Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Beyond ‘Heightism’ And ‘Height Premium’: An Anthropology And Sociology Of Human Stature, Gideon Lasco

Development Studies Faculty Publications

This review article examines the meanings and materialities of human stature, from serving as a marker of human difference to shaping the socio-spatial experiences of individuals. I introduce existing perspectives on height from various disciplines, including biomedical discourses on the factors (e.g. nutrition, genetics) that determine height, economic discourses on how the average heights of populations have changed over time, sociobiological and psychological discourses that assume a pre-cultural, evolutionary “height premium”, and popular discourses on heightism and height discrimination. Drawing from a diverse range of scholarship since Saul Feldman called for a “sociology of stature” in the 1970s, I then …

Gains And Challenges Of The Barangay Health Worker (Bhw) Program During Covid-19 In Selected Cities In The Philippines, Mikhaela Y.T. Baliola, Margaret R. Golpe, Leslie V. Advincula-Lopez

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Background: The Philippine Barangay Health Worker (BHW) program extends the accessibility of health care services at the community level. BHWs are trained volunteers who perform various health-promoting and health-educating tasks and provide primary health care (PHC) services within their communities. However, the weak implementation of policies meant to protect their welfare, like the BHW Benefits and Incentives Act (Republic Act No. 7883), translates to challenges that impact the sustainability of the BHW program. This qualitative study aimed to explore the BHWs' experiences with RA 7883 and how its implementation shaped their overall role as frontline health workers during the pandemic. …

Online Qualitative Research With Vulnerable Populations In The Philippines: Ethical And Methodological Challenges During Covid-19, Vincen Gregory Yu, Jhaki Mendoza, Gideon Lasco

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Our article draws on two multi-sited studies to present the ethical and methodological challenges of conducting online qualitative research among vulnerable populations in the Philippines—specifically, among people who use drugs—during the COVID-19 pandemic. While the global scholarship has long articulated the difficulties inherent to pursuing research on such populations, we show how the specific milieu of the Philippines in the last three years has created exceptional, structural challenges to the conduct of said research. Besides the inevitable migration to online fieldwork brought about by the pandemic, researchers have had to contend with the continuing sociopolitical and existential threat to vulnerable …

Global Health Interventions: The Military, The Magic Bullet, The Deterministic Model-And Intervention Otherwise, Emily Yates-Doerr, Lauren Carruth, Gideon Lasco, Rosario García-Meza

Development Studies Faculty Publications

"Intervention" is central to global health, but the significance and effects of how intervention is practiced are often taken for granted. This review takes interventions into health and medicine as subjects for ethnographic inquiry. We highlight three lines of anthropological contributions: studies of global health interventions that serve imperial and military objectives, studies of "magic bullet" interventions arising from laboratory science, and studies of interventions based on deterministic modeling techniques. We then outline examples of "intervention otherwise," in which people build relations of solidarity and care through global health programming, design interventions to be interactive and adaptable, and use data …

Development And Sociology In The Philippines: Focusing On The Inclusive And Exclusive Development, Leslie Advincula-Lopez, Mai Yoshida

Development Studies Faculty Publications

This paper examines the relationship between development and sociological research in the Philippines. Development is an invariably important issue in Philippine sociology. Philippine sociology was established in the context of postwar reconstruction and modernization policies under the leadership of sociologists trained in the United States. In this historical and political context; sociologists put effort into practical case studies by focusing on the lives of rural and urban residents. Sociological analysis plays an essential role in national development planning. The Filipino word for “development” is pag-unlad, meaning to advance or develop. It includes “social development,” or eliminating social and political disparities …

‘Loob’ And ‘Labas’: Spatial Constructions Of Safety And Risk Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic In The Philippines, Gideon Lasco, Michael L. Tan, Vincen Gregory Yu

Development Studies Faculty Publications

This article argues that local constructions of risky and safe spaces, as articulated by the notions ‘loob’ (inside) and ‘labas’ (outside), informed popular and political responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, leading to an overemphasis on staying at home and, conversely, a general avoidance or fear of outdoor spaces that was at times reinforced by public health authorities. Practices and policies related to the pandemic response rendered this binary opposition between ‘loob’ and ‘labas’ visible, from regulations concerning the use of personal protective equipment to restrictions of access to outdoor spaces. While this emergent …

