Maien Vital

Featured on May 12, 2021

Hi, I’m Maien Vital, currently consulting for the World Bank in the US. I do econ analysis on education financing and education outcomes. My work covers countries all over the world.

Funny I’m taking over Wisdom Wednesday. Maybe because I’m the oldest in @UsapangEcon? Jokes aside, I hope to impart tidbits of wisdom from my journey. I’ve learned lessons that changed my beliefs in many ways, making me the economist that I am now—definitely not neoliberal, and an interdisciplinary social scientist. Let me give you a run down on these turning points.

UP Diliman kickstarted my enthusiasm in the development space after serving in the local and university student councils. After college, I worked as a legislative officer for a Senator, conducting econ research to help pass laws on rural development, MSME support, and renewable energy adoption. Did you ever feel that your knowledge is not enough? I did—that’s why I went back to UPSE to take my master’s.

While studying, I worked as a Research Associate at the Institute for Development and Econometrics Analysis (IDEA), and became its Executive Director. Here I saw the value of mentorship, especially from experts like former NEDA Chief Dr. Cayetano Paderanga. IDEA is where I embarked on research projects that inspired my passion for education. During this time, I lobbied with civil society groups to convince Congress to allocate more funding for education, health, agriculture, and social protection.

Thereafter, I joined the Asian Development Bank, where I worked on publications on food security, growth constraints, energy access, international trade and regional cooperation in Asia-Pacific.

I was a jack of all trades, master of none! But in my heart, I wanted to specialize in education. An opportunity struck—I joined a World Bank study assessing the effectiveness of Philippine government funds in improving basic education outcomes. The learnings from this study made me decide to go back to the public sector.

Next I joined the Commission on Higher Education as Lead for Monitoring & Evaluation, collecting and analyzing data to help implement a nationwide program. After a while, I became the Program Director. Being in this side of government made me realize how complex policymaking is, especially given the lack of data to conclude empirical evidence.

After working on public finance and education using an economic lens, I still couldn’t pin a definitive answer on why our country has prevalent joblessness, precarity, and inequality despite increased access to education. I decided to study abroad to widen my perspective. I took my MPhil at the University of Cambridge (UK) where I was exposed to theories that challenged my leanings as an economist. While doing research on youth work and education outcomes, I discovered alternatives to the “human capital” theory, such as the capabilities approach and the life course framework.

A very important realization shook my beliefs—education, alone, is not the greatest equalizer. Life circumstances shape values, motivations, and aspirations. These circumstances, brought by economic and societal structures, amplify advantages and disadvantages. For example, if you, your family, and community know only fishing, would you aspire to become an IT expert? Which concern do you think is more pressing for a struggling family: finding enough food for everyone or paying for college studies?

This pushed my interest in the “life course” approach to study how structural inequalities compound in the Philippines and cause differences in future outcomes. Using rigorous longitudinal data analysis, I plan to link this with social policy recommendations.

I have been accepted to an interdisciplinary PhD program (economics, sociology, psychology, education, health) in the UK, but I still need funding. Suggestions are welcome as I hope to carry out this research. Sure, I am almost 35 y/o, but heck, it’s never too late for anyone!