Policy Dialogue Series

The Policy Dialogue Series (PDS) began in 1987. The forum is a university-wide dialogue between the academe and various institutions of Philippine society, such as the government, media, business sector and civil society, aimed at facilitating intelligent discussions on key issues. Since its first series (“Academe Meets the Aquino Administration”), it has contributed to the search for alternative and viable policies and areas for reform.
Recent Policy Dialogue Series
In Session: Legislations in the 14th Philippine Congress (2007-2008)
Towards a Human Security Framework
This five-installment series seeks to examine the existing development and national security frameworks vis-à-vis the human security model in pursuing national development and peace-building goals. It is envisioned to jumpstart other activities that can facilitate the formulation of a strategy to mainstream human security as a policy framework of government. Specifically, the PDS 2006 aims to: review the existing development and national security frameworks, from which stems the country’s policy responses to peace building and conflict resolution; provide a comprehensive overview of a human security framework as an alternative framework in policymaking and implementation of initiatives on peace building, conflict prevention, and development; and develop mechanisms in adopting a human security as a policy framework. The PDS 2006 will also facilitate the process of clarifying the concept of human security across different sectors (government, nongovernment, private, etc.) and how this can be applied in the Philippine context. Furthermore, the series endeavors to advance the eventual adoption of the human security framework in the local and national levels of policymaking.
The Decade-Long Membership of the Philippines in the World Trade Organization
As the country gears up for the full implementation of the General Agreement on Tariff and Trade-Uruguay Round (GATT-UR), the 2005 series aimed to provide an opportunity to assess the country’s performance in multilateral trade under the World Trade Organization (WTO), as well as to take stock on its trajectory, given the 10-year experience. The dialogue series primarily focused on three key themes: Assessment of the decade-long membership of the Philippines in the WTO, Philippine Negotiating Positions in the 6th WTO Ministerial Conference, and Policy Implications of the Ministerial.
The Policy Dialogue Series 2005 was a collaborative undertaking of the TWSC and the Center for Integrative and Development Studies of the University of the Philippines and the BusinessWorld, in cooperation with the UP Economics Towards Consciousness and League of College Councils.
Policy Dialogue Series 2004