Dr. Michael Batu is a Filipino-Canadian economist and an assistant professor at the UFV’s Department of Economics. In addition to years of teaching experience and several awards under his belt, he also has a long list of notable research initiatives and publications to his credit. “My goal was to become a lawyer,” said Dr. Batu, when asked about his motivation to study economics. “I applied for programs that would eventually lead me to become a lawyer.” However, when Batu arrived on campus as a young man, he was met with imposing line-ups to many of the program registration booths. Economics, however, was an exception. “There was nobody there.” Batu registered for Economics, fully intending to transfer into a Law track after his first year. However, a period of illness caused him to postpone his original plan to change the program. The additional time spent in the program — surrounded by excellent professors in the Philippines who introduced him to the world of economics — further cemented his interest in the field. “In my case,” said Batu, “they were the ones that were mainly influential as to where I am now.”
At the age of 22, he began to teach in the Philippines while pursuing his master’s degree. In time, he applied for a Canadian visa, as he had relatives in the country. While he waited, he continued to teach and to study. “I taught in the Philippines for like four years, and then my visa arrived,” said Batu.
Despite holding degrees from the Philippines, Batu encountered difficulties finding work in Canada as his credentials were not valued in Canada. He took on a variety of odd jobs: counting cash in ATM deposits, working in a call centre, and nearly going into security. But, he was adamant about pursuing possibilities that aligned with his academic background and eventually secured an internship with the Ontario government.
Batu emphasized the challenge of bridging the age gap with students each year. He believes that teaching and fostering relationships are just as vital as analysis, despite the emphasis many colleges place on research. In Dr. Batu’s experience, big research universities don’t prioritize teaching, calling it a “secondary” concern. “They’re not putting in a lot of effort there,” said Batu. “Here at UFV, teaching is primary… If you want to hone your teaching skills, we have the support for that.”
“It’s very helpful in terms of keeping my craft up to date — keeping my teaching skills up to par,” said Batu. In the age of social media and short attention spans, he stresses the value of relatability and engagement, incorporating humour into his lectures to connect with students. “I crack jokes from time to time. It’s probably because I wanted to become a stand up comedian … You really have to present [information] in a way that students will like.”
Professor Batu’s impact goes beyond the classroom. The Windsor Star and Washington Post, among other local and international media outlets, have featured his research and insights. He’s even been recognized by Philippine news and current affairs programs. Discussing his current research interests, Professor Batu delves into the effects of raising the minimum wage, a critical aspect of economic policy. “If you increase the minimum wage, it increases the cost of production, and what will happen to prices? Prices will just go up, because if you’re a businessperson, you’re not going to absorb that. I’m just going to jack up the prices so that we cover the increase in cost. Now, that’s the traditional way of thinking about it.” The question is, however, is it really true that raising the minimum wage causes prices to rise? There are opposing viewpoints in the literature, said Batu. He also pointed out that an important factor in the relationship between wages and inflation is the current level of development of the country in question, and a lot of attention is given to developed nations like Canada and the U.S.
Professor Batu performed research using data from the Philippines to add to this discussion. His research showed that “a 10 per cent increase in minimum wage only gives a 0.5 per cent increase in inflation.” Batu argued that it was “a very tiny increase. So, I build the case of providing what we call a ‘living wage’ for people.” He further argued that the “minimum wage is not [a] living wage.” He added that people desire “a wage where [they] can live decently, with dignity.” Professor Batu’s study in the field of public policy seeks to offer workable solutions in the debate on minimum wages.
Hello, I’m Gauri Sethi, a passionate staff writer at the Cascade responsible for writing content that resonates with the masses. Currently, I am pursuing business administration, but deep down, I am a person who loves expressing herself through writing.
