Call for authors | Philippines 2028: Sectoral Deep Dives

The Philippines faces a defining policy moment, and part of that story is sectoral: which industries the country builds deliberately over the next several years will shape its growth trajectory as much as its macroeconomic settings do. This paper looks at five such sectors — not as governance or transition themes, but as industrial and investment sectors in their own right, each assessed on the same terms: current state of play, growth potential, binding constraints, and concrete policy direction.

The Five Tracks

• Blue economy planning - Maritime and coastal resource planning, fisheries, shipping and ports, marine spatial planning, blue-economy financing
• Infrastructure master planning - National flood-control master planning and the national railways master plan, as anchors for a broader national infrastructure-sequencing argument
• Cybersecurity, e-government, and the digital economy - Digital public infrastructure, e-government service delivery, cybersecurity policy and institutions, and the digital economy as an industrial sector
• Agro-processing industry - Value-chain upgrading from raw agricultural production to processed goods, agro-industrial competitiveness, and related trade and investment policy
• Renewable energy industry - Renewables as an industrial and investment sector (manufacturing, supply chains, jobs), distinct from energy-security or just-transition framing

Each track is open to one author. Applicants may express interest in more than one track in order of preference, but will be assigned to a single track if selected. 

How to Apply

We encourage economists, policy specialists, academics, and development practitioners with expertise in one of the five sectors to apply.

• Deadline: 31 July 2026
• Submission Email: info.ph@fes.de
• Subject Line: Philippines 2028 Sectoral Deep Dives — Author Application [Track Code]

What to submit: Please review the full briefing note below for details on submitting your concept note, CV, and writing samples.