The 2021 edition of the Elite Quality Index (EQx) by SMU, the Switzerland-based non-profit organisation Foundation for Value Creation (FVC), and the University of St. Gallen measures the way elites contribute to the development of their respective countries, specifically how they enable or impede economic and political growth. The Philippines ranked 67th out of 151 economies. SMU Assistant Professor of Sociology Alwyn Lim, who was also one of the research partners in the study, said the Philippines’ elite quality is in the “middle band” of all the countries the index has ranked. “While elite value creation in the Philippines is not exceptionally high, the elites there nevertheless still create more value for society compared with the ‘middle quality’ or ‘lagging elites’ for countries lower in the ranking,” said Asst Prof Lim.