Health Workers On The Political Frontlines, Gideon Lasco

Development Studies Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

‘Doing’ Hypertension: Experiential Knowledge And Practice In The Self-Management Of ‘High Blood’ In The Philippines, Gideon Lasco, Alicia Renedo, Jhaki A. Mendoza, Maureen L. Seguin, Benjamin Palafox, Lia M. Palileo-Villanueva, Dina Balabanova, Martin Mckee

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Patients’ embodied experiences do not always correspond to the biomedical concepts of particular diseases. Drawing from year-long fieldwork in the Philippines that involved semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions and digital diaries, we examine how individuals ‘do’ hypertension through their embodied experiences and the knowledge and practice that emerge from them. Drawing inspiration from Annemarie Mol’s work on the notion of ‘multiplicity’ of disease, our analysis was informed by a commitment to privileging patients’ embodied experiences and the multiple ontologies of hypertension. We find that for patients diagnosed with hypertension in the Philippines, symptoms enact illness; patients rely on their …

Anthropological Responses To Covid-19 In The Philippines, Gideon Lasco

Development Studies Faculty Publications

This article reflects on the roles anthropologists have played in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, and identifies the challenges – from the methodological to the political – they faced in fulfilling these roles. Drawing on the author's personal and professional experiences in the country, as well as on interviews with other anthropologists, this article identifies three major roles for anthropologists: conducting ethnographic research; bearing witness to the pandemic through first-person accounts; and engaging various publics. All these activities have contributed to a greater recognition of the role of the social sciences in health crises, even as anthropologists …

(De)Constructing ‘Therapeutic Itineraries’ Of Hypertension Care: A Qualitative Study In The Philippines, Jhaki A. Mendoza, Gideon Lasco, Alicia Renedo, Lia M. Palileo-Villanueva, Maureen L. Seguin, Benjamin Palafox, Arianna Maever L. Amit, Veincent Christian F. Pepito, Martin Mckee, Dina Balabanova

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Hypertension, a major risk factor for non-communicable diseases, remains poorly controlled in many countries. In the Philippines, it is still one of the leading causes of preventable deaths despite the accessibility and availability of essential technologies and medicine to detect and treat hypertension. This paper characterizes the ‘therapeutic itineraries’ of people with hypertension from poor communities in rural and urban settings in the Philippines. We employ longitudinal qualitative methodology comprised of repeat interviews and digital diaries using mobile phones from 40 recruited participants in 12 months. Our findings demonstrate that therapeutic itineraries, rather than being organized according to categories that …

Evidence On Child Nutrition Recommendations And Challenges In Crisis Settings: A Scoping Review, Aniqa Islam Marshall, Gideon Lasco, Mathudara Phaiyarom, Nattanicha Pangkariya, Phetdavanh Leuangvilay, Pigunkaew Sinam, Rapeepong Suphanchaimat, Sataporn Julchoo, Watinee Kunpeuk, Yunting Zhang

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Adequate child nutrition is critical to child development, yet child malnutrition is prevalent in crisis settings. However, the intersection of malnutrition and disasters is sparse. This study reviews existing evidence on nutrition responses and outcomes for infants and young children during times of crisis. The scoping review was conducted via two approaches: a systematic search and a purposive search. For the systematic search, two key online databases, PubMed and Science Direct, were utilized. In total, data from 32 studies were extracted and included in the data extraction form. Additionally, seven guidelines and policy documents were included, based on relevance to …

Strengths And Weaknesses Of Digital Diaries As A Means To Study Patient Pathways: Experiences With A Study Of Hypertension In The Philippines, Jhaki A. Mendoza, Maureen L. Seguin, Gideon Lasco, Lia M. Palileo-Villanueva, Arianna Maever L. Amit, Alicia Renedo, Martin Mckee, Benjamin Palafox, Dina Balabanova

Development Studies Faculty Publications

The rise of digital mobile communications has made possible novel research methods that can provide a better understanding of patients’ experience of non-communicable diseases. This study explores the opportunities and challenges in employing “digital diaries” via mobile phones to track the lived experiences of people with hypertension in the Philippines. Following in-depth interviews, 40 hypertensive adults were invited to submit digital diaries over 12 months. Mobile phones were found to be an efficient way of reaching participants, although it was difficult to collect in-depth narratives about their experiences using the medium beyond nominal responses about symptoms and treatment. Possible explanations …

