Institutions and Economic Development: How Strong is the Relation?

This paper investigates the relationship between institutions and economic development (output per worker). As in Hall and Jones (1999), we find that a 1% improvement in institutions (as we measure them) generates on average a 5% increase in output per worker. However, this relationship is not linear and the data have important heterogeneity. Countries with the same value of institutions have different levels of income per worker. We ask whether the "returns to institutions" are the same across countries conditional on the level of institutions. Using quantile regression methods, we show that for countries at the top of the conditional distribution of international incomes, the "returns to institutions" are lower (around 3.8%), than for countries at the bottom of this distribution (around 6.2%). We show that this result is robust for different model specifications and definitions of institutions. We also provide evidence that, conditional on the level of institutional development, the distribution of output per worker tends to become less disperse as countries improve their institutional framework. In other words, better institutions are fundamental to close the output per worker gap across countries. Finally, we provide the rationale behind the results through a modified version of a Neoclassical Growth Model with time varying wedges, representing policy distortions and institutions.

Volunteerism After the Tsunami: Democratization and Aid

Using three waves of survey data from fishing villages in Aceh, Indonesia for 2005-2009, we examine the determinants of local volunteer labor after the tsunami. Pre-existing social capital and the form of aid delivery (but not trauma) strongly affect village volunteerism initially, but these effects weaken with time. What persists is the effect of essentially a new institution, formal village elections. While recent work suggests democratization increases cooperation, the differentially timed introduction of elections negatively affects volunteerism, suggesting a regime switch effect where traditional leaders chosen by elites want more volunteer labor projects than democratically elected leaders do

Integral Field Spectroscopy of the inner kpc of the elliptical galaxy NGC 5044

We used Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph (GMOS) in the Integral Field Unit mode to map the stellar population, emission line flux distributions and gas kinematics in the inner kpc of NGC 5044. From the stellar populations synthesis we found that the continuum emission is dominated by old high metallicity stars ($\sim$13 Gyr, 2.5Z$\odot$). Also, its nuclear emission is diluted by a non thermal emission, which we attribute to the presence of a weak active galactic nuclei (AGN). In addition, we report for the first time a broad component (FWHM$\sim$ 3000km$s^{-1}$) in the H$\alpha$ emission line in the nuclear region of NGC 5044. By using emission line ratio diagnostic diagrams we found that two dominant ionization processes coexist, while the nuclear region (inner 200 pc) is ionized by a low luminosity AGN, the filamentary structures are consistent with being excited by shocks. The H$\alpha$ velocity field shows evidence of a rotating disk, which has a velocity amplitude of $\sim$240kms$^{-1}$ at $\sim$ 136 pc from the nucleus. Assuming a Keplerian approach we estimated that the mass inside this radius is $1.9\times10^9$ $M_{\odot}$, which is in agreement with the value obtained through the M-$\sigma$ relation, $M_{SMBH}=1.8\pm1.6\times10^{9}M_{\odot}$. Modelling the ionized gas velocity field by a rotating disk component plus inflows towards the nucleus along filamentary structures, we obtain a mass inflow rate of $\sim$0.4 M$_\odot$. This inflow rate is enough to power the central AGN in NGC 5044.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures, accepted by MNRA

Quantum state of a free spin-1/2 particle and the inextricable dependence of spin and momentum under Lorentz transformations

We revise the Dirac equation for a free particle and investigate Lorentz transformations on spinors. We study how the spin quantization axis changes under Lorentz transformations, and evince the interplay between spin and momentum in this context.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, published as a Review in the IJQ

Fold-Saddle Bifurcation in Non-Smooth Vector Fields on the Plane

This paper presents results concerning bifurcations of 2D piecewise-smooth dynamical systems governed by vector fields. Generic three parameter families of a class of Non-Smooth Vector Fields are studied and its bifurcation diagrams are exhibited. Our main result describes the unfolding of the so called Fold-Saddle singularity

On 3-parameter families of piecewise smooth vector fields in the plane

This paper is concerned with the local bifurcation analysis around typical singularities of piecewise smooth planar dynamical systems. Three-parameter families of a class of non$-$smooth vector fields are studied and the tridimensional bifurcation diagrams are exhibited. Our main results describe the unfolding of the so called fold-cusp singularity by means of the variation of 3 parameters.Comment: 33 Figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1104.086