Bribery in Health Care in Peru and Uganda

In this paper, I examine the role of household income in determining who bribes and how much they bribe in health care in Peru and Uganda. I find that rich patients are more likely than other patients to bribe in public health care: doubling household consumption increases the bribery probability by 0.2-0.4 percentage points in Peru, compared to a bribery rate of 0.8%; doubling household expenditure in Uganda increases the bribery probability by 1.2 percentage points compared to a bribery rate of 17%. The income elasticity of the bribe amount cannot be precisely estimated in Peru, but is about 0.37 in Uganda. Bribes in the Ugandan public sector appear to be fees-for-service extorted from the richer patients amongst those exempted by government policy from paying the official fees. Bribes in the private sector appear to be flat-rate fees paid by patients who do not pay official fees. I do not find evidence that the public health care sector in either Peru or Uganda is able to price-discriminate less effectively than public institutions with less competition from the private sector.

La misma realidad de cada lugar es diferente ( The same reality of each place is different ): A case study of an organic farmers market in Lima, Peru

Alternative food movements in North America and Western Europe have proliferated in recent years as producers and consumers attempt to reform what is perceived as a fatally flawed industrial food system. Meanwhile, agricultural producers in the global South are increasingly dispossessed of land and livelihoods as agro-industrial processes take on increasingly global dimensions. Given that many of the challenges facing small-scale producers in the North and South stem from similar patterns of agro-industrialization, might they also share similar responses to these challenges? In this article I make a case for broadening the geographic frame of reference for alternative food systems by comparing farmers\u27 market research from the US with an organic farmers\u27 market in Lima, Peru. Data is drawn from the experiences of agricultural exchange participants, and broadens the field of inquiry into alternative geographies of globalizations (Bebbington 2001). What lessons and insights gained from research into market-based agro-food initiatives in the US could be applied to the movement/market for organic produce in Peru? What makes the case in Peru distinct from alternative food movements in the US, and what lessons can be drawn from these distinctions?https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fss2014/1010/thumbnail.jp

Bayesian Estimation of a Simple Macroeconomic Model for a Small Open and Partially Dollarized Economy

I describe a simple new-keynesian macroeconomic model for a small open and partially dollarized economy, which closely resembles the Quarterly Projection Model (QPM) developed at the Central Bank of Peru (Vega et al. (2009)). Then I use Bayesian techniques and quarterly data from Peru to estimate a large group of parameters. The empirical findings provide support for some of the parameters values imposed in the original QPM. In contrast, I find that another group of coefficients – e.g., the weights on the forward-looking components in the aggregate demand and the Phillips curve equations, among several others – should be modified to be more consistent with the data. Furthermore, the results validate the operation of different channels of monetary policy transmission, such as the traditional interest rate channel and the exchange rate channel. I also find evidence that in the most recent part of the sample (2004 onwards), the expectations channel has become more prominent, as implied by the estimated values of the forward-looking parameters in the aggregate demand and the Phillips curve equations.Monetary Policy; Partial Dollarization; Bayesian Estimation

Dynamic Field Experiments in Development Economics: Risk Valuation in Morocco, Kenya, and Peru

The effective design and implementation of interventions that reduce vulnerability and poverty require a solid understanding of underlying poverty dynamics and associated behavioral responses. Stochastic and dynamic benefit streams can make it difficult for the poor to learn the value of such interventions to them. We explore how dynamic field experiments can help (i) intended beneficiaries to learn and understand these complicated benefit streams, and (ii) researchers to better understand how the poor respond to risk when faced with nonlinear welfare dynamics. We discuss and analyze dynamic risk valuation experiments in Morocco, Peru, and Kenya.poverty, risk and uncertainty, dynamics, experiments, Kenya, Morocco, Peru, International Development, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, Risk and Uncertainty,

Extended-spectrum beta-lactamases-producing <i>Escherichia coli</i> in common vampire bats <i>Desmodus rotundus</i> and livestock in Peru

