Argentina
Do private schools in Argentina perform better because they are private?
The objective of this study is to analyse the determinants of the quality of education in Argentina and, in particular, to look at what influence a school’s ownership structure has. A multilevel regression model and 2006 data from the Programme for International Student Assessment (pisa) were used for this purpose. One of the main findings is that the correlation between a school’s administrative structure (public or private) and its students’ scholastic performance fades when the socioeconomic school environment is taken into consideration.
Motherhood wage penalties and labour market segmentation: Evidence from argentina
Sectoral and regional determinants of firm dynamics in developing countries: Evidence for low-, medium- and high-tech manufacturing in Argentina
This study analyses the determinants of firm dynamics in developing countries, using Argentina as an illustrative case. It explains firm entry and exit at the regional level, distinguishing three groups of manufacturing activities: low-, medium- and high-tech. The study finds that both region- and sector- specific determinants explain firm dynamics, but the impact is not homogeneous across sectors. In particular, for low-tech industries, there is a need for explanatory variables as a proxy for the specificities of developing economies (poverty, informal economy and idle capacity). There is also evidence of a core-periphery pattern according to which agglomeration economies and previous entries/exits have different effects in core and peripheral regions. These results are relevant for policymakers in developing countries, who should take into account not only the specificities of such economies, but also the regional heterogeneity both in terms of the level of development and industrial composition within the country.
Argentina’s competitiveness matrix: The natural resource controversy and the country’s evolving trade position
This paper uses Fajnzylber and Mandeng’s competitiveness matrix to analyse the evolving structure of Argentine exports between 1985 and 2010. In particular, it seeks to identify links between the country’s export pattern, in which natural resources predominate, and the evolving structures of different markets: the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), the developing countries of Asia and the world. One of the main conclusions is that, although historically it has been the developed countries that have been responsible for the dominance of commodities in Argentina’s export pattern, in recent decades it has been the developing countries of Asia. In MERCOSUR, on the other hand, there has been an improvement in the pattern of Argentine exports. The article suggests that this has been driven by the bilateral agreements between Argentina and Brazil, especially in the automotive sector.
Green jobs in Argentina: opportunities to move forward with the environmental and social agenda
The Argentine economy has been becoming greener because of a new political orientation, international commitments (the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development) and private sector initiatives. This transition is having economic and social impacts. The aim of the present article is to determine the potential of the economy to create green jobs that protect workers and the environment. In 2015, 7% of formal jobs were green and presented better average employment conditions than the rest. They were predominantly in goods production and the provision of urban services, such as sanitation and transport. Regulations and public policies seem to be the main factors driving green job creation, with consumption still playing a minor role. For the transition to a green economy to be fair, policies must take account of the employment dimension in order to initiate a virtuous circle leading to a more productive, inclusive and environmentally friendly economy.
Who has been driving the creation of industrial employment in Argentina? An analysis of the role of innovation
This paper analyses the relationship between innovation and job creation in firms. In particular, it seeks out data on the role played by innovation during the latest phase of expansion in Argentine manufacturing employment (2010–2012). It uses the model proposed by Harrison and others (2014), taking an instrumental variables approach and drawing data from the recently concluded National Survey of Employment Dynamics and Innovation (ENDEI). The results show that process innovations do not influence employment growth, but that this is positively affected by product innovations. The latter also enable production efficiency to be increased by more than it can with existing products. Where the composition of employment in terms of skills is concerned, product innovation is found not to present any particular bias.
Gender equity in the Argentine tax system: An estimation of tax burdens by household type
The purpose of this paper is to introduce the gender dimension into the analysis of tax incidence in Argentina. To that end, the impact of direct and indirect taxes on income and distribution by gender is calculated to establish the progressivity of taxes and the effects on gender equity when household classifications are analysed. The findings show that while the tax system is moderately progressive and the heaviest burden falls on households with male breadwinners, differences emerge when the impact of indirect and direct taxes is considered separately. The indirect tax system is heavily regressive and female-breadwinner households bear the largest burden, since they are concentrated in the lower income brackets. Households with children bear the highest direct tax burden, particularly male-breadwinner and dual-earner households.
Regional integration and export diversification in MERCOSUR: The case of Argentina and Brazil
This article analyses the effects of Argentina’s trade with its MERCOSUR partners in two key periods: 1997/1998 and 2005/2006 —before and after the crises suffered by the economies of this trade zone. The impact of trade on the regionalization of exports and imports was measured by the Regional Orientation Index, which was used by Yeats in his study of these countries for an earlier time period. Our conclusions show that the results obtained by Yeats are inconsistent with the later reality in Argentina and Brazil, since MERCOSUR enabled them to develop learning processes and grow their trade with countries outside the bloc. This positive impact was mainly felt in Brazil, however, and less in the other partners, particularly Uruguay and Paraguay —owing to the underlying asymmetries between these economies. As a result, the largest MERCOSUR country has been the main beneficiary of integration thus far.
