Measuring the degree of collusive conduct in the Mexican manufacturing sector

The paper estimates the degree of collusive conduct in the Mexican manufacturing industries by estimating the degree of market power of a representative firm in an industry. Similarly to Hall (1988), the identification assumption for the degree of market power is that total factor productivity growth is not procyclical. To measure the degree of collusive conduct, the paper estimates the market elasticity of demand by exploiting a covariance restriction between demand shocks and productivity shocks, Shapiro (1987). The degree of collusive conduct is obtained by calculating the ratio between the representative firms elasticity of demand and the market elasticity of demand.

Electricity, Highways and Manufacturing Growth: A Cost Based Estimate

This paper studies the rqle of electricity and highways on the Mexican manufacturing sector. The paper uses a weighted aggregate in put of labor and capital (with weights equal to their share in costs) and a weighted measure of infrastructure to estimate jointly the elasticity of infrastructure and the degree of internal returns to scale. 1 pool two digit industries to obtain the estimates for the whole manufacturing sec tor. This paper follows the first order tradition initiated by Solow (1957) and Hall (1988a, b). For the entire manufacturing sector, 1 find that a weighted average index of both types of infrastructure has a significant effect on manufacturing growth. At the sectoral level the evidence is mixed.infrastructure, returns to scale, external effects

Market Structure: Concentration and Imports as Determinants of Industry Margins

The paper analyzes the determinants of price-cost margins following traditional industrial organization approaches. The price-cost margins are made function of the concentration index, and the degree of import penetration. We find that imports act as a market disciplining device that reduces the price-cost margins of the domestic industry. After trade liberalization, the impact of concentration diminishes. Controlling for cyclical behavior of the price-cost margins the paper shows that cross-section studies tend to bias the estimates. A distinction between durables and non-durables is made, finding strong evidence for concentration to affect the price-cost margins of durables.price-cost margins, import penetration, concentration, cyclical effects

Socios, alquileres y licencias de importación: controles comerciales no arancelarios durante la industrialización por sustitución de importaciones (ISI) en México

This paper fills a gap in the literature about Import-substituting Industrialization (ISI) by analyzing non-tariff trade controls, mainly import licenses, with a focus on Mexico, a case that has not been studied in detail. The core questions addressed include: Which specific pattern licensing were followed? What was the economic rationale behind such pattern, and Is there evidence that non-tariff controls were ‘captured’ that is, facilitating rent-seeking? In order to answer these questions, the project takes a qualitative and quantitative approach, using primary evidence gathered in archives as well as statistics from secondary sources, which are combined in novel ways. Specifically, here we provide descriptive statistics of the licensing system, and demonstrate that the policy lacked internal consistency, an overwhelming majority of products were protected for far longer than officially specified, and that illegal source of rents from trade –smuggling and “free perimeters”– were significant. The main findings, which shed light on larger debates about ISI are that excessive protectionism was neither effective nor sustainable and that cronyism characterized the post-Second World War process of industrialization in Mexico.Este artículo pretende llenar un vacío en la literatura sobre la industrialización sustitutiva de importaciones (ISI) mediante el análisis de controles comerciales no arancelarios (principalmente licencias de importación) en México, un país en el que este asunto no ha sido estudiado en detalle. Las preguntas centrales abordadas son: ¿qué patrón de licenciamiento específico siguió este país; ¿cuál fue la razón económica detrás de dicho patrón?; ¿existe evidencia de que los controles no arancelarios fueron “capturados” para facilitar la búsqueda de rentas? Para responder a estas preguntas, el proyecto adopta un enfoque cualitativo y cuantitativo, utilizando evidencia primaria obtenida de archivos y estadísticas de fuentes secundarias, las cuales se combinan de formas novedosas. Específicamente, este trabajo proporciona estadísticas descriptivas del sistema de licencias para demostrar que la política carecía de consistencia interna, la protección otorgada a la abrumadora mayoría de los productos durante mucho más tiempo de lo que se especificó oficialmente y que la fuente ilegal de rentas del comercio, es decir, el contrabando y los ·perímetros libres”, tuvo un valor significativo. Los principales hallazgos, que arrojan luz sobre debates más amplios sobre la ISI, señalan que el proteccionismo excesivo no fue efectivo ni sostenible y que el clientelismo caracterizó el proceso de industrialización posterior a la Segunda Guerra Mundial en México

The Impact of Infrastructure on Mexican Manufacturing Growth

This paper analyses the impact of infrastructure on the growth rate of the Mexican manufacturing sector. For such purpose, two measures of infrastructure are used: highways and electricity. Further, we also estimate the degree of returns to scale and the markup. We pooled two digit industries to obtain the estimates of the whole manufacturing sector. For the entire manufacturing sector, our results do not show evidence of increasing returns but the existence of market power cannot be rejected. We find that both types of public infrastructure have a significant effect on manufacturing growth and its inclusion reduces the estimated values of returns to scale and market power. Once we use sectoral data, we obtain mixed results: public infrastructure affects significantly only some sectors.

