In this paper we assess the current relevance of Ricardian theory. Relative prices, labor costs, and productivity are evaluated as determinants of a country's international competitiveness at the industry level. Working with detailed data on unit values and with industry data on productivity, we...

This paper provides the first firm-level econometric evidence on the skill-bias of ICT in developing countries using a unique new dataset of manufacturing firms in Brazil and India. I use detailed information on firms’ adoption of ICT and the educational composition of their workforce to...

[Introduction] Brazil currently offers an important conceptual framework for food and nutritional security, and a relevant context of related public policy and programming. Recently, moreover, the country included the right to food among the social rights stipulated in its constitution. These...

In recent years, a large number of studies have investigated the relationship between social security benefits and male retirement decisions in developed countries. However, women's and couples' labour supply decisions and the patterns of withdrawal from the labour force in emerging economies...

[Introduction ...] The paper is divided into six sections, including this introduction. Section 2 briefly describes the 1988 constitution and its main contributions to the policies under discussion. Section 3 examines cash transfer programmes under social assistance: the Continuous Cash Benefit...

This paper discusses the link between Bolsa Família, Brazil's largest direct income-transfer programme, and the citizen's basic income as established in Brazilian legislation. Although these two initiatives were created by law almost simultaneously, the relationship between them does not seem...

The objective of this paper is to present the main characteristics of the public employment system in Brazil, focusing on its history, scope and current coverage. It seeks to contribute to the debate on social and employment policies, especially as regards creating job opportunities that help...

Since the mid-1990s, Brazil has undergone extensive reforms that have finally reversed the dismaying economic performance of the 1980s. In particular, poverty and inequality indicators have improved dramatically, especially since the late-2000s. This paper provides an overview of such recent...