Evidence For Argentina Research Articles

A decomposition method to evaluate the ‘paradox of progress’, with evidence for Argentina

A decomposition method to evaluate the ‘paradox of progress’, with evidence for Argentina

Influence of demand and supply factors on trade flows: Evidence for Argentina (1996–2016)

AbstractUsing an ARDL‐ECM model, we estimate the aggregate and sectoral elasticities for Argentina. We confirm that the income elasticities of exports are lower than those of imports. When we control by real labor costs, exchange rate volatility, the black‐market exchange rate and domestic absorption, the difference between income elasticities is reduced but remains statistically significant. In the sectoral breakdown, the higher the technological intensity in the industry, the higher the income elasticities. Agro‐based, textile, automotive, process, and engineering products have price elasticities two or three times the magnitude of aggregate elasticity.

Disasters and economic growth: evidence for Argentina

ABSTRACT Disasters pose a serious threat globally. In this paper we estimate the impact of disasters on economic growth at the district level for Argentina, for the period 1992–2013. Due to the lack of disaggregated GDP data, night light maps reported by the United States' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are used as a proxy for economic activity. Disaster information comes from the records of the Disaster Inventory System (DesInventar), which include the full range of disasters, from mild to severe ones. A regression analysis is carried out considering a panel of districts, linking luminosity with disasters. We find that an additional disaster -weighted by its severity- is associated with a small though statistically significant reduction in the district's economic growth rate, specifically, of 0.53 percentage points in the year of its occurrence. This result is mainly driven by the impact of hydrological disasters. However, we find no evidence of persistence of this effect over time; on the contrary there seems to be a recovery in the following period. Given the methodological limitations due to data constraints, estimates found here probably constitute a lower bound of the true macroeconomic effect. Thus, further research on the topic is recommendable.

Need and inequality in the use of health care services in a fragmented and decentralized health system: evidence for Argentina

BackgroundThe high fragmentation and decentralization in the provision of health care services that characterizes Argentina’s health system, as well as the economic and social inequalities, challenge the achievement of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The objective of this study is to measure socioeconomic-related inequality and horizontal inequity in the use of health care services in Argentina as well as identify the factors that contribute to these disparities.MethodsThe 2013 National Risk Factor Survey, developed by the Ministry of Health of Argentina, was used to measure socioeconomic-related inequality and inequity in the use of health care services through concentration curves, the Erreygers concentration index, and the index of horizontal inequity. Econometric micro-decomposition was applied to estimate the contribution of each determining factor to inequality in the use of health care services.ResultsThe Erreygers concentration index for the use of health care services was 0.1223, evidencing pro-rich inequalities. By adding variables of health care needs, the horizontal inequity index was 0.1296. Non-need factors such as education and health coverage with social security increase pro-rich inequality.ConclusionsThe Argentine health system shows pro-rich inequality in the use of health care services. It is necessary to design strategies to improve articulation between the three coverage subsectors and national, provincial, and municipal governments to keep the commitment of “not leaving anyone behind.” The results showed here could provide lessons for countries with similar contexts and challenges in public health.

Detecting Anomalous Data in Household Surveys: Evidence for Argentina

Abstract This paper advances in the detection of anomalous data in income reports of Argentina. In particular, income declared by households surveyed in the Encuesta Permanente de Hogares (EPH, Permanent Household Survey in English) -for the period 2003-2017- and in the Encuesta Anual de Hogares Urbanos (EAHU, Annual Urban Household Survey in English) -for the period 2010-2014- are analyzed. A widely known technique in forensic accounting and auditing, such as Benford’s law -also known as the first digit law- is used. If the analyzed data were generated naturally-free of manipulation- it should follow the logarithmic distribution of Benford. The Chi-square test and the absolute mean deviation (MAD) are used for verification. The results suggest that the income reported in the EPH does not follow the Benford distribution and the degree of compliance with this law decreases significantly between 2007-2015 coinciding with the intervention period of the Instituto Nacional de Estadísticas y Censos (INDEC, National Institute of Statistics and Censuses in English).

