The effect of social security, demography and technology on retirement

This article investigates the causes in the reduction of labor force participation of the old. We argue that the changes in social security policy, in technology and in demography may account for most of the changes in retirement over the second part of the last century in the U.S. economy. We develop a dynamic general equilibrium model with endogenous retirement that embeds social security legislation. The model is able to match very closely the increase in the retirement rate of males aged 65 and older. It also quanti es the isolated impact on retirement and on the solvency of the social security system of the di¤erent factors. The model suggests that technological and demographic changes had a strong in uence on retirement, so that it would have increased signi cantly even if the social security rules had not changed. However, as the latter became much more generous in the past, changes in social security policy can account not only for a sizeable part of the expansion of retirement, but also for the most of the observed increase in the social security expenses as a share of GDP.

The effect of social security, demography and technology on retirement

This article investigates the causes in the reduction of labor force participation of the old. We argue that the changes in social security policy, in technology and in demography may account for most of the changes in retirement over the second part of the last century in the U.S. economy. We develop a dynamic general equilibrium model with endogenous retirement that embeds social security legislation. The model is able to match very closely the increase in the retirement rate of males aged 65 and older. It also quanti es the isolated impact on retirement and on the solvency of the social security system of the di¤erent factors. The model suggests that technological and demographic changes had a strong in uence on retirement, so that it would have increased signi cantly even if the social security rules had not changed. However, as the latter became much more generous in the past, changes in social security policy can account not only for a sizeable part of the expansion of retirement, but also for the most of the observed increase in the social security expenses as a share of GDP.

O DOI-CODI carioca: memória e cotidiano no "Castelo do Terror"

O objetivo dessa dissertação é analisar a memória de seis ex-prisioneiros políticos do Destacamento de Operações de Informações-Centro de Operações de Defesa Interna do Rio de Janeiro (DOI-CODI/RJ), entrevistados recentemente, entre os anos de 2002 e 2004, sobre o cotidiano vivido nessa instituição em 1970. Naquele ano, dentro do Sistema de Segurança Interna (SISSEGIN), os DOI-CODI haviam sido criados e distribuídos por todas as Regiões Militares do país, tornando-se a principal instituição de repressão aos opositores políticos que optaram pela luta armada como forma de derrotar a ditadura militar brasileira. Assim, as narrativas desses seis ex-prisioneiros são, além de fontes essenciais, o principal objeto de estudo deste trabalho. Através delas, torna-se possível acessar aspectos cruciais para a caracterização do cotidiano vivido pelos presos em um desses órgãos, ― o DOI-CODI do Rio de Janeiro ―, uma vez que esse passado se liga ao presente por meio de suas memórias. Diante disso, a fim de melhor entender tais memórias, a formação e a atuação dos DOI-CODI também são aqui analisadas, colocando as narrativas dos ex-prisioneiros políticos entrevistados em diálogo com uma bibliografia especialmente selecionada, além de uma fonte a respeito do DOI feita por um de seus agentes quando este órgão ainda estava em atividade, em 1978. Para que a essas memórias seja aplicada uma crítica efetiva, necessária a todo trabalho histórico, o estudo se debruça ainda sobre as interferências que o presente exerce na construção que fazem com relação ao passado vivido no DOI-CODI/RJ, com o objetivo de esclarecer as bases sobre as quais são construídas cerca de trinta anos depois.

Um desafio para a regulação do mercado de assistência à saúde no Brasil: a escolha do consumidor de planos de saúde