Reforming the pension reforms: Argentina and Chile
This article describes the most recent pension reforms in Argentina and Chile. The previous reforms, implemented in the 1980s and 1990s, aimed to improve long-term fiscal sustainability and institutional design of the systems, shifting part of the social and economic risks away from the State and on to participants. In recent years, the authorities in both countries identified the main problems facing current pension systems as inadequate coverage for older adults and the low level of benefits. The two countries have responded differently, however, owing to institutional and political divergences. In Chile, a lengthy participatory process resulted in a wide-ranging reform targeting medium-term effects through carefully calibrated adjustments. In contrast, the reforms in Argentina were made through a succession of corrections, with little public discussion of their implications or effects on coverage and fiscal needs.
Argentina: Households and labour market changes (2004-2009)
This article outlines the changes that occurred in employment between 2004 and 2009 and reviews the links that households established with the labour market. An increase in the number of jobs registered with the social security system was one of the key features of the period. Moreover, half of the rise in the observed employment rate represented jobs obtained by household members other than heads of household. The increase in protected employment also benefited social sectors that have traditionally been neglected, although there are factors that restrict the access of certain population groups to such jobs. Another research finding is that if the head of the household has a protected job, other household members have better chances of gaining a similar job themselves.
Going through the labyrinth: the political economy of Argentina’s abandonment of the gold standard (1929-1933)
The effect of ICTs on academic achievement: The conectar igualdad programme in Argentina
The objective of this paper is to determine the “premium,” in terms of academic achievement, that accrues to student beneficiaries of the Conectar Igualdad programme with respect to students not participating in the programme. For this purpose, the propensity score matching (psm) method is used. The programme is described, as is the theoretical framework used to define the explanatory factors of academic achievement, which may affect the likelihood of participation in the programme. The target population are 15-year-old students in Argentina. The study draws on data from the 2012 round of Programme for the International Student Assessment (pisa) tests. The findings indicate that there are statistically significant differences in average academic achievement associated with participation in the Conectar Igualdad programme.
The performance of the computer software and services sector in Argentina: Microeconometric evidence on public-sector support programmes
This article analyses the impact of public-sector support programmes on the recent performance of the computer software and services sector in Argentina. First, the effect of these programmes on firms’ innovation performance is studied, with a propensity score matching technique used to calculate the average treatment effect on treated firms. The results confirm that receiving public funds had a positive impact on the ratio between research and development (R&D) spending and sales, employment in R&D and the propensity to introduce new products or processes. The effect of policy intervention on firms’ economic performance is then analysed, with an instrumental variables design being used in this case. The results show a positive impact on the propensity to export, export intensity and employment growth.
Informality and labour market segmentation: the case of Argentina
Exports and industrialization in Argentina, 1973-1986
The objective of this article is to analyse the economic behaviour of manufactured exports as one of the modalities assumed by the process of industrialization of Argentina during the period from 1973 to 1986. To that end, we analyse the export opening of industry; the presence of manufacturing in export flows; the modifications in sectoral composition; the changes in the real trajectory of foreign sales; and essentially the association between industrial development and manufactured exports.
Desarrollo de ventajas competitivas: Pymes exportadoras exitosas en Argentina, Chile y Colombia
Argentina: At the forefront of restitution
Since 2004, Argentina has returned nearly 5,000 cultural objects seized on its territory to their countries of origin. A greater recognition of the art of pre-Columbian civilizations and the adoption of a law protecting archaeological and palaeontological heritage are at the origin of this new policy.
Proyecciones de la población argentina a lo largo del siglo XXI
Las posibilidades de las fuentes de información sociodemográficas para el monitoreo del derecho a la salud de las personas Mayores en la Argentina, 1999-2013
Un enfoque regional para estudiar la diversidad industrial en la Argentina (1996-2012)
El objetivo de este artículo es cuantificar la diversidad productiva de la industria manufacturera en las provincias argentinas, analizar su evolución entre 1996 y 2012, e identificar los principales factores económicos asociados a este fenómeno. Se calcula un índice de diversidad a partir de datos oficiales del total de empleo asalariado registrado, provistos por la Base de Datos para el Análisis Dinámico del Empleo. Luego se analiza la evolución de la diversidad durante el período en las distintas provincias y finalmente se estima un modelo econométrico de datos de panel para identificar los principales factores económicos asociados. La diversidad industrial de las provincias se asocia negativamente con la salida de empresas y positivamente con el grado de desarrollo, el tamaño de la región, una mayor urbanización y mayores capacidades territoriales. Estos resultados pueden servir para el diseño de políticas que fomenten la diversidad regional.
