The project was supported by AusAID and gathered universities, local governments, and civil society groups to share their experiences on initiatives that promote open and accountable local governance. Based on the findings from the research and knowledge dialogues on university-community engagement, a series of policy notes were produced. The policy notes highlighted the key problems and determined the best alternative for improving the institutional landscape for promoting university-community engagement. The Institute organized a series of roundtable discussions with government agencies to drive the policy effort to create an enabling environment for enhanced university-community engagement.

This project contributed to building local capacity for more responsive planning in education. It aimed to increase understanding of institutions and politics in education reforms, particularly in effective Local School Boards. The resulting knowledge community expanded the reach and improved the access of Local School Boards to appropriate learning modules, materials, and tools for better planning and resource use to improve education outcomes. This project was funded by a grant from the Asia Foundation with the support of AusAID under the Coalitions for Change Program.

Through this project, we studied the Political Economy of Decentralization in the Philippines as it relates to the services of education, health, and infrastructure. It considered the key institutions in the implementation of decentralization. The research looked into the tensions or differences in approach and implementation among the following actors: (1) national agencies and subnational governments, for example over the pace of decentralization and resource allocations; (2) national agencies particularly those responsible for components of decentralization (Department of Interior and Local Government) and the agencies responsible for services (Education, Health); and (3) elected political leaders and administrative bureaucracies. The study was supported by the Institute of Sustainable Futures at the University of Sydney.

The study was supported by the National Research Council of the Philippines, Department of Science and Technology. It investigated the scholarly gap in understanding the problems faced by public agencies in developing effective E-government services for Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). The project examined the planning and institutional processes that affect the supply and design of E-government services for OFWs. It determined whether the information and communications technologies that were developed and used by the different agencies helped in the creation of an enabling environment for OFWs to effectively transact with government and enhance their contributions to the economy as well as their social well-being.

This project produced a policy framework on labor migration, education, and human security. It fostered links across communities of researchers, development practitioners, and policy makers with the support of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) National Commission of the Philippines.

As part of the OpenNet Initiative (ONI)-Asia supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), we conducted research on second-generation Internet controls, including the designation of local governments, Internet cafes, and Internet service providers as Internet monitors. The ONI is a collaborative partnership of the Citizen Lab at the Munk Centre for International Studies, University of Toronto, Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School, the Advanced Network Research Group at the Cambridge Security Programme, University of Cambridge, and the Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford University. Through this project, we cited the potential risks to human rights of anti-child pornography legislation that legalized Internet filtering. The report led to calls for safety measures to protect human rights under this law.

The work from this project was used to publish a policy paper titled “Unleashing Dead Capital: Extending Free Patent to Residential Lands.” The study observed that a large number of residential lands remain untitled due to a lack of effective and affordable land titling procedures and mechanisms. It was proposed, therefore, that administrative titling through free patent be extended to residential lands in all cities and municipalities.

Through this project, we conducted policy research, briefed legislators, and helped key stakeholders including the League of Municipalities of the Philippines, Rural Bankers Association of the Philippines, and Chamber of Thrift Banks in developing position papers on the issuance of free patents to residential lands. In doing so, we contributed to the crafting of bills in Congress and the eventual passage of the Free Patent Act of 2010. These efforts were pursued through a cooperative grant from the Asia Foundation under the Policy Reform Program of the USAID.

A policy review of electoral reform issues was conducted as part of a broader effort to develop a rights-based approach in the review of various sectors of government – the public, corporate, justice, legislative and electoral reform, local government and macro-governance. This was undertaken under the Philippine Governance Review Program coordinated by the Development Academy of the Philippines with the support of the UNDP and the Australian Agency for International Development in 2004.

In partnership with the Institute of Governance of Canada and the support of CIDA, research on Strengthening Policy Partnerships: A Learning Network Linking Policy Experts from Government and Civil Society was implemented in 2003 to 2004. The cases selected relate to the policy alliances developed in pushing for legislation on children’s protection and indigenous people’s rights.

The Institute partnered with the Asia Foundation from 2003 to 2004 to provide technical assistance in the dissemination of proposed tax governance reform policies. We hosted media and civil society forums on the proposed legislation to create a corporatized National Revenue Authority. While sweeping proposals to overhaul the tax bureau did not succeed, specific provisions on the performance-based accountability of revenue officials were incorporated in the Lateral Attrition Act of 2005.

A study was done for the Public Attorney's Office (PAO) in partnership with the Judicial Reform Program of the Supreme Court and the UNDP in 2003. Policy recommendations were made to strengthen the capacity of the PAO in the delivery of justice to the poor.