Brazilian Female Labor Market: Racial-Skin Color Discrimination

O mito da democracia racial é ainda muito presente na sociedade brasileira, embora a literatura econômica aponte para a existência de umalto grau de discriminação racial. Este artigo visa inferir sua existência nos salários eficientes do mercado de trabalho feminino, levando-se em conta o problema do viés de seleção. As causas da ineficiência são também investigadas. Os resultados mostram que o diferencial de salário eficiente, não explicadas por diferenças no capital humano, é significativo, sendo maior entre as trabalhadoras mais eficientes. Por conseguinte, políticas tradicionais possuem apenas um efeito limitado para reduzir as diferenciais salariais entre raças.The myth of racial democracy is still widespread in the Brazilian society, although economic literature has continuously documented pervasive racial discrimination. This study analyzes racial discrimination in the Brazilian female labor market using a Mincer stochastic wage frontier, corrected for sample selection. The results, using Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition, showed that an efficient wage differential, not explained by differences in human capital does exist and is large among the most efficient workers. Wage inefficiencies are also explained and it is a claim of the study that traditional policies might be a tool in reducing underpayment dispersion, but cannot cope with pure discrimination

Women Leaders and ESG Performance: Exploring Gender Equality in Global South Companies

This paper investigates the relationship between environmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance and gender equity in companies operating in the Global South. Using data from an ESG rating encompassing approximately 100 companies in one of the largest economies in the Global South, we explore whether higher ESG scores are associated with greater gender equity. The findings reveal that organizations with higher ESG scores demonstrate more robust performance in gender indicators and exhibit greater transparency. This relationship is particularly pronounced for companies excelling in the social aspects of ESG evaluation. However, despite their reputation for sustainability, women still face challenges related to low representation and lower salaries within these companies

Economic voting in Brazilian presidential elections: evidence with panel data from municipalities in São Paulo

This paper uses a new panel of 625 Brazilian municipalities over 5 election years to analyze the influence of the local level economic performance on proportion of votes obtained by the incumbent in national elections. We examine municipalities from the State of São Paulo, the most populous Brazilian state, using fixed-effects and random effects-model. The results suggest that the performance of the local economy is relevant in the national elections. Apart from that, the results also suggest that the mayors play an important role in the national elections when it comes to providing votes that are favorable to the coalition in power and that the richest municipalities tend to be more opposition prone

Accountability or Prestação de Contas, CGU or Courts of Accounts: examining different views on the role of regulatory agencies in Brazilian municipalities

A falta de modelos cognitivos que expliquem o conceito de accountability pode ser sintetizada na ausência de um termo único na língua portuguesa. Com efeito, o impacto de modelos cognitivos nas formas de auditoria é profundo.  No entanto, o termo mais próximo - prestação de contas é considerado impreciso. Os Tribunais de Contas, cuja criação em alguns casos se deu na República Velha tendem a usar uma compreensão mais antiga do que a da Controladoria Geral da União (CGU), criada em 2003. Aproveitando-se dessa característica, analisamos as diferenças de concepção de fiscalização dos municípios pelos Tribunais de Contas, contrastando com a atuação da CGU. A despeito de muitas ações municipais receberem uma dupla fiscalização, os dados confirmam a hipótese de uma grande divergência de atuação entre o respectivo Tribunal e a Controladoria. A atuação da última se aproxima mais de uma auditoria de performance, relatando em média um número maior de irregularidades nos municípios, ao passo que, nos Tribunais de Contas, predomina a auditoria de compliance, sendo o número de achados relativamente menor.  The lack of cognitive models to explain the concept of accountability can be synthesized in the absence of a single term in the Portuguese language since Accountability is usually considered a word whose meaning is incomplete. The impact of cognitive models in the form of audit is taken is very important.  Courts of Accounts were established in Brazil since Old Republic while CGU was created in 2003.  In this paper, we analyze the conceptual differences between the Courts of Accounts and Federal Comptroller General regarding accountability. Despite many municipal actions receive a dual inspection, data shows a wide divergence between the results obtained by respective TCE and CGU. The performance of the latter is closer to an audit of performance, reporting on average a larger number of irregularities in the cities, whereas in the Courts of Accounts, it is usually done audit of compliance, with relatively minor findings

The operational framework and the channels of social interaction in the tribunais de contas

