This paper presents a theoretical model and empirical estimations to evaluate the effects of competition on school quality. Empirical estimations, using roughly 5,000 Chilean schools in the 1994-1997 period and econometric techniques robust to endogeneity, support the theoretical model and show...

This paper compares the results of applying several detrending methods to the Chilean monthly economic activity index (IMACEC) that arise from using real-time data sets. We show that data revisions are extremely important and that they can lead to systematically inconsistent estimates of the...

This paper develops a macroeconomic general-equilibrium model fully parameterized for the Chilean economy. The model’s basic relations are derived from intertemporal optimization by a group of rational forward-looking agents. The model also adds critical real-world features – such as...

This article generates innovative confidence intervals for two of the most popular de trending methods: Hodrick-Prescott and Band-Pass filters. The confidence intervals are obtained using block-bootstrapping techniques for dependent data. As an example, we present GDP trend growth and output gap...

This paper studies empirically the relation between household economic saving (including durable good purchases) and the business cycle using Chilean data. The data show that the relation between household saving and the business cycle is given by the durable consumption dynamics.Consequently, a...

Economic growth in Chile since the mid 1980s has been remarkable for its high level and persistence. This paper attempts to shed light on the factors behind it and analyze the extent to which they can be sustained in the future. The first part of the paper presents some stylized facts. Taken...

The objectives of this paper are, first, to describe the developments in Chilean financial markets at the macroeconomic level and, then, to examine their effects at the level of firms. After reviewing the main government policies towards financial markets in the last three decades, the paper...

Saving behavior at a micro level in Chile has not been analyzed in recent decades. Based on 1988 and 1996-7 Chilean microeconomic evidence (Household Budget Survey), we present an analysis of household’s saving behavior. The analysis is extended to include broader definitions of saving such as...

This paper highlights the evolution of official international reserves in developed countries that transited towards Inflation Targeting (IT) and/or floating exchange rates. We find several results that are of interest to policymakers in emerging countries, such as Brazil, Chile and Mexico,...

The evolution of the skill premium (i.e., the wage differential between skilled and unskilled workers) in an economy has interest from at least two perspectives: the evolution of the skill premium is a rough measure of inequality among workers of different qualifications and provides information...