Medical Populism And Covid-19 Testing, Kristin Hedges, Gideon Lasco

Development Studies Faculty Publications

This paper uses the lens of medical populism to analyze the impact of biocommunicability on COVID-19 testing through a case study approach. The political efficacy of testing is traced through two mini-case studies: the Philippines and the United States. The case studies follow the approach of populism scholars in drawing from various sources that ‘render the populist style visible’ from the tweets and press releases of government officials to media reportage. Using the framework of medical populism, the case studies pay attention to the ways in which coronavirus testing figured in (1) simplification of the pandemic; (2) spectacularization of the …

The Prosperity Ethic: Neoliberal Christianity And The Rise Of The New Prosperity Gospel In The Philippines, Erron Medina, Jayeel S. Cornelio

Development Studies Faculty Publications

A new prosperity gospel is emerging in the Philippines. We call it the prosperity ethic. Its dimensions set it apart from the previous incarnation of the prosperity gospel, which emphasized tithing and confessing. Specifically, the prosperity ethic values upward mobility and uses biblical principles for the acquisition of practical skills to become rich. We make our case by drawing on the writings of Bo Sanchez and Chinkee Tan, two of the most influential prosperity-oriented preachers in the country. The prosperity ethic has three dimensions: the morality of wealth (believing right), the prescribed mindset (thinking right), and the practical skills to …

Communicating Covid-19 Vaccines: Lessons From The Dengue Vaccine Controversy In The Philippines, Gideon Lasco, Vincen Gregory Yu

Development Studies Faculty Publications

As countries around the world begin to roll out COVID-19 vaccines; vaccine safety communication is more relevant than ever. The dengue vaccine controversy in the Philippines offers lessons that can be applied to immunisation programmes being organised today to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Effective vaccine safety communication entails (re)building relationships of trust between government and the public; upholding the credibility of scientific institutions and maintaining transparency. It also involves viewing health against the broader framework of equity; using an interdisciplinary approach to health communication and putting a premium on public feedback.

Transformative Service-Learning Experience Through Participatory Project Management, Mark Anthony Dayot Abenir

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Studies have shown that for Service-Learning (SL) to be truly valuable and transformative, it must employ participatory project management practices and is ideally conducted in a face-to-face setting. This case study aims to highlight the strategies used to make SL projects long-term and participatory. It also measures the effectiveness of such approach in achieving a valuable and transformative SL experience for students and partner communities. Qualitative results show that students were able to develop desired personal, professional, and civic competencies. On the part of the partner communities, qualitative results reveal that they appreciate the year-long participatory SL engagement with the …

Living Together In Precarious Times: Covid-19 In The Philippines, Gideon Lasco

Development Studies Faculty Publications

The coronavirus pandemic has laid bare the necessity—for social scientists and the rest of the public alike—of an ecological; non-anthropocentric view of the world as humans grapple with microbes; surround themselves with plants; and engage with non-human animals in ways that range from abuse to affection. This chapter uses this multispecies perspective to reflect on the Philippine experience of COVID-19; offering illustrative examples; sketching tentative insights; and concluding with a research agenda for future work.

Journeying With Communities: A Community Engagement And Organizing Handbook For University Extension Workers, Mark Anthony Dayot Abenir, Abegail Martha S. Abelardo, Froilan A. Alipao, Melanie D. Turingan

Development Studies Faculty Publications

This handbook highlights the public and social mission of higher educational institutions (HEI) through Community Engagement; a term that brings forth the important use of Participatory Action Research (PAR) and Community Organizing for Community Development (COCD). The unique contribution of this handbook is that it specifically situates HEI Community Engagement within the unique historical context of the Philippines; thus adding a Philippine voice in the literature of Community-Engaged Scholarship (CEnS). It also provides activity exercises and case studies where readers can situate themselves and apply the theories; concepts; and tools they have learned so they can enhance the Community Engagement …

