Documentos de Trabajo del Departamento de Economía

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Peer pressure and externalities : evidence from a field experiment
(2015-12) Cardinale Lagomarsino, Bruno; Gutman, Matías; Freira, Lucía; Lanzalot, María Laura; Lauletta, Maximiliano; Malchik, Leandro; Montaño Campos, Felipe; Pacini, Bianca; Rossi, Martín A.; Valencia, Christian
We provide experimental evidence on the effect of peer pressure on activities with externalities. Specifically, we study the effect of being exposed to an observer in a public restroom on hand-washing behavior. Our estimates show that being exposed to an observer increases the probability of hand-washing in 13 percentage points. We also observe urinal flushing behavior, with similar results. We find empirical support that peer pressure may provide an additional way of solving the social suboptimality arising from externalities.
Diferencias educativas entre escuelas privadas y públicas en Argentina
(2015-09) Albornoz, Facundo; Furman, Melina; Podestá, María Eugenia de; Razquin, Paula; Warnes, Pablo Ernesto
El presente trabajo examina las diferencias en el desempeño académico entre alumnos de escuelas argentinas públicas y privadas. Para ello utiliza los resultados de los exámenes estandarizados PISA en Argentina llevados a cabo en los años 2009 y 2012. Estos exámenes evalúan a alumnos de 15 años de edad en las áreas de Matemática, Lectura y Ciencias, además de recopilar mediante encuestas información sobre el alumno, su entorno y la escuela a la que asiste. Los estudiantes que asisten a escuelas privadas logran (en promedio) resultados en las pruebas PISA significativamente más altos que sus equivalentes en escuelas públicas, tanto en 2009 como en 2012. Este trabajo encuentra que en el 2009 esta diferencia puede explicarse por asimetrías en los recursos educativos entre los dos tipos de escuelas. Sin embargo, en 2012 la brecha en términos de recursos se reduce considerablemente, mientras que la diferencia en resultados persiste. Se encuentra evidencia que sugiere que esta persistencia se debe a que las diferencias en composición socio-económica del alumnado entre tipos de escuelas permanece inalterada entre los años 2009 y 2012. Esto sugiere que la diferencia en desempeño promedio entre escuelas privadas y públicas a aspectos socio-económicos que afectan a los mecanismos de selección entre tipos de escuela y que determinan efectos de pares diferentes y constantes.
The impact of restrictions to export on production : a synthetic controls approach
(2015-09) García Lembergman, Ezequiel; Rossi, Martín A.; Stucchi, Rodolfo
This paper uses quantitative restrictions to exports implemented in Bolivia in order to investigate the impact of export restrictions on the volume of production. We apply a synthetic controls approach and show that production of cattle beef fell remarkably when quantitative restrictions are imposed. Importantly, we show that export restrictions have a negative impact not only on total production, but also on production for local market. The fact that export controls can actually harm production for local market bears important implications for the design of policies in the future.
Importing after exporting
(2015-07) Albornoz, Facundo; García Lembergman, Ezequiel
In this paper, we uncover a novel fact about the relationship between exporting and importing. Using a comprehensive database of Argentine rms, we nd that exporting to a new destination increases the probability of a rm beginning to import from that market within the lapse of one year. We develop a standard model of import behavior and, by testing its predictions, we rule out productivity as an explanation and argue that export entry reduces import xed costs. We show that the e ect is stronger in distant markets and when importing involves non-homogenous and rarely imported goods. Taken together, our results suggest that rms gain knowledge on -or establish links with- potential suppliers after export entry, which reduces the costs associated with searching for import sources.
The impact of going to school at night on teenage risky behavior
(2015-06) Rossi, Eduardo A.; Reynoso, Ana
We study the relationship between attending high school at night and the probability of engaging in risky behavior, such as having unsafe sex or consuming substances. To address potential endogeneity concerns we take advantage of a random assignment of high school students to daytime and night shifts in the city of Buenos Aires. Using an original survey on students attending their last year of high school, we nd that girls attending high school in the evening start having sex at an earlier age and present a higher probability of getting an abortion. We nd no signi cant di erences for substance use. Our experimental approach suggests that the link between high school shift and risky behavior is causal. Results hold when we use an alternative sample of alumni.
Career choices and the evolution of the college gender gap
(2015-03) Rossi, Martín A.; Ruzzier, Christian
We propose a complementary explanation for the evolution of the college gender gap that emphasizes the raising opportunity cost of pursuing a college degree for men, due to the increase in the rewards to becoming a superstar in men-dominated occupations, like professional sports. We support our expla- nation with causal evidence from a natural experiment in European soccer markets that provides exogenous variation in male earnings in a superstar path. Consistent with our story, we nd a signi cant positive e ect of an increase in male superstar earnings on the ratio of female to male tertiary enrollment in college education.
