Labor markets in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) are characterized by high levels of informality and relatively rigid regulation. This paper shows that these two features are related and together make the speed of adjustment of employment to shocks slower, especially when regulations are...

This paper examines one of the central hypotheses of the New Institutional Economics: that the reform of institutions--the rules and regulations enforced by the State that both permit and bound the operation of markets--is crucial for the process of economic growth. It examines this hypothesis...

This article points out that regulatory governance-how regulators manage concession contracts, or other public-private contractual arrangements and sector laws-can affect the private sector's perception of regulatory risk and thus the availability of private capital for infrastructure projects....

This paper explores microdata from Argentine household surveys to analyze how changes in the enforcement of labor regulations affect the compliance level and other labor outcomes among men and women. Using information of the highly decentralized labor inspection system in Argentina, I construct...

This study presents new evidence on the effects of minimum age regulations obtained from a natural experiment. In 1998, a constitutional reform in Brazil changed the minimum working age from 14 to 16. The reform was the legislative counterpart of a broad set of measures taken by a government...

This paper examines whether or not firms in regulated sectors present different indebtedness levels in comparison to firms in unregulated sectors, that is, whether or not an economically regulated environment impacts a firm's indebtedness level. We present an analysis of panel data for a sample...

In 2005, the telecom regulator in Brazil asked incumbents to undertake the account separation and cost modeling. The goal was allowing the regulator to set prices based on an assessment of incumbents finance and physical data, especially the definition of cost-based prices at the wholesale...

This work comments on a study titled "Selecao Adversa no Mercado Brasileiro de Saude Suplementar Apos a Regulacao", that tests empirically the existence of adverse selection in the Brazilian health plan market after regulation, and points state regulation as the most likely culprit for the...