The new Brazilian regime for merger control was established by Law 12529 of November 30th, 2011, bringing antitrust and merger control largely in line with OECD and ICN recommendations. Major institutional changes was the concentration of merger control in only one institution (CADE), replacing...

The central purpose of this paper is to take stock in the regulatory reform looking with the prism of economic theory. We start by a summary of the basic principles that should preside at the reform. The paper studies the financial regulatory reforms currently proposed by the US administration,...

The current financial and economic crisis, the worst since the Great Depression, is a cycle of banking and real economy crisis that can only be stopped by appropriate structural policies to shore-up and deleverage the financial system, supply liquidity through the monetary policy and stimulate...

The first wave of globalization, commonly dated from 1870 to 1913, was not only a more gradual phenomenon throughout the 19th century, but closely related with the emergence of most the Western European Offshoots as developed economies. The massive transfer of human capital and transplant of...

At the close of the global financial crises, Greece, Ireland and Portugal, and later Spain, experienced severe economic and financial crises. This paper compares the adjustment programs undertaken by the four countries. The sudden-stop of capital flows led to substantial official assistance by...

Does openness contribute to convergence of countries to the US income level? Our statistical and econometric analysis concludes for an affirmative answer. Using data for 150 countries for 1970-2012 we conclude almost all cases fell in three groups of countries that experienced a significant...

Using an extensive data base we estimate cross-section and panel growth regression using the MRW model and estimates of Total Factor Productivity with Solow and Hall and Jones methods. The data show an overall process of convergence, but it was uneven over the 1960-2010 years. Was the process...

A case of success up until the 1990s, the Portuguese economy entered into a boom and a long slump with the adoption of the Euro. Entering with an overvalued exchange rate the country required an adjustment process based on deflation and productivity expansion. However, policies undertaken...