’Make or Buy’ as competitive strategy : evidence from the spanish local TV industry
(2015-02) Gil, Ricard; Ruzzier, Christian
This paper empirically investigates whether changes in product market competition affect firm boundaries. Exploiting regulation-induced shocks to entry barriers and differences in regulation enforcement across cities to obtain exogenous variation in competition, we establish a negative causal effect of competition (through reduced entry barriers and a larger number of rival firms) on vertical integration in the setting of the Spanish local television industry between 1995 and 2002.
The econometrics approach to the measurement of efficiency : a survey
(2015-02) Rossi, Martín A.
I present a survey on the econometric approach to the measurement of efficiency, focusing on the models used in empirical applications. I describe both models for cross sectional data and models for panel data. Finally, I survey the recent literature on models with time varying technical efficiency.
Using labor productivity change estimates as an input for x-factors in price-cap regulation
(2015-02) Rossi, Martín A.
In this paper I provide an estimate of labor productivity growth for the electricity distribution sector in Latin America, in the period 1994 to 2001. I report an annual rate of labor productivity change of about 6%. A comparison of the changes in prices and labor productivity reveals that, in most cases, final prices to customers did not fall to reflect the huge labor productivity gains that were achieved during the period under analysis.
Are we playing the same game? : the economic effects of constitutions depend on the degree of institutionalization
(2014-12) Caruso, Germán; Scartascini, Carlos; Tommasi, Mariano
This paper addresses an important source of variation within democracies – the degree of institutionalization. The concept of institutionalization describes the extent to which politics takes place, and is believed to take place, via formal political institutions. Countries vary in their degree of institutionalization, hence, in the degree to which political actors pursue their goals via conventional politics or via “alternative political technologies”. This paper postulates that if politics is conducted largely outside of formal channels, the structure of the formal channels should not matter much as a determinant of policy outcomes. To address this issue this paper proposes a new index of institutionalization and with it revisits seminal work regarding the impact of constitutions on public spending. The findings show that the effect of constitutional rules on policy outcomes is conditional on the degree of institutionalization.
State capacity and the quality of policies : revisiting the relationship between openness and government size
(2014-11) Franco Chuaire, María; Scartascini, Carlos; Tommasi, Mariano
Countries with different levels of state capacity have access to different sets of policies. In particular, countries with strong state capabilities are able to draw from a broader menu of policies, and pick and successfully implement those policies that best suit the nature of their challenges. In the case of exposure to trade related risk, the literature has usually considered that only one type of policies –those increasing government size- can help to overcome the challenge. However, there are a number of policies that can mitigate trade-induced risks, many of which do not have the necessary implication of increasing public spending. Yet, many such policies require governmental capabilities not available to any country. For that reason, the relationship between openness and the size of government might be mediated by the capabilities of states. The empirical analysis in this paper shows exactly that.
Family business : causes and consequences of political dynasties
(2014-10) Rossi, Martín A.
I explore the causes of the existence of political dynasties in democratic societies. In particular, I investigate the causal relationship between tenure length and posterior dynastic success. Since tenure length is potentially endogenous in a model of political dynasties, I exploit a natural experiment in Argentina that provides a source of exogenous variation for tenure length. I find that having a longer tenure in Congress increases the probability of having a relative in future congresses. I also find that dynastic legislators have lower performance than non-dynastic legislators.
First-Day criminal recidivism
(2014-09) Munyo, Ignacio; Rossi, Martín A.
We report that on any given day the number of inmates released from incarceration significantly affects the number of offenses committed this day, and we name this as first-day recidivism. Our estimates of this novel approach to study early recidivism are robust to a variety of alternative model specifications. We then show that first-day recidivism can be eliminated by an increase in the gratuity provided to prisoners at the time of their release. A simple cost-benefit analysis shows that increasing the gratuity at release is a very efficient policy.
Survival in export markets
(2014-08) Albornoz, Facundo; Fanelli, Sebastián; Hallak, Juan Carlos
This paper explores the determinants of rm survival in export markets. Our theoretical framework includes a geometric Brownian motion for rm pro tability, market-speci c sunk and xed exporting costs that are common across rms, and rm- and market-speci c pro tability shifters that are constant over time. We derive the probability of survival upon entry in an export market. We show that this probability increases with the ratio of sunk to xed costs and is insensitive to the pro tability shifters. Also, we show that the survival probability is una ected by xed costs if sunk costs are zero. Combining our theoretical results with observed patterns of survival among Argentine exporters, we infer the impact of distance and experience on the magnitude of sunk and xed costs. In our data set, survival rates upon entry decrease with distance and increase with experience. Hence, we infer that xed costs increase more with distance than sunk cost while xed costs fall with experience su ciently strongly to dominate the fall in sunk costs. These results carry implications on parametrizations of theoretical models of export dynamics and serve as a benchmark to assess structural estimates of xed and sunk costs.
