bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is Disaster Risk Reduction Spending Driven by the Occurrence of Natural Disasters? Evidence from Peru
Authors: Vela Mauricio A. , Miller Sebastián J.
Published: March 2024

This paper studies the allocation of total disaster risk reduction public spending among regions in Peru. The main objective of this work is to identify the main determinants of the distribution of these resources, and for this purpose an index of historical physical impacts of natural disasters, social vulnerability, and institutional capacity was created. It is found that historical impacts of climatological disasters are positively correlated with the per capita amount received by region in order to prevent future natural disasters. Impacts of geological disaster, on the other hand, affect the amount of executed and budgeted resources used to cope with the effects of past disasters. The prevention expenditure is mainly driven by climatological effects on the agriculture sector. Additionally, results confirm that higher social vulnerability is a main determinant of the distribution of prevention spending but conditioned on being affected by climatological disasters. Institutional capacity seems to define only the amount of recovery expenditure, positively for regions more seriously affected by geological disasters and negatively for regions devastated by climatological disasters.
Non-contributory pensions
Authors: Gertler Paul , Galiani Sebastián , Bando Rosangela
Published: March 2024

The creation of non-contributory pension schemes is becoming increasingly common as countries struggle to reduce poverty. Drawing on data from Mexico's Adultos Mayores Program (Older Adults Program) --a cash transfer scheme aimed at rural adults over 70 years of age-- we evaluate the effects of this program on the well-being of the beneficiary population. Exploiting a quasi-experimental design whereby the program relies on exogenous geographical and age cutoffs to identify its target group, we find that the mental health of elderly adults in the program is significantly improved, as their score on the Geriatric Depression Scale decreases by 12%. We also find that the proportion of treated individuals doing paid work is reduced by 20%, with most of these people switching from their former activities to work in family businesses; treated households show higher levels of consumption expenditures (on average, an increase of 23%). Very importantly, we also rule out significant anticipation effects that might have been associated with the program transfers. Thus, overall, we find that non-contributory pension schemes target to the poor in developing countries can improve the well-being of poor older adults without having any indirect impact (through potential anticipation effects) on the earnings or savings of future program participants.
The Socio-Economic Gradient of Child Development: Cross-Sectional Evidence from Children 6-42 Months In Bogota
Authors: Meghir Costas , Attanasio Orazio P. , Varela Natalia , Grantham-McGregor Sally , Rubio-Codina Marta
Published: March 2024

We study the socio-economic gradient of child development on a representative sample of low- and middle-income children aged 6-42 months in Bogota, using the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, a high quality test based on direct observation of the child's abilities. We find a statistically significant difference between children in the 90th and 10th percentile of the wealth distribution in our sample of 0.33 standard deviations (SD) in cognition, 0.29 SD in receptive language and 0.38 SD in expressive language at 14 months. The socio-economic gap increases substantially with age to 1 SD (cognition), 0.80 SD (receptive language) and 0.69 SD (expressivelanguage) by 42 months. While the gap persists after controlling for mediating factors such as parental and biomedical characteristics, the level of stimulation in the home, and the quality of the institutional care setting; its size is significantly reduced by variables related to the home environment i.e. parental investments in care quantity and quality. These findings have important implications for the design of well-targeted, effective and timely interventions that promote early childhood development.
Land Accumulation Dynamics in Developing Country Agriculture
Authors: Winters Paul , Henderson Heath , Simning Eric , Corral Leonardo
Published: March 2024

Understanding land accumulation dynamics is relevant for policy makers interested in the economic effects of land inequality in developing country agriculture. We thus explore and simultaneously test the leading theories of microlevel land accumulation dynamics using unique panel data from Paraguay. The results suggest that farm growth varies systematically with farm size --a formal rejection of stochasticgrowth theories (that is, Gibrat's Law)-- and that titled land area may have considerable infuence on land accumulation. Furthermore, our estimates indicate that a dualistic agrarian structure is the likely product of the unfettered operation of land markets.
Shelter from the Storm: Upgrading Housing Infrastructure in Latin American Slums
Authors: Gertler Paul , Galiani Sebastián , Undurraga Raimundo , Ross Adam , Martinez Sebastian , Cooper Ryan
Published: March 2024

This paper provides empirical evidence on the causal effects that upgrading slum dwellings has on the living conditions of the extremely poor. In particular, we study the impact of providing better houses in situ to slum dwellers in El Salvador, Mexico and Uruguay. We experimentally evaluate the impact of a housing project run by the NGO TECHO which provides basic pre-fabricated houses to members of extremely poor population groups in Latin America. The main objective of the program is to improve household well-being. Our findings show that better houses have a positive effect on overall housing conditions and general well-being: treated households are happier with their quality of life. In two countries, we also document improvements in children's health; in El Salvador, slum dwellers also feel that they are safer.We do not find this result, however, in the other two experimental samples. There are no other noticeable robust effects on the possession of durable goods or in terms of labor outcomes. Our results are robust in terms of both internal and external validity because they are derived from similar experiments in three different Latin American countries.
Mind the Gap: Bridging the Perception and Reality of Crime Rates with Information
Authors: Ruiz-Vega Mauricio , Corbacho Ana , Ardanaz Martín
Published: March 2024

