The causal effect of family size on child labor and education

This paper investigates the causal relationship between family size and child labor and educationamong brazilian children. More especifically, it analyzes the impact of family size on child labor,school attendance, literacy and school progression. It explores the exogenous variation in familysize driven by the presence of twins in the family. The results are consistent under the reasonableassumption that the instrument is a random event. Using the nationally representative brazilianhousehold survey (Pnad), detrimental effects are found on child labor for boys. Moreover,significant effects are obtained for school progression for girls caused by the exogenous presenceof the young siblings in the household.

Decentralization And Education Performance: A First View To The Brazilian Process

This paper analyses the impact of the decentralization in educational system that is taking place in Brazil inthe last decade, as a result of several laws that encourage municipalities to invest in fundamental education.The proficiency tests undertaken by the government allows to follow some public schools in two points intime. Therefore we were able to create an experimental group with the schools that were under state system inthe SAEB exam and have migrated to the municipality system by the time of Prova Brasil and a control groupwith the schools that were under the state system between the two exams and compare the difference in theirresults using a fixed effect panel data analysis. The difference in difference estimator indicates that there is nosignificant change in the performance of the students.

MEDIDAS E DETERMINANTES DA MOBILIDADE DOS RENDIMENTOS DO TRABALHO NO BRASIL

This paper makes an analysis of the evolution of real earnings mobility for Brazilian workers from 1984 to 2001. The evolution of five real earnings mobility indicators is calculated using the Pesquisa Mensal de Emprego data set. The economic and demographic determinants of real earnings mobility in Brazil are estimated using the Fixed Effect Method to the mobility indicators calculated for sample cells. Among the economic variables, the real average earning, the real interest rate and the real minimum wage have a positive effect in earnings mobility; the inflation rate, when controlled by the other variables, has only distributive effects on earnings; the impact of the unemployment rate depends on the concept of mobility adopted. The importance of demographic variables becomes clear when we look at the econometric results. Men, usually, have more mobility than women, except for per capita directional changes in real earnings. Younger groups also have more directional mobility compared to older individuals, but have lower mobility caused by relative trades among them. Education level seems to contribute to diminish the earnings mobility for those that have more than fourteen years of education.

Medindo a Qualidade das Escolas: Evidências para o Brasil

In this paper, we propose the creation of an index that reflects the quality of school associated with school factors and avoids two problems found in previous studies: indicators of proficiency level that reflect more the family background of the student than school quality; and estimations of value added very sensitive to measurement errors. Thus, indicators are obtained through a structural model that models the latent variable quality of the school to correct the potential bias of previous studies. We used Brazilian data for applications of such indicators and we revisited the factors of family, school and management. The results show that the ranking of schools by quality indicators differs fromthe ordering obtained by the indicators with the proficiency level and is less volatile than the ordering obtained from the indicators of value added.Neste artigo propomos a criação de um indicador que reflita a qualidade da escola associada aos fatores escolares e que evite dois problemas encontrados em estudos anteriores: indicadores de proficiência em nível que refletem mais o background familiar do aluno do que a qualidade da escola; e estimações de valor adicionado muito sensíveis a erros de mensuração. Propomos indicadores que são obtidos através de um modelo estrutural em que se modela a variável latente de qualidade da escola de modo a corrigir o potencial viés dos estudos anteriores. Utilizamos dados brasileiros para aplicações desses indicadores e revisitamos a importância relativa dos fatores de família, escola e gestão. Os resultados mostramque o ordenamento das escolas pelos indicadores de qualidade difere do ordenamento obtido pelos indicadores com a proficiência em nível e é menos instável do que o ordenamento obtido a partir dos indicadores de valor adicionado puro

MEDINDO A QUALIDADE DAS ESCOLAS: EVIDÊNCIAS PARA O BRASIL

ResumoNeste artigo propomos a criação de um indicador que reflita a qualidade da escola associada aos fatores escolares e que evite dois problemas encontrados em estudos anteriores: indicadores de proficiência em nível que refletem mais o background familiar do aluno do que a qualidade da escola; e estimações de valor adicionado muito sensíveis a erros de mensuração. Propomos indicadores que são obtidos através de um modelo estrutural em que se modela a variável latente de qualidade da escola de modo a corrigir o potencial viés dos estudos anteriores. Utilizamos dados brasileiros para aplicações desses indicadores e revisitamos a importância relativa dos fatores de família, escola e gestão. Os resultados mostram que o ordenamento das escolas pelos indicadores de qualidade difere do ordenamento obtido pelos indicadores com a proficiência em nível e é menos instável do que o ordenamento obtido a partir dos indicadores de valor adicionado puro

Uma investigação sobre a focalização do Programa Bolsa Família e seus determinantes imediatos