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo analisar a estrutura e funcionamento dos tribunais de contas estaduais e identificar mecanismos de interação social em cada órgão pesquisado. Busca-se compreender como as duas questões podem influenciar no fluxo de análise das contas. Considera-se que cada tribunal tem autonomia de organização que não apenas interfere na sua estrutura organizacional, mas que também tem reflexo na existência de mecanismos de interação social. Foram consultadas constituições estaduais, leis orgânicas e regimentos internos, além de realizada uma extensa pesquisa nos sites dos respectivos tribunais de contas. O debate conceitual tratou da posição institucional desses órgãos de controle de contas na estrutura do estado, suas dimensões técnicas e políticas, a questão federativa e as relações sociedade e Estado. Identificou-se a inexistência de padrões no fluxo de análise de contas e a existência de grande variedade de mecanismos de interação e seus respectivos alcances na relação com a sociedade.El presente trabajo tiene por objetivo analizar la estructura y funcionamiento de los tribunales de cuentas estaduales e identificar mecanismos de interacción social en cada órgano investigado. Se busca comprender cómo las dos cuestiones pueden influir en el flujo de análisis de las cuentas. Se considera que cada tribunal tiene autonomía de organización que no sólo interfiere en su estructura organizativa, pero que también tiene reflejo en la existencia de mecanismos de interacción social. Se han consultado constituciones estatales, leyes orgánicas y regimientos internos, además de realizada una extensa investigación en los sitios de los respectivos tribunales de cuentas. El debate conceptual trató de la posición institucional de esos órganos de control de cuentas en la estructura del estado, sus dimensiones técnicas y políticas, la cuestión federativa y las relaciones sociedad y Estado. Se identificó la inexistencia de patrones en el flujo de análisis de cuentas y la existencia de una gran variedad de mecanismos de interacción y sus respectivos alcances en la relación con la sociedad.This paper analyzes the structure and functioning of the subnational oversight institutions in Brazil. We focus on identifying the mechanisms of social interaction in each institution. To do that, we take into account that each audit institution has autonomy of organization that not only interferes in its internal structure, but also influences the channels of social interaction. State constitutions, organic laws and internal regulations were collected, as well as an extensive search on the websites of the respective courts of accounts was done. Our implicit conceptual framework deals with the institutional position of these accountability bodies in the structure of the state, its technical and political dimensions, the federative question and the relations between society and the State. As our main result, it was identified the inexistence of a common procedure concerning the work flow of the audit institutions and the existence of a great variety of interaction mechanisms and their respective scope in relation to society.Revista do Serviço Público - RSP, v. 69, ed. especial, p. 123-150Gestão PúblicaTransparência, Controle e ParticipaçãoNúmero Especial: Repensando o Estado BrasileiroISSN Eletrônico: 2357-8017ISSN Impresso: 0034-924

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AIM: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery. METHODS: This was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin. RESULTS: Overall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P < 0.001). After adjustment, delay was not associated with a lower rate of complete resection (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.90-1.55, P = 0.224), which was consistent in elective patients only (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.69-1.27, P = 0.672). Longer delays were not associated with poorer outcomes. CONCLUSION: One in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease

Goodbye Hartmann trial: a prospective, international, multicenter, observational study on the current use of a surgical procedure developed a century ago

Background: Literature suggests colonic resection and primary anastomosis (RPA) instead of Hartmann's procedure (HP) for the treatment of left-sided colonic emergencies. We aim to evaluate the surgical options globally used to treat patients with acute left-sided colonic emergencies and the factors that leading to the choice of treatment, comparing HP and RPA. Methods: This is a prospective, international, multicenter, observational study registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. A total 1215 patients with left-sided colonic emergencies who required surgery were included from 204 centers during the period of March 1, 2020, to May 31, 2020. with a 1-year follow-up. Results: 564 patients (43.1%) were females. The mean age was 65.9 ± 15.6&nbsp;years. HP was performed in 697 (57.3%) patients and RPA in 384 (31.6%) cases. Complicated acute diverticulitis was the most common cause of left-sided colonic emergencies (40.2%), followed by colorectal malignancy (36.6%). Severe complications (Clavien-Dindo ≥ 3b) were higher in the HP group (P &lt; 0.001). 30-day mortality was higher in HP patients (13.7%), especially in case of bowel perforation and diffused peritonitis. 1-year follow-up showed no differences on ostomy reversal rate between HP and RPA. (P = 0.127). A backward likelihood logistic regression model showed that RPA was preferred in younger patients, having low ASA score (≤ 3), in case of large bowel obstruction, absence of colonic ischemia, longer time from admission to surgery, operating early at the day working hours, by a surgeon who performed more than 50 colorectal resections. Conclusions: After 100&nbsp;years since the first Hartmann's procedure, HP remains the most common treatment for left-sided colorectal emergencies. Treatment's choice depends on patient characteristics, the time of surgery and the experience of the surgeon. RPA should be considered as the gold standard for surgery, with HP being an exception

Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil: setting the baseline knowledge on the animal diversity in Brazil

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian megadiverse fauna is no exception, and the Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil (CTFB) (http://fauna.jbrj.gov.br/), made public in 2015, represents a database on biodiversity anchored on a list of valid and expertly recognized scientific names of animals in Brazil. The CTFB is updated in near real time by a team of more than 800 specialists. By January 1, 2024, the CTFB compiled 133,691 nominal species, with 125,138 that were considered valid. Most of the valid species were arthropods (82.3%, with more than 102,000 species) and chordates (7.69%, with over 11,000 species). These taxa were followed by a cluster composed of Mollusca (3,567 species), Platyhelminthes (2,292 species), Annelida (1,833 species), and Nematoda (1,447 species). All remaining groups had less than 1,000 species reported in Brazil, with Cnidaria (831 species), Porifera (628 species), Rotifera (606 species), and Bryozoa (520 species) representing those with more than 500 species. Analysis of the CTFB database can facilitate and direct efforts towards the discovery of new species in Brazil, but it is also fundamental in providing the best available list of valid nominal species to users, including those in science, health, conservation efforts, and any initiative involving animals. The importance of the CTFB is evidenced by the elevated number of citations in the scientific literature in diverse areas of biology, law, anthropology, education, forensic science, and veterinary science, among others

