The Politics of Municipal Merger in the Philippines
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Abstract
Contemporary municipal merger is an extraordinary case in the Philippines. The two rare cases of merger are explained using the Theory of Consolidation, but is found inadequate in explaining consolidation in the Philippines. Using an institutional choice framework, the following propositions were raised and substantiated: resident-voters will likely support merger if local elected leaders are united, and if there is no strong opposition from the community; local councils will likely support merger if their respective mayors with same party affiliation support merger, and if they see it as opportunity to stay in power, and mayors will likely support merger if they see it as opportunity to stay in power, and if they belong to the same party as the congressman, the reform agent. Interview with 58 key respondents is the primary method employed, complemented by the use of existing statistics, government records and other secondary materials.
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