Dynamic Provisioning: Some Lessons from Existing Experiences

After analyzing the different reasons why the financial system and also the regulatory framework induced procyclicality, this paper reviews the experiences of three countries which have introduced dynamic provisioning as a regulatory tool to limit procyclicality. The case of Spain - the country with the longest experience - is reviewed, as well as those of Colombia and Peru - countries that have recently adopted dynamic provisioning. A number of policy lessons are drawn from that comparison

Wage inequality, segregation by skill and the price of capital in an assignment model

Some pieces of empirical evidence suggest that in the U.S., over the last few decades, (i) wage inequality between-plants has risen much more than wage inequality within-plants and (ii) there has been an increase in the segregation of workers by skill into separate plants. This paper presents a frictionless assignment model in which these two features can be explained simultaneously as the result of the decline in the relative price of capital. Additional implications of the model regarding the skill premium and the dispersion in labor productivity across plants are also consistent with the empirical evidence. [resumen de autor

Analysis of Line Edge Roughness Using EUV Scatterometry

Smaller and more complex three dimensional periodic nanostructures are part of the next generation of integrated electronic circuits. Additionally, decreasing the dimensions of nanostructures increases the effect of line edge roughness on the performance of the nanostructures. Efficient methods for characterizing three dimensional nanostructures are required for process control. Here, extremeltraviolet EUV scatterometry is exploited for the analysis of line edge roughness from periodic nanostructures. In line with previous observations, differences are observed between line edge and line width roughness. The angular distribution of the diffuse scattering is an interplay of the line shape, the height of the structure, the roughness along the line, and the correlation between the lines. Unfortunately, existing theoretical methods for characterizing nanostructures using scatterometry do not cover all these aspects. Examples are shown here and the demands for future development of theoretical approaches for computing the angular distribution of the scattered X rays are discusse