Gains from government crime-reducing programs are not always visible to the average citizen. The media overexpose crime events, but the absence of crime rarely makes the news, increasing the risk that citizen may have inaccurate perceptions of security. Through a survey experiment carried out in Bogota, Colombia, a city that experienced a substantial reduction in homicides over the last decade, as well as a noticeable drop in robberies, this paper tests the effect that communicating objective crime trends could have on such perceptions. The results show that information improves perceptions of safety and police effectiveness, and lowers distrust in the police. However, the information treatment is not able to impact those with biased priors, and tends to weaken over time. A more active and regular engagement with citizens regarding these trends is needed to bridge the gap between perception and reality.
Partisanship, Ideology, and Representation in Latin America
Authors: Saiegh Sebastián
Published: March 2024

This paper uses joint scaling methods and similar items from three large-scale surveys to place voters, parties and politicians from different Latin American countries on a common ideological space. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, the findings reveal that the "median" voter in Latin America is located to the left of the ideological spectrum, and that voter's ideological locations are highly correlated with their partisan attachments. The location of parties and leaders suggests that three distinctive clusters exist: one located at the left of the political spectrum, another at the center, and a third to the right. The results also indicate that legislators in Brazil, Chile, Mexico and Peru tend to be more "leftist" than their voters. The ideological drift, however, is not large enough to substantiate the claim that a representation gap exists in those countries.
The Effect of Cash Transfers to Schools on Voluntary Contributions
Authors: Bando Rosangela
Published: March 2024

School-based management programs aim to improve education outcomes by involving parents in allocation decisions about external funds transferred to the school. This paper explores the effects of two school-based management programs on parental investment in schools via voluntary contributions. One program provides both a cash grant and a matching scheme for privately raised funds. Difference-in-differences estimation shows that parents in richer schools increased voluntary contributions by 28 percent, while parents in poorer schools decreased voluntary contributions by 11 percent. This implies that a matching scheme results in higher inequality in resources available to schools. The second program provides only a cash grant to poor schools. Based on a randomized control, estimation shows that parents use 83 percent of the grant to substitute for voluntary contributions. A cash grant alone for poor schools results in an increase in resources available to the school in less than the cash grant transfer.
Do We Need More Women in Power? Gender, Public Policy, and Development in Bolivia
Authors: Yáñez-Pagans Patricia
Published: March 2024

This paper evaluates the impacts of increasing female representation in Bolivian municipal councils on public policy choices and welfare outcomes. By combining detailed administrative panel data on municipal expenditures and revenues together with electoral data, an innovative regression discontinuity design (RDD) is applied. As opposed to previous studies, the RDD approach proposed is unique since it is implemented to systems of proportional representation. Findings indicate that municipalities with women councilors devote more resources to social investments. In particular, women politicians prioritize education, health, and environmental protection expenditures giving less attention to infrastructure investments. The impacts of higher female representation appear only some years after the elections, highlighting the importance of training and experience. Despite changes in public policy choices there is weak evidence on the links with final welfare outcomes.
Effects of Protected Areas on Forest Cover Change and Local Communities: Evidence from the Peruvian Amazon
Authors: Lima Eirivelthon , Blackman Allen , Corral Leonardo , Asner Gregory , Miranda Juan José
Published: March 2024

Protected areas are a cornerstone of forest conservation in developing countries. Yet we know little about their effects on forest cover change or the socioeconomic status of local communities, and even less about the relationship between these effects. This paper assesses whether 'win-win'scenarios are possible-that is, whether protected areas can both stem forest cover change and alleviate poverty. We examine protected areas in the Peruvian Amazon using high-resolution satellite images and household-level survey data for the early 2000s. To control for protected areas nonrandom siting, we rely on quasi-experimental (matching) methods. We find that the average protected area reduces forest cover change. We do not find a robust effect on local communities. Protected areas that allow sustainable extractive activities are more effective in reducing forest cover change but less effective in delivering win-win outcomes.
Impact of Early Life Shocks on Human Capital Formation: El Niño Floods in Ecuador
Authors: Rosales María Fernanda
Published: March 2024

A growing body of research argues that early adverse experiences have lasting effects not only on later health outcomes, but also on human capital accumulation. This paper investigates the persistent effect of negative shocks early in life on children's health and cognitive outcomes, and explores whether shocks at certain periods matter more than others. The paper exploits the geographic intensity of extreme floods during the 1997-1998 El Niño phenomenon in Ecuador as a source of exogenous variation in children's exposure to a negative shock at different periods early in life. It is shown that children exposed to severe floods in utero, especially during the third trimester, are shorter in stature five and seven years later. Also, children affected by the floods in the first trimester of pregnancy score lower on cognitive tests. Potential mechanisms are explored by studying how exposure to the El Niño shock affected key inputs to the production of children's human capital: birth weight and family inputs (income, consumption, and breastfeeding). Children exposed to El Niño floods, especially during the third trimester in utero, were more likely to be born with low birth weight. Furthermore, households affected by El Niño 1997-98 suffered a decline in income, total consumption, and food consumption in the aftermath of the shock. Moreover, exposure to El Niño floods decreased the duration of exclusive breastfeeding and increased the duration of non-exclusive breastfeeding. Falsification exercises suggest that selection concerns such as selective fertility, mobility, and infant mortality do not drive these results.
Informal Employment and Business Cycles in Emerging Economies: The Case of Mexico
Authors: Fernández Martín Andrés
Published: March 2024

This paper documents how informal employment in Mexico is countercyclical, lags the cycle and is negatively correlated to formal employment. This contributes to explaining why total employment in Mexico displays low cyclicality and variability over the business cycle when compared to Canada, a developed economy with a much smaller share of informal employment. To account for these empirical findings, a business cycle model is built of a small, open economy that incorporates formal and informal labor markets, and the model is calibrated to Mexico. The model performs well in terms of matching conditional and unconditional moments in the data. It also sheds light on the channels through which informal economic activity may affect business cycles. Introducing informal employment into a standard model amplifies the effects of productivity shocks. This is linked to productivity shocks being imperfectly propagated from the formal to the informal sector. It also shows how imperfect measurement of informal economic activity in national accounts can translate into stronger variability in aggregate economic activity.
Macroeconomic Effects of Credit Deepening in Latin America
Authors: Zilberman Eduardo , Carvalho Carlos , Souza Laura , Pasca Nilda
Published: March 2024

This paper augments a relatively standard dynamic general equilibrium model with financial frictions in order to quantify the macroeconomic effects of the credit deepening process observed in many Latin American (LA) countries in the last decade, most notably in Brazil. In the model, a stylized banking sector intermediates credit from patient households to impatient households and firms. The key novelty of the paper, motivated by the Brazilian experience, is to model the credit constraint faced by (impatient) households as a function of future labor income. In the calibrated model, credit deepening generates only modest abovetrend growth in consumption, investment, and GDP. Since Brazil has experienced one of the most intense credit deepening processes in Latin America, it is argued that the quantitative effects for other LA economies are unlikely to be sizeable.
Child Care Arrangements and Labor Supply
Authors: Del Boca Daniela
Published: March 2024

This paper discusses several approaches to examining the relationship between child care and mothers' labor supply. The focus is on child care for children aged 0-3, because this is a critical period for working mothers and their children and because most European and American households with children aged 3-5 already use child care centers. The paper provides data concerning availability of, government spending on, and quantity and quality standards for child care in different countries, then compares different approaches to the determinants of child care demand and labor supply. The paper subsequently reviews and compares empirical results regarding the impact of child care costs, availability and quality. Finally, the paper discusses different impacts across different groups and provides concluding remarks.
Capital Control Measures: A New Dataset
Authors: Rebucci Alessandro , Fernández Martín Andrés , Klein Michael W. , Uribe Martin , Schindler Martin
Published: March 2024

This paper presents and describes a new dataset of capital control restrictions on both inflows and outflows of 10 categories of assets for 100 countries over the period 1995 to 2013. Building on the data first presented in Schindler (2009) and other datasets based on the analysis of the IMF's Annual Report on Exchange Arrangements and Exchange Restrictions (AREAER), this dataset includes additional asset categories, more countries, and a longer time period. The paper discusses the manner in which information in the AREAER is translated into a usable dataset. The paper additionally characterizes the data with respect to the prevalence of controls across asset categories, the correlation of controls across asset categories and between controls on inflows and controls on outflows, the aggregation of the separate categories into broader indicators, and the comparison of this dataset with other indicators of capital controls.
Informality, Saving and Wealth Inequality in Colombia
Authors: Granda Catalina , Hamann Franz
Published: March 2024

The informal sector is an extensive phenomenon in developing countries. While some of its implications have drawn considerable attention in the literature, one relatively unexplored aspect has to do with the saving patterns of workers and firms and how these might influence aggregate savings and wealth inequality. This paper aims to fill that gap by examining both entrepreneurs' and workers' choices regarding whether to perform informally and regarding asset accumulation. Specifically, the paper builds an occupational choice model wherein saving is primarily motivated by precautionary considerations. The model features labor and capital market segmentation, and it is calibrated to replicate the saving rates, wealth inequality and composition of occupations across the formal and informal sectors of Colombia. Computational experiments additionally make it possible to analyze the effects of highly debated formalization policies on wealth redistribution and promotion of saving and entrepreneurship. Alternative frameworks are finally considered.
Corruption as a Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Evidence from a Survey Experiment in Costa Rica
Authors: Gingerich Daniel , Ruiz-Vega Mauricio , Corbacho Ana , Oliveros Virginia
Published: March 2024