Gramática cognitiva y enseñanza de la gramática de ele

La enseñanza de algunos aspectos especialmente escurridizos de la gramática de segundas lenguas puede beneficiarse de la concepción del lenguaje y los instrumentos descriptivos de este que ofrece la Gramática Cognitiva (GC) (Langacker).Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Una visión cognitiva del sistema temporal y modal del verbo español

Our aim is to explore a cognitive account of the Spanish verb temporal and modal system based on some of the concepts stated in Langacker's Cognitive Grammar model. On the one hand, our proposal rests on concepts like epistemic model, grounding functions, profile and base of expressions' meaning, and scope of predication. These concepts and constructs are applied to describe, in a general insight, the main Spanish verb modal and temporal oppositions. On the other hand, the different kinds of categorization links (extension and elaboration) proposed by Langacker will allow us to find a promising way to overcome the discussion about the role of temporality in the description of the Spanish verbal system

Implicaturas generalizadas de cantidad en el rendimiento de algunas formas y oposiciones del sistema verbal español

En el presente trabajo nos proponemos abordar la descripción de algunos aspectos del sistema verbal del español desde una perspectiva pragmática. En particular, indagaremos la explicación de algunos usos típicos de los morfemas temporales a partir de la entrada en juego de procesos inferenciales recurrentes generados por el principio Q o principio de cantidad propuesto por Horn (1984, 1988). Observaremos, bajo este punto de vista, el rendimiento de las oposiciones imperfecto / indefinido, indicativo / subjuntivo, pluscuamperfecto / pretérito perfecto / indefinido, indefinido / pretérito perfecto, y condicional / presente

Cronies, rents and import licenses: non-tariff trade controls throughout Import Substitution Industrialisation (ISI) in Mexico

The thesis fills a gap in the literature about Import-substituting Industrialisation (ISI) by analysing non-tariff trade controls – mainly import licenses. The principal focus is on Mexico, a case that has not been analysed in detail. The core questions addressed include: which specific pattern licensing followed; what was the economic rationale behind such pattern; is there evidence that non-tariff controls were ‘captured’ that is, facilitating rent-seeking? In order to answer these questions, the project takes a qualitative and quantitative approach, using primary evidence gathered in archives as well as statistics from secondary sources, which are combined in novel ways. Chapter I reviews the literature on rent-seeking and on Mexican trade and industrial policies. Chapter II provides an overview of the macroeconomic context of ISI in Mexico. Chapter III presents the qualitative evidence, exploring the allocation of import licenses in nine industries, and shows how politically connected firms either obtained licenses (which gave them an advantage via cheaper inputs) or manage to block competing imports (thus earning monopoly rents). Chapter IV provides descriptive statistics of the licensing system, and demonstrates that the policy lacked internal consistency - the overwhelming majority of products were protected for far longer than officially specified, and that illegal source of rents from trade –smuggling and “free perimeters”- were significant. The main findings, which shed light on larger debates about ISI are that excessive protectionism was neither effective nor sustainable and that cronyism characterised the post-Second World War process of industrialisation in Mexico

Based learning problems (ABP) as training pedagogical strategy against corruption in Colombia

Con este ensayo argumentativo, se pretenden establecer algunos acercamientos conceptuales del ABP como herramienta didáctica de la pedagogía, sus antecedentes, desarrollo y variaciones contemporáneas como como el ABP 4X4, así como, algunos acercamientos a la corrupción como fenómeno social que hoy día representa uno de los retos más complejos de nuestro desarrollo como sociedad, nación y estado en Colombia. Así mismo se pretende establecer una relación de utilidad entre el ABP tradicional, su acepción evolutiva ABP 4X4 y la corrupción, partiendo de una interpretación unificada del ABP tradicional y el ABP 4X4 como una herramienta pertinente en el análisis de los problemas angulares y derivados del fenómeno de la corrupción y que incentiva la creatividad en la formulación de soluciones a los mismos y consecuencialmente posicionar el uso de la herramienta formativa como instrumento dentro de la pedagogía contra la corrupción, con miras al fomento de la búsqueda de herramientas aplicables al proceso de mitigación de este fenómeno tanto en los ámbitos individuales del ser humano, como en el ámbito social colombiano. Con base en esta revisión documental se establecerá la relación de utilidad del ABP y su acepción ABP 4X4, frente al proceso formativo de los estudiantes en torno a la formulación de estrategias para la mitigación de la corrupción como fenómeno social, teniendo como insumo de las conclusiones dadas, el estudio de un caso directo en el que se aplicó la herramienta para el análisis de una caso de corrupción.With this argumentative essay, we intend to establish some conceptual approaches of the BPA as a didactic tool of pedagogy, its antecedents, development and contemporary variations such as ABP 4X4, as well as some approaches to corruption as a social phenomenon that today represents one of The most complex challenges of our development as a society, nation and state in Colombia. It is also intended to establish a useful relationship between traditional ABP, its evolutionary ABP 4X4 and corruption, based on a unified interpretation of traditional ABP and 4X4 ABP as a relevant tool in the analysis of the angular and derivative problems of the phenomenon Of corruption and that encourages creativity in the formulation of solutions to them and consequently position the use of the training tool as an instrument within the pedagogy against corruption, with a view to promoting the search for tools applicable to the process of mitigation of This phenomenon both in the individual domains of the human being, as in the Colombian social environment. Based on this document review will be established the relationship of usefulness of the ABP and its meaning ABP 4X4, opposite the learning process of the students around the formulation of strategies for the mitigation of corruption as a social phenomenon, taking as input the given conclusions, the study of a direct case which applied the tool for the analysis of a case of corruption