Economic Determinants of Driver's Behavior in Minas Gerais

The aim of the paper is to evaluate the behavior of drivers when they face a safe-traffic environment. Some studies suggest that the laws that demand auto makers to produce safer vehicles also stimulate their drivers to drive carelessly, since the cost of driving carefully decreases. Likewise, a safer traffic environment or less dangerous surroundings can stimulate drivers to drive more aggressively and less carefully. This study tries to test whether the undesirable behavior described by Peltzman (1975) is observed on the highways and roads of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Estimates based on data found in the Brazilian Federal Road Police's accident report databank confirm drivers'' lack of attention in safer environments. The results suggest that careless behavior in traffic increases when safer conditions prevail.

Structural changes in exchange rate regimes in Brazil

Following a dramatic breakdown of a managed floating regime, Brazil adopted a framework for policy consisting of inflation targeting and floating exchange rates. The country's commitment to this arrangement, however, is often put to dispute. In this paper we revisit the issue of whether Brazil has truly accepted to let its currency float, taking use of cross-currency linear regression models complemented by inferential techniques for evaluating the stability of exchange rate regimes. The results found suggest that Brazil does seem to have shifted towards greater exchange rate flexibility after the abandonment of its dollar-peg. However, after the adoption of inflation targeting the degree of exchange rate flexibility seems to have reduced a little.Structural changes; exchange rate regimes; emerging markets.

WHICH CAME FIRST? EGGS AND CHICKEN IN BRAZIL: A NEW STUDY

Almost 42 years ago, Thurman e Fisher (1988), in a funny paper, using the Granger causality test, concluded, with American data that eggs Granger-cause chicken.In 2011, Shikida, Araujo Jr and Figueiredo (2011) replicated the test to Brazilian quarterly data (1987.I-2011.I) and found bi-causality. This article uses Brazilian monthly data (1987.1-2020.9) under three alternative versions of the Granger test: the classical Granger-causality test, the Toda-Yamamoto version of the same test and the nonlinear Granger-causality proposed by Vinod (2020a). We found evidence that, for Brazil, the bi-causality still prevails for eggs and chicken

Análise dos fatores de incentivo aos estudantes universitários: efeito do crédito estudantil sobre o comportamento dos alunos

 Esse trabalho analisa os fatores de incentivo para os estudantes universitários. A dedicação aos estudos permite que os alunos realizem o ensino superior e obtenham uma boa formação, aumentando suas perspectivas de renda futura.  O interesse dos estudantes é afetado por diversos motivos. Por meio de ferramentas econométricas e da base de dados coletada numa faculdade privada, foi feita uma análise sobre os fatores que possuem influência estatisticamente significativa no desempenho acadêmico dos alunos, com foco na influência que o crédito estudantil possui sobre o comportamento dos estudantes. Dessa forma, foram estimados três modelos utilizando dados cross section do 1º semestre de 2014: Método de Mínimos Quadrados Ordinários (MQO), modelo de dummies multiplicativas, e um modelo Probit. Os resultados encontrados nos três modelos apontaram uma relação positiva entre a média das notas obtidas e o fato de um estudante possuir crédito estudantil. Palavras-chaveFatores de incentivo; ensino superior; desempenho acadêmicoTítulo em Inglês: Analysis of the incentive factors for university students: effect of financial incentives on student behaviorAbstractThis paper makes an analysis of the factors that motivates college student’s studies. Dedication towards studying allows the students to perform well in college and obtain a good formation, improving their future wealth perspectives. Student’s interest is affected by many reasons. Using econometric tools and data collected from a private College, three models were estimated to make an analysis, which included factors that influence, with statistical significance, on student’s academic performance, with focus on the influence that student loans have on the student’s behavior. This way, three models were estimated using cross section data with the 1st semester of 2014: cross sectional ordinary least squared (OLS), multiplying dummy variables, and Probit analysis. The results in the three models demonstrate that there is a positive relation between the student’s grade point average and the fact that the student owns a student loan.KeywordsMotivating factors; higher education; academic performanceClassificação Jel: I21, I22, C21, C25