An influential body of scholarship argues that corruption behaves as a selffulfilling prophecy. The idea of this work is that levels of corruption emerge endogenously as a result of a society-wide coordination game in which ther individual returns to corrupt behavior are a function of how disposed towards corruption the other members of society are perceived as being. An empirical implication of this logic is that if one were to exogenously perturb beliefs about societal levels of corruption upward, willingness to engage in corruption should increase as a consequence. The current paper evaluates this claim by utilizing an information experiment embedded in a large-scale household survey conducted in the Gran Área Metropolitana (GAM) of Costa Rica from October 2013 to April 2014 (n=4200). Changes in beliefs about corruption were induced via the random assignment of an informational display depicting the increasing percentage of Costa Ricans who have experienced or directly observed an act of corruption (from 2006 to 2011). The paper finds that, on average, assignment to this display (relative to the control condition) increased the probability that a respondent would be willing to pay a bribe to a police officer by approximately 0. 04 to 0. 08, thereby providing supporting evidence for the self-fulfilling prophecy hypothesis.
Global Liquidity, House Prices and the Macroeconomy: Evidence from Advanced and Emerging Economies
Authors: Cesa-Bianchi Ambrogio , Rebucci Alessandro , Céspedes Luis Felipe
Published: March 2024

This paper first compares house price cycles in advanced and emerging economies using a new quarterly house price dataset covering the period 1990- 2012. It is found that that house prices in emerging economies grow faster, are more volatile, less persistent and less synchronized across countries than in advanced economies. They also correlate more closely with capital flows than in advanced economies. The analysis is then conditioned on an exogenous change to global liquidity, broadly understood as a proxy for the international supply of credit. It is found that in emerging markets a global liquidity shock has a much stronger impact on house prices and consumption than in advanced economies. Finally, holding house prices constant in response to this shock tends to dampen its effects on consumption in both advanced and emerging economies, but possibly through different channels: in advanced economies by boosting the value of housing collateral and hence supporting domestic borrowing, and in emerging markets by appreciating the exchange rate and hence supporting the international borrowing capacity of the economy.
Household Saving and Labor Informality: The Case of Chile
Authors: Schclarek Alfredo , Caggia Mauricio
Published: March 2024

This paper compares the saving behavior of formal and informal workers and additionally provides a socioeconomic and financial characterization of informal workers in Chile. The paper uses the Financial Household Survey conducted by the Central Bank of Chile in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, which covers between 1,740 and 2,533 urban households, performing both OLS and probit regressions. The cross-section regression results indicate that, in general, informal households save less than formal households. Further, descriptive data indicate that informal workers have less access to financial services and possess less financial assets and liabilities. In terms of policy implications, combating informality may not only improve the well-being of workers, but may also have positive consequences on the aggregate saving rate. In addition, for Chile, it is evident that there is ample room to improve access to financial services not only for informal but also for formal workers.
Exchange Rate Pass-through in South America: An Overview
Authors: Queijo Von Heideken Virginia , Borensztein Eduardo
Published: March 2024

The effectiveness of exchange rate adjustments depends critically on the extent to which depreciations "pass through" to inflation, an effect that is known as exchange rate pass-through (ERPT). In particular, if an exchange rate depreciation does not result in a lasting change in relative prices, namely a real depreciation, it will not provide the desirable competitiveness gains. This paper looks at the question of pass-through and its determinants for the group of countries whose central banks are members of the Financial Stability and Development (FSD) network. All of these countries experienced large terms of trade shocks and large depreciations in the past couple of years. The findings are that ERPT in the FSD countries is moderate and has become lower over time, in line with the international experience. The pass-through moderation has benefitted from the adoption of floating exchange rates and especially an increase in monetary policy credibility. Despite the relatively lower ERPT in the past two decades, the exchange rate continues to be a large determinant of inflation in several countries.
The Effect of Non-contributory Pensions on Saving in Mexico
Authors: Alonso Jorge , Amuedo-Dorantes Catalina , Juárez Laura
Published: March 2024

This paper examines the effects of non-contributory pension programs at the federal and state levels on Mexican households' saving patterns using micro data from the Mexican Income and Expenditure Survey. The federal program by itself appears to reduce the saving rate of households whose oldest member is either 18 to 54 or 65 to 69. State programs by themselves have no significant effects on household saving rates in the smallest localities, but in larger localities they may reduce the saving of households with members in their sixties. The combination of both types of programs generally does not have statistically significant effects on households' aggregate saving, probably because each program seems to affect different population strata. No significant effects are found for households whose oldest member is age-eligible (70 and older). Within specific investment categories, evidence is found of increases in human capital and in durable and financial goods for some age groups. Finally, the paper provides evidence on household-level labor supply responses.
Pyramid Capitalism: Cronyism, Regulation, and Firm Productivity in Egypt
Authors: Schiffbauer Marc , Keefer Philip , Diwan Ishac
Published: March 2024

