Urban segregation and school backwardness in Rio de Janeiro

Includes bibliography

Verification of Certificates of Origin in Chile

Origin procedures concern both the issuance and verification of certificates of origin. Certification of origin consists of demonstrating that a product complies with standards of origin that qualify a good for access to the corresponding tariff preferences in a destination market, and that no triangulation has occurred in this process. Verification of origin means not only formally checking the validity of the certificate of origin, but also ensuring that the merchandise covered by the certificate genuinely qualifies as originating. All trade agreements carry rules on origin procedures, which continue to apply after the corresponding tariff reduction programmes have concluded.  This edition of the bulletin examines the case of Chile, because of the large number of trade agreements the country has signed.

What does the National High School Exam (enem) tell Brazilian society?

This article assesses the limitations and potentials of the National High School Exam (ENEM) as an indicator of school effectiveness in Brazil, and considers the effects of introducing contextual variables. A multilevel regression analysis was performed on three levels (individual, school and state) using microdata on 17,359 schools from 2009 and 2010. Contextual factors made it possible to explain 79% of the difference between schools. The raw average and value-added (random effect at the school level) produced contrasting evaluations in 34% of cases; and the average was more stable (r = 0.8) than value-added (r = 0.5) in both years. Various shortcomings in the ENEM as an indicator of school effectiveness were identified. The results show that this league table reveals more about socioeconomic conditions than the schools' own merit, in other words the value-added they are supposedly providing to the students.