Estimating the impacts of climate change on Brazilian regions

An integrated approach projects the economic impacts from climate change and adaptation and mitigation policies, explicitly considering the various territorial scales in Brazil (macro-regions, states, micro-regions, and networks of cities). A computable general equilibrium (GCE) model was used to simulate two climate change-free scenarios regarding the future of Brazil’s economy that are consistent with the global economic development trends under IPCC’s scenarios A2 and B2. Climate shocks, captured by the model through impacts on the agricultural/ livestock and energy sectors, were applied to these scenarios. The socio-economic trends of the scenarios with and without global climate change were reviewed in terms of benefits and costs for Brazil and its regions. The models interact with the agricultural/livestock and energy sector studies through variables such as energy generation and consumption for different sectors and regions, replacement of sources of energy in the production process and consumption by the residential sector, agricultural yields and land use, etc. These, in turn, are dependent on climate variables, future water supply and other economic factors.

Regional Differences in the Determinants of Investment Decisions of Private Firms in Brazil

This study takes on an important part or regional growth, that is, the investment decisions of private firms. The question asked is: do corporations decide on investments in the same way in different parts of the territory? The paper analyses investments of 482 large Brazilian firms in the period 1996-2004. The role of sales, cash-flow, external financing, and working capital is investigated through regression analysis, following the literature on firm investment decisions. Regional dummies used to capture differences in the role of those determinants indicate that there are significant differences across regions. This is important information for regional development policy, for different mechanisms should be used in different regions in order to foster private investments.

Opening the Convergence Black Box: Measurement Problems and Demographic Aspects

Brazil, regional convergence, regional growth, birth cohorts, micro data

Tertiary activities and informality: quantitative importance and interconnections within the economy in Brazil

This paper studies the importance of the Tertiary sector and the informal sector for the Brazilian economy, making an interconnection between them and with them and the rest of the economy and the formal sector. To do so, this work makes use of the data presented in the System of National Accounts and the National Survey of Households (PNAD), both from IBGE, and the Leontief model. The results show: a) the importance of the Tertiary sector for the Brazilian economy in terms of employment (around 61% of the occupied persons), and income generation (around 67% of the economy Value Added); b) the high share of the informal sector in the Brazilian economy (around 58% of the occupied persons and 34% of the income); c) the combination of these factors results in an economy with low wages and salaries and with an high concentration of income; and d) that the present productive structure of the Brazilian economy contributes to the concentration of income in the country.Tertiary Activities; Informality; Input-Output; Employment

Estimating Regional Poverty Lines With Scarce Data: An Application to Brazilian Regions

The recent emphasis on fighting poverty in Brazil makes the determination of the size of the targeted population an important issue (What is the right poverty line? What is the real size of the poor population? How much money should be given to each poor family?). The application of poverty lines based on national income levels tends to produce important distortions at the regional level. Using data from a Household Expenditure Survey (HES) that covered some regions in Brazil, the paper develops and applies a methodology to define poverty lines for all regions and urban areas. These lines are based on nutritional requirements, thus avoiding the purchasing power parity problem, and take into account non-monetary income and in-kind consumption, aspects that are very important at the rural level. The HES results are matched with Census data, allowing for the estimation of rural and urban poverty lines for Brazilian regions.

Productive Structure and Income Distribution: the Brazilian Case.

This study deals with the impacts of structural changes on income distribution in Brazil in the period 1992-2002. A Pure Leontief Model and a Leontief-Miazawa Model were utilized to portray the structure of the economy in both years, and to perform counterfactual simulations on some important changes occurring during the period. The methodology allowed for the identification of the high and low inequality sectors in both years, and to their contribution to the increasing inequality during the period. It is interesting to notice that some sectors with low internal inequality ended-up provoking increased global inequality through their interaction pattern with other sectors in the economy,and through the consumption structure. The results also indicate that the change in sectoral shares in the period contributed to diminishing inequality. Therefore, the causes for increasing inequality remains within the distribution of wages within the sectors.

Onde vender o peixe? Repercussão das principals revistas brasileiras de Economia na virada do século

The paper deals with the number of citations received by articles published in the leading Brazilianjournals in Economics (levels A and B, according to Capes classification). The main focus ofinterest is the period 1997-2001, but information is also given for the period 1970-2001. The results provide a good indicator of the influence of the Brazilianjournals among academic economists in Brazil