Using a large, original database of 385 politically connected firms under the Mubarak regime in Egypt, we document for the first time the negative impact of cronyism on economic growth. In the early 2000s, a policy shift in Egypt led to the expansion of crony activities into new, previously unconnected sectors. 4-digit sectors that experienced crony entry between 1996 and 2006 experienced lower aggregate employment growth during the period than those that did not. A wide array of supporting evidence indicates that this effect was causal, reflecting the mechanisms described in Aghion et al. (2001), and not due to selection. Crony entry skewed the distribution of employment toward smaller, less productive firms; crony firms did not enter into sectors that would have also grown more slowly even in the absence of crony entry; and they enjoyed multiple regulatory and fiscal privileges that reduced competition and investments by non-crony firms, including trade protection, energy subsidies, access to land, and favorable regulatory enforcement. Moreover, energy subsidies and trade protection account for the higher profits of politically connected firms.
Fiscal Rules: Towards a New Paradigm for Fiscal Sustainability in Small States
Authors: Grenade Kari , Wright Allan , Scott-Joseph Ankie
Published: March 2024

This study contends that Caribbean countries cannot adequately surmount their fiscal and debt challenges in the absence of binding rules that are geared toward entrenching fiscal discipline, curbing fiscal procyclicality, and improving budget transparency and credibility. Distilling global lessons and taking due cognizance of Caribbean countries' idiosyncrasies, the paper explores key technical, operational and institutional issues in the design, implementation, and monitoring of fiscal rules that might be relevant for Caribbean countries that currently do not have legislated rules. Results from simulations carried out to determine welfare effects and the extent of volatility of key macroeconomic variables under various fiscal rules scenarios suggest that of the different types of simulated fiscal rules, expenditure rules perform best in terms of reducing macroeconomic volatility, and in that regard, appear to be the most welfare-enhancing. This is believed to be the first study to carry out such a simulation exercise for Caribbean countries. The findings of the study evince useful insights for policymakers on how to improve the design and conduct of fiscal policy for better fiscal and, by extension, development outcomes.
Boosting Tourism's Contribution to Growth and Development: Analysis of Evidence
Authors: Cicowiez Martin , Morris Emily , Banerjee Onil
Published: March 2024

In this study we develop an evidence-based tool to help to guide policy and investment choices, to maximize developmental returns from tourism. Specifically, we develop a tourism-extended social accounting matrix and computable general equilibrium and microsimulation models customized for tourism investment analysis. To demonstrate the approach, we develop these data structures for Belize, at both national and regional levels. The framework developed herein can be used to quantify the direct and indirect, and short- and long-run impacts of tourism investments. Anticipating application of the approach to tourism investment analysis in the Central American Region, we provide a stock take of the availability of data to develop a similar suite of models for other countries in the region.
Misreporting in Sensitive Health Behaviors and Its Impact on Treatment Effects: An Application to Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: Agüero Jorge M. , Frisancho Verónica
Published: March 2024

A growing literature seeks to identify policies that could reduce intimate partner violence. However, in the absence of reliable administrative records, this violence is often measured using self-reported data from health surveys. In this paper, an experiment is conducted comparing data from such surveys against a methodology that provides greater privacy to the respondent. Non-classical measurement error in health surveys is identified as college-educated women, but not the less educated, underreport physical and sexual violence. The paper provides a low-cost solution to correct the bias in the estimation of causal effects under non-classical measurement error in the dependent variable.
La Organización Industrial de Servicios de Educación en Venezuela
Authors: De la Cruz Rafael , Navarro Juan Carlos
Published: March 2024

Este informe presenta el resultado de un estudio de la organización de los servicios de educación en Venezuela, en el marco de un estudio comparativo que comprende estudios de propósito similar en varios países de América Latina. El marco de referencia más general del estudio es el de la teoría económica de la organización, y su motivación principal está en la constatación de los severos problemas que enfrenta la provisión de servicios educativos en Venezuela. Se ha dividido en dos grandes secciones: la primera introduce los elementos contextuales indispensables para una adecuada comprensión de la forma particular que toma el estudio y del interés sustantivo que tiene. La segunda presenta el análisis de la organización económica de los servios de educación en tres sistemas educativos: el nacional, el estatal y uno privado.
La estructura de la deuda pública en México: Lecciones y perspectivas
Authors: Villagómez Amezcua Alejandro , Hernández Trillo Fausto
Published: March 2024

Este artículo examina algunas de las hipótesis sobre las estrategias de deuda que a priori parece haber seguido el gobierno mexicano, partiendo de un examen de la evolución y composición de la misma. Un aspecto interesante de este examen es que el nivel de la deuda total con respecto al PIB en México era relativamente bajo (27 por ciento), sobre todo comparado con algunos países de la Unión Europea como Italia y Bélgica. Esto sugiere que la composición de la deuda y su perfil de vencimientos se convierten en un aspecto importante, particularmente en México. De este examen uno de los acertijos que saltan a la escena es si la excesiva indización de la deuda interna al dólar durante 1994 fue una medida adecuada.
Participación Privada en Proyectos de Infraestructura y Determinantes de los Esquemas Contractuales Adoptados: El Caso Colombiano
Authors: Fainboim Yaker Israel , Alonso Julio César , Rodríguez Carlos Jorge , Benavides Juan
Published: March 2024

Este estudio tiene como objetivo analizar los determinantes de los esquemas contractuales adoptados para la participación privada en ocho proyectos de concesión de infraestructura: dos del sector de acueductos (planta de tratamiento de Tibitoc, acueducto de Cartagena), tres de infraestructura de transporte (segunda pista del aeropuerto El Dorado, puerto de Cartagena, red Atlántica del ferrocarril), uno de telecomunicaciones (telefonía móvil celular) y dos del sector eléctrico (repotenciación de Tebsa y reconstrucción de Termoflores).
La Autonomía Administrativa de las Instituciones Gubernamentales en Venezuela: El Caso de la Superintendencia de Bancos y Otras Instituciones Financieras (SUDEBAN)
Authors: González de Pacheco Rosa Amelia , Gómez Pável
Published: March 2024

Los eventos registrados antes de la crisis financiera venezolana de 1994-95, ponen al descubierto la activa oposición que puede enfrentar la supervisión y regulación pública de las instituciones financieras; en particular, resalta el esfuerzo realizado por algunos grupos de interés para frenar la reforma del sistema financiero que, entre otras cosas, garantizaría la autonomía de la SUDEBAN. El estudio de estos eventos revela además el significativo papel que la ausencia de una supervisión y regulación pública eficiente y autónoma tuvo en la gestación y estallido de la crisis financiera.
La privatización peruana: Impactos sobre el desempeño de las empresas
Authors: Torero Máximo
Published: March 2024

Casi diez años después de la privatización de importantes empresas paraestatales (EPE) del Perú, el balance apriorístico aún no queda claro. En este artículo se analiza el impacto de la privatización mediante un detallado análisis estadístico y econométrico de, en primer lugar, la diferencia (entre el desempeño antes y después de la privatización), y en segundo, las diferencias (el cambio en el desempeño de las empresas privatizadas respecto al cambio en el desempeño de las EPE) entre varios indicadores de rentabilidad, eficiencia de operación, empleo, solvencia y convergencia. Los resultados demostraron, en congruencia con la literatura antecedente, que las compañías privadas son más eficientes y rentables que cualquier compañía gubernamental comparable. En el caso del sector más competitivo, el sistema financiero, se descubrió con el paso del tiempo un efecto de convergencia de los bancos recién privatizados, hacia el desempeño de los bancos privados líderes existentes. A pesar de que el impacto de la privatización sobre el desempleo fue negativo en el corto plazo, pues normalmente las EPE hubieran contratado gente con base en criterios políticos en vez de en criterios técnicos, se demuestra que hubo un considerable aumento en el empleo indirecto mediante la prestación de servicios y que el empleo total, directo e indirecto, ha crecido.
Integración Financiera en América Latina
Authors: Corbo Vittorio
Published: March 2024

El propósito principal de este trabajo es el de revisar los factores y la dinámica que toma la internacionalización financiera, como también las acciones que debiera tomar un país para prepararse para maximizar los beneficios netos de esta integración. Finalmente, se evalúan también las acciones que debieran tomar los gobiernos para facilitar una integración ordenada y gradual de los sectores financieros.
Financiamiento de la Vivienda en Chile
Authors: Morandé Felipe , García Carlos
Published: March 2024

El financiamiento a la vivienda en Chile ha alcanzado en los últimos 20 años un grado de desarrollo muy importante. Para esto ha sido fundamental: a) la eliminación del efecto de la inflación sobre el valor de las deudas de largo plazo, primero, mediante el desarrollo de una unidad de cuenta indexada a la inflación creíble y transparente (la UF), y posteriormente, con el abatimiento de la inflación como fenómeno macroeconómico; b) la reforma provisional de comienzos de los años 80, que fue clave para el nacimiento y progreso de un mercado de capitales de largo plazo, y c) la política social de vivienda, según la cual el Estado se ha ido moviendo progresivamente, aunque tal vez con lentitud, hacia el subsidio de la demanda de vivienda de los grupos con más dificultades de acceso a los mercados privados de financiamiento. El ordenamiento jurídico, aunque siempre perfectible, contiene en Chile un adecuado balance entre los derechos de deudores y acreedores, incluyendo los procedimientos para ejecutar las garantías reales que acompañan a los créditos hipotecarios. Esto, unido a políticas comerciales sensatas de parte de los emisores de los créditos y a un estricto sistema de clasificación de riesgo respecto de los títulos de deuda, ha permitido que los mercados de financiamiento hipotecario se desarrollen sin impedimentos institucionales significativos. Sin embargo, el Estado es aún un agente relevante en la provisión de financiamiento para la vivienda y, hasta hace poco, un agente además muy ineficiente en cuanto al cobro de las deudas. Recientemente, y en la medida en que el ingreso per cápita del país ha ido aumentando y que las prácticas comerciales de respeto a los derechos de propiedad se han ido consolidando, el Estado ha decidido retirarse de la provisión directa de financiamiento, a fin de abrirle nuevos espacios al sistema financiero privado para abarcar operaciones de menor monto. Con todo, queda aún margen para mejorar en el abaratamiento de los costos de transacción, especialmente en la etapa de emisión de los créditos, considerar riesgos menores no cubiertos en la actualidad y mejorar las posibilidades de acceso al financiamiento a diferentes sectores de la sociedad.
Propiedad y Desempeño de la Banca: ¿Importa la Política?
Authors: Micco Alejandro , Panizza Ugo , Yañez Mónica
Published: March 2024

En este trabajo se construye y emplea una nueva base de datos para evaluar la relación que hay entre la propiedad de los bancos y el desempeño de los mismos, y se obtienen distintos indicadores para países en desarrollo y para países industrializados. Se descubre que los bancos propiedad del Estado en países en desarrollo tienden a exhibir una rentabilidad más baja y costos más elevados que sus contrapartes privadas, y que lo opuesto ocurre con los bancos foráneos. Se determina que no existe una correlación clara entre la propiedad y el desempeño de los bancos ubicados en países industrializados. Posteriormente, a fin de evaluar si la diferencia en el desempeño entre los bancos públicos y los privados depende de factores políticos, se analiza si esa diferencia aumenta durante los años de elecciones y se descubren elementos que corroboran esta hipótesis.
El Shock de los Precios del Petróleo en América Central: Implicancias Fiscales y Energéticas
Authors: Navajas Fernando , Catena Marcelo , Artana Daniel
Published: March 2024

Se estudian las implicancias fiscales y energéticas de la escalada en los precios del petróleo estimando efectos directos e indirectos. Dado que las economías se hallan en una fase expansiva, estimamos, un impacto ¿latente¿sobre el PIB, respecto de las condiciones iniciales (año 2003), que a su vez lleva a una pérdida latente en la recaudación fiscal del 0.7% PIB promedio entre países. A diferencia de este efecto latente, la perdida directa observada en la recaudación de impuestos a los hidrocarburos se estima en 0.4% del PIB, también con diferencias entre países. Adicionalmente, los subsidios explícitos varían según el país pero en promedio representan el 1% del PIB. En suma, la combinación de efectos fiscales directos e indirectos promedio entre países de la escalada en los precios del petróleo se estima en un 1.4% del PIB para el período 2003-06 (que se eleva a 2.1% si se consideran los efectos ¿latentes¿). Luego se examina la evidencia sobre el modo de intervención en la formación de precios y en el grado de ¿acolchonamiento¿ de impuestos a los combustibles de los distintos países. El mayor o menor traslado del shock a los precios domésticos de los combustibles derivo en dificultades diversas que emergieron en el sector eléctrico y de transporte, dando lugar a respuestas en materia de formación de precios, impuestos y subsidios. Finalmente se discuten las estrategias basadas en otros mecanismos posibles como los fondos de estabilización y se hacen algunas sugerencias generales y por país derivadas de la evidencia encontrada.
La experiencia de Chile en la reducción de la pobreza
Authors:   Gobierno de Chile
Published: March 2024

Esta presentación fue comisionada por la Red de Reducción de la Pobreza y Protección Social del Diálogo Regional de Política para la III Reunión Hemisférica celebrada los días 23 y 24 de mayo de 2002. Chile se encuentra en una transición demográfica de envejecimiento de su población. Esta transición se prolongará por tres o cuatro décadas más. El contexto demográfico del país es un factor fundamental del desarrollo de las políticas sociales, en particular en lo relativo a la protección social de la población adulta.
Diagnóstico Institucional del Sistema de Servicio Civil de Bolivia
Authors: Villoria Manuel
Published: March 2024

El estudio se ha basado en lecturas e investigaciones politológicas y económicas sobre Bolivia, en un análisis exhaustivo de la legislación aplicable al caso y en entrevistas en profundidad con actores clave del proceso de institucionalización boliviano, así como un taller de un día con dichos actores y representantes de los organismos de cooperación internacional implicados en el Programa de Reforma Institucional.
La reforma de la administración pública peruana (1990-1997): Conflicto y estrategias divergentes en la elaboración de políticas de gestión pública
Authors: Cortázar Velarde Juan Carlos
Published: March 2024

El presente trabajo está relacionado a una de las preocupaciones centrales de la gestión pública: ¿cómo elevar la capacidad institucional del Estado para diseñar, implementar y evaluar políticas que efectivamente generen valor público en un contexto democrático? Al interior de esta preocupación, el tema de interés teórico de la investigación es el proceso de elaboración de las políticas de gestión pública.
Avances en Las Estrategias de Desarrollo Institucional y Sostenibilidad Financiera de la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres en América Latina y el Caribe
Authors: Lavell Allan M. , Cardona Omar D. , Mansilla Elizabeth , Moreno Álvaro M.
Published: March 2024

Este documento fue comisionado por la Red de Desastres Naturales del Diálogo Regional de Política para la V Reunión Hemisférica celebrada los días 13 y 14 de junio de 2005. El propósito de este trabajo de investigación es analizar la forma en que los países de América Latina y El Caribe han avanzado en el propósito de implementar estrategias y acciones mejoradas de respuesta, prevención y mitigación (reducción de riesgo) y reconstrucción de desastres a través de la creación de estructuras institucionales nacionales y fuentes de financiación sostenibles.
Desarrollo docente en el contexto de la institución escolar: los microcentros rurales y los grupos profesionales de trabajo en Chile
Authors: Ávalos Beatrice
Published: March 2024

