Cash transfers, children and the crisis : protecting current and future investments

Developing countries have responded to the multiple shocks from the food, fuel and finance crises of 2008-2009 with a mix of responses aimed at both mitigating the immediate impacts of the crises on households (and particularly children), and protecting future investments in human capital. While some countries have introduced new safety net programs, others have modified and/or expanded existing ones. Since many countries have introduced conditional cash transfers (CCTs) in recent years, these programs have been used as an important starting point for a response. This paper aims to describe how conditional cash transfers have been used by different countries to respond to the crises (e.g. by expanding coverage and/or increasing benefit amounts), distill lessons about their effectiveness as crisis-response programs, identify design features that can facilitate their ability to respond to transient poverty shocks, and assess how they can complement other safety net programs.Safety Nets and Transfers,Services&Transfers to Poor,Access to Finance,Labor Policies,Debt Markets

Making services work : indicators, assessments, and benchmarking of the quality and governance of public service delivery in the human development sectors

Improving governance is central to improving results in human development. It is clear that money is not enough: improved outcomes from service delivery require better governance, including mechanisms for holding service providers accountable and appropriate incentives for performance. There is therefore a growing demand for indicators to measure how and whether these processes work, and how they affect health and education results. This paper makes the case for measuring governance policies and performance, and the quality of service delivery in health and education. It develops a framework for selecting and measuring a set of indicators and proposes options, drawing from new and innovative measurement tools and approaches. The paper proposes the adoption of a more systematic approach that will both facilitate the work of health and education policymakers and allow for cross-country comparisons and benchmarking.Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Governance Indicators,Public Sector Corruption&Anticorruption Measures,Poverty Monitoring&Analysis,Public Sector Expenditure Policy

Estimating the returns to education in Argentina : 1992-2002

The authors estimate returns to schooling in urban Argentina for a 10-year period. In addition to comparable earnings functions, they also estimate the returns using quantile regression analysis to detect differences in the returns across the distribution. Over time, men in higher quantiles have higher returns to schooling compared with those in the lower quantiles. For women, returns are highest at the lowest quantile. The returns to education increased during the past decade. The authors do not rule out that increased demand for skills is driving the increasing returns over the decade.

Do workers in the informal sector benefit from cuts in the minimum wage?

This paper analyzes the effect of a change in the minimum wage on the earnings of workers in the informal sector, who supposedly are not covered by minimum wage legislation. The standard view of the matter is that a reduction of the minimum wage, which increases employment in the formal sector, reduces the effective supply of labor to the informal sector increasing the wage at which the latter clears. Strong policy conclusions can be - and have been - derived from the standard view. Given that workers in the informal sector earn less than those in the formal sector, a reduction in the minimum wage should reduce income inequality between workers in the two sectors. Also, to the extent that most of the urban poor work in the informal sector, reducing the minimum wage could be an effective anti-poverty policy. This paper explores the possibility of a non-standard result following a different avenue. It discusses the role of labor reallocation and demand factors in determining the relationship between minimum wages and informal sector earnings.Banks&Banking Reform,Environmental Economics&Policies,Poverty Assessment,Health Economics&Finance,Economic Theory&Research

La acentuación del cambio: el Plan de Acción para el Equilibrio de la Economía Nacional (1954)

Las modificaciones del comercio internacional y las consecuencias de la política económica aplicada durante los primeros años de la gestión peronista (1946-1955) impulsaron hacia 1952 una serie de medidas de emergencia que tendían a la recuperación del sector externo y al control de la inflación. Estos cambios se centraron en la restricción del consumo, el tomento del ahorro y el aumento de la productividad. Superados los principales problemas, el gobierno se dirigió a restablecer el "equilibrio" de la economía y apuntar a la corrección de aquellos de carácter más estructural. Este trabajo reconstruye, sobre la base de fuentes oficiales, periodísticas y otras, las definiciones en materia de política económica del gobierno peronista hacia fines de 1954, en momentos en que se anuncia un "Plan de Acción para el Equilibrio de la Economía Nacional". El Plan, prácticamente olvidado por la historiografía económica, constituye un punto de redefinición y acentuación de algunos aspectos ya abordados por el diseño económico de 1952, y consolida el "cambio de rumbo" de la economía peronista. Asimismo, este documento de política económica constituye el punto de partida para la conformación del Congreso Nacional de la Productividad y el Bienestar Social, una tentativa llevada a cabo durante el último año del "régimen" peronista y abortada con su derrocamiento.Fil: Rougier, Marcelo. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina.Fil: Fiszbein, Martín. Universidad de Buenos Aires; Argentina

Crème de la Crème: A Experiência de Teach For All e Suas Lições Para a Formulação de Políticas na América Latina

