THE ROLE OF THE STATE IN THE GLOBALIZATION OF LABOR-MARKETS - THE CASE OF THE PHILIPPINES

The burgeoning literature on 'globalisation' tends to identify it as a n economic and cultural process, paying little attention to the associ ated restructuring of the state. Not only does the state sponsor globa lisation, but also it 'globalises' itself in the process. Perhaps the most significant dimension of this new development is where labour mar kets are integrated with global capital circuits under state sanction. The systematic and state-promoted export of temporary migrant workers has transformed the Philippine state, economy, and society. In this p aper I examine the globalisation of labour from the Philippines in ter ms of its magnitude, its historical development, and its impact on res tructuring state functions. I argue that the shift of attention on the part of the state to maintaining the economic functions of internatio nal labour circuits tends to undermine its national regulatory functio n thereby compromising the broad legitimacy of the state. These propos itions are examined through a case study of the structuring of the Fil ipino state in pursuing its well-known labour-export policy.