The effect of education on teenage fertility: causal evidence for Argentina

This is the first study exploring the causal effect of education on teenage fertility in Argentina. We exploit an exogenous variation in education from the staggered implementation of the 1993 reform, which increased compulsory schooling from 7 to 10 years. We find a negative overall impact of education on teenage fertility rates, which operates through two complementing channels: a human capital effect (one additional year of schooling causes a decline of 30 births per 1000 girls) and a weaker ‘incapacitation’ effect (a rise of one percentage point in enrollment rate reduces 3 births per 1000 girls).

Do intergovernmental transfers affect the distribution of manufacturing production across regions in federal countries? Theory and evidence for Argentina

ABSTRACTThe effect of changes in the distribution of top-to-bottom intergovernmental transfers on the location of manufacturing production is analysed using a modified version of the footloose capital model. An increase in the share of transfers received by a region increases its share of manufacturing production the larger are transaction costs; the larger is the share of transfers going directly to consumers; the larger is the share of manufacturing consumption vis-à-vis non-tradable consumption; and the easier consumers can substitute among manufacturing varieties. Using data for Argentina for 1983-2005, the empirical analysis appears to support the existence of two distinctive regimes, with smaller/poorer provinces benefiting in terms of the location of manufacturing production as a response to an increase in transfers. Also, for these provinces, the benefits are greater if they are politically aligned with the federal government, especially through the receipt of discretionary transfers. For large/rich provinces, the evidence is less conclusive.

Effectiveness of Active Labor Market Tools in Conditional Cash Transfers Programs: Evidence for Argentina

Summary This paper examines the impact of the program Seguro de Capacitacion y Empleo (SCE) implemented to provide support in skills upgrading, job seeking, and job placement to eligible beneficiaries of the Argentinian conditional cash transfer program Plan Jefes. The SCE is an example of a growing trend observed in Latin America, where labor activation components have been increasingly included into cash transfers programs to support beneficiaries in finding more stable income opportunities. Despite this growing trend, not enough is known regarding the effectiveness of these components, especially on job quality. In this context, this paper sheds light on whether the provision of a comprehensive package of active labor market measures contributes to a successful labor market integration of cash transfers beneficiaries. Taking advantage of the panel structure of the Permanent Household Survey and exploiting the time variation in the assignment of the program as identification strategy, we apply difference-in-difference estimators to measure the impact on a number of labor market indicators. We find that the program affects positively the job quality of participants by increasing the probability of having a formal job and raising hourly wages. Moreover, the intervention is associated with a lower probability of having a low-paid job and working an excessive number of hours. These effects are, however, not homogeneous across all groups of participants. While the program is more successful among the younger beneficiaries, it does not contribute to an improvement in the labor market conditions of female beneficiaries, who in fact are the majority of SCE participants. Our results suggest that reducing dependency on monetary transfers through programs, such as the SCE, that are rich in activation components is beneficial for participants’ labor market trajectories and therefore, it constitutes a satisfactory exit strategy to more universal cash transfer programs.

The Redistributive Effects of Centralization and Decentralization across Subnational Units

Several scholars have argued that decentralization benefits states and municipalities, granting them more autonomy for managing their budgets and more resources to deliver their services. Others have questioned this assertion, claiming that decentralization makes subnational units more fiscally dependent on central governments. This article argues that the fiscal impact of decentralization must be differentiated across states. It theoretically specifies and empirically demonstrates which states benefit during periods of decentralization and centralization. It argues that powerful presidents who centralize resources have imposed greater costs on more developed and fiscally independent districts (which prefer to administer their own resources and can be serious challengers to presidential power), thus relying mainly on support from less developed and more fiscally dependent provinces, which prefer more redistribution. I present empirical evidence for Argentina (1983–2004), a developing federation with strong governors and high cross-regional inequality, and discuss some implications for comparative studies on the topic.