The economics of racial discrimination

O objetivo deste trabalho é contribuir para uma melhor compreensão dos aspectos econômicos da discriminação racial no Brasil. Com esse intuito, é realizada, primeiramente, uma breve revisão do debate existente na literatura teórica e empírica sobre o tema, possibilitando uma definição mais precisa dos conceitos de raça e discriminação, como uma decorrência de um problema de informação assimétrica no mercado de trabalho, associado a crenças preestabelecidas sobre os grupos. Dentro dessa perspectiva, o erro de mensuração existente na variável indicadora de \"raça\" é investigado, visto que, caso a classificação recebida pelo trabalhador no mercado de trabalho não coincida com sua declaração no censo, é necessária uma correção dos procedimentos de estimação a fim de evitar resultados enviesados. Aplicando o método proposto, verifica-se que o diferencial de salário estimado entre brancos e não brancos parece ser subestimado no Brasil, usando-se dados do Censo Demográfico de 2000. O efeito da média educacional dos grupos no salário esperado é também inferido, não sendo rejeitada, o que sugere a existência do fenômeno da discriminação estatística no Brasil. Em seguida, a evolução dos diferenciais é estudada a partir de dados das Pesquisas Nacionais de Amostra por Domicílio entre 1992 e 2009. Para tal, usa-se a decomposição de Oaxaca-Blinder das médias e quantis, corrigida para o problema de viés de seleção. No caso dos quantis, propõe-se uma correção para o viés de seleção para o método da regressão quantílica não condicionada. Além disso, levando-se em conta as diferenças regionais brasileiras, a hipótese de que pardos e pretos constituam um único grupo racial é também testada, observando-se a existência de diferenças significantes entre pardos e pretos no Nordeste, o que não se verifica na região Sul e no estado de São Paulo. No caso das médias salariais, os resultados apontam para uma queda na diferença, por conta sobretudo da redução das disparidades em termos de capital humano, embora a fração não explicável, atribuível à discriminação, se mantenha constante ao longo do tempo. No entanto, ao se analisar indivíduos ocupando posições análogas na escala salarial de cada grupo, observa-se que a discriminação racial parece ser relevante apenas entre os mais pobres, sendo a maior parte do diferencial dos salários explicada pela brutal diferença na escolaridade de brancos e não brancos, que é positivamente correlacionada com a renda. Por fim, a partir de dados das escolas do Ensino Fundamental da cidade de São Paulo, o efeito da segregação espacial na determinação dos rendimentos dos trabalhadores é investigado. A hipótese não é rejeitada, observando-se um efeito positivo da segregação para brancos e amarelos e, negativo para negros, fato que se relaciona com a quase inexistência de pretos e pardos em escolas particulares. No ensino público, porém, há pouca separação, o que permite concluir que a falta de acesso a certas redes de relacionamento e a um ensino de melhor qualidade são mais importantes do que a variável indicadora de \"raça\" para explicar os diferenciais existentes.The objective of this paper is to contribute to a better understanding of the economics of racial discrimination in Brazil, in view of the already documented economic disparity in the outcomes of white and non-white populations. To that end, a comprehensive review of the existing debate in the literature is carried out, defining also the concepts of race and discrimination as a result of a problem of asymmetric information in the labor market, associated with pre-established beliefs about groups. In addition, using data from the 2000 census, the hypothesis of error in measurement in the indicator variable \"race\" is investigated, since, if the classification received by the worker in the labor market does not coincide with their statement in the census, it is necessary to correct estimation procedures in order to avoid biased results, which turns out to substantially raise the estimated wage differential between whites and non-whites. Then, using data from national household surveys between 1992 and 2009, the evolution of differences is also studied, applying the Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition of the mean and the quantiles, adjusted to the problem of selection bias. In the case of quantiles, unconditional quantile regression is used. Moreover, the hypothesis that browns and blacks constitute a single racial group is also tested, taking into account regional differences in Brazil. In the case of average wages, the results point to a narrowing in the wage gap, due to the reduction of disparities in human capital, although the unexplained fraction attributable to discrimination remains constant over the period. Besides that, it is shown that there are significant differences between browns and blacks in the Northeast, which are not seen in the South and the state of São Paulo. Analyzing, however, individuals occupying similar positions in the salary scale, it is seen that racial discrimination seems to be relevant only amongst the poorest, and most of the wage differential is explained by the wide difference in the education of whites and nonwhites, which seems to positively correlate with income. Finally, the effect of spatial segregation in the income of workers is estimated using data of elementary schools in São Paulo. It is shown that there is a positive effect on white and Asian people, while segregation seems to decrease wages of browns and blacks. This different effect may be attributed to the virtual absence of blacks and browns in private schools. In public education, however, there is little separation, which indicates that lack of access to social networks and better quality schools are more important than the variable \"race\" to explain wage differences