Sanctions with Chinese characteristics: Rhetoric and restraint in China's Diplomacy by AngelaPoh, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2021, 372 pages
Ensuring a progressive tax structure while observing economic growth objectives has been one of t... more Ensuring a progressive tax structure while observing economic growth objectives has been one of the significant challenges in taxation policy. A progressive tax structure would mean that those with the lower ability to pay will face a relatively lower tax burden, imposing much higher tax rates to those with a higher ability to pay. But this could have the effect of discouraging work for the relatively more productive taxpayers hence a trade-off between increased revenues and a more equitable tax system. Various income tax reform proposals has recently been filed in the Philippine legislature, all with the aim of updating the 1997 income tax structure, and ensuring a more progressive income tax system while still mindful of growth objectives. This paper analyzes the three income tax reform proposals filed by
The Silk Road Spirit: China’s BRI discourse and its pursuit for great power status
Asian Politics & Policy, Oct 4, 2021
Current interpretations making sense of China's policy rationale for pursuing the Belt and Ro... more Current interpretations making sense of China's policy rationale for pursuing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) often highlight explanations rooted in the logic of economic statecraft. This article proposes a different perspective by looking at the BRI as part of China's longstanding agenda to construct and present a positive and distinct major power image for itself. This perspective is consistent with the assumptions of Social Identity Theory (SIT), where groups pursue positive identity through the sociocognitive processes of categorization and self‐enhancement. By identifying referential and predication discursive strategies as reflected in official texts, this article finds representations of both categorization and self‐enhancement at work through China's Silk Road Spirit discourse of the BRI. Through this discourse, China seeks to cultivate a positive and distinct identity for itself by distinguishing its in‐group and out‐group and by forwarding positive values in terms of how international relations ought to be conducted.
While much attention has been directed on the security and economic implications of China's rise ... more While much attention has been directed on the security and economic implications of China's rise in the region, research on the normative implications of China's persistent attempt at projecting a positive major power identity continue to be lacking. This paper seeks to contribute to this growing literature, as it applies Social Identity Theory (SIT) in analyzing China's discourses toward Southeast Asia from Mao to Xi. More specifically, it unpacks social identity phenomena within discourses reflected in official documents by using predicate analysis. Insights from the findings of this paper underscore China's growing role as a normative power driven by a longstanding objective to be perceived positively and distinctively. Likewise, this paper also finds that there is a continuity with respect to China's foreign policy discourse of depicting Sino-Southeast Asia relations as unique and united. There are also indications that Southeast Asia has consistently been presented as benefiting from its relations with China, thereby treating it as a prototype of what a Sino-centric order might offer for the rest of the world. Ultimately, China's discourses of itself, Southeast Asia, and Sino-Southeast Asia relations point to major power aspirations of constructing a united in-group and a positive identity.
The Philippines in 2020: Exposed Deficiencies and Aggravated Backsliding in a Year of Crises
Philippine Political Science Journal, Jul 16, 2021
While the COVID-19 pandemic presented itself as a global challenge that greatly hampered progress... more While the COVID-19 pandemic presented itself as a global challenge that greatly hampered progress everywhere, its combination with other national emergencies and political developments in the country made 2020 a year of crises for the Philippines. The year of crises presented itself as a litmus test for the effectiveness of Rodrigo Duterte’s populist leadership and for the resilience of Philippine democracy. It was a year of reckoning that unmasked the government’s misplaced priorities and exposed systemic deficiencies in various areas of governance. Likewise, the year of crises also provided an effective rationale for greater executive aggrandizement, aggravating the continued trend of democratic backsliding since 2016. This year-end review outlines how the government has managed the year of crises, and how its responses led to these two thematic developments that define 2020 for the Philippines. The essay provides local contextualization in terms of how democratic backsliding is aggravated by situations of crises, and how these crises unmask systemic deficiencies in weak democracies such as the Philippines.
