Prospects for Closer Economic Relations between Latin America and Asia

Regional integration such as NAFTA, MERCOSUR and FTAA have been flourishing in Latin American countries in the 1990s. In addition to these multi-countries FTAs, many bilateral FTAs have also emerged both among Latin American countries and between them and extra-regional countries. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the leading factors that are behind the proliferation of intra-regional and inter-regional FTAs of Latin American countries. We also discuss the prospects for bilateral FTAs between Latin America and Asia, particularly focusing on Japan-Mexico and Japan-Chile FTA. Finally, a new approach to cooperation between East Asia and Latin America, the East Asia Latin America Forum (EALAF), will be examined.

Productivity and Openness: Firm Level Evidence in Brazilian Manufacturing Industries

This study investigates the productivity of Brazilian manufacturing industries, particularly addressing the influence of liberalization on productivity. We first calculate total factor productivity (TFP) by estimating the stochastic frontier production function and the inefficiency determination equation simultaneously. Then TFP growth rates are regressed on openness-related variables and other firm characteristics. The results show that firm openness to the world is a crucial determinant of their productivity. Data used for this study were obtained from the Investment Climate Survey, provided by the World Bank.TFP, Liberalization, Brazil, Stochastic frontier analysis

Desarrollo económico y política industrial de Japón: Implicaciones para países en Desarrollo

Aunque el desarrollo económico de Japón posguerra ha sido un resultado complicado de varias causas, se podrá prestar una atención especial a las políticas industriales, las cuales se han considerado como uno de los factores esenciales del éxito económico logrado. En este documento se discuten siguentes temas: los factores básicos de desarrollo económico en Japón, la evolución y consecuencias de políticas industriales, el caso de industria de automóviles. Finalmente se presentan unas implicaciones para la economía de América Latina.Japón, Políticas industrial, Directrices, Consenso, Coordinación de inversiones

Gender Discrimination and Firm Profit Efficiency:Evidence from Brazil

In this study, we investigated discrimination against women within the Brazilian labor market using firm-level data and considering the proportion of female employees as a proxy for the extent of discrimination. Estimating the profit efficiency of firms using data envelopment analysis, and regressing it on the proportion of female employees and other firm characteristics, we found that the proportion of female employees is positively correlated with firm profit efficiency. Our finding indicates that firms employing a high proportion of female workers incur a lower labor cost while producing the same level of output compared to firms employing a low proportion of female employees, and provide strong evidence of the existence of discrimination against female employees within the Brazilian labor market.

2,7-Dimethoxy­-1-(4-nitro­benzo­yl)-naphthalene

In the title compound, C19H15NO5, the dihedral angle between the naphthalene ring system and the benzene ring is 61.97 (5)°. The dihedral between the naphthalene ring system and the bridging carbonyl C—C(=O)—C plane is 54.68 (6)°, far larger than that [12.54 (7)°] between the phenyl group and the bridging carbonyl group. The nitro group and the phenyl ring are almost coplanar [O—N—C—C torsion angle = 2.94 (19)°]. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by C—H⋯π inter­actions and the phenyl rings are involved in a centrosymmetric π–π inter­action with a perpendicular distance of 3.523 Å and a lateral offset of 1.497 Å. In addition, weak inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds are formed between an H atom of one meth­oxy group and a nearby carbonyl O atom