This issue of the Development Research News mainly features the observance of the 12th Development Policy Research Month which the Institute spearheads in September each year. The theme for this year, "Addressing the Jobs Challenge Toward Inclusive Growth", highlights the need for labor and industrial reforms for inclusive growth. It underscores the effect of labor policies such as the minimum wage-setting, the lack of more productive jobs, and issues in the education sector that have further contributed to persistent poverty and inequality. Several articles deal with these important issues, including the recommendations from the PIDS study on "Labor Policy Analysis for Jobs Expansion and Development" that advocates for a 12-point agenda to address the jobs challenge.
This year`s DPRM was even more significant with the Institute co-organizing the first-ever International Conference on Impact Evaluation of its scale in Asia, which drew more than 400 policymakers, program managers, and researchers from different parts of the world. The theme, "Making Impact Evaluation Matter: Better Evidence for Effective Policies and Programs", is apt as the Philippines reaps the gains of an improved fiscal situation through the provision of more social services and poverty reduction programs.
This issue also features the 2013/2014 Annual Forum of the East Asian Development Network held in July at The Peninsula Manila Makati. The forum brought together country coordinators and member-institutes as EADN grantees discussed the progress and results of their research. PIDS holds the leadership role in the regional research network that is allied with the Global Development Network, a testament to the important role it plays in promoting evidence-based policymaking in the country and in the region.