A tale of two Latin American congresses : towards a comparative study of institutionalization and effectiveness
(2013-06) Palanza, M. Valeria; Scartascini, Carlos G.; Tommasi, Mariano
This paper is concerned with the characteristics, determinants and consequences of varying levels of congressional institutionalization. Our work can be traced back to the early work on congressional institutionalization done by Polsby (1968), which is complemented here by the game-theoretic notion that institutionalization is an equilibrium outcome that emerges from the beliefs and investments made by relevant political actors. The paper explores key characteristics and trends surrounding legislative careers and congressional assets such as organization and resources. It does so to uncover the effects of different belief systems and investment dynamics on levels of institutionalization and, ultimately, on policy outcomes. We approach our puzzle by analyzing two close yet contrasting cases: Argentina and Chile, which possess stark differences on many policy and institutional dimensions, despite relatively similar constitutional settings.
Optimal nondiscriminatory auctions with favoritsm
(2012-03) Arozamena, Leandro; Shunda, Nicholas; Weinschelbaum, Federico
In many auction settings, there is favoritism: the seller ´s welfare depends positively on the utility of a subset of potential bidders. However, laws or regulations may not allow the seller to discriminate among bidders. We find the optimal nondiscriminatory auction in a private value, single-unit model under favoritism. At the optimal auction there is a reserve price, or an entry fee, which is decreasing in the proportion of preferred bidders and in the intensity of the preference. Otherwise, the highest-valuation bidder wins. We show that, at least under some conditions, imposing a no-discrimination constraint raises expected seller revenue.
Evolving to the impatience trap : the example of the Farmer-Sheriff Game
(2011-08) Levine, David K.; Modica, Salvatore; Weinschelbaum, Federico; Zurita, Felipe
The literature on the evolution of impatience, focusing on one-person decision problems, finds that evolutionary forces favor the more patient individuals. This paper shows that in the context of a game, this is not necessarily the case. In particular, it offers a two- population example where evolutionary forces favor impatience in one group while favoring patience in the other. Moreover, not only evolution but also efficiency may prefer impatient individuals. In our example, it is efficient for one population to evolve impatience and for the other to develop patience. Yet, evolutionary forces move the wrong populations.
Export emergence of differentiated goods from developing countries : four argentine cases
(2011-03) Artopoulos, Alejandro; Friel, Daniel; Hallak, Juan Carlos
This paper contains case studies documenting the process of export emergence in four sectors producing differentiated goods in Argentina: wines, television programs, motorboats, and wooden furniture. Each case describes the development of Argentine exports, provides a basic history of the sector and shows the types of practices adopted by firms that were able to export to the developed world on a consistent basis. Since in all of the cases except wooden furniture export emergence in the sector is closely tied to the leading role of an export pioneer, the case studies also explain how the background of this export pioneer enabled him to gain the knowledge needed to export consistently. Finally, the cases characterize how the business practices first adopted by the pioneer diffused to other firms in the industry leading to export growth in the sector.
Behavioral heuristics and market patterns in a Bertrand-Edgeworth Game
(2011-03) Heymann, Daniel; Kawamura, Enrique; Perazzo, Roberto P.J.; Zimmermann, Martín
This paper studies price-setting behavior in a Bertrand-Edgeworth game, a traditional setup that provides a stylized representation of real-world markets (such retail markets). It explores methodological complementarities between analytical, experimental and agent- based simulation approaches. The game under analysis only admits hard-to-characterize mixed-strategy Nash equilibria. This paper uses families of heuristic rules for individual behavior to analyze the resulting market prices. A set of laboratory experiments nds that price-setting choices of agents are described reasonably well through a sales-based simple pricing rule. Average market prices tend to converge from above to quasi-steady states with small individual dispersion, occasionally disturbed by agents who search for pro ts by raising prices. Salient features of the experimental outcomes can be represented through simulations with arti cial agents who apply the sales-based heuristics with parameters calibrated to the experiment.
Social security as markov equilibrium in OLG models : a note
(2010-09) Gonzalez-Eiras, Martín
I refine and extend the Markov perfect equilibrium of the social security policy game in Forni (2005) for the special case of logarithmic utility. Under the restriction that the policy function be continuous, instead of differentiable, the equilibrium is globally well defined and its dynamics always stable.

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