This study aims to conduct an investigation into the targeting of Bolsa Família Program and its immediate determinants, as well as a quantitative analysis of beneficiary families. The econometric results point to an inverse relationship between the Program coverage and the municipal levels of social and economic development. There is evidence that municipalities with more professional management of BFP’s resourceshave a higher coverage. Policies simulations suggest the need to involve efforts both for the purpose to reach eligible but yet not benefited families and for reducing the Program leakage, whether the objective is the universalization.              Este estudo tem por objetivo realizar uma investigação sobre a focalização do Programa Bolsa Família (PBF) e seus determinantes imediatos, assim como uma análise quantitativa sobre as famílias beneficiadas. Os resultados econométricos indicam uma relação inversa entre a cobertura do PBF e os níveis de desenvolvimento social e econômico municipais. Há evidências de que municípios com maior qualidade na gestão dos recursos do PBF apresentam percentuais superiores de cobertura. Simulações de políticas sugerem a necessidade de que um direcionamento de políticas para universalização deve envolver esforços tanto para fins de efetivo alcance das famílias elegíveis, mas não beneficiárias, como para reduçãodo vazamento do programa

The potential therapeutic effect of guanosine after cortical focal ischemia in rats

Background and Purpose: Stroke is a devastating disease. Both excitotoxicity and oxidative stress play important roles in ischemic brain injury, along with harmful impacts on ischemic cerebral tissue. As guanosine plays an important neuroprotective role in the central nervous system, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the neuroprotective effects of guanosine and putative cerebral events following the onset of permanent focal cerebral ischemia. Methods: Permanent focal cerebral ischemia was induced in rats by thermocoagulation. Guanosine was administered immediately, 1 h, 3 h and 6 h after surgery. Behavioral performance was evaluated by cylinder testing for a period of 15 days after surgery. Brain oxidative stress parameters, including levels of ROS/RNS, lipid peroxidation, antioxidant nonenzymatic levels (GSH, vitamin C) and enzymatic parameters (SOD expression and activity and CAT activity), as well as glutamatergic parameters (EAAC1, GLAST and GLT1, glutamine synthetase) were analyzed. Results: After 24 h, ischemic injury resulted in impaired function of the forelimb, caused brain infarct and increased lipid peroxidation. Treatment with guanosine restored these parameters. Oxidative stress markers were affected by ischemic insult, demonstrated by increased ROS/RNS levels, increased SOD expression with reduced SOD activity and decreased nonenzymatic (GSH and vitamin C) antioxidant defenses. Guanosine prevented increased ROS/RNS levels, decreased SOD activity, further increased SOD expression, increased CAT activity and restored vitamin C levels. Ischemia also affected glutamatergic parameters, illustrated by increased EAAC1 levels and decreased GLT1 levels; guanosine reversed the decreased GLT1 levels and did not affect the EAAC1 levels. Conclusion: The effects of brain ischemia were strongly attenuated by guanosine administration. The cellular mechanisms involved in redox and glutamatergic homeostasis, which were both affected by the ischemic insult, were also modulated by guanosine. These observations reveal that guanosine may represent a potential therapeutic agent in cerebral ischemia by preventing oxidative stress and excitotoxicity

Effects of single low dose of dexamethasone before noncardiac and nonneurologic surgery and general anesthesia on postoperative cognitive dysfunction : a phase III double blind, randomized clinical trial

Postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD) is a multifactorial adverse event most frequently in elderly patients. This study evaluated the effect of dexamethasone on POCD incidence after noncardiac and nonneurologic surgery. METHODS: One hundred and forty patients (ASA I-II; age 60–87 years) took part in a prospective phase III, double blind, randomized study involving the administration or not of 8 mg of IV dexamethasone before general anesthesia under bispectral index (BIS) between 35–45 or 46–55. Neuropsychological tests were applied preoperatively and on the 3rd, 7th, 21st, 90th and 180th days after surgery and compared with normative data. S100β was evaluated before and 12 hours after induction of anesthesia. The generalized estimating equations (GEE) method was applied, followed by the posthoc Bonferroni test considering P<0.05 as significant. RESULTS: On the 3rd postoperative day, POCD was diagnosed in 25.2% and 15.3% of patients receiving dexamethasone, BIS 35–45, and BIS 46–55 groups, respectively. Meanwhile, POCD was present in 68.2% and 27.2% of patients without dexamethasone, BIS 35–45 and BIS 46–55 groups (p<0.0001). Neuropsychological tests showed that dexamethasone associated to BIS 46–55 decreased the incidence of POCD, especially memory and executive function. The administration of dexamethasone might have prevented the postoperative increase in S100β serum levels. CONCLUSION: Dexamethasone can reduce the incidence of POCD in elderly patients undergoing surgery, especially when associated with BIS 46–55. The effect of dexamethasone on S100β might be related with some degree of neuroprotection