"It is the economy, companheiro!": an empirical analysis of Lula's re-election based on municipal data

This paper discusses the reasons that led to the Lula's 2006 re-election. Spatial analysis methods revealed that, contrary to 2002, the President had more votes in less developed municipalities of Brazil. The econometric results cast doubt on the analyses that attribute to Bolsa Família Programme total responsibility for the re-election. Lula''s electoral success results from changes in the labor market, low inflation and an export boom that have reduced inequality and improved the real wages of the Brazilian poor.

Growth and inequalities of height in Brazil (1939-1981)

This paper analyzes the heights of Brazilian people using anthropometric and economic data. The literature suggests that height is a good proxy of the material living conditions of different populations. Data indicate that the difference between the heights of 21 and 65-year-old men is approximately six centimetres. The same value, by coincidence, represents the difference in the stature of the poorest and richest quintiles. Adjusted data show an increase of 3.8 centimetres in the heights of adult male Brazilians born between 1939 and 1981. There are also stable regional differences; in the North and Northeast of the country, heights are about two centimetres lower than the national average for all groups. Regression analyses show that proxy variables related to living conditions during bodily growth, and using regional dummies, were statistically significant causes of the variation in the heights of individuals. In contrast, colour, urban/rural, and inequality variables were not significant. The results replicate what the historiography of the relation between living conditions and stature makes clear: the social environment has a significant impact on the average height of populations

Religião e criminalidade no Brasil: primeiras evidências sob enfoque econômico

This paper aims to study theoretic and empirically the relation between the level of crime and the religiosity of Brazil. Previous studies for others countries about the subject had identified a negative relation between the level of crime and religiosity. In Brazil, specific studies for this relation do not exist yet. In the attempt to fill this gap, this paper tests, through state and county data, the significance of this relationship for Brazilian case

TEORIA ECONÔMICA DO SUICÍDIO: ESTUDO EMPÍRICO PARA O BRASIL

This article aims to analyze how economic variables influence Brazilian's suicide rates. Across-section of states is analyzed for 2000. The results show that most of the theoretical predictions are verified. A cubic relationship between age and suicide rates was found. In a regional perspective, south and central-west are the regions where most suicides are committed in Brazil. Moreover, higher expenditure in public health decreases significantly the suicide rates what reveals the importance of governanment's choices as agents of suicide's prevention.Este artigo procura analisar como variáveis econômicas influenciam as taxas de suicídios d o Brasil. Para isso analisa-se um cross-section estadual do ano de 2000. Os resultados sugerem que as previsões teóricas foram validadas em sua maioria. Foi identificada uma relação cúbica entre idade e as taxas de suicídio. Do ponto de vista regional, as regiões sul e centro-oeste possuem taxas de suicídio superiores às observadas no sudeste. Os gastos com saúde apresentaram efeito negativo sobre as taxas de suicídio o que evidencia o papel das políticas públicas em saúde como forma de prevenção

Os impactos da inflação na desigualdade de renda

O estudo realizado neste trabalho tem por objetivo mensurar o impacto da inflação sobre a desigualdade de renda, medida pelo índice de Gini. Para tal, utiliza-se um painel com 41 países e dados anuais do período de 2004 a 2013. Então, são estimados modelos lineares em que a desigualdade de renda é explicada pela inflação, controlando a existência de efeitos fixos dos países e incluindo dummies de tempo. Os resultados indicam que não há correlação positiva entre as variáveis, como encontrado em trabalhos anteriores que utilizaram dados em cross section e, levando em consideração a metodologia empregada nos modelos, a relação entre inflação e desigualdade de renda não é robusta e tampouco existe casualidade entre as variáveis. Nesse sentido, segundo o método de pesquisa e dados utilizados, não é possível alterar um padrão de desigualdade de renda apenas controlando a inflação