Mahar Mangahas
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University of the Philippines School of Economics
Mahar Mangahas | |
|---|---|
 Mangahas at the Onofre Corpuz eulogy (April 1, 2013) | |
| Employer(s) | Social Weather Stations University of the Philippines School of Economics |
| Known for | Founded and leads Social Weather Stations |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | University of Chicago (Ph.D.) |
| Academic advisor | Milton Friedman |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Economic and social indicators |
| Institutions | Social Weather Stations (President) University of the Philippines Diliman (former) |
| Notable works | Measuring the quality of life: Philippine social indicators Labor absorption in Philippine agriculture The political economy of land reform and land distribution in the Philippines |
| Notable ideas | Social indicators Economic measurement Public opinion research |
| Notes | |
Current columnist for Philippine Daily Inquirer | |
Mahar Mangahas is a Filipino economist and social scientist who serves as the president of Social Weather Stations (SWS), a prominent opinion polling organization in the Philippines. He is known for his contributions to economic and social indicators research, as well as his work in public opinion polling.
Mangahas completed his Ph.D. in Economics at the University of Chicago, where he studied under Milton Friedman, recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences (1974). He began his academic career at the University of the Philippines Diliman, where he served as a professor of economics at the University of the Philippines School of Economics.
Mangahas is a member of the Pan Xenia Fraternity.[1]
Career
Academic work
Before focusing on his work at SWS, Mangahas held a teaching position at the School of Economics of the University of the Philippines. His academic research has focused on economic development, social indicators, and public policy analysis in the Philippines.
Social Weather Stations
As president of Social Weather Stations, Mangahas has played a crucial role in developing and conducting public opinion research in the Philippines. SWS has become one of the country's leading survey research institutions under his leadership.
Writing and publications
Mangahas is a regular columnist for the Philippine Daily Inquirer, where he writes about economic and social issues. His major published works include:
Measuring the quality of life: Philippine social indicators (1977) Labor absorption in Philippine agriculture The political economy of land reform and land distribution in the Philippines
DAP Social Indicators Project and BBC
In 1976, Mangahas was chosen to be the director of the DAP Social Indicators Project, while still serving as UPSE professor. The project measured poverty, health, education, the environment, political freedom, and political mobility. His success using subjective measures led him to work as a UNICEF advisor on social indicators in Malaysia (1977-78) and Indonesia (1981). In 1981, DAP offered Mangahas the position of vice-president of research. Later that year, printings of his book, Measuring the Quality of Life: A 1982 Social Weather Report, were halted. Mangahas was also part of the Bishops-Businessmen’s Conference for Human Development (BBC), where he worked in their research committee. In 1984, the BBC sent out a controversial national survey that found that opposition to Marcos’s administration was two-thirds. It was Mangahas’s job to direct and publicly present the findings. The next day, Mangahas resigned from DAP to avoid retaliation from his leaders.[2]
Research contributions
Mangahas's work has significantly contributed to the field of social indicators research and economic measurement in the Philippines. His research has focused on:
Development of social indicators Quality of life measurements Agricultural economics Land reform policy Public opinion research methodology