Non-Ricardian Aspects of Fiscal Policy in Chile

This paper examines non-Ricardian effects of government spending shocks in the Chilean economy. We first provide evidence on those effects based on vector autoregressions. We then show that such evidence can be accounted for by a model that features: (i) a sizeable share of non-Ricardian households (i.e. households which do not make use of financial markets and just consume their current labor income); (ii) nominal price and wage rigidities; (iii) an inflation targeting scheme and (iv) a structural balance fiscal rule that reflects the particular Chilean fiscal rule. The model is estimated employing Bayesian techniques. Finally, we use model simulations to demonstrate the countercyclical effects of the Chilean fiscal rule as compared with a zero-deficit rule.

Livros didáticos e outros materiais escritos no Colégio Técnico da UFMG (1969-1997)

Este artigo aborda o uso de livros didáticos e outros materiais escritos nas práticas dos professores de Matemática do Colégio Técnico da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais no período 1969-1997. O trabalho resulta de uma pesquisa fundamentada na metodologia da História Oral, com a realização de 16 entrevistas com antigos professores e alunos da escola. Os depoimentos dos professores minimizaram o papel dos livros em suas práticas, acentuando a sua própria produção de materiais escritos, com destaque para estudos dirigidos e instruções programadas para as aulas. Os testemunhos dos alunos se referiram à pouca frequência de aulas expositivas decorrente do uso desses materiais e em geral não enfatizaram o uso de livros. Entretanto, a análise das narrativas revelou que os livros didáticos estiveram muito presentes nas práticas desenvolvidas na escola, por serem essenciais à preparação e à realização dos estudos dirigidos

Applying Definitions of “Asbestos” to Environmental and “Low-Dose” Exposure Levels and Health Effects, Particularly Malignant Mesothelioma

Although asbestos research has been ongoing for decades, this increased knowledge has not led to consensus in many areas of the field. Two such areas of controversy include the specific definitions of asbestos, and limitations in understanding exposure-response relationships for various asbestos types and exposure levels and disease. This document reviews the current regulatory and mineralogical definitions and how variability in these definitions has led to difficulties in the discussion and comparison of both experimental laboratory and human epidemiological studies for asbestos. This review also examines the issues of exposure measurement in both animal and human studies, and discusses the impact of these issues on determination of cause for asbestos-related diseases. Limitations include the lack of detailed characterization and limited quantification of the fibers in most studies. Associated data gaps and research needs are also enumerated in this review