The Cost of Diabetes Care Programs for Type 2 Diabetes in Argentina: A Probabilistic Sensitivity Analysis

Introduction: Structured diabetes care programs in Argentina are scarce and do not inform about their cost using micro costing techniques. Aim: To estimate the incremental costs of a health care program for type 2 diabetes without complications implemented at sub-national level in Argentina during 2005. Methods: United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study and Latin American Diabetes Association guidelines were used to identify which resources should be part of a diabetes program to implement in two Argentinean provinces – Cordoba and Misiones – with high and low socioeconomic characteristics, respectively. A micro costing approach was used to estimate costs from the perspective of a public health payer, taking a province without diabetes program as a comparative scenario. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis following Monte Carlo simulation was used to determine the number of visits and practices, probability of insulin treatment, combination therapy for hypertension, annual number of test strips and unit cost of all resources used. Results: The main component of the annual incremental cost per patient in both provinces was self-monitoring blood glucose (~50%), followed by treatment of diabetes, dyslipidemia and hypertension. The lowest cost corresponded to human resources ( 90%). Discussion: This study provides original evidence for Argentina that could facilitate the development and further evaluation of diabetes programs and resource use optimization in the public health care subsector in other provinces/ countries with comparable socioeconomic and health care settings.

Are Secondary Workers Informal Workers? Evidence for Argentina

Empirical studies attempting at testing dualism in developing countries often rely on an ex-ante definition of the primary and the secondary sector. Many times this methodology causes biases in the estimation due to sample selection problems. Also, such definitions may be arbitrary sometimes. We use twenty seven years of household data in order to test for the existence dual labor markets in Argentina. We estimated an endogenous switching model with unknown regime without defining ex-ante sector attachment. We find evidence of dualism for both periods analyzed. However, the differences between the two sectors have significantly changed over time. Finally, our estimations also corroborate the fact that using the usual ex-ante definition of sector attachment may not be adequate for testing dualism.

The Intertemporal Approach to the Current Account: Evidence for Argentina

The Argentinean current account has exhibited large fluctuations over time. Sizable deficits over the last part of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th were followed by an almost equilibrated balance for most of the 20th century. Moderate deficits were again recorded between 1990 and 2002. Can factors highlighted by the intertemporal approach to the current account explain the dynamics of the Argentinean external sector for the 1885–2002 period? To answer this question we make use of a model featuring two main external shocks for small economies: real interest rates and exchange rates. In contrast to its application to other Latin American countries, the intertemporal model does not track well the actual current account from 1885 to 2002 in Argentina. This is due to the country's lack of access to the international financial system (a main assumption in the model), the occurrence of balance of payments crises, and the stop and go process. There is, however, some evidence in favor of the theory for the period 1885–1930, when capital mobility was relatively high and free of currency crises and stop and go cycles.

What Sways the Decision to Migrate? An Empirical Analysis of the Argentinean Case

Labour mobility among different regions within a country is known as one of the mechanisms that can contribute to the adjustment of regional labour markets. This will only occur on the condition that the individual’s responses to labour earnings differentials are sensitive enough. This paper provides with empirical evidence for Argentina concerning the analysis of the individual’s decision to migrate, and in particular, the response of the individuals to regional wage differentials, based on individual data. A random effects logit for panel data models the migration decision. The real expected income was found to signigficantly influence the probability of migrating.

Testing hyperbolic discounting in consumer decisions: Evidence for Argentina

The paper focuses on deep parameter estimates following the GMM-approach applied to a modified Euler-Equation which nests the case of a quasi-hyperbolic discount function. Parameter estimates for Argentina match with a discount function in which procrastination is a key feature.

Families, schools and primary-school learning: evidence for Argentina and Colombia in an international perspective

This article presents evidence on the associations between family background, school characteristics and student performance in primary school in Argentina, Colombia and several comparison countries. As a general pattern, educational performance is strongly related to family background, weakly to some institutional school features and hardly to schools’ resource endowments. In an international perspective, family-background effects are relatively large in Argentina, and relatively small in Colombia. A specific Argentine feature is the lack of performance differences between rural and urban areas. A specific Colombian feature is the lack of significant between-gender performance differences. Nonnative students and students not speaking Spanish at home perform particularly weak in both countries. In Argentina, students perform better in schools with a centralized curriculum and ability-based class formation.

Sibling Correlations and Intergenerational Mobility in Latin America

Sibling Correlations and Intergenerational Mobility in Latin America

On hyperbolic discounting and uncertain hazard rates

The value of a future reward should be discounted where there is a risk that the reward will not be realized. If the risk manifests itself at a known, constant hazard rate, a riskneutral recipient ...