Edifice complex

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Ferdinand Marcos

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The term "edifice complex"[1] was coined in the 1970s to describe Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos' practice of using publicly funded construction projects as political and election propaganda.[1][2][3]

Typically built with a Brutalist architectural style,[4] perhaps to emphasize their grandiose character,[5][6] these construction projects were funded by foreign loans,[2] allowing the incumbent Marcos administration to create an impression of progress, but instead put the Philippines through a series of debt crises.[2] The first of the crises occurred in 1970, which many economic historians consider to have triggered the socioeconomic unrest which later led Marcos to impose martial law in 1972.[7][8][9]

The expression has also been generalized outside of the context of Imelda and Ferdinand Marcos and the Philippines.

  1. ^ a b Lico, Gerard (2003). Edifice Complex: Power, Myth, and Marcos State Architecture. University of Hawaii Press.
  2. ^ a b c Ricardo., Manapat (1991). Some are smarter than others : the history of Marcos' crony capitalism. New York: Aletheia Publications. ISBN 9719128704. OCLC 28428684.
  3. ^ de Villa, Kathleen (September 16, 2017). "Imelda Marcos and her 'edifice complex'". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  4. ^ "Leandro Locsin's Brutal Opera". Rogue. Rogue Media Inc. November 16, 2015. Archived from the original on January 25, 2017. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  5. ^ "The Powerful Imelda Marcos". Washington Post. January 18, 1981. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on July 11, 2018. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
  6. ^ Afinidad-Bernardo, Deni Rose M. "31 Years of Amnesia: Edifice Complex". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on March 4, 2017. Retrieved September 21, 2021.
  7. ^ Balbosa, Joven Zamoras (1992). "IMF Stabilization Program and Economic Growth: The Case of the Philippines" (PDF). Journal of Philippine Development. XIX. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 16, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.
  8. ^ Diola, Camille. "Debt, deprivation and spoils of dictatorship | 31 years of amnesia". The Philippine Star. Archived from the original on June 26, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  9. ^ Balisacan, A. M.; Hill, Hal (2003). The Philippine Economy: Development, Policies, and Challenges. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780195158984. Archived from the original on May 4, 2022. Retrieved May 16, 2022.