While much attention has been directed on the security and economic implications of China’s rise ... more While much attention has been directed on the security and economic implications of China’s rise in the region, research on the normative implications of China’s persistent attempt at projecting a positive major power identity continue to be lacking. This paper seeks to contribute to this growing literature, as it applies Social Identity Theory (SIT) in analyzing China’s discourses toward Southeast Asia from Mao to Xi. More specifically, it unpacks social identity phenomena within discourses reflected in official documents by using predicate analysis. Insights from the findings of this paper underscore China’s growing role as a normative power driven by a longstanding objective to be perceived positively and distinctively. Likewise, this paper also finds that there is a continuity with respect to China’s foreign policy discourse of depicting Sino-Southeast Asia relations as unique and united. There are also indications that Southeast Asia has consistently been presented as benefitin...
The Philippines in 2020: Exposed Deficiencies and Aggravated Backsliding in a Year of Crises
Philippine Political Science Journal
While the COVID-19 pandemic presented itself as a global challenge that greatly hampered progress... more While the COVID-19 pandemic presented itself as a global challenge that greatly hampered progress everywhere, its combination with other national emergencies and political developments in the country made 2020 a year of crises for the Philippines. The year of crises presented itself as a litmus test for the effectiveness of Rodrigo Duterte’s populist leadership and for the resilience of Philippine democracy. It was a year of reckoning that unmasked the government’s misplaced priorities and exposed systemic deficiencies in various areas of governance. Likewise, the year of crises also provided an effective rationale for greater executive aggrandizement, aggravating the continued trend of democratic backsliding since 2016. This year-end review outlines how the government has managed the year of crises, and how its responses led to these two thematic developments that define 2020 for the Philippines. The essay provides local contextualization in terms of how democratic backsliding is a...
While much attention has been directed on the security and economic implications of China’s rise ... more While much attention has been directed on the security and economic implications of China’s rise in the region, research on the normative implications of China’s persistent attempt at projecting a positive major power identity continue to be lacking. This paper seeks to contribute to this growing literature, as it applies Social Identity Theory (SIT) in analyzing China’s discourses toward Southeast Asia from Mao to Xi. More specifically, it unpacks social identity phenomena within discourses reflected in official documents by using predicate analysis. Insights from the findings of this paper underscore China’s growing role as a normative power driven by a longstanding objective to be perceived positively and distinctively. Likewise, this paper also finds that there is a continuity with respect to China’s foreign policy discourse of depicting Sino-Southeast Asia relations as unique and united. There are also indications that Southeast Asia has consistently been presented as benefitin...
Sanctions with Chinese characteristics: Rhetoric and restraint in China's Diplomacy by AngelaPoh, Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press, 2021, 372 pages
Ensuring a progressive tax structure while observing economic growth objectives has been one of t... more Ensuring a progressive tax structure while observing economic growth objectives has been one of the significant challenges in taxation policy. A progressive tax structure would mean that those with the lower ability to pay will face a relatively lower tax burden, imposing much higher tax rates to those with a higher ability to pay. But this could have the effect of discouraging work for the relatively more productive taxpayers hence a trade-off between increased revenues and a more equitable tax system. Various income tax reform proposals has recently been filed in the Philippine legislature, all with the aim of updating the 1997 income tax structure, and ensuring a more progressive income tax system while still mindful of growth objectives. This paper analyzes the three income tax reform proposals filed by
The Silk Road Spirit: China’s BRI discourse and its pursuit for great power status
Asian Politics & Policy, Oct 4, 2021
Current interpretations making sense of China's policy rationale for pursuing the Belt and Ro... more Current interpretations making sense of China's policy rationale for pursuing the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) often highlight explanations rooted in the logic of economic statecraft. This article proposes a different perspective by looking at the BRI as part of China's longstanding agenda to construct and present a positive and distinct major power image for itself. This perspective is consistent with the assumptions of Social Identity Theory (SIT), where groups pursue positive identity through the sociocognitive processes of categorization and self‐enhancement. By identifying referential and predication discursive strategies as reflected in official texts, this article finds representations of both categorization and self‐enhancement at work through China's Silk Road Spirit discourse of the BRI. Through this discourse, China seeks to cultivate a positive and distinct identity for itself by distinguishing its in‐group and out‐group and by forwarding positive values in terms of how international relations ought to be conducted.
