The aim of this paper is to analyze critically the Independence of Central Banks (ICB). By presenting the theoretical arguments that support the independence, as well as some empirical studies regarding this topic, we introduce the main critical concerns about the argument of ICB. Besides, we...

Despite the fact that after the second half of the 1990s studies of financial exclusion have gained strength among the studies about poverty and regional and social inequalities, a few studies about this problem had appear in the Brazilian economic literature. The present work contributes to the...

Religion as a variable with an impact on sexual behavior has emerged in the Brazilian literature as two changes are embedded in this society: the changing religious scenery and the norms and values associated with sexuality. The influence of religion on sexuality has been investigated by...

Several institutional changes in the last 20 years have imposed to the public administrators the adoption of several policies intended to qualify the State for the new economic order. The expenditure control has turned to be central in the political economy. Regarding the Brazilian states, a...

The aim of this paper is to discuss the idea that knowledge externalities, as discussed in the Endogenous Growth Theory, can be spread over any kind of space. Although this point has already been discussed by some scholars in the heterodox tradition (Nelson, 1998, Martin and Sunley, 1998, among...

One important question that has been discussed in the literature about regional economics is the relevance of local productive networks (clusters) for the regional development. It is possible to find a huge number of case studies that discuss many aspects of this kind of network: cooperation,...

The objective of this paper is to explore the consistency of racial/skin color declaration of females 15 to 59 years-old in Recife, Brazil. Data come from SRSR - Reproductive Health, Sexuality, and Race. Fieldwork took place in 2002 in Belo Horizonte and Recife and there are 1.106 complete...

This article aims at exploring the empirical evidence regarding the effects of increasing returns to scale and international technological diffusion on the Brazilian manufacturing industry. Our departure point is a Kaldorian-type theoretical model that provides not only the positive effects of...

There are in the literature on both industrial and regional economics many studies on local productive arrangements. Indeed, this kind of industrial/regional organization has become an important piece in the implementation of industrial, regional and technological policies. Accordingly, a...

This paper aims at analyzing theoretically and empirically the role of infrastructure expenditure on economic growth in Brazil from 1986 to 2003. The hypothesis is that public infrastructure expenditures in transport are central to foster sustainable growth in Brazil. Theoretical and empirical...