The objective of this dissertation is to discover and to analyze the way how the consumer uses his/her perception to decide contracting a health plan, to supply elements that can serve to subsidize the State, the market and the consumers, in relation to the knowledge on the process of choice of the consumer and the decisions of purchase and contracting services of private health. The estimated one is to evidence that the brand of health plan is an important variable and decisive to the consumer contracting the service of a company that operates in these sector, because mean for the consumer security about the product, through the symbolism that the same one represents, despite the consumer not knowing to the certainty what is contracting in quality and amount. The theoretical construction is carried through using literature of anthropology of the consumption, theory of modernity, theory of the regulation, economic utilitarism, and marketing. Moreover, referential specific theoretician on the regulation of the market of health plans in Brazil. The health plan market in Brazil is anti-symmetrical and the consumer doesn¿t have knowledge technician who makes possible it to form judgment and to carry through rationality choices. Than the consumer uses to his/her decision symbolic elements that are available to his/her and supply to his/her the security that is look likes in the consumption of this kind of good. These symbolic elements related the confidence and security and are into the strong brands of the companies and are transmitted to the consumer through the mass media. In this dissertation are used as sources of data some information of the regulatory agency of the sector ¿ ANS -, a research of public opinion with health plans users and the results of the application of proper questionnaires for this research.

O modelo gerencial do controle interno governamental: as melhores práticas de Pernambuco

Diante da importância do tema relacionado à atividade de controle interno governamental, no cenário nacional e internacional, tendo em vista o aumento da corrupção e a ineficiência administrativa no alcance dos resultados voltados para os cidadãos e ainda, da escassez de pesquisas exploratórias acerca da atividade de controle com enfoque na efetividade em busca da melhoria do gasto público, este estudo procurou identificar práticas da gestão do controle interno governamental que repercutem efetivamente na melhoria da qualidade do gasto público. Para isso procurou conceituar a qualidade do gasto relacionada à atuação do controle interno governamental e avaliar o modelo gerencial de controle interno adotado pelo Estado de Pernambuco, diagnosticando as práticas que estão diretamente relacionadas à melhoria da qualidade na aplicação do recurso público. A escolha do órgão de controle interno governamental do Estado de Pernambuco para o objeto deste estudo deve-se ao fato deste órgão ter sido palco de grandes mudanças na sua gestão com vistas à renovação e adaptação à nova demanda da sociedade que clama pela transparência e qualidade na aplicação do recurso público. Dos resultados apresentados foi possível identificar práticas decorrentes da ação do órgão de controle interno na gestão pública que indicaram um ganho financeiro para o Estado, ficando assim o recurso disponível para a ampliação de benefícios destinados à sociedade. Salientou-se, ainda, o custo da estrutura organizacional do órgão de controle, fato que apontou para um resultado econômico positivo decorrente das ações do órgão de controle interno. O estudo concluiu pela existência de alinhamento do órgão de controle de Pernambuco com os princípios mais modernos de gestão a partir do enfoque no resultado das ações. No entanto, apesar de estar na direção certa, ficou evidente a necessidade de grandes avanços com o fim de potencializar as ações de controle na gestão pública estadual.

Firm financial constraints and the impact of monetary policy: evidence from financial conglomerates

Building on recent evidence on the functioning of internal capital markets in financial conglomerates, this paper conducts a novel test of the balance sheet channel of monetary policy. It does so by comparing monetary policy responses of small banks that are affiliated with the same bank holding company, and this arguably face similar constraints in accessing internal/external sources of funds, but that operate in different geographical regions, and thus face different pools of borrowers. Because these subsidiaries typically concentrate their lending with small local businesses, we can use cross-sectional differences in state-level economic indicators at the time of changes of monetary policy to study whether or not the strength of borrowers' balance sheets influences the response of bank lending. We find evidence that the negative response of bank loan growth to a monetary contraction is significantly stronger when borrowers have 'weak balance sheets. Our evidence suggests that the monetary authority should consider the amplification effects that financial constraints play following changes in basic interest rates and the role of financial conglomerates in the transmission of monetary policy.

The Brazilian venture capital industry and its strategic role in closing the financing gap of SMEs

This discussion paper is a contribution of the Brazilian Government to the 2006 Annual Conference of the OECD High-level Conference on "Better Financing for Entrepreneurship and SMEs" to be held in Brasilia, Brazil on 27-30 March 2006. It has been prepared by The Center for Studies in Private Equity and Venture Capital of EAESP-Fundação Getúlio Vargas under the auspices of ABDI – Agência Brasileira para o Desenvolvimento Industrial – an agency of the Ministry of Industrial Development and Foreign Trade, in cooperation with ABVCAP – The Brazilian Association of Private Equity and Venture Capital