Cooperation under Interval Uncertainty

Classification: JEL code C71Cooperative game theory;Interval uncertainty;Core;Value;Balancedness

Calibration: Respice, Adspice, Prospice

“Those who claim for themselves to judge the truth are bound to possess a criterion of truth.” JEL Code: C18, C53, D89calibration, prediction

Hamiltonian Strongly Regular Graphs

We give a sufficient condition for a distance-regular graph to be Hamiltonian. In particular, the Petersen graph is the only connected non-Hamiltonian strongly regular graph on fewer than 99 vertices.Distance-regular graphs;Hamilton cycles JEL-code

The insurance industry in Brazil: a long-term view

This paper surveys the formation and development of insurance business in Brazil. It describes its very first steps, from the colonial times and imperial era to recent events. Particular attention is given to regulatory changes, showing how they evolved in response to macroeconomic shocks that affected the Brazilian economy during this period.Insurance, Brazil, Regulation. JEL Code: G22, G38, L50, N46.

The impact of trade integration on business cycle synchronisation for Mercosur countries

Frankel and Rose (1998) reassessed the Mundellian criteria on OCAs and considered their application to be untenable, since trade integration and cycle synchronisation may be endogenous. This research aims at testing this hypothesis for Mercosur countries. In particular it intends to evaluate empirically the impact of reduced trade barriers, and then, increased trade on the synchronisation of business cycles. Using a panel data spanning the members over sixty-four quarters since the establishment of the FTA, my findings indicate a positive effect, implying intra-industry trade. JEL Classification Code: F15, E32Trade Integration, Business Cycle Synchronisation, Mercosur

The Desirable Organizational Structure for Evolutionary Firms in Static Landscapes

In addition to the common analysis of the Kauffman NK model where the value of K and the structure of interaction is given, the aim of this paper is to study what would be the values of these two parameters if they were endogenized. Thus, a model is proposed where firms and business schools coordinate to search for high peaks in their respective landscapes using evolutionary algorithms. The main result coming out from the analysis of the model is that agents, using evolutionary algorithms, attempt to simplify the problems of coordination and this, over time, produces the existence in the economy of agents using many different strategies. (JEL-code: C61, C63, D21, D23

Long-memory process and aggregation of AR(1) stochastic processes: A new characterization

Contemporaneous aggregation of individual AR(1) random processes might lead to different properties of the limit aggregated time series, in particular, long memory (Granger, 1980). We provide a new characterization of the series of autoregressive coefficients, which is defined from the Wold representation of the limit of the aggregate stochastic process, in the presence of long-memory features. Especially the infinite autoregressive stochastic process defined by the almost sure representation of the aggregate process has a unit root in the presence of the long-memory property. Finally we discuss some examples using some well-known probability density functions of the autoregressive random parameter in the aggregation literature. JEL Classification Code: C2, C13

The relationship between saving and credit from a Schumpeterian perspective

Mainstream economic theory underlines the close relation between saving decisions and credit supply: the saving decisions determine the credit supply and thus the investment flow carried out by all the firms. The objective of this paper is to highlight the theoretical limits of this causal sequence on the basis of the arguments developed by Schumpeter, who instead maintains that in a capitalist economy the credit supply and investment decisions are independent of saving decisions JEL classification code: E21, E22, G20, O10. Key words: saving, credit, investment, development, Schumpeter

Identifying the bank lending channel in Brazil through data frequency

Using the different response timings of credit demand and supply, we isolate supply shifts after monetary policy shocks. We show that the bank lending channel exists in Brazil: after an increase (decrease) in the basic interest rate (Selic), banks reduce (increase) the quantity of new loans and raise (lower) interest rates. However, contrary to the empirical literature for the US, we find evidence that large banks react more than smaller ones to monetary policy shocks. Results may have important implications for monetary policy transmission in light of the recent wave of concentration in the Brazilian banking industry.monetary policy transmission; credit markets; bank lending channel. JEL Code: E52; E58

The Brazilian Payroll Lending Experiment

In 2004, Brazil provided an interesting natural experiment concerning personal credit. A new law was enacted allowing banks to offer loans with repayment through automatic payroll or social security benefit deduction, thus removing a significant part of the moral hazard problem by eliminating the choice of default when debtors are able to pay their loans out of their wages. We estimate the impact of the new law using car loans as a control group. We find that, at the industry level, the new law has caused a reduction in interest rates and an increase in the volume of personal credit.Credit markets, collateral, difference-in-differences. JEL Code: G21; D01; C33; K00; E44.