PIDS tops SEA ranking

 Economy
Feb 012014
 

MANILA, Philippines – State-run Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) ranked as the top think tank in Southeast Asia and remains one of the best in the world, according to the 2013 Global Go Think Tank Report released by the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program (TTCSP) of the University of Pennsylvania.

The TTCSP report recently appraised 6,826 think tanks from 182 countries.

Based on the report, PIDS was ranked 37th among the top 50 social policy think tanks in the world. It surpassed the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) in Singapore that was ranked 41st.

PIDS also managed to improve its position from 40th place in last year’s report.

Only PIDS and ISEAS are the ASEAN think tanks included in the world ranking of top social policy think tanks.

On the other hand, PIDS was ranked 70th among 80 top international development think tanks and has moved up from its ranking of 79th in the 2012 report.

Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1

The Global Go To Think Tank Report is a comprehensive ranking of the world`s top think tanks and acknowledges the important contributions and emerging global trends of think tanks worldwide.

As a state-funded think tank, PIDS is devoted to independent research and innovative policy solutions. Since its establishment in 1977, it has been engaged in conducting long-term, policy-oriented studies to assist policymakers and planners in crafting development plans and programs that are based on sound research evidence.

It has completed more than 800 studies that encompass a wide range of development issues such as trade, competition policy, housing and urban development, demography, poverty, agriculture, environment, public finance, information and communication technology, education, health economics, and others.

PIDS has assumed leadership roles in regional knowledge networks such as the East Asian Development Network (EADN) and is also an active member of the Global Development Network (GDN).

PIDS has also conducted numerous seminars and conferences with representatives from international agencies such as the ADB, World Bank, and various United Nations agencies.

President Aquino, during his State of the Nation Address last year, quoted the policy recommendations of a PIDS study on the government’s conditional cash transfer program, Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps), as the basis for his decision to extend the program.

Gov’t warns of another power crisis

 Economy
Feb 272013
 
Gov’t warns of another power crisis

MANILA, Philippines – The power crisis that hobbled Mindanao last year may recur if the region’s baseload capacity is not increased soon, a government think tank said. Based on a study conducted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS), the Mindanao power crisis may stage a comeback in this year’s and next year’s summer season given that there had been no additions to the baseload capacity. Baseload capacity refers to the generation units normally used to meet power demand round-the-clock. PIDS senior research fellow Adoracion Navarro said in the summer of 2012, Mindanao experienced a crippling power crisis, which revealed the shoddy and fragmented state of energy infrastructure in the region as well as in the whole country. Entering another summer period, attention is again rising because of the precariously low power supply, which is feared to put a brake on economic development. “Businesses, for instance, have voiced concerns that the country’s energy situation may slow down and even stunt the country’s economic growth,” Navarro said. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Consolidated forecasts for electricity demand for the period 2010-2019 show an annual average demand growth of 4.28 percent in Mindanao, which is higher than the national rate of 3.63 percent for the same period. The Mindanao grid at present has 37.31-percent baseload generating capacity, a far cry from Luzon’s 63.94 percent and Visayas’ 71.88 percent, based on 2012 data from the Department of Energy (DOE). Mindanao’s generating capacity is also heavily dependent on hydropower, Read More …

Phl think tank among world's best

 Economy
Jan 312013
 
Phl think tank among world's best

MANILA, Philippines – State think tank Philippine Institute of Development Studies ranked among the best in the world in a report published by the University of Pennsylvania. “In the 2012 Global Go To Think Tanks Report and Policy Advice of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program of the University of Pennsylvania, PIDS ranked 40th and 79th on the list of the world`s best social policy think tanks and development think tanks, respectively,” the state agency said. The Go To Think Tank index ranks 6,603 think tanks in 182 countries according to region and specialization. For 2012, more than 1,100 individuals from 120 countries participated in the nominations and rankings process, the report said. “We are pleased with the continued international recognition for our quality of policy research,” PIDS President Josef T. Yap said. “Still, we feel that no formulaic rankings can fully capture the distinctiveness of any think tank. The Global Go-To Think Tank is just one measure of a think tank’s performance and impact, and should be used in conjunction with other metrics. PIDS continues to be the authority in Philippine economic and social development policy research and is one the most influential, most quoted, and most trusted think tanks in the country and in the region,” he added. Business ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Established in 1977, PIDS has been engaged in conducting long-term, evidence-based research used for the formulation of socioeconomic policies in the country.