While much attention has been directed on the security and economic implications of China's rise ... more While much attention has been directed on the security and economic implications of China's rise in the region, research on the normative implications of China's persistent attempt at projecting a positive major power identity continue to be lacking. This paper seeks to contribute to this growing literature, as it applies Social Identity Theory (SIT) in analyzing China's discourses toward Southeast Asia from Mao to Xi. More specifically, it unpacks social identity phenomena within discourses reflected in official documents by using predicate analysis. Insights from the findings of this paper underscore China's growing role as a normative power driven by a longstanding objective to be perceived positively and distinctively. Likewise, this paper also finds that there is a continuity with respect to China's foreign policy discourse of depicting Sino-Southeast Asia relations as unique and united. There are also indications that Southeast Asia has consistently been presented as benefiting from its relations with China, thereby treating it as a prototype of what a Sino-centric order might offer for the rest of the world. Ultimately, China's discourses of itself, Southeast Asia, and Sino-Southeast Asia relations point to major power aspirations of constructing a united in-group and a positive identity.
The Philippines in 2020: Exposed Deficiencies and Aggravated Backsliding in a Year of Crises
Philippine Political Science Journal, Jul 16, 2021
While the COVID-19 pandemic presented itself as a global challenge that greatly hampered progress... more While the COVID-19 pandemic presented itself as a global challenge that greatly hampered progress everywhere, its combination with other national emergencies and political developments in the country made 2020 a year of crises for the Philippines. The year of crises presented itself as a litmus test for the effectiveness of Rodrigo Duterte’s populist leadership and for the resilience of Philippine democracy. It was a year of reckoning that unmasked the government’s misplaced priorities and exposed systemic deficiencies in various areas of governance. Likewise, the year of crises also provided an effective rationale for greater executive aggrandizement, aggravating the continued trend of democratic backsliding since 2016. This year-end review outlines how the government has managed the year of crises, and how its responses led to these two thematic developments that define 2020 for the Philippines. The essay provides local contextualization in terms of how democratic backsliding is aggravated by situations of crises, and how these crises unmask systemic deficiencies in weak democracies such as the Philippines.
While much attention has been directed on the security and economic implications of China’s rise ... more While much attention has been directed on the security and economic implications of China’s rise in the region, research on the normative implications of China’s persistent attempt at projecting a positive major power identity continue to be lacking. This paper seeks to contribute to this growing literature, as it applies Social Identity Theory (SIT) in analyzing China’s discourses toward Southeast Asia from Mao to Xi. More specifically, it unpacks social identity phenomena within discourses reflected in official documents by using predicate analysis. Insights from the findings of this paper underscore China’s growing role as a normative power driven by a longstanding objective to be perceived positively and distinctively. Likewise, this paper also finds that there is a continuity with respect to China’s foreign policy discourse of depicting Sino-Southeast Asia relations as unique and united. There are also indications that Southeast Asia has consistently been presented as benefitin...
The Philippines in 2020: Exposed Deficiencies and Aggravated Backsliding in a Year of Crises
Philippine Political Science Journal
While the COVID-19 pandemic presented itself as a global challenge that greatly hampered progress... more While the COVID-19 pandemic presented itself as a global challenge that greatly hampered progress everywhere, its combination with other national emergencies and political developments in the country made 2020 a year of crises for the Philippines. The year of crises presented itself as a litmus test for the effectiveness of Rodrigo Duterte’s populist leadership and for the resilience of Philippine democracy. It was a year of reckoning that unmasked the government’s misplaced priorities and exposed systemic deficiencies in various areas of governance. Likewise, the year of crises also provided an effective rationale for greater executive aggrandizement, aggravating the continued trend of democratic backsliding since 2016. This year-end review outlines how the government has managed the year of crises, and how its responses led to these two thematic developments that define 2020 for the Philippines. The essay provides local contextualization in terms of how democratic backsliding is a...
While much attention has been directed on the security and economic implications of China’s rise ... more While much attention has been directed on the security and economic implications of China’s rise in the region, research on the normative implications of China’s persistent attempt at projecting a positive major power identity continue to be lacking. This paper seeks to contribute to this growing literature, as it applies Social Identity Theory (SIT) in analyzing China’s discourses toward Southeast Asia from Mao to Xi. More specifically, it unpacks social identity phenomena within discourses reflected in official documents by using predicate analysis. Insights from the findings of this paper underscore China’s growing role as a normative power driven by a longstanding objective to be perceived positively and distinctively. Likewise, this paper also finds that there is a continuity with respect to China’s foreign policy discourse of depicting Sino-Southeast Asia relations as unique and united. There are also indications that Southeast Asia has consistently been presented as benefitin...
