This dissertation is a collection of three essays on high school dropout by adolescents and the roll of their siblings in this risky behavior. Dropping out of high school can scar the individual for his entire labor supply period with lower earnings, higher unemployment, and in turn incur...

The purpose of this dissertation is to construct an economywide simulation model of Brazil which serves as a tool to quantify the effects of alternative inflation stabilization policies on the distribution of income. The model includes five household classes, five production sectors, four types...

In this dissertation I examine a set of crucial topics in the political economy of international trade, with an emphasis on firm-level heterogeneity. The first chapter is an empirical study of the new trade theories in which firm heterogeneity and trade costs play central roles in shaping the...

The impact of an ageing population on the economy is one of the key issues in most developed countries. It is a generally accepted notion that an ageing population could cause negative effects, including a decrease of per-capita output and economic welfare, on the economy mainly due to the...

In recent years, reducing poverty has been a core objective of social policy in Latin America. In2008, the incidence of poverty reached almost a third of the population, of which 13 percent areclassified as extremely poor. Most Latin American countries have invested vast resources inpoverty...

In this research I illustrate the benefits for Tunisia of a regional trade-liberalization strategy undertaken in the context of a world trade environment increasingly characterized by the emergence of regional trading blocs and the escalation of trade hostilities between them.

As in other Latin American nations, the petroleum industry has always been surrounded by controversy in Brazil. Issues related to exploration, exploitation and import of crude have received special attention by Brazilian decision makers. In the past decade, an additional relevant issue was...

The current debate on inflation stabilization is led by Thomas Sargent and Rudiger Dornbusch. The two names stand for different ideas, approaches, and methods. The controversy ignited around the interpretation of the term "credibility" and how to establish credible policy. The two views appear...

The manufacturing sectors in Latin America have been more affected by the currency over/undervaluation than their counterpart in industrialized economies. From a panel data set covering 39 countries and 22 manufacturing sectors (2-digit) within 1995-2008, we formally test the hypothesis that...

"Series of well-written articles on regional privatization efforts. Separate chapters on Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Mexico. Other topics include: 1) changing roles of the State and business, 2) recent trends in direct foreign investment, and 3) changes in Latin American equity markets....