Protocol For A Trial Assessing The Impacts Of School-Based Wash Interventions On Children’S Health Literacy, Handwashing, And Nutrition Status In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Stephanie O. Sangalang, Shelley Anne J. Medina, Zheina J. Ottong, Allen Lemuel G. Lemence, Donrey Totanes, John Cedrick Valencia, Patricia Andrea A. Singson, Mikaela Olaguera, Nelissa O. Prado, Roezel Mari Z. Ocaña, Rovin James F. Canja, Alfem John T. Benolirao, Shyrill Mae F. Mariano, Jergil Gyle Gavieres, Clarisse P. Aquino, Edison C. Latag, Maria Vianca Jasmin C. Anglo, Christian Borgemeister, Thoomas Kistemann

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Diarrhea, soil-transmitted helminth infection and malnutrition are leading causes of child mortality in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To reduce the prevalence of these diseases, effective interventions for adequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WaSH) should be implemented. This paper describes the design of a cluster-randomized controlled trial that will compare the efficacy of four school-based WaSH interventions for improving children’s health literacy, handwashing, and nutrition. Interventions consisted of (1) WaSH policy reinforcement; (2) low-, medium-, or high-volume health education; (3) hygiene supplies; and (4) WaSH facilities (e.g., toilets, urinals, handwashing basins) improvements. We randomly allocated school clusters from the intervention …

Explorations In The Crafting Of Government’S Authority And Power Using Institutional Ethnography: The Case Of The 2013 Zamboanga Crisis, Leslie Advincula-Lopez, Nota F. Magno

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Crisis response is a clear illustration of what Migdal (2004) posits in his Statein-society approach: the iterative relationship between State authority and social actors' everyday practices. As the rise in recent natural and humanmade disasters call for proficiencies in crisis response, it becomes essential to observe how the variabilities in State-in-society responses unfold through institutionally coordinated everyday social relations. The situation reveals the need to theorize these relationships on the grounds of the dynamic coconstitution of State-in-society. This study employed institutional ethnography (Devault & McCoy, 2002; Smith, 2005); observing the interplay of various actors' interests and strategies within institutional processes …

Morality Politics: Drug Use And The Catholic Church In The Philippines, Jayeel Cornelio, Gideon Lasco

Development Studies Faculty Publications

This article traces the trajectory of the Catholic Church’s discourses on drug use in the Philippines since the first time a statement was made in the 1970s. By drawing on official statements by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), it argues that shifts in emphasis have taken place through the years: the destruction of the youth, attack on human dignity, and then social moral decay. Collectively, they emanate from an institutional concern for peace and order. But they also reflect the moral panic around drug use that has been around for decades, which, on several …

Connecting Communities To Primary Care: A Qualitative Study On The Roles, Motivations And Lived Experiences Of Community Health Workers In The Philippines, Eunice Mallari, Gideon Lasco, Don Jervis Sayman, Arianna Maever L. Amit, Dina Balabanova, Martin Mckee, Jhaki Mendoza, Lia M. Palileo-Villanueva, Alicia Renedo, Maureen L. Seguin, Benjamin Palafox

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Background

Community health workers (CHWs) are an important cadre of the primary health care (PHC) workforce in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The Philippines was an early adopter of the CHW model for the delivery of PHC, launching the Barangay (village) Health Worker (BHW) programme in the early 1980s, yet little is known about the factors that motivate and sustain BHWs’ largely voluntary involvement. This study aims to address this gap by examining the lived experiences and roles of BHWs in urban and rural sites in the Philippines.

Methods

This cross-sectional qualitative study draws on 23 semi-structured interviews held …

The Chemical Lives Of Young Filipinos, Gideon Lasco

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Many young Filipinos are using a wide array of ‘chemicals’ that structure, and are structured by, their everyday lives. These chemicals - cosmetics, supplements, narcotics, beverages - range from local to foreign, cheap to expensive, licit to illicit; orally ingested to topically applied, and are used for different reasons in a variety of contexts. This chapter analyzes and seeks to make sense of the use of chemicals by young Filipinos.

