The Political Economy of Fiscal Policy: Survey

This paper surveys the recent literature on the political economy of fiscal policy, in particular the accumulation of government debt. We examine three possible determinants of fiscal balances: opportunistic behavior by policymakers, heterogeneous fiscal preferences of either voters or politicians, and budget institutions. We focus on the contributions of the last 10 years and emphasize findings related to developing countries. We include a recent body of literature on the fiscal preferences of voters, which, interestingly, seems to suggest that voters do not favor high-spending governments. We also report some original empirical evidence. First, we test different hypotheses from the political economy literature in a simultaneous manner for a large set of both developed and developing countries. We find that less-fragmented governments and a greater ability of voters to monitor fiscal policy are related to lower deficits; the estimated effects are larger than when the two hypotheses are evaluated separately, as the existing literature does. Second, we suggest the role of the courts in the determination of fiscal policy as a promising new avenue of research, and present some suggestive novel evidence on the importance of this channel.

Análisis cualitativo y cuantitativo para los estudios políticos. Trilateralismo, metodología experimental y Grounded Theory

The paper discuss the application of qualitative and quantitative techniques in political studies. It describes the classical proposal of Johan Galtung, known as trilateral science, which invites to the permanent contrast to confirm, validate and accept facts and ideas; then it explores Grounded Theory as a mechanism to achieve and explore data in order to identify a possible dialogue with experimental methodology. Finally, it shows social capital as a case study to demon strate the relevance of multi methodological applications.El propósito de este texto es discutir la aplicación de técnicas cualitativas y cuantitativas en los estudios políticos. Para ello, se describe la propuesta clásica de Johan Galtung, conocida como trilateralismo, que invita al contraste permanente con el fin de confirmar, validar y aceptar hechos e ideas; luego, se busca explorar la Grounded Theory como mecanismo de consecución y exploración de datos con el fin de identificar un posible diálogo con la metodología experimental. Por último, se aborda el capital social como objeto de estudio que demuestra la pertinencia de aplicaciones multimetodológicas

The Method of Law and Economics: A Framework to Study the Scarcity, the Traffic and the Market of Human Organs (in Spanish)

The paper engages with the expansion of economic analysis into the social sciences, especially in the realm of legal studies. The paper pays particular attention to the recent use of microeconomic analysis as an explanatory avenue to approach human behavior in conditions of scarcity. In the first part, the paper offers a review of the substantive and methodological assumptions and operations of the field of Law and Economics. In the second part of the paper, the increasing shortage of human organs for transplant is used as an example to illustrate and examine the value, as well as the limitations, of Law and Economics

Ambiente e educação: Um tecido invisível. Uma viagem da cidade para a sala de aula

Nos preguntamos por la naturaleza del vínculo entre entorno y educación, por la definición del entorno como un hecho en sí mismo educativo. Mediante la definición de un contexto teórico, desvelamos su concepción como fuente de experiencias, como red de relaciones o como constructo transformador de la propia realidad en que se inserta. Lo haremos en base a una metáfora, la de “un tejido invisible” que emerge cosiendo el entorno con la acción educativa. Por último, cuestionaremos las fórmulas actualmente generalizadas que relacionan rígidamente arquitecturas y pedagogías, buscando un diálogo abierto entre entorno y educaciónWe ask ourselves about the nature of the link between environment and education, for the definition of the environment as an educational fact in itself. Through the definition of a theoretical context, we reveal its conception as a source of experiences, as a network of relationships or as a transformative construct of the reality in which it is inserted. We will do it based on a metaphor, that of "an invisible tissue" that emerges by sewing the environment with educational action. Finally, we will question the currently generalized formulas that rigidly relate architectures and pedagogies, seeking an open dialogue between environment and educationQuestionamos a natureza do vínculo entre o meio ambiente e a educação pela definição do meio ambiente enquanto ferramenta educacional. Ao criar um enquadramento teórico, definimos a sua conceção como fonte de experiência, como rede de relações e como elemento transformador da própria realidade na qual se insere. A metáfora do “tecido invisível” à volta do qual é tecida a ação educativa servirá como ponto de partida. Finalmente será questionada a formula, atualmente generalizada, que considera a relação rígida entre arquitetura e pedagogia, à procura de um dialogo aberto entre envolvente e educaçã

