In this work we estimate the potential government revenue collection to finance Levy (2008)’s proposal of financing social security with Value Added Taxes, taking into account general equilibrium effects in a context of coexistence of formality and informality. Here, the latter is defined in...

This paper uses the methodology of Parry and Small (2005) to estimate the optimal gasoline tax for a less-developed, oil-producing country. The relevance of the estimation relies on the differences between less-developed countries LDCs and industrial countries. We argue that lawless roads,...

We develop an incentive contracting model of firm formation. Entrepreneurs of private equity firms who differ in net worth are required to borrow from institutional investors in order to finance start up projects. Investors, who differ in monitoring efficiency, may choose to monitor their...

This paper uses the methodology of Parry and Small (2005) to estimate the optimal gasoline tax for a less-developed, oil-producing country. The relevance of the estimation relies on the differences between less-developed countries LDCs and industrial countries. We argue that lawless roads,...

This paper presents a small open economy model to study the role of interest rate shocks in an emerging economy like Mexico. The interest rate is decomposed in two terms: an international rate and a country risk premia. First, it is shown that the model is able to explain several stylized facts...

In this paper we estimate the macroeconomic impact of the 1997 Mexican pension reform, which substituted a pay-as-you-go for a fully- funded system with individual accounts. To analyze the impact of the reform on GDP growth, three main channels are considered: national savings and domestic...

This paper evaluates to what extent the end-of-sample problem inherent to the Hodrick-Prescott (HP) filter may be ameliorated when estimating the trend component of GDP. For that purpose, the filter of St-Amant and van Norden (1997) is proposed using Mexican data and both univariate and...

The paper examines the empirical regularities between the cyclical component of U.S. output and variables of output and employment in Mexico. Based on these regularities, it explores the effects of the current U.S. recession on the Mexican economy. The findings suggest that both output and...

This paper presents a small open economy model to study the role of interest rate shocks in an emerging economy like Mexico. The interest rate is decomposed in two terms: an international rate and a country risk premia. First, it is shown that the model is able to explain several stylized facts...

This article briefly examines the recent evolution of the Mexican financial system. Based on this, obstacles are identified. It is argued that two are most important. First, the property rights protection is weak in Mexico, thus it inhibits credit expansion. Second, competition is low and it is...