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Philippine Politics and the Marcos Technocrats: The Emergence and Evolution of a Power Elite
While studies on Philippine elites have generally assumed that their political and economic power emanate from belonging to political dynasties, Philippine Politics and the Marcos Technocrats: The Emergence and Evolution of a Power Elite elucidates the emergence of the Philippine technocracy, not from their politico-economic backgrounds, but from their technical knowledge and expertise. Such technical skills were needed by then President Ferdinand E. Marcos and by multilateral lending institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
This book traces the rise of technocrats who were part of President Marcos’s pre-martial law administration (1965–1972) and who segued into the martial law regime. It looks into their family and educational backgrounds and how these have shaped and developed the technocratic know-how which made them valuable to local businesses and multinational corporations in the 1950s to the 1960s. This ultimately led to their recruitment into government in the 1960s--a time when the state was increasingly expanding its economic activities in the public sphere. The book shows that precisely on matters of economic policy-making, there was that precarious dynamics between the technocrats on one hand, and a pre-martial law Congress and the business community on the other, both dominated by family economic interests. The book thus hopes to add to the scant existing literature that illustrates how power elites like technocrats transform into important players in policy-making.
This book traces the rise of technocrats who were part of President Marcos’s pre-martial law administration (1965–1972) and who segued into the martial law regime. It looks into their family and educational backgrounds and how these have shaped and developed the technocratic know-how which made them valuable to local businesses and multinational corporations in the 1950s to the 1960s. This ultimately led to their recruitment into government in the 1960s--a time when the state was increasingly expanding its economic activities in the public sphere. The book shows that precisely on matters of economic policy-making, there was that precarious dynamics between the technocrats on one hand, and a pre-martial law Congress and the business community on the other, both dominated by family economic interests. The book thus hopes to add to the scant existing literature that illustrates how power elites like technocrats transform into important players in policy-making.
244 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 3, 2021
It’s very technical and I think requires a decent amount of knowledge on economics to fully grasp, but as a work of research on the technocratic aspects of the first term of Marcos, it’s exceptional. I’m not as familiar as scholars would be about the field of Marcos studies, but from the little I’m aware of and have read, this feels like it absolutely breaks new ground and is therefore I think one of the most important books to read about our country’s economic history.
Some background terms/organizations that would be helpful to be familiar with before the book: IMF, World Bank, Import Substitution Industries (ISI), Export Oriented Industries (EOI), Neoliberalism, Protectionism, and perhaps some history of what was going on in the Philippines after WW2.
Sounds like a lot, I know, but the book is fantastic and I really need to familiarize myself more with the works of Tadem. I’m certain they’re all essential reading.
Some background terms/organizations that would be helpful to be familiar with before the book: IMF, World Bank, Import Substitution Industries (ISI), Export Oriented Industries (EOI), Neoliberalism, Protectionism, and perhaps some history of what was going on in the Philippines after WW2.
Sounds like a lot, I know, but the book is fantastic and I really need to familiarize myself more with the works of Tadem. I’m certain they’re all essential reading.
January 27, 2022
The book Philippine politics and the Marcos technocrats: the emergence and evolution of a power elite investigates the emergence of Philippine technocracy. It emphasized the role of political dynasties and western education in the rise of technocrats during the pre-martial law era, specifically Alba, Fabella, Mapa, Paterno, and Virata. The author then attempted to link the impact of both education and family to their ascent in both the corporate world and the political arena, where their technical expertise was sought.
The most essential element of the book, in my opinion, is the critical assessment of policy-making done by technocrats and the politics behind it. Most economists, social scientists, and historians are always skeptical of this aspect of policymaking. For example, the book looked at the larger role that technocrats had in striving to liberalize the economy and so attacking numerous industries that rely on import substitution. By transitioning to EOI, certain businesses were neglected in order for another set of businesses to thrive. However, it was stressed how the technocrats were segmented in their policy stances by other elite blocs in the congress or senate, compelling them to compromise. Following the author's analysis, this is also the reason why martial law was favorable for the technocrats- for it lead to economic expediency. Though it is worth noting that many technocrats were taken off guard by the declaration of martial law and were adamant about it.
The book's message is clear. The development that the United States envisioned for developing countries like the Philippines failed because it paid little to no attention to the country's distinctive historical conditions and cultural peculiarities. In other words, in a society with a weak bureaucracy, clashing political dynasties, personality politics, and patronage made it difficult for technical expertise to thrive.
The most essential element of the book, in my opinion, is the critical assessment of policy-making done by technocrats and the politics behind it. Most economists, social scientists, and historians are always skeptical of this aspect of policymaking. For example, the book looked at the larger role that technocrats had in striving to liberalize the economy and so attacking numerous industries that rely on import substitution. By transitioning to EOI, certain businesses were neglected in order for another set of businesses to thrive. However, it was stressed how the technocrats were segmented in their policy stances by other elite blocs in the congress or senate, compelling them to compromise. Following the author's analysis, this is also the reason why martial law was favorable for the technocrats- for it lead to economic expediency. Though it is worth noting that many technocrats were taken off guard by the declaration of martial law and were adamant about it.
The book's message is clear. The development that the United States envisioned for developing countries like the Philippines failed because it paid little to no attention to the country's distinctive historical conditions and cultural peculiarities. In other words, in a society with a weak bureaucracy, clashing political dynasties, personality politics, and patronage made it difficult for technical expertise to thrive.
March 11, 2025
Finished this a year ago for my History presentation. Overall, this provided me a more detailed history which I was able to utilize well. I love learning new things.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews