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on Central and South America |
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Issue of 2007‒03‒31
four papers chosen by |
| By: | Ramón Castaño; Andrés Zambrano |
| Abstract: | Financial protection is one of the objectives of health systems, which protects poor households from falling into poverty as a result of health care related expenses. Expanding prepayment schemes to the poor is difficult in developing countries because labor is largely informal. Providing health care free-at-point-of-service does not adequately target spending on the poorest, but occupation- or community-based schemes have also inherent limitations to achieve universal coverage. Colombia adopted a government-subsidized health insurance scheme (SHI) strategy. The political debate about increasing SHI enrollment needs evidence about the effectiveness of this scheme regarding financial protection. This study runs a four-part model to estimate the effect of SHI on out-of-pocket expenses by the poor that are currently uninsured, if they were enrolled in the SHI. The results show a 43% and 50% reduction in expenses at Bogotá and national level respectively, which confirms the effectiveness of SHI as a financial protection tool. |
| Date: | 2007–03–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:col:001070:002884&r=lam |
| By: | Ricardo Bernal Fandiño |
| Abstract: | Este trabajo estudia la relación entre los aumentos en la concentración y las dinámicas de competencia del sector financiero crediticio de los últimos años en la economía colombiana. Se encuentra que a pesar de los incrementos en la concentración que reflejan diversos indicadores analizados, el nivel de poder de mercado -medido como el estadístico H de Panzar y Rose (1987) por medio de un análisis de panel de datos- no se ha deteriorado en el periodo 1995-2005. Más aún, existen indicios por los cuales este nivel de competencia se ha incrementado en el periodo, una vez se ha controlado por variables específicas a la entidad así como por variables exógenas macroeconómicas. |
| Date: | 2007–03–15 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:col:001043:002897&r=lam |
| By: | Julio César Alonso; Maria Emma Cantera; Beatriz Orozco |
| Abstract: | Este documento tiene como objetivo presentar una introducción a la estructura de las cuentas fiscales colombianas. Para tal fin se presenta una clasificación del Sector Público No Financiero y se describen sus principales cuentas de gastos y de ingresos. Así mismo, para el caso colombiano se presenta una breve descripción de la evolución de estas cuentas y del balance fiscal para las últimas décadas. |
| Date: | 2006–06–01 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:col:001062:002893&r=lam |
| By: | Roberto Frenkel |
| Abstract: | This article, originally published in Spanish in La Nación, December 31, 2006, explains the mechanics of the Argentine Central Bank's intervention in exchange rates markets to target a stable and competitive exchange rate, a macroeconomic policy that has played a significant role in Argentina's economic growth since 2002. |
| JEL: | E58 E52 E42 |
| Date: | 2007–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:epo:papers:2007-3&r=lam |