Authors:Lucio B. Pitlo III Pages: 16 - 31 Abstract: In China, as a socialist market economy, the state performs an important role in the economy not only as a regulator but also as an active market player through the creation and maintenance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). In the past, means of production were in the hands of the state. But since the introduction of market reforms and the opening up of the economy to private capital and foreign investment, non-state participation in the economy continue to grow and SOEs were made to compete with one another, as well as with private businesses. In the course of these reforms, some SOEs were sold, went bankrupt, or were consolidated to enhance efficiency and competitiveness contributing to the development of the “survival of the fittest” mechanism among SOEs (Li, 2003). This is a check against complacency and poor performance and, at the same time, provides incentive to innovative, competitive and performing SOEs. Consolidation of SOEs through mergers and acquisitions (M&As) is seen as one avenue by which the state economy is being reformed. Hence, the state, through such government authorities as the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC), ensures supervision and management of SOE activities, including in their M&A activities at home and abroad. PubDate: 2019-01-15
Authors:Joseph Emmanuel D. Sta. Maria Pages: 46 - 77 Abstract: In this article, I wish to show that Dr. Agustin Rodriguez’s idea of how government institutions in Philippine society should practice “hospitality” towards the marginalized Other, resonates with and can be complemented by a personal ethic of openness and hospitality drawn from the Daoist work Zhuangzi. According to Rodriguez, poor Filipinos living in urban areas, tend to be misunderstood and marginalized by the rest of the well-to-do class. The reason for this is that these poor live out an alternative rationality or way of life as compared to that of the elite. This marginalized rationality finds it difficult to fit in the systems and institutions of the city, which belong to the dominant elite rationality. For Rodriguez, this state of affairs is unjust and cannot continue if Philippine society is ever to achieve wholeness. He thus recommends that the governmental institutions of the country practice hospitality towards the marginalized Other. This means that these institutions should provide space for the Other to be genuinely heard and be given a chance to substantially affect social policy. Now, the Zhuangzi also promotes openness and accommodation to the unconventional, and I believe that this can complement Rodriguez’s notion of hospitality. Specifically, I believe that whereas Rodriguez’s hospitality applies to the institutional level, Zhuangzian openness and hospitality applies to the personal level, or to the level of an individual’s own attitude and dispositions. PubDate: 2019-01-15
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