Void: for Orchestra

In astronomy, a void is an area in outer space which contains no galaxies. These are vast expanses of darkness and emptiness. This orchestral piece, simply titled void, attempts to describe such an area through various musical methods: long sustained notes depicting the huge distances away from galaxies, wide distances between upper voices and lower voices creating a sense of void between musical elements, and close distances and tight harmonies to recreate the sense of confusion and uncertainty that may be experienced in an area of emptiness

Candidate nomination procedures andpolitical selection: evidence from LatinAmerican parties

This paper explores empirically the role of nomination procedures on politicalselection and the determinants for adopting contestable selection methods such asprimaries. Using data from Latin American parties, I find evidence that politicalcompetition increases probability of primary adoption. Moreover, primarynominated candidates obtained larger vote shares and during their mandatecountries experienced improvements in several measures of quality of government.The results exploit within party variation and are robust to relevant identificationconcerns. Together, these findings suggest that nomination procedures matter forpolitical selection and that the quality differences are significant enough to influenceelectoral and economic outcomes.Primaries, political selection, political competition, quality of politicians.

The Flypaper Effect Revisited

This paper argues that there is nothing anomalous about the flypaper effect. Idevelop a simple median voter model of government spending with costly taxcollection that predicts the flypaper effect and provide a quantifiable measure of itsmagnitude. Using the model insights and previous estimates, I show that a tax ratebetween 8% to 16% would account for the flypaper effect observed in U.S. subnationalgovernments.flypaper effect, intergovernmental transfers, public finance, fiscaldecentralization

Uninsured and Underserved: The Health Care Experiences of Latinos in the Nation's Capital

Provides a summary of Latino experiences and opinions regarding access to health care in the District of Columbia, and contrasts their experiences with those of Latinos nationally

The Blessing of Natural Resources: Evidence from a Peruvian Gold Mine

This paper studies the impact of Yanacocha, a large gold mine in Peru, on the local population. Using annual household data from 1997 to 2006, we nd robust evidence of a positive effect of the mine's demand of local inputs on real income. The effect, an average income increase of 1.7% per 10% additional mine's purchases, is only present in the mine's supply market and surrounding areas. We also nd evidence of improvements on measures of welfare and reduction of poverty. We examine and rule out that our results are driven by increased public expenditure associated to the mining revenue windfall. Using a spatial general equilibrium model, we interpret these results as evidence of net welfare gains generated by the mine's backward linkages and its multiplier effect.Natural resources, mining, local development