This paper analyzes the experience of Teach For All partners in different countries around the globe in three areas: (a) Recruitment and Selection; (b) Training and Development; and (c) Placement. Using information from semi-structured interviews with Teach For All staff members and national partners, we analyze the key elements of the Teach For All approach in these areas. Based on that analysis we argue that Teach For All’s active recruitment and rigorous selection of candidates, emphasis of quality over length in training, the continued support offered to teachers and the heavy emphasis on data and evaluation constitute practices that, if pursued at the systems level, could enhance the quality of teaching and, consequently, learning outcomes in Latin America.Este trabajo analiza la experiencia de la red internacional Teach For All en tres áreas: (a) reclutamiento y selección; (b) capacitación y desarrollo profesional; y (c ) colocación de docentes. Usando información recolectada a través de entrevistas semi-estructuradas con personal de Teach For All y sus socios nacionales, analizamos los principales elementos del enfoque de Teach For All en estas áreas. En base a ese análisis argumentamos que los estrategias de Teach For All en lo que concierne al reclutamiento activo y la selección rigurosa de candidatos, el énfasis en calidad sobre duración de la capacitación, el apoyo continuo ofrecido a los maestros y el fuerte énfasis en información y evaluación constituyen prácticas que, de ser adoptadas a nivel de los sistemas educativos, pueden mejorar la calidad de la enseñanza y, consiguientemente, los resultados de aprendizaje en América Latina. Este trabalho analisa a experiência dos parceiros de Teach For All em vários países em três áreas: (a) Recrutamento e seleção; (b) Treinamento e desenvolvimento profissional; e (c) colocação de docentes em escolas. Usando informações de entrevistas semi-estruturadas com membros de Teach For All e seus parceiros nacionais, analisamos os elementos-chave do modelo de Teach For All nestas áreas. Na base desta análise propomos que o recrutamento ativo de Teach For All e sua seleção rigorosa de candidatos, sua ênfase na qualidade do treinamento (em vez da quantidade), e o apoio contínuo dado aos professores com uma ênfase forte nos dados e na avaliação constituem práticas que, se fossem implementadas no nível estrutural, poderiam aumentar a qualidade do ensino e, consequentemente, os resultados da aprendizagem na América Latina.

Speech rate in children with and without phonological disorder

TEMA: velocidade de fala no transtorno fonológico (TF). OBJETIVO: comparar o desempenho de crianças, com e sem transtorno fonológico, em diferentes tarefas de velocidade de fala. MÉTODO: participaram do estudo vinte crianças com diagnóstico de transtorno fonológico (GTF) e vinte crianças com desenvolvimento típico de fala (GC), com idade entre quatro anos a dez anos e onze meses, de ambos os sexos. As medidas de velocidade de fala (tempo total de duração, sílabas/segundo e fonemas/segundo) foram analisadas em duas provas de imitação, sendo uma padrão e outra baseada em frases retiradas do próprio discurso da criança, cada qual composta de uma sentença curta e outra longa. RESULTADOS: o GC apresentou um desempenho significantemente melhor que o GTF em todas as medidas da prova de imitação padrão e também no tempo total de duração da sentença longa na prova de imitação de frases próprias, de forma que o tamanho e a tipologia das sentenças influenciaram o desempenho de ambos os grupos. CONCLUSÃO: verifica-se menores valores de velocidade de fala nas crianças com TF participantes deste estudo, em função de possíveis déficits lingüísticos ou motores, embora haja indícios de controle da velocidade de produção da fala em função do tamanho da frase. Todas as medidas mostraram tal diferença, especialmente na prova de imitação padrão.BACKGROUND: speech rate in phonological disorders. AIM: to compare the performance of children with and without phonological disorders in different speech rate tests. METHOD: participants of this study were 20 children diagnosed with phonological disorders (PDG) and 20 with typical speech development (CG), aged 4 years to 10 years and 11 months, of both genders. Speech rate measurements (total durantion time, syllables per second and phonemes per second) were analyzed in two imitation tests, being one standard and the other based on phrases taken from the child's own speech, each composed of a short and a long sentence. RESULTS: the CG presented a significantly better performance than the PDG, when considereing all of the mesurements applied to the standard imitation test and also when considering the total duration time of the long sentence in the self-imitation test. This indicates that the length and type of sentences influenced the performance of both groups. CONCLUSION: lower values of speech rate are observed for children with PD, participants of this study, due to possible language or motor deficits, although there is evidence of speech rate control due to the length of the sentence. All of the measurements indicated this difference, specially for the standard imitation test

Household behavior in the presence of economic crisis: evidence from Argentina, 2002

At the end of 2001, Argentina suffered one of its worst economic crises in memory. When presented with lower incomes, reduced employment, and other economic shocks, households have responded by adjusting their consumer behavior and adopting a number of coping strategies. In this paper, we use evidence from a household survey completed at the time of the Argentine crisis to examine whether the use of coping strategies is directly linked to the type of shock experienced by the household and whether household behavior varies by wealth or family type.Departamento de Economí

