Major Planning Constraints in Developing Countries

Planning in developing countries such as the Philippines is constrained by some structural, institutional, political, and attitudinal problems. For instance, some local government units in the Philippines, e.g., those 6th class in terms of income, do not or may not have the necessary technical expertise and financial resources to formulate plans, and implement these for the betterment of their locality. This may be the case of LGUs which are not that resourceful and innovative.

Another reason why planning is somewhat difficult in developing countries such as the Philippines is that, as observed, from the national down to the local level, governance is not that good in general. The Philippines for instance is noted for being dominated by corrupt officials with personal vested interests. The goals of planning to ensure that the general welfare of the people is upheld, is most of the time, not achieved because of “inefficient” governance. Nonetheless, there are exceptions to this, where good governance is practiced, where the government works hand in hand with the civil society and the business community to provide better quality of life of the people.