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on Central and South America |
| By: | Guglielmo Maria Caporale; Luis Alberiko Gil-Alana; Karen Roxana Quinatoa Narváez |
| Abstract: | This paper analyses remittances in fifteeen Latin American countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Panama, Dominican Republic, Uruguay and Venezuela) by applying fractional integration methods to World Bank annual data. The start year varies from 1970 in Colombia and Venezuela to 2003 in Uruguay, while the end year is 2022 in all cases except Venezuela, for which it is 2016. The chosen approach provides evidence on trends and persistence in the series under investigation. The results indicate that the effects of shocks to remittances are transitory only in Guatemala and Honduras. This might reflect the rather stable employment and wages of migrant workers from these two countries residing in the US, cultural factors, and the relatively small values and/or low volatility of remittances to these two countries. |
| Keywords: | remittances, time trends, persistence, fractional integration |
| JEL: | C22 G20 |
| Date: | 2024 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ces:ceswps:_11505 |
| By: | Rosino María Victoria; Cucher María Solana; Ruiz María Florencia; Tommasi Mariano |
| Abstract: | Family structure and characteristics are considered an important factor in the reproduction of social inequalities. It has been documented that family structure and its stability correlate with various measures of well-being for children and adults (specially women) involved. In this paper we use a retrospective survey for the City of Buenos Aires involving three different cohorts of women, to explore their conjugal and fertility trajectories. We describe those trajectories with a vector of variables that expand the notion of “fragile families” and use cluster analysis to characterize these trajectories. We find that our indicator of fragility correlates well with variables capturing social vulnerability both in the families of origin as well as in the women's own trajectories. Other findings include an increase in "modern" lifestyles across cohorts, as captured by our indicators; a rise in educational attainment, with non-university tertiary education increasing before university education, indicating a transitional effect; and a higher likelihood of adopting "modern" lifestyles among women whose mothers were the main breadwinners. |
| JEL: | I3 J1 |
| Date: | 2024–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aep:anales:4759 |
| By: | Arozamena Leandro; Ruffo Hernán; Sanguinetti Pablo; Weinschelbaum Federico |
| Abstract: | We present a model that provides insights into the optimal structure of sin taxes, considering the varying health risks of different product variants and the presence of internalities and externalities. Then, we compare its predictions with the tax policies on tobacco, alcoholic beverages, and sugar-sweetened drinks in Latin America and the Caribbean. Our framework confirms the intuition that taxes should be levied based on the health risks these products impose on individuals. Nevertheless, we show evidence from Latin America demonstrating that sin taxes on these products are often not established in proportion to the harm they produce. Our model also suggests that consumption response to taxes is weaker when there is a higher subjective misperception of the health risk, necessitating further tax increases. A key policy issue that relates to the theoretical framework is the potential trade-off between health and revenue objectives that the government may face. Authorities may be worried that increasing these taxes for health purposes may reduce tax revenue if the demand falls to a greater extent than the taxes increase. Our model shows that the revenue argument for taxing sin products may imply higher taxes for all variants (though relatively lower for less harmful versions). |
| JEL: | H2 D6 |
| Date: | 2024–11 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:aep:anales:4708 |
| By: | Juanita Bloomfield; Ana I. Balsa; Alejandro Cid; Philip Oreopoulos |
| Abstract: | Early childhood in developing countries faces a greater prevalence of risk factors and limited resources, underscoring the need for effective, scalable support models. We develop and experimentally evaluate a multi-component approach to enhance family well-being over-the-phone. The program combines scalable outreaches including calls by a teleoperator, messages, a chatbot, and an AI tool. Targeted at highly vulnerable families with children aged 0 to 3 in Uruguay, the intervention promotes positive parenting practices at home, fosters language development, and provides personalized assistance to help families access government benefits. The intervention was implemented with 1, 360 families eligible for support from the government agency Uruguay Crece Contigo over an eight-month period. We find that the program increases weekly frequency of parental engagement in stimulating activities and reduces parental stress. Treated families gain enhanced access to social benefits, including cash transfers and employment support programs. |
| JEL: | I20 J24 O15 |
| Date: | 2025–01 |
| URL: | https://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:nbr:nberwo:33338 |