1. C Developmental Leadership in The Philippines: Educational Experiences, Institutions and Networks UKFIET Conference on Education and Development, September 2015 Michele Schweisfurth Lynn Davies, Oscar Valiente, Lorraine Pe Symaco, Chelsea Robles

2. How has higher education supported – or not – the emergence and success of developmental leaders, and the formation of networks among leaders in the Philippines? -experiences, knowledge, skills, attitudes -roles of pedagogy, curriculum/discipline, access, ethos, mobility, extra-curricular activities -network formation

3. Need to know Oligarchical democracy Uneven development and wealth distribution Family and in-group ties and support Highly stratified education system – 4 key HE institutions, 1 = public and 3 = private Catholic Longstanding conflict in AR Muslim Mindanao

4. Interviews with 41 developmental leaders from three important (and very different) reforms Government Procurement Reform Act 2003 - combatted corruption by introducing IT-led systems for procurement Mindanao Electoral Reform (2012-present) - part of negotiations and peace movements in Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao – cleaning of the electoral roll to ensure fair elections in the region Gawad Kalinga social movement (1995-present) - helping the ‘poorest of the poor’ in slum and remote rural communities and those affected by natural disasters.

5. Key findings Understandings of what sustainable development is and what it requires varied between the key players in the three reforms Economic growth through systems efficiency and attraction of international capital Peace; self-determination; pro-poor uplift; democracy Preservation of culture and moral values; radical redistribution

6. Key findings Therefore, differing understandings of leadership and governance Leadership: Technocratic? Charismatic? Distributed? Moral? Networks – who are they? …and of how higher education might support these

8. The role of higher education 28 out of 41 interviewees had attended one of the four elite universities in the Philippines, most through scholarship opportunities or family sacrifice.

9. The role of higher education The traditional teaching and learning functions of universities were not very influential Pedagogy: -The ‘despite my education’ narrative Curriculum: -Many shifted disciplines and talked about ‘exposure’ rather than engagement with the curriculum -For the technocrats, specific knowledge and skills

10. The role of higher education More influential: Extra-curricular activities -Leadership opportunities – whether student politics or cheerleading Student activism - Especially at University of the Philippines, key site for protests against Martial Law in Marcos era– ‘cutting political teeth’

11. The role of higher education International Study: 20 out of 41 interviewees had studied abroad at some point. Advantage: new networks; seeing the Philippines from the outside Disadvantage: loosening local ties, loss of Filipino identity

12. The role of higher education Networks: bonding and bridging capital (Putnam 2000) Bonding capital: reinforcing and extending family and in- group ties, leading to later support (and potentially the perpetuation of oligarchies and corruption). Extreme example: fraternities Bridging capital: for many, the first time they encountered people very different from themselves was at university. This created networks of people who went on to different professional roles in different sectors – useful allies

13. In thinking about the role of higher education in promoting sustainable development, we need to look beyond the classic teaching and learning functions and human capital arguments and see HE ‘in the round’: -Contribution to the personal development of developmental leaders through extra-curricular activities -Site for activism -Research and knowledge generation – feeding policy cycles through permeability between sectors -Network development – especially through bridging capital – but only meaningful in a diverse HE environment