Non-scale endogenous growth effects of subsidies for exporters

We built a general equilibrium endogenous growth model in which final goods are produced either in the relatively skilled-labour intensive exports sector or in the relatively unskilled-labour intensive domestic sector. We show that, by affecting the technological-knowledge bias, subsidies explain the simultaneous rise in the exports sector, the skill wage premium and the economic growth rate. Then, we use a Portuguese longitudinal database (1996-2003) and implement a propensity score matching approach to shed light upon the causal nexus between production-related subsidies and exports. Our empirical results seem to prove the theoretical predictions: subsides generate the rise in the wage premium of exporters and the increase in the relative size of export sector, even if no impact of subsidies is found in the capacity of enhancing new exporters.Subsidies, Exports, Scale-invariant growth, Wages

Histriones novohispanos del siglo XVI : indios, militares, frailes y comediantes

El propósito de este trabajo es distinguir, a través de un recorrido documental, a los histriones novohispanos que participaron en las primeras manifestaciones teatrales en tierras mexicanas y, a la par, la manera en que se apropiaron de sus propios espacios de representación. El artículo desarrolla un ejercicio de identificación y de denominación en donde podamos identificar los eventos teatrales o espectaculares que se fueron generando en los primeros años de vida de la Nueva España del siglo xvi y, dentro de ellos, la participación de los primeros histriones de nuestra historia teatral mexicana.Based on a review of contemporary documents and literature, this article seeks to identify the actors and performers who took part in the first theatrical manifestations of 16th century colonial Mexico and to describe how they succeeded in appropriating their own performance spaces. The article analyzes the theatrical representations and performances that characterized the early years of colonial Mexico and describes the participation and role of their actors, the first actors in the history of Mexican theatre

Economic performance and international trade engagement: the case of Portuguese manufacturing firms

By combining economic and financial data for Portuguese manufacturing firms with data of their exports and imports, we uncover some aspects of the relationship between international trade engagement and firms’ performance. In line with recent theoretical and empirical developments in the international trade literature: (i) we testify that Portuguese international trade is highly concentrated, especially on the import side, and both in inter- and intra-sector terms; (ii) we corroborate previous studies and theses according to which two-way traders outperform only importers, only exporters and above all domestic firms; (iii) we find that the greater the diversification of markets and goods (especially with regard to imports) the better the performance achieved by internationalized firms; (iv) we also present evidence that destination markets, for exports, and, origin markets, for imports, are also important in explaining the performance of firms.International trade, Firm performance, Diversification

Which Portuguese Manufacturing Firms Learn by Exporting?

Using a longitudinal database (1996-2003) at the plant level, this paper aims to shed light on the causal nexus between international trade engagement and productivity in Portugal. We analyse in particular the learning-by-exporting hypotheses. In line with recent empirical literature, we apply mainly the Propensity Score Matching and a differences-in-differences estimator. In post-entry years we find a higher growth of labour productivity and total factor productivity for new exporting firms when compared to firms that, although having similar characteristics, have decided not to begin exporting in that year. Moreover, in an attempt to uncover the channels through which the learning effects are driven to new exporters, we applied the same methodology to some sub-samples. We found that learning effects are higher for new exporters that are also importers or start importing at the same time. Other important factors influencing that learning ability are found in firms that export to more developed markets, in those that achieve a certain threshold of export intensity and particularly for those firms that belong to sectors in which Portugal is at a comparative disadvantageExports, Imports, Self-Selection, Learning-by-exporting, Matching

Do Portuguese manufacturing firms self select to exports?

Using a longitudinal database (1996-2003) at the plant level, this paper aims to shed light, on the thesis that most productive domestic firms self select to export markets. Self selection and learning by exporting are two non-mutually exclusive theses that try to explain the high correlation between international trade involvement of firms and their superior performance, relative to domestic firms. In general, we find evidence of a self-selection to exports. However, there is a significant heterogeneity according to the destination of sales, to firms’ import status before exporting and to the specificities of sectors firms’ belong to.Exports, Imports, Self selection

Learning-by-exporting: what we know and what we would like to know

This paper revises the thesis that exporting firms learn to be more innovative and efficient as they have contact with certain information flows from their foreign activity (e.g., from buyers, suppliers or competitors). The paper begins by exploring the connections between two distinct concepts: Self-Selection (of more efficient firms into exports) and Learning-by-Exporting. The study then proceeds with a comparative analysis of the most recent literature and presents common facts and evidence, as well as key issues still open to debate. Learning-by-Exporting should be measured directly using firms´ innovative performance. However, given the lack of suitable data on firms’ innovative activities most studies have followed an indirect approach, using productivity measures. Several methodologies have been employed to estimate Total Factor Productivity and to test the Learning-by-Exporting hypothesis, but so far no final consensus has been reached on the best way to do it.Learning-by-exporting, self selection, total factor productivity

Learning to prove: enculturation or…?

Empirical evidence coming from a curriculum innovation experience that we have been implementing in the Universidad Pedagógica Nacional (Colombia), in a plane geometry course for secondary mathematics pre-service teachers, allows us to affirm that learning to prove, more than enculturation into mathematicians’ practices, is participation in proving activity within the community of mathematical discourse

Use of dragging as organizer for conjecture validation

In this article, we report on a study centred on the teaching and learning of proof in which there is evidence that dragging becomes a source for significant student participation in the validation of conjectures. The findings highlight the teacher’s use of dragging as an organizer of the activity, in cases when there are conjectures that students consider acceptable but for which they do not have the theoretical elements to validate them

Assigning mathematics tasks versus providing pre-fabricated mathematics in order to support learning to prove

We present types of mathematics tasks that we propose to our students —future high school mathematics teachers— in a geometry course whose objective is learning to prove and whose enterprise is collectively building an axiomatic system for a portion of plane geometry. We pursue the achievement of the course objective by involving students in different types of tasks instead of providing them with pre-fabricated mathematics

Las empresas más productivas se autoseleccionan para exportar? Aplicación de una prueba para el caso de Portugal

Using a longitudinal database (1996-2003) at the plant level, this article aims to shed light on the proposition that most productive domestic firms self-select to export markets. Self-selection and learning by exporting are two non-mutually-exclusive theses that attempt to explain the high correlation between firms’ international trade involvement and their superior performance relative to domestic firms. In general, we find evidence of a self-selection to exports. However, there is significant heterogeneity of sales destinations, firm import status before exporting,and the specificities of the sectors firms belong to.Utilizando una base de datos longitudinal (1996-2003) a nivel de empresa, este trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar la tesis de que las empresas nacionales más productivas autoseleccionan los mercados de exportación. La autoselección y el aprendizaje mediante la exportación son dos tesis no mutuamen te excluyentes que tratan de explicar la alta correlación entre la participación en el comercio internacional de las empresas y su rendimiento superior. En general, encontramos evidencia de autoselección para los mercados de exportación. Sin embargo, existe una heterogeneidad significativa en función del destino de las ventas, del estatus importador de las empresas antes de la exportación y de las peculiaridades de los sectores a los que éstas pertenecen