One question associated with the business cycle agenda of research is to evaluate if the business cycle of different countries may present similar features despite the differences in institutions, industrial structures, public policies and growth rates that those countries may have. Backus and...

This study explores the productivity performance of the Brazilian economy between 1970 and 1998. We assess how much of the TFP downfall can be explained by some departures from the standard procedure. We incorporate to the standard measure utilization of capacity, changes in the workweek of...

In this paper we ask if the Cass-Koopmans model can account for the behavior of the Brazilian economy from 1970 to 1998. We divide this period in two subperiods. In the first one, the 70s, the GNP per working age person grew at 5.05% a year. In contrast with GNP per working age person, Total...

The wave of privatization in the 1980s and 1990s increased productivity of many previously state owned enterprises (SOEs). However, governments often do not have sufficient support to privatize SOEs. We provide evidence that threatening privatization and market competition (entry of new firms)...