RAQUIZA, Maria Victoria
VISITOR’S VOICE
Interview with Maria Victoria Raquiza ❯❯
Development Studies ❘ University of the Philippines Diliman
CSEAS Visiting Research Scholar: February to July 2025
Meet the Researcher
WHAT ARE YOUR…?
MUST HAVE GEAR for FIELD RESEARCH and WRITING
A phone to remain in touch with loved ones, especially when you are far away from them.
The internet to access spiritual tools and information that helps keep you in touch with yourself and the goings-on in the world.
Healthy snacks to nourish yourself inside and out (I carry mixed nuts and granola locally produced in my country).
Interview
Addressing the Developmental Paradox of High Poverty and Inequality Amidst Decent Growth Rates in the Philippines
01
Please tell us about your research.
My research is on state behavior that can explain why governments choose policies that keep the Philippines generally poor and unequal despite decent growth rates, rich natural resources, and a vibrant and talented people. Such behavior is a real development puzzle and, given the lives of people at stake, addressing it is urgent. We must move beyond generating new knowledge alone, however; we must also act.
02
How do you overcome the difficulties in putting together the results of your research into a research paper or book?
I do not think of all the things that I need to do at once because it can get overwhelming sometimes. I take things one day at a time, slowly working on the building blocks—the intellectual scaffolding of the story I want to tell—until I complete my work. But I try to work daily, which implies a certain level of self-discipline.
03
Do you have any essential reads (books) that you can recommend to younger people?
Chang, H. (2010) 23 Things They Don’t Tell You About Capitalism. Penguin.
Mkandawire, Thandika (ed.) (2004) Social Policy in a Development Context, Palgrave Macmillan, London
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) (2024) 2024 Trade and Development Report, Rethinking development in the age of discontent, United Nations, Geneva
United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD). (2010). Combating Poverty and Inequality: Structural Change, Social Policy and Politics.
Series of Spotlight Reports on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) available at https://www.2030spotlight.org/en
04
What is your ideal image of a researcher, and do you have any advice for those who aim to become researchers?
Someone who has a childlike, curious mind and asks all kinds of questions. Nothing is sacrosanct for an ideal researcher—they have the courage to ask even “dangerous” questions and to pursue the answers. An ideal researcher offers those questions and the answers they find to the world, whether the world wants to hear them or not.
05
Why did you choose CSEAS, or what is your expectation here?
I chose CSEAS because it respects the life of the mind and the need for a community of scholars to work individually and to also gather from time to time for social and intellectual connection. Having the opportunity to live and work in a historic, beautiful, and serene place like Kyoto is a wonderful bonus too.
(February 2025)
* The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University.
Ma. Victoria ‘Marivic’ Raquiza is an Associate Professor at the National College of Public Administration and Governance (NCPAG) in the University of the Philippines.
Visitor’s Voiceは、CSEASに滞在しているフェローを紹介するインタビューシリーズです。彼らの研究活動にスポットを当てながら、研究の背景にある人々やさまざまなエピソードを含めて、一問一答形式で紹介しています。