Dean Ronald Mendoza Presents Regional Public Goods & Blue Economy Paper in PIDS Conference
03 Oct 2019
Last September 19, 2019, Ateneo School of Government Dean Dr. Ronald U. Mendoza presented a paper on Regional Public Goods and the Blue Economy during the 5th Annual Public Policy Conference of the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) in Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila. The theme of the conference was “Navigating the New Globalization: Local Actions for Global Challenges”.
The presentation focused on the lessons from 14 cases of international cooperation in the provision of regional public goods such as fisheries and joint development of resources. Since markets often fail to price the externalities produced from activities that deplete natural resources like fish stocks and coral reefs, and markets alone are also typically inadequate in promoting social objectives like equity and inclusive economic development. Dean Mendoza stated that a regional public goods framework could prove useful in operationalizing the blue economy policies.
For example, Thailand and Malaysia in 1979 agreed to pursue a bilateral joint development initiative in areas disputed by the two countries, providing a win-win cooperation strategy. Another case is the Western Central Pacific Tuna Management where states (including the Philippines) in the Pacific Ocean agreed to regulate quotas and catch areas to ensure the sustainable utilization of these resources.
Key characteristics of the initiatives include, among other aspects, well-defined legal frameworks underpinning the international cooperation initiative, as well as financing mechanisms to support the contribution of different partners, including low-income countries that are part of the cooperation agreement. The cases also help emphasize the importance of (sometimes joint) research and producing credible data and information for conducting collaborative policymaking and, if necessary, settling disputes.