Antibiotic resistance mediated by bacterial production of extended‐spectrum beta‐lactamase (ESBL) is a global threat to public health. ESBL resistance is most commonly hospital‐acquired; however, infections acquired outside of hospital settings have raised concerns over the role of livestock and wildlife in the zoonotic spread of ESBL‐producing bacteria. Only limited data are available on the circulation of ESBL‐producing bacteria in animals. Here, we report ESBL‐producing Escherichia coli in wild common vampire bats Desmodus rotundus and livestock near Lima, Peru. Molecular analyses revealed that most of this resistance resulted from the expression of blaCTX‐M‐15 genes carried by plasmids, which are disseminating worldwide in hospital settings and have also been observed in healthy children of Peru. Multilocus sequence typing showed a diverse pool of E. coli strains carrying this resistance that were not always host species‐specific, suggesting sharing of strains between species or infection from a common source. This study shows widespread ESBL resistance in wild and domestic animals, supporting animal communities as a potential source of resistance. Future work is needed to elucidate the role of bats in the dissemination of antibiotic‐resistant strains of public health importance and to understand the origin of the observed resistance

Genetic variability of Chilean and Peruvian surfclams (Donax marincovichi and Donax obesulus)

Exposed intertidal sandy beaches are commonly dominated by surf clams of the genus Donax. In Peru and Chile these bivalves play an important role for artisanal fisheries. Beside that, little is known about the taxonomy, biology, and the clams susceptibility to climatically induced changes. The taxonomic status of the two Donax species Donax marincovichi and Donax obesulus, distributed along the Peruvian coastline, is controversially discussed. As morphometric comparisons reveal no significant differences we possibly deal with a single rather than with two species. Furthermore, our knowledge on larval dispersal allowing gene flow among populations is scarce. Therefore, both putative Donax species were sampled at ten beaches along the coastline from northern Chile to northern Peru. Partial cytochrome oxidase I sequences were analysed in order to estimate the genetic distances between both putative species and to estimate the intraspecific gene flow along the coastline. Region specific patterns and the dependence on recruitment of local stocks are discussed

Magnetic Phases in Dense Quark Matter

In this paper I discuss the magnetic phases of the three-flavor color superconductor. These phases can take place at different field strengths in a highly dense quark system. Given that the best natural candidates for the realization of color superconductivity are the extremely dense cores of neutron stars, which typically have very large magnetic fields, the magnetic phases here discussed could have implications for the physics of these compact objects.Comment: Presented at VII Latin American Symposium on Nuclear Physics and Applications, El Cusco, Peru, June 200

Devalvacija i trgovačka bilanca u zemljama Latinske Amerike

The aim of this paper is to examine effectiveness of devaluation on the trade balance in four countries: Argentina, Brazil, Mexico and Peru. We use the Johansen-Juselius cointegration test and impulse response function to estimate the long-run and shortrun effects of devaluation on the trade balance. The estimated results suggest that depreciation improve the trade balance in the long run for the case of Argentina and Peru, and in the short-run there has been J-curve in Argentina and Peru. In addition, the cointegration is found among the four variables (trade balance, domestic income, foreign incomes and real exchange rate) in the case of Argentina and Peru. The results also indicate that there is no cointegration relationship between these variables for Brazil and Mexico. The conclusion of the paper is that the evidence of the J-curve pattern was found for Argentina and Peru only.Cilj ovoga rada je ispitati djelotvornost devalvacije na trgovačku bilancu u četiri zemlje: Argentini, Brazilu, Meksiku i Peruu. Primijenjen je Johansen-Juselius kointegracijski test i funkcija spontane reakcije da bi se procijenili dugoročni i kratkoročni učinci devalvacije na trgovačku bilancu. Dobiveni rezultati pokazuju da deprecijacija, dugoročno, poboljšava trgovačku bilancu u slučaju Argentine i Perua, te da je u istim zemljama, kratkoročno prisutna J – krivulja. Nadalje, postoji kointegracija četiriju varijabli (trgovačke bilance, domaćeg prihoda, stranih prihoda i stvarnog intervalutnog tečaja) u slučaju Argentine i Perua. Rezultati također pokazuju da u slučaju Brazila i Meksika nema kointegracijskog odnosa ovih varijabli. Stoga se u ovom radu zaključuje da je dokaz o J-krivulji prisutan samo u Argentini i Peruu