Comparison between syllabic onset and coda during phonological acquisition

OBJETIVO: Verificar se há diferença entre a porcentagem de acertos em onset e coda de sílaba dos fonemas /s/ e <IMG SRC="../img/17s01.gif" WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=12>em crianças de 2:1 a 3:0 anos de idade. MÉTODOS: Participaram da pesquisa 88 crianças em desenvolvimento fonológico típico: GI: 41 crianças de 2:1 a 2:6 anos e GII: 47 crianças de 2:7 a 3:0 anos. Todas frequentavam creche pública e não apresentavam queixa de problema de linguagem, mais de três ocorrências de otite média e nem eram bilíngues. A coleta de dados foi realizada por três provas de fonologia: nomeação, imitação e fala espontânea. RESULTADOS: Quanto à comparação do /s/, houve diferença apenas no GII na prova de nomeação em sílaba final (p=0,038), com melhor desempenho em coda que em onset. Embora não tenha havido diferença estatística nas demais provas e sílabas analisadas, as crianças dos dois grupos apresentaram melhor desempenho em onset que em coda, com exceção das crianças do GI na imitação em sílaba final e na nomeação em sílaba inicial. Em relação ao <IMG SRC="../img/17s01.gif" WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=12>, em todas as comparações de sílaba final as crianças dos dois grupos tiveram média estatisticamente maior em onset que em coda. Na sílaba medial, as crianças tiveram melhor desempenho em onset, porém, não houve diferença significante (p=0,205). CONCLUSÃO: de forma geral, notou-se que não houve diferença entre o /s/ em onset e coda silábica. Porém, quanto ao <IMG SRC="../img/17s01.gif" WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=12>, houve diferença entre as duas posições na sílaba, sendo que em onset as crianças dos dois grupos tiveram mais acertos.PURPOSE: To verify whether there is a difference between accuracy percentage of /s/ and <IMG SRC="../img/17s01.gif" WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=12>in syllable onset and coda in children from 2:1 to 3:0 years old. METHODS: Subjects of the research were 88 typically developing children: GI: 41 children from 2:1 to 2:6 years old, and GII: 47 children from 2:7 to 3:0 years old. All subjects attended public daycare centers; they did not have any complaints of language deficits or more than three episodes of otitis media, and were all Brazilian-Portuguese monolingual speakers. Data collection was carried out through three phonology tests: picture naming, imitation and spontaneous speech. RESULTS: Regarding accuracy of the /s/, there was a difference between onset and coda in the final syllable of the naming test (p=0.038), with better performance in coda than in onset, for GII. Although there was no statistical difference in the other tests and syllables analyzed, children from both groups presented better performance in onset than in coda, with exception of the GI in the final syllable of the imitation and in the initial syllable of the naming test. Considering accuracy of the /r/, in all comparisons of final syllable, children from both groups had statistically higher means in onset than in coda. In medial syllable, children showed better performance in onset, however, difference was not significant (p=0.205). CONCLUSION: In general, there was no difference between the /s/ in syllabic onset and coda. On the other hand, regarding the <IMG SRC="../img/17s01.gif" WIDTH=15 HEIGHT=12>, there was a difference between the two positions within the syllable, and children from both groups showed more accuracy in the onset of the syllable.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES

Inflación y restricción externa : La tradición estructuralista en la Argentina de posguerra (1945-75)

En este trabajo intentamos trazar el itinerario de los desarrollos teóricos más importantes de la “tradición estructuralista” en la Argentina en su etapa “clásica”, en la que estuvo fuertemente asociada al pensamiento de la CEPAL y sus compañeros de ruta. En la primera sección rastremos su origen como figura del entendimiento teórico que reconoció y dio origen a las representaciones “estructurales” de los fenómenos característicos de crisis de la economía argentina en la posguerra. En la segunda sección reconstruimos la identificación de las causas estructurales que explicaban la recurrencia de las crisis del sector externo ensayadas en aquella época, que sirvió de base para la elaboración de marcos de análisis apropiados para la estructura económica argentina. La tercera sección está dedicado a los modelos estructuralistas incorporaron esas causas histórico-estructurales como supuestos del análisis. El modelo de ciclos stop and go articuló una explicación conjunta de los fenómenos de la inflación y la crisis del sector externo, problemas característicos de la época. La asociación entre los fenómenos de la devaluación, la inflación y la recesión, característicos de las crisis del balance de pagos, fue observada tempranamente por algunos autores interesados en los problemas del desarrollo en los países periféricos (Prebisch, 1949; Pazos, 1949). Pero antes de que las causas y efectos interdependientes de los fenómenos de crisis fueran subsumidos en un modelo de economía abierta más general, la comprensión de esos fenómenos avanzó en el desarrollo de la teoría de la devaluación contractiva y la teoría de la inflación estructural, de carácter más fragmentario, que tratamos en las secciones cuarta y quinta. Finalmente, en la sexta sección destacamos la sedimentación e integración del desarrollo analítico y conceptual de la tradición estructuralista en la primera mitad de los setenta.Facultad de Ciencias Económica