The first issue of the Development Research News for 2024 centers on strategies for navigating economic challenges. The banner article discusses the country’s economic outlook, stressing the need for sound planning against inflation and fiscal risks. Another article highlights the importance of understanding the full extent of the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on private investment, household consumption, and public finances. Other articles focus on tackling the persistent financial access gap and poverty incidence. This issue also features articles looking at concerns confronting the education and labor sectors such as the demanding administrative workload of teachers, significant learning losses caused by school closures, and gaps in identifying and assessing soft skills. The last article looks at the factors affecting the declining birth rates in the country. Completing this issue is an infographic story on the current state of devolution in the Philippines.