Este trabajo tiene por objetivo dar a conocer las experiencias de los programas de Mejoramiento de la Calidad y de la Equidad de la Educación: MECE Básica (afectando el nivel primario) y MECE Media (afectando el nivel secundario) que existen en Chile y describir su modo de funcionar, evaluando su eficacia. Para ello, se utilizará la evidencia existente sobre los procesos que ocurren en ese contexto y cómo perciben los profesores estos programas. Se considerará también el efecto que tienen estos procesos tanto en la práctica habitual de aula de los profesores participantes como en la vida de la institución escolar donde se insertan.
Elementos de Estrategias Potenciales de Reducción de Riesgos de Desastres en el Ecuador
Authors: Solberg Scott
Published: March 2024

Este documento fue comisionado por la Red de Desastres Naturales del Diálogo Regional de Política para la VI Reunión Hemisférica celebrada los días 24 y 25 de abril de 2006.
Costa Rica: Nota Sectorial sobre Comercio e Integración
Authors: Vodusek Ziga , Barreix Alberto Daniel , Granados Jaime , Volpe Martincus Christian , López Córdova José Ernesto
Published: March 2024

Esta publicación presenta un diagnóstico y señala los principales desafíos y alternativas de política que Costa Rica ha de enfrentar en la actual coyuntura en relación con su proceso de integración económica con el mundo. La Nota también señala posibles apoyos del Banco para abordar algunos de esos desafíos a través de sus instrumentos financieros y no financieros
Aspectos de la Gestión Aduanera en los Procesos de Integración Territorial
Authors:   Inter American Development Bank
Published: March 2024

Presenta información acerca de la gestión aduanera como parte de los procesos de integración territorial, la constitución de la unión aduanera comunitaria, los instrumentos de cooperación de las administraciones aduaneras integradas, fraude aduanero y otros.
Política Comercial y Política de Infraestructura en el MERCOSUR
Authors: Labraga Juan
Published: March 2024

En el presente trabajo se utiliza un modelo de Nueva Geografía Económica (NGE) para simular los efectos sobre la localización industrial en Uruguay de la aplicación de distintas alternativas de política comercial y políticas de infraestructura. Los ejercicios dan como resultado que una reducción de las barreras no arancelarias con Argentina produce una deslocalización de industrias en Uruguay, mientras que la aplicación de la misma política con Brasil aumenta la localización de industrias en el país. Las políticas de infraestructura, independientemente del país con el que se realicen, aumentan la localización de industrias en Uruguay.
Inequidad en los aprendizajes escolares en América Latina: análisis multinivel del SERCE según la condición socioeconómica de los estudiantes
Authors: Moreno Martín , Duarte Jesús , Bos María Soledad
Published: March 2024

En este documento se analizan las diferencias en los aprendizajes de los estudiantes latinoamericanos a partir de las condiciones socioeconómicas de sus familias. Utilizando la base de datos del Segundo Estudio Regional Comparativo y Explicativo (SERCE) realizado en 2006, se confirma que existe una relación positiva y significativa entre la condición socioeconómica de los estudiantes y los resultados en el SERCE, tanto para la región en general como para cada país participante en particular. Si esta relación se descompone en dos niveles --dentro de las escuelas y entre escuelas--, se observa que la condición socioeconómica explica una parte significativa de la variabilidad de los puntajes de la prueba entre las escuelas y una parte mucho menor de la variabilidad dentro de cada escuela. Esta situación es producto de una alta segregación socioeconómica entre las escuelas que acentúa la relación entre la condición socioeconómica de los estudiantes y los resultados de la prueba. Los estudiantes más pobres son penalizados, primero por su condición socioeconómica, y luego por estudiar en escuelas a las que asisten mayoritariamente familias pobres, lo cual profundiza la inequidad en los aprendizajes. Los hallazgos sugieren varios cursos de acción para la política pública, ajustados a los perfiles de equidad educativa de cada país.
Una evaluación de la homogeneidad macroeconómica y del desarrollo de la región centroamericana
Authors: Ballestero Florencio
Published: March 2024

En relación con los países desarrollados, las ventajas comparativas de la región centroamericana se encuentran en procesos productivos de uso intensivo de mano de obra barata y recursos naturales. Sin embargo, evaluadas las ventajas regionales en un contexto mundial, también la región enfrenta la competencia de muchos otros países y regiones con el mismo tipo de ventajas comparativas respecto a los países desarrollados. La región centroamericana, por otro lado, posee, respecto a sus competidores en el mundo, una ventaja comparativa adicional para atraer procesos productivos de uso intensivo de mano de obra barata y recursos naturales, integrarse a la economía mundial y acelerar su crecimiento económico: su situación geográfica. Centroamérica es un punto de fácil acceso (o potencialmente fácil, si se cuenta con la infraestructura adecuada) a los principales mercados de Europa, Asia y las dos costas oceánicas de América del Norte.