This paper presents an outline history of China’s exchange rate regimes from 1949 to the present,... more This paper presents an outline history of China’s exchange rate regimes from 1949 to the present, and the corresponding policy implications of each. The discussion aims to trace trends from (1) the exchange rate regime of China since the foundation of the Chinese Communist Party (party), and (2) the national economic interest and general policy goals of China during the periods discussed. It also aims to shed light on the factors that may determine China’s decision to adopt certain exchange rate policies vis- à-vis current international political pressures from both state and international organizations. Currently, China’s currency is of a huge international concern in trade as many believed that the Renminbi (RMB) continues to be undervalued or cheap hence unreflective of its true value. This, according to critics, was adopted by the party to maintain cheap exports hence maintain the huge economy of China which largely depends on income from trade.
The first part of this paper will discuss the economics behind the different exchange rate regimes and the exchange rate system itself. The second part would provide an outline history of the exchange rate regimes adopted by China and their policy implications. The prospects for China’s exchange rate regime will be discussed afterwards.
Western powers have always tried to penetrate China’s economy and get what it can, knowing that t... more Western powers have always tried to penetrate China’s economy and get what it can, knowing that the empire has a lot to offer. At best, they were given very limited access through the Canton system, ensuring that the Chinese still benefitted in the end of every commercial transaction with the outsiders. But the opium wars, together with the assertiveness of Britain, aided the western powers to open China to trade and eventually establish their economic interests within. The treaty port is indeed a manifestation of western commercial institutions slowly creeping in to China to realize the potential gains of the huge economy. This has also provided them with the opportunity to influence the empire to inevitably support the rising economic order, which is based on high degrees of economic openness. With the presence of these enclaves, it is natural to ask what has been the impact of open ports under foreign control to the areas where they were established, and to China’s economy as a whole. In essence, this kind of questioning tries to see what has been the impact of western imperialism to a huge empire like China. The existing literature on this topic has dwelled on this question through different approaches and through different foci that led them to different conclusions. This paper has provided a systematic narrative explanation of the current existing ideas through a review of the relevant literature on the treaty ports and on China’s economy during the late Qing empire. This paper specifically looks at (1) development within the treaty ports, and the (2) impact this had in China’s economy. With the great deal of difficulty involved in trying to obtain primary data on trade and China’s economy during the Qing empire, the general review also emphasized empirical data compiled by the different authors in building on the objectives of this paper.
This paper is an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of the International Monetary Fund in infl... more This paper is an attempt to evaluate the effectiveness of the International Monetary Fund in influencing China’s exchange rate policies since moving towards a managed floating exchange rate regime in 2005. By juxtaposing available documentary evidences such as IMF surveillance reports, monetary policy reports from the People’s Bank of China, and relevant statements from its monetary officials, it is evident that IMF recommendations do not figure well in China’s exchange rate reform policies for the past decade. The fact that U.S. had unilaterally engaged China in this area also shows proof of the inadequacy in IMF’s surveillance work.
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Papers by Enrico Gloria
The first part of this paper will discuss the economics behind the different exchange rate regimes and the exchange rate system itself. The second part would provide an outline history of the exchange rate regimes adopted by China and their policy implications. The prospects for China’s exchange rate regime will be discussed afterwards.
With the presence of these enclaves, it is natural to ask what has been the impact of open ports under foreign control to the areas where they were established, and to China’s economy as a whole. In essence, this kind of questioning tries to see what has been the impact of western imperialism to a huge empire like China. The existing literature on this topic has dwelled on this question through different approaches and through different foci that led them to different conclusions. This paper has provided a systematic narrative explanation of the current existing ideas through a review of the relevant literature on the treaty ports and on China’s economy during the late Qing empire. This paper specifically looks at (1) development within the treaty ports, and the (2) impact this had in China’s
economy. With the great deal of difficulty involved in trying to obtain primary data on trade and China’s economy during the Qing empire, the general review also emphasized empirical data compiled by the different authors in building on the objectives of this paper.