Tougher Educational Exam Leading to Worse Selection

This paper shows a somehow counterintuitive result: an increase in the exam diculty may reduce the average quality (productivity) of selected individuals. Since the exam does not verify all skills, when its standard rises, candidates with relatively low skills emphasized in the test and high skills demanded in the job may no longer qualify. Hence, an increase in the testing standard may be counterproductive. One implication is that policies should emphasize alignment between the skills tested and those required in the actual jobs.school standard, signaling model, cognitive skill, noncog- nitive skill

The Innefficiency of the Current Judicial Reorganization Process of Companies in Brazil

[extract] The perception that companies in financial difficulties need to be preserved on behalf of social welfare (jobs and stimulation to the economic activity), nearly generating a state obligation to guarantee their survival at any cost, has given rise to excesses. The current legal device for judicial reorganization and bankruptcy (Law 11.101/2005) in force in Brazil enables maneuvers of companies which aim solely at having bankruptcy and execution claims against them suspended, taking advantage of the so-called stay period of 180 days. As an evidence of that, we cite the statistic of only 30% of concession of recoveries in view of the total of requests. That is, for every ten filings of judicial reorganizations, only three undergo the scrutiny of Article 58 of the Judicial Reorganization Law. The vast majority fails to present their reorganization plan or has the plan rejected by the creditors’ meeting. On the other hand, it is seen that the corporate reorganization mechanism often does not allow for an effective processing of the reorganization plan, failing to encourage a healthy relationship between those involved and leading viable enterprises to bankruptcy.  One cannot suppose that the creditors, just for being responsible for the plan approval, must necessarily do so consciously. Besides leaving little or no margin for the creditors to present alternative plans, bankruptcy is put as the immediate consequence of the non-approval at the meeting. In the first case, the creditors fail to suggest broad changes to the plan or lack the necessary information for an alternative. In the second situation, in turn, the creditor’s options are greatly reduced. Either he votes for the approval of any plan - even perceiving its evident inconsistency - or he will face the certain loss for the debtor’s bankruptcy (COELHO, 2018). 

Higher education: free tuition vs. quotas vs. targeted vouchers

Este trabalho compara, do ponto de vista teórico, três sistemas universitários alternativos: o atual adotado pelo Brasil, no qual os alunos das universidades públicas, que são praticamente gratuitas, são escolhidos através de um processo seletivo; um sistema de quotas nas universidades públicas para beneficiar estudantes de baixa renda; e um sistema de vouchers direcionados para estudantes de baixa renda que podem ser utilizados nas universidades privadas ou públicas. A comparação destes três sistemas indica que o último é o mais eficiente, pois gera: (i) maior qualidade da mão de obra; (ii) alocação mais eficiente dos recursos; e (iii) maior mobilidade social.This paper compares theoretically three alternative university systems: the current one adopted in Brazil, in which students who perform better in the entering exam obtain the right to attend the public university without paying the full tuition; a system of affirmative action quotas in public universities, to benefit low income students; and a targeted vouchers system that can be used either to pay private or public university tuiton. The comparison indicates that the last system leads to: (i) a higher quality of the labor force; (ii) a more efficient allocation of resources; and (iii) a greater social mobility

Effects of the brazilian university policy of targeting the poor

Este trabalho analisa, teoricamente, os efeitos do Programa Universidade para Todos (ProUni), introduzido pelo governo federal do Brasil no ano de 2005, sobre a qualidade da força de trabalho formada nas universidades privadas. Esse programa concede isenção fiscal para as universidades privadas que, em contrapartida, fornecem bolsas de estudo para alunos provenientes de famílias de baixa renda. A análise sugere que a qualidade da força de trabalho pode aumentar ou diminuir dependendo de duas variáveis-chave: o formato da curva de oferta do setor universitário e o nível de preparação para cursar a universidade dos bolsistas vis-à-vis aos não-bolsistas.This paper analyzes theoretically the effects on the quality of the labor force of the introduction of the program called ProUni (Programa Universidade para Todos), adopted by the Brazilian government in 2005. This program consists of giving tax exemptions to private universities that provide scholarships to students coming from low income families. The analysis suggests that the quality of the labor force can either increase or decrease depending on two crucial variables: the shape of the university sector's supply curve and the level of preparation to face university studies of the students who are targeted by the program vis-à-vis the non-targeted ones

Nova espécie de Stelletta (Porifera, Demospongiae) do Atlântico Sul-Ocidental

Stelletta beae sp.nov. is described from the northern sector of the São Paulo state coastline, in the Tropical south-western Atlantic. Stelletta purpurea sensu MOTHES-DE-MORAES (1985, as Myriastra) and MOTHES & LERNER (1994) are considered conspecific with the new species, which appears closer to S. paucistellata, from west Africa, rather than to S. purpurea sensu RIDLEY (1884), from northern Australia. A key for the Stelletta of the Tropical Atlantic with oxeas smaller than 1000μm is provided.Stelletta beae sp.nov. é descrita para o litoral norte do estado de São Paulo, no Atlântico Tropical ocidental. Stelletta purpurea sensu MOTHES-DE-MORAES (1985, como Myriastra) e MOTHES & LERNER (1994) são consideradas coespecíficas com a nova espécie, que aparenta ser mais próxima de S. paucistellata, do oeste da África, que de S. purpurea sensu RIDLEY (1884), do norte da Austrália. Oferece-se uma chave de identificação para as Stelletta do Atlântico Tropical com óxeas menores que 1000μm

Research enchancing the quality of teaching: Econometric evidence from Brazil

Este artigo reporta evidência de que as atividades de pesquisa tendem a melhorar a avaliação recebida dos professores pelos alunos (SET) com uma defasagem temporal. Além disso, os resultados sugerem que as atividades de pesquisa sejam complementares às atividades de ensino. As atividades de pesquisa parecem afetar a qualidade do ensino no momento em que são realizadas, indicando um ganho na realização conjunta das atividades de ensino e pesquisaWe find evidence that the process of doing research increases the professor’sknowledge andenhances thestudent evaluationof teaching (SET) with a lag. Moreover, the results suggest that research activity seems to be complementary to teaching. The research activity seems to increase the quality of teaching at the moment that it is put in place, i.e., both activities can be seen as ’mutually reinforcing