Eternal time, eternal secret: the thesis of the eternity of time in Maimonides’ guide of the perplexed

En un excelente artículo que describe la estructura lógica de la Guía de perplejos de Maimónides, y sus  argumentos confusos sobre la existencia de Dios, William Lane Craig (1988 122-147) concluye que la mayor  parte del impacto de la Guía, se basa precisamente en su riguroso método de deducción. Tal vez, y bajo el  punto de vista de Craig, esta es una de las cosas que hacen a Maimónides, un modelo para otros intentos de  conciliación entre la teología y la filosofía. Sin embargo, a pesar de su cuidadoso análisis, hay una idea que  Craig menciona y deja sin un desarrollo profundo, a saber, que una cierta noción de eternidad del tiempo  subyace en el esquema argumentativo de Maimónides. Tratando de ir más allá de los ejemplos ofrecidos por  Craig en su artículo, mi método para encontrar una solución definitiva a la cuestión se divide en tres pasos. El primero es una reconstrucción de las declaraciones de Craig, y su interpretación como material de apoyo  para su conclusión. A continuación, se presentan tres puntos de vista alternativos sobre las creencias de  Maimónides de la creación del mundo, un tema estrechamente vinculado a su idea de tiempo. Finalmente,  utilizaré el material de las dos secciones anteriores para desarrollar una respuesta a mi pregunta.In an excellent article that traces the logical structure of Maimonides’ Guide of the perplexed and his  arguments on the existence of God, William Lane Craig (1988 122-147), concludes that most of the Guide’s  impact rests precisely on its rigorous method of deduction. Perhaps, in Craig’s view, this is one of the things  that makes Maimonides a model for further conciliating attempts between theology and philosophy.  However, despite his careful analysis, there is one idea that Craig mentions and leaves undeveloped, namely,  that a certain notion of eternity of time underlies Maimonides’ argumentative scheme. Trying to go beyond  the examples Craig offered in his article, my method toward a final solution to the question is divided in three steps. The first one is a reconstruction of Craig’s statements and its interpretation as supporting material for his conclusion. Then, I present three alternative views about Maimonides’ beliefs on the creation of the  world, an issue strongly attached to his idea of time. Finally, I use the material of the two former sections to support an answer to my question

Export Dynamics in Colombia: Transactions Level Evidence

We examine Colombian export transaction data from customs records in several dimensions. We begin with some basic statistics on the number and frequency of export transactions by a firm, overall and across individual markets. We then decompose the variation in overall exports into the number of transactions and the size of the average transaction, both at the aggregate level and for individual firms to explore gravity equations, where the patterns of exports and numbers of transactions are related to the distance with respect to the destination. The analysis is carried out both at the aggregate and the firm level. Then we explore the relationship between patterns of transactions numbers and shipment modes. Our results show great heterogeneity in the patterns of frequency and number of transactions across firms; the average firm sent about 75 shipments abroad in 2005, while the firm with largest number of transactions that same year dispatched more than 26,000 shipments. Moreover, while close to 35% of firms in the sample report a single export transaction over the period, for most firms with multiple transactions the average span between two transactions is less than a month. Part of this heterogeneity is shown to be related to the distance with respect to the destination market: firms exporting to more distant destinations make less frequent shipments than firms exporting to markets that are closer. This suggests that there are fixed costs per shipment inducing declining marginal cost of higher shipment volume. These patterns imply that, at the aggregate level, transactions numbers are the primary source of variation in exports. The variability in the numbers of transactions also explains an important part of the well-known negative relationship between aggregate exports and distance to a specific destination.Export transaction frequency; fixed shipment costs and scale economies in transportation; destination distance, average shipment volume and number of shipments. Classification JEL: F10; F12; F14.