Formulating Questions

2020/04/09

"Are people really that powerless?" This was a question posed to me by my mentor, Professor Nobuhito Yamamoto, during a seminar around the time I began considering graduate school. That day, I gave a presentation on the democratization of the Philippines. While there are still various debates regarding the outcomes of democratization, my report that day had simplistically accepted the argument that the reality of democratization was merely a restoration of the elite rule that existed before the authoritarian regime. I was unable to respond adequately to the professor's remark, and that question stayed with me for a long time.

Since then, my research theme has been the political processes created by people who seek to change the status quo through policy, rather than resigning themselves to situations such as political instability and poverty. In my Doctoral Programs, I focused on the Central Bank of the Philippines—which achieved a certain level of industrialization through exchange controls in a country where the central government's capacity was considered low—and traced the footsteps of the bureaucrats and politicians who founded it. Later, in my analysis of Philippine politics after democratization, I conducted research on policymakers aiming for social reform. Since joining the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), I have engaged in ongoing discussions with economists and expanded my research to include political leaders in countries transitioning from low-income to middle-income status, broadening my scope beyond Southeast Asia to Africa and South Asia.

Looking back, that initial question has remained with me all this time. When I think about why that is, I am reminded of the importance of asking questions rather than just teaching. At first glance, teaching students seems like a shortcut compared to questioning them. In fact, since I began interacting with students as an educator, I often feel the temptation to just speak unilaterally. However, even when I think I am guiding them step-by-step, I find that nothing has been conveyed, or we risk falling into a relationship where students do not think for themselves and constantly look to the teacher for answers.

In those moments, I suddenly remember that opening question. Asking questions is more difficult than giving a unilateral lecture, and above all, it requires patience. Nevertheless, by repeatedly posing questions as an educator, students eventually begin to create and refine their own questions. By formulating their own questions, they can gain a perspective from which to consciously critique what they previously accepted as common sense. With this in mind, my days continue to be filled with formulating questions, both in my research and in the classroom.