The causes of illegal drug industry growth in the Andes, Anti-Drug Policies and their effectiveness

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Trends in international relations in the study of China

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Estudio de caso. ���el papel de los refugiados en la implementaci��n de la pol��tica de libre circulaci��n de la cedeao: visto desde el flujo de Liberia a Ghana���

Este estudio de caso tiene como objetivo determinar las implicaciones del flujo de poblaci��n refugiada en la implementaci��n de la pol��tica de libre circulaci��n de la CEDEAO; tomando como referente el flujo desde Liberia hacia Ghana generado por la Guerra Civil. Esta investigaci��n defiende que las implicaciones pueden estar relacionadas a las din��micas que se asocian al movimiento de personas, las cuales pueden ser negativas o positivas, raz��n por la cual los Estados pueden reaccionar endureciendo las pol��ticas migratorias, la obtenci��n de permisos laborales y de residencia, y el cierre de fronteras o la expulsi��n de refugiados; con el fin de evitar consecuencias a nivel pol��tico, econ��mico o en materia de seguridad. Para comprobar lo anterior se va a realizar�� un an��lisis de texto, sobre posiciones nacionales y pol��ticas comunitarias, as�� como una revisi��n de estudios y estad��sticas relacionados con el tema.

Mixed oligopoly in education

This paper studies oligopolistic competition in education markets when schools can be private and public and when the quality of education depends on ��peer group�� e��ects. In the ��rst stage of our game schools set their quality and in the second stage they ��x their tuition fees. We examine how the (subgame perfect Nash) equilibrium allocation (qualities, tuition fees and welfare) is a��ected by the presence of public schools and by their relative position in the quality range. When there are no peer group e��ects, e�� ciency is achieved when (at least) all but one school are public. In particular in the two school case, the impact of a public school is spectacular as we go from a setting of extreme di��erentiation to an e�� cient allocation. However, in the three school case, a single public school will lower welfare compared to the private equilibrium. We then introduce a peer group e��ect which, for any given school is determined by its student with the highest ability. These PGE do have a signi��cant impact on the results. The mixed equilibrium is now never e�� cient. However, welfare continues to be improved if all but one school are public. Overall, the presence of PGE reduces the e��ectiveness of public schools as regulatory tool in an otherwise private education sector.

Small-area variation in health care affecting the choice of cesarean delivery: the case of a Colombian health insurer

In the midst of health care reform, Colombia has succeeded in increasing health insurance coverage and the quality of health care. In spite of this, efficiency continues to be a matter of concern, and small-area variations in health care are one of the plausible causes of such inefficiencies. In order to understand this issue, we use individual data of all births from a Contributory-Regimen insurer in Colombia. We perform two different specifications of a multilevel logistic regression model. Our results reveal that hospitals account for 20% of variation on the probability of performing cesarean sections. Geographic area only explains 1/3 of the variance attributable to the hospital. Furthermore, some variables from both demand and supply sides are found to be also relevant on the probability of undergoing cesarean sections. This paper contributes to previous research by using a hierarchical model and by defining hospitals as cluster. Moreover, we also include clinical and supply induced demand variables.

Informality in the City: a Theoretical Analysis

This thesis theoretically studies the relationship between the informal sector (both in the labor and the housing market) and the city structure.