Nasa Dugo (‘It’S In The Blood’): Lay Conceptions Of Hypertension In The Philippines, Gideon Lasco, Jhaki Mendoza, Alicia Renedo, Maureen L. Seguin, Benjamin Palafox, Lia M. Palileo-Villanueva, Arianna Maever L. Amit, Antonio L. Dans, Dina Balabanova, Martin Mckee

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Introduction: Understanding explanatory models is important for hypertension, a leading risk factor for cardiovascular disease and stroke. This article aims to determine what adult patients with hypertension in the Philippines attribute their condition to, how these views might be explained and what the implications are for hypertension management. Methods: This is a qualitative study drawing on 71 semistructured interviews (40 initial and 31 follow-up) and four focus group discussions with patients diagnosed with hypertension. The setting was urban and rural low-income communities in the Philippines. Results: Four prominent perceived causes were identified—genetics, heat, stress and diet—for what patients refer to …

Young People And The Challenges Of Religious Education In The Philippines, Jayeel Cornelio

Development Studies Faculty Publications

What are the challenges confronting religious education in Catholic schools? Understanding first the very context of young people is key to recognizing the gaps in religious education. The sociological input can help in making sense why for some teachers "Catholic education is failing in the Philippines." In terms of pastoral work, this question is also important in pondering how the faith can remain accessible and applicable for Filipino Catholic youth. Many might not realize that even if the Philippines is predominantly Catholic, only a very small minority have access to Catholic schools. As this chapter will spell out, religious education …

The Future Can Be Better: Young People And The Marawi Siege, Jayeel Cornelio, Septrin John A. Calamba

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Young people are deeply implicated in the Marawi siege. Many commentaries and studies view them in either of two ways. On the one hand, they are the sector characterized as most vulnerable to radicalization. Researchers focus on the factors that lead them to violent extremism (Casey and Pottebaum 2018). But on the other hand, they are also characterized as passive victims needing relief and protection (Haynes and Tanner 2015). While these depictions may be legitimate in their own ways, they contradict each other. They are either perpetrators of violence or its victims. But they also share important similarities. These depictions …

The Capacity To Be Content: Aspirations And Young Adult Catholics In Singapore, Jayeel Cornelio

Development Studies Faculty Publications

Drawing from interviews with young adult Catholics in Singapore, this article discusses aspirations in terms of the capacity to be content. For my informants, the capacity to be content has three aspects: the pursuit of happiness, the questioning of Singapore’s incessant drive for economic growth, and the neglect of those left-behind. Taken collectively, these nuances show that the aspirations of young adult Catholics are effectively a moral critique of the social and economic state of affairs in the city-state. The capacity to be content also informs these young adults’ decision to be involved in welfare activities or even be employed …

Humanitarian Technologies: Understanding The Role Of Digital Media In Disaster Recovery, Mirca Madianou, Jonathan Corpus Ong, Liezel Longboan, Jayeel Cornelio, Nicole Curato

Development Studies Faculty Publications

On November 8th 2013 Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. To date, Haiyan remains the strongest storm ever recorded with over 6,300 casualties and more than 12 million people displaced or otherwise affected. Within minutes after Haiyan’s landfall, the web was also flooded with optimism, particularly about the promise of communication technologies in disaster recovery and humanitarian relief. Such optimism is recent although it predates Haiyan. The 2013 World Disasters Report uses the term 'humanitarian technology' to refer to the empowering nature of digital technologies such as mobile phones and social media for …

Is Religion Dying? Secularization And Other Religious Trends In The World Today, Jayeel Cornelio

Development Studies Faculty Publications

The first section offers a brief historical overview of the concept of secularization and how it has become a master narrative in thinking about religion and modernization. The master narrative, however, can be problematic and has been contested in terms of what secularization really means and whether it is indeed a linear process. To address these problems, I then present the different nuances by which the concept of secularization has been clarified and explained. But again, because of its status as a master narrative, its relevance to the vibrant state of religion in other societies has been called into question. …

Case Collection On Philippines (2012), Swee-Sum Lam, Leland Dela Cruz, David Jeremiah Seah, Gabriel Henry Jacob

Development Studies Faculty Publications

This is the second working paper in the series on Social Entrepreneurship in Asia published by the Asia Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy (ACSEP). ACSEP’s mission is to advance the understanding and impactful practice of social entrepreneurship and philanthropy in Asia through research and education. While Asia is rich with the practice of social entrepreneurship given the plethora of social issues and challenges facing the region, there is still catch-up to be done in the documentation of these challenges and the responses from the private, public and people sectors. Case studies provide the platform for story-telling, analysis and theory …