs before us, we embark on the penultimate stage of our program (our ultimate stage will be presenting our findings to the university community).
We are truly grateful to our many supporters. Financially, we raised enough funds to fully support our program from generous donors by the end of last week. Academically, numerous professors and experts have spoken to us. The likes of Sharon Maccini, Dean Yang, Linda Lim, and Mrs. Weller have enlightened us with their research and knowledge. Our faculty adviser, Tony Chen, has extensively researched various theories and issues of development, encouraging us to examine the broader picture amidst policy team presentations that focused on a specific policy area.
While by no means we consider ourselves to be experts on development in the Philippines, this semester has taught us about the complexities of development, the specificities particular to the Philippines, and the varieties of approaches in policy-making in the areas of economics (FDI, Migration & Remittances), health, human rights, governance, and urban policy.
There is still much more to learn, and what better way than to meet with actual policymakers and stakeholders in the Philippines? As we hear from a wide array of perspectives, including those from the government, civil society, and the private sector, we will continue to blog so that we can share our learnings and experiences there.
Some examples of the stakeholders we will be meeting with include the National Housing Authority (NHA), the Commission on Elections (COMELEC), the US Embassy, Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA), and many more.
We hope you continue to support us through reading this blog. Your support has been invaluable, and we want to share our experiences in the Philippines with you!
Sincerely,
Kristine Chong
IEDP Chair
IEDP Policy team: Urban policy – slum development and land reform
Yr/Program: 2nd year MPP
Area of focus/concentration: human rights, international development
Home State/Country: little hills (Cerritos), CA
Interests: cafes, communities, ideas, stories, typography, theology
What excites me most about PH: reuniting with PH friends; exploring with UM friends; learning more about the complexities and possibilities of development in PH
Will you try balut in PH? once was enough… but this time around, I will if the vegetarians do.
Shout-out: currently lobbying for Team IEDP shirts… suggestions/design submissions welcome. =)
IEDP Policy Team: Health
Yr/ Program: 3rd Year; MHSA/MPP
Area of Focus/Concentration: International Health Management
Home State/Country: Yellow Brick Road, USA
Interests: traveling, cooking, guitar, playing football, and reading anything Gabriel Garcia Marquez wrote
What Excites Me Most about PH: The sites, sounds, and debauchery that will surely accompany a group of 24 graduate students half-way around the world!
Will You Try Balut in PH: Hell Yeah - and I'll wash it down with some San Miguel
IEDP Policy team: Economic 1 - FDI
Yr/Program: 1st year MPP
Area of focus/concentration: International Finance / International Development
Home State/Country: Paris, France
Interests: Coffee, finance, theater, politics and punk rock. More generally, finding evidence that American clichés are true (deep-fried mac’n cheeseburger pizzas exist).
What excites me most about PH: Having a first field experience of development, understanding the challenges faced by policymakers and professionals working in development economics, trying balut.
Will you try balut in PH? I eat frogs, snails & goose livers à I’ll try balut.
IEDP Policy team: Governance
Yr/Program: 2nd Yr MPP / MA in Russian & East European Studies
Area of focus/concentration: I’ve recently come to the revelation that all of my main substantive interests are connected by the concept of human rights (political and civil as well as economic, social, and cultural rights). More specifically, the human rights issues that I focus on tend to be international development, education, and democratization. My thesis topic—Roma education in Eastern Europe—tries to pull a lot of these concepts together. Additionally, I have been trying to build upon my quantitative analysis skills while at the Ford School.
Home State/Country: California
Interests: traveling/exploring, finding out how amazing the world/people can be, volunteering, and leaving the world a little better than when I found it
What excites me most about PH: Even though I’ve had an international focus in my studies since my first year as an undergraduate at Berkeley, I’ve never really studied South-East Asia in any depth. It’s fantastic to have the opportunity to learn so much about the Philippines, add a new stamp to my passport, and—best of all—pick the brains of important local stakeholders. The sight-seeing doesn’t hurt, either. J
Will you try balut in PH? Nope—I’ve been a vegetarian for many years now, and while I’m technically a lacto-ovo vegetarian, balut seems to cross the line. Generally, I rarely eat eggs anyway, even when they aren’t fertilized. I’d love to try any other veggie-friendly, nut-free food while we’re in the Philippines, though my impression of the cuisine is that vegetarianism isn’t exactly widespread…
IEDP Policy team: Microeconomic Policy: Remittances & Migration
Yr/Program: 2nd year MPP
Area of focus/concentration: Economic development & international development policy
Home State/Country: Texas
Interests: Traveling, yoga, cooking, hiking
What excites me most about PH: Studying remittances & migration + warm weather over Spring break!
Will you try balut in PH? No, I’m nearly a vegetarianJ
IEDP Policy team: Human Rights
Yr/Program: 2nd year, MPP
Area of focus/concentration: Urban policy, Poverty policy
Home State/Country: Illinois, USA
Interests: reading, collecting records, running, travelling, watching films, cooking
What excites me most about PH: the opportunity to learn from policymakers in the field, delicious food, warm weather, new landscapes
Will you try balut in PH? No way, no how.
Yr/Program: 2nd Year/MPP
Area of focus/concentration: International Economic Development
Home State/Country: New Jersey/USA
Interests: Travel, travel and more travel, trying to get through all the unread books on my bookshelf, watching movies, listening to and playing music, languages.
What excites me most about PH: My studies have focused on Latin America and India, so I am really enjoying learning about the Philippines and its development. I am thrilled to be studying remittances and migration. It’s a fascinating topic! I’m also psyched to experience a new country and to overcome my fear of karaoke!! I’m practicing singing as we speak...Bon Jovi anyone?
Will you try balut in PH? Have I ever turned down food?
IEDP Policy team: Health
Yr/Program: MBA 2010
Area of focus/concentration: Social entrepreneurship
Home State/Country: India/Illinois/Georgia/Australia/UAE/India – yah I don’t know
Interests: Travelling to new places, Anything outdoors/active, Service (Volunteering)
What excites me most about PH: Learning about maternal health, thinking of how the lessons here could apply to India
Will you try balut in PH? I’m up for trying anything once, but (un?)fortunately I’m vegetarian