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on Central and South America |
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Issue of 2024‒07‒15
five papers chosen by |
| By: | Matías Ciaschi (CEDLAS-IIE-FCE-UNLP & CONICET); Johanna Fajardo-Gonzalez (The World Bank); Mariana Viollaz (CEDLAS-IIE-FCE-UNLP & IZA) |
| Abstract: | This study analyzes the adjustment in time allocation to school support activities by mothers and fathers during the pandemic across 22 Latin American and Caribbean countries, exploring the repercussions on labor market outcomes and children’s learning losses. Our analysis reveals that mothers experienced a disproportionate increase in time dedicated to children’s educational support compared to fathers, particularly when mothers could work from home. The results suggest that these effects were more pronounced in countries with stringent school closure measures and limited access to in-person instruction. Even as mobility restrictions eased and schools reopened, the additional responsibilities taken on by mothers remained above pre-pandemic levels. Mothers also significantly increased the time spent on non-educational childcare, though to a lesser extent than educational support. We also show evidence indicating a decline in maternal labor force participation and a rise in flexible labor arrangements as mothers allocated more hours to child-related duties. Our study also provides descriptive evidence that children’s learning losses were less severe in countries where the gender disparity in pandemicrelated school support was greater. |
| JEL: | I1 J13 J21 |
| Date: | 2024–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dls:wpaper:0332&r= |
| By: | Andres Rivas (Primerica); Rahul Verma (University of Houston); Antonio Rodriguez (UREP - Unité Mixte de Recherche sur l'Ecosystème Prairial - UMR - VAS - VetAgro Sup - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur et de recherche en alimentation, santé animale, sciences agronomiques et de l'environnement - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement, INIA-CISA - Centro de Investigacion en Sanidad Animal - INIA - Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria = National Institute for Agricultural and Food Research and Technology); Pedro Albuquerque (AMSE - Aix-Marseille Sciences Economiques - EHESS - École des hautes études en sciences sociales - AMU - Aix Marseille Université - ECM - École Centrale de Marseille - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique) |
| Abstract: | Purpose: The article examines stock index price responses in Brazil, Chile, and Mexico to those in the US, Spain, and four European countries during three sub-periods surrounding the neoliberal reforms of the 1990s: 1988 to 1994, 1995 to 1998, and 1999 to 2004. Design/methodology/approach: The methodology is empirical and uses time series analysis, in particular impulse response functions (IRFs) derived using vector autoregression (VAR) models. Main Findings: It finds that equity markets became more interconnected as countries opened to international trade and capital flows and that there was an increasing impact of Spain on Latin American equity markets. Stronger economic linkages (more trade and foreign direct investment) between Spain and these countries, especially in Brazil, seem to explain increased equity market interconnectedness. Research limitations/implications: The study limitations are, in general, the same that apply to the VAR methodology, and in particular, to missing control variables or to possible bias in the selection of the subsample periods used as historical benchmarks. Originality/value: To our knowledge, no other work showed that there was an increasing impact of Spain on Latin American equity markets during the neoliberal reform period by using IRFs and VAR models. |
| Keywords: | Latin America, Spain, Stock markets interdependence, VAR modeling, Emerging markets |
| Date: | 2023–09–30 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04524989&r= |
| By: | Collante Zárate, Sofía (Universidad de los Andes); Rodríguez Orgales, Catherine (Universidad de los Andes); Sanchez Torres, Fabio (Universidad de los Andes) |
| Abstract: | Does a meal make a difference in the educational process? This article presents the results of the evaluation of Colombia’s School Feeding Program (PAE) on educational outcomes. The estimates exploit that the program’s rollout varies over time across municipalities, schools, and grades between the same school. The analysis uses information from seven years of the universe of students attending public schools and the census information of the students enrolled in higher education. Compared to grades without PAE, we find that the dropout rate of grades with PAE is between 10% and 25% lower, and grade repetition is between 7% and 13% lower. We also find that the PAE increases high school completion rates by 39%, improves educational achievement measured with the Saber 11 test by 0.1 standard deviations, and elevates access to higher education by 20%. The program is perceived as an incentive for students to attend school and a mechanism for improving the learning process, resulting in higher human capital. |
| Keywords: | School feeding; education; school permanence; educational achievement; impact evaluation; Colombia |
| JEL: | I20 I21 I28 O15 |
| Date: | 2024–07–02 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:col:000089:021155&r= |
| By: | Mauro Cazzaniga; Carlo Pizzinelli; Emma J Rockall; Ms. Marina Mendes Tavares |
| Abstract: | We document historical patterns of workers' transitions across occupations and over the life-cycle for different levels of exposure and complementarity to Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Brazil and the UK. In both countries, college-educated workers frequently move from high-exposure, low-complementarity occupations (those more likely to be negatively affected by AI) to high-exposure, high-complementarity ones (those more likely to be positively affected by AI). This transition is especially common for young college-educated workers and is associated with an increase in average salaries. Young highly educated workers thus represent the demographic group for which AI-driven structural change could most expand opportunities for career progression but also highly disrupt entry into the labor market by removing stepping-stone jobs. These patterns of “upward” labor market transitions for college-educated workers look broadly alike in the UK and Brazil, suggesting that the impact of AI adoption on the highly educated labor force could be similar across advanced economies and emerging markets. Meanwhile, non-college workers in Brazil face markedly higher chances of moving from better-paid high-exposure and low-complementarity occupations to low-exposure ones, suggesting a higher risk of income loss if AI were to reduce labor demand for the former type of jobs. |
| Keywords: | Artificial intelligence; Employment; Occupations; Emerging Markets |
| Date: | 2024–06–07 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:imf:imfwpa:2024/116&r= |
| By: | García-Echalar, Andrés (Universidad de los Andes); Poblete, Sebastián (Northwestern University); Rau, Tomas (Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile) |
| Abstract: | This paper assesses the effect of teachers on the gender gap in student test scores. It combines different empirical strategies from the value-added and labor economics literature to estimate teacher value-added and its contribution to the math and reading gender gaps. We use rich administrative data from Chile, that allows us to follow teachers through different classes in different years. Our main findings indicate that teachers explain up to 18% of student test score variance and help reduce the gender gap in math by 16.9%. The reduction in the math gender gap is greater in voucher schools (16.1%), among students with more educated mothers (24%) and among those with female math teachers (32.2%). We provide evidence supporting a within-class effect instead of sorting (between-class effect). We conduct several tests and robustness checks to assess the reliability of our findings. |
| Keywords: | teacher value-added, test scores gender gap, between and within class variation |
| JEL: | I21 I24 J16 |
| Date: | 2024–06 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:iza:izadps:dp17054&r= |