(DP 2025-07) Spanish commercial policy and the Philippines: an integrated perspective

Abstract

We present an historical background and narrative of Spanish policies affecting Philippine trade that maps them onto the changing landscape of influential ideas and emerging political and economic exigencies confronting the colonizing power. An integral or global perspective is adopted that complements a purely colonial or insular viewpoint. This provides a fuller and at times novel understanding of the changes observed in Philippine commercial history during the period, the intended purposes of colonial policies, and the reasons for their failure or success.

JEL Codes: N75, N73