The governance models vs. the development courses of the mining sector: cases of Indonesia and the Philippines

Indonesia and the Philippines have shared similar history, geological condition and economic structure. Both countries have rich reserves of metallic minerals, The two countries have also experienced changes of political system in the post-WWII era, from an authoritarian regime to a democracy, and have both pursued a neoliberal economic policy since the 1980s. However, the shared commonalities have not enabled a similar development path of the mining industry in the two countries.
Our research is aimed to reveal the key factors that caused the divergence of the mining development in the two countries, from three main aspects: the evolution of the political system, the economic and mining policies adopted by the two governments, and the role of the mining regulations. The main question asked is that “why the similar political systems and economic policy have not led to a more convergent path for mining development in the two neighbors?” The research has proved the validity of our hypothesis that the distinct political objectives and economic circumstances have impacted the implementation of the Neoliberal Economics in the two countries, which not only caused diversified development of the mining sector in Indonesia and the Philippines but have also affected their economic potential in the world.