Pró-vitaminas A em hortaliças comercializadas no mercado formal e informal de Viçosa (MG), em três estações do ano

Para fornecer dados sobre a influência climática e a forma de comercialização sobre carotenóides de vegetais, este estudo pesquisou o conteúdo de alfa e beta-caroteno e o valor de vitamina A de sete hortaliças (batata-doce, cenoura, moranga, pimentão, quiabo, tomate e vagem), na cidade de Viçosa (MG), utilizando a Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Eficiência. Compararam-se hortaliças comercializadas nos mercados formal (mercados locais) e informal (feira livre) durante primavera, verão e outono. A cenoura apresentou os teores mais elevados de alfa e beta-caroteno (31,17 e 58,18 µg/g, respectivamente), seguida pela moranga (4,33 e 23,16 µg/g, respectivamente), enquanto a batata-doce apresentou o teor mais reduzido de beta-caroteno (0,51 µg/g). O valor de vitamina A variou conforme o perfil de alfa e beta-caroteno. Com exceção da cenoura e do quiabo, não houve influência significativa do local de comercialização sobre o conteúdo de carotenóides. A variação do conteúdo de carotenos nas estações do ano foi inexpressiva, sendo que apenas o pimentão apresentou valores significativamente diferentes. Porções de 100 g das hortaliças analisadas fornecem entre 3 e 78% da recomendação de vitamina A.

Uma avaliação das contribuições de Stiglitz à teoria dos mercados financeiros

The objective and originality of this paper lie in identifying Stiglitz's main theoretical contributions to Financial Economics and in briefly portraying the contemporary economic thought out of which these contributions emerged as well as in suggesting their connections with the subsequent economic thought. Grounded on a detailed analysis of Stiglitz's works on finance, his most important theoretical findings are singled out and gathered into four issues: (1) the conditions under which the Modigliani-Miller theorem is valid; (2) the inconsistency inherent to the efficient market hypothesis; (3) the microeconomic effects of asymmetrical information in financial markets; and (4) its real macroeconomic effects. In all of these topics, the focal point of Stiglitz's theoretical research is the unrealistic underpinnings on which the Arrow-Debreu competitive equilibrium model relies. It is also emphasised that this same perspective he coherently followed to construct a fully-fledged theoretical framework would be preserved in his empirical investigations, notably about developing countries, on which he has concentrated effort since the beginnings of the nineties.

Crescimento da firma e comércio exterior: revisitando a teoria de Adrian Wood

This paper analyzes the growth of the firm by foreign trade. The theory of Adrian Wood is revisited for the analysis of growth and profit trade-off and improved to cope with growth by exports. The main outcome of this paper is that low domestic demand can be a very important factor to firm choices growth by foreign market. However, the growth of domestic demand does not necessarily reduce exports.

O que é que o reeleito tem? O retorno: o esboço de uma teoria da reeleição no Brasil

This article compares the determinants of electoral success in two consecutive Brazilian legislative elections, 1998 and 2002. There is a clear difference between both periods that renders the comparison especially interesting. In 1998 the incumbent president was running for reelection whereas in 2002 it was an open seat contest. We hypothesize that in 1998 the proximity of the Federal Deputy with the president and the allocation of federal monies controlled by the Executive Branch played a more significant role in affecting reelection success than in 2002. Hence, if the President is himself running for reelection is an important intervening contextual variable in understanding reelection success of Federal Deputies.

Câmbio, especulação e juros no modelo da Teoria Geral

This short chapter aims to make an adaptation to a small and financially integrated economy of the monetary / financial model presented by J. M. Keynes in his General Theory of Employment, interest and money. So, this has as a goal, particularly, to adapt the chapters 15 and 17 of the General Theory basically concerned to the speculative motivations to define the composition of the assets portfolio.

Os dois métodos e o núcleo duro da teoria econômica

While methodological sciences have no object and are supposed to adopt a hypothetical-deductive method, substantive sciences including economics should use an empirical or historical-deductive method. The great classical economists and Keynes did that and were able to develop open models explaining how equally open economic systems work. Thus, the hard core of relevant economics is formed by the classical microeconomics and the classical theory of capitalist economic growth, and by Keynesian macroeconomics. In contrast, neoclassical economist aiming to build a mathematical science wrongly adopted the hypothetical-deductive method, and came to macroeconomic and growth models that do not have practical use in policymaking. The exception is Marshall's microeconomics that does not provide a model of real economic systems, but is useful to the analysis of markets.

Michal Kalecki, um pioneiro da teoria econômica do desenvolvimento

Kalecki made important contributions to development economics, which rank him among the founding fathers of this area of our discipline. The objective of this paper is to give an account of his contributions, and in particular of his conception of the peculiarities and the way of functioning of the underdeveloped economies, and of the barriers that limits their capacity for high and sustained long run growth. As most socialist economists of his time, he was skeptic about the possibilities of overcoming underdevelopment under capitalism. However, in contradistinction to other pioneers of development economics, Kalecki did not stress the international forces that hamper development, but put the accent rather in the internal institutions and social and political determinants. In particular, the feudal and semi-feudal conditions in agriculture, the reduced market ensuing from income concentration and widespread monopolization of the economy, and the lack of willingness of entrepreneurs to carry out the necessary investments. Accordingly, his economic policy recommendations emphasized also the domestic aspects involved.

Validade condicional do equilíbrio na Teoria Geral de Keynes

It discusses that the equilibrium in Economics, as a method of analysis, has a conditional utility, when it is not necessary its association with ideal situations and with a constancy of structural parameters of the system. Keynes (1936) appears as an example of a good utilization of that method, for he doesn't link it with notions of social optimum or with a necessary system's structural stability.

Os efeitos da política educacional no crescimento econômico: teoria e estimativas dinâmicas em painel de dados

In this paper, we develop a theoretical model that considers a non-linear relationship between growth and level of education (human capital). Our econometric estimates demonstrated the causality running from human capital to GDP per capita with U inverted shape. The level of education (human capital) that generates the maximum growth rate lies around 4.5 years. The foremost implication of this result is that States with level of education below this range should have as priority educational policies.

Determinantes da recuperação do emprego formal no Brasil: evidências para o período 2001/2005 e hipoteses para uma agenda de pesquisa

Decisive factors affecting the recent increase in formal employment in Brazil. This paper gives a general overview of the evolution of labour market indicators between 1995 and 2005 in Brazil. It shows an overall increase in formal employment rates from 2001 to 2005, as opposite to what had happened from 1995 to 1999. It is argued that such recent trends might indicate the reconfiguration of the labour market in better terms, with potential positive consequences to the finance performance of the Social Security sector. The paper also examines some of the major factors associated with this new trend and their chances to maintain such tendency in the near future. It's important to notice that all of them may be subject to some kind of political management by the State. In other words, we suggest that there are suficient instruments and operative skills in the Brazilian State to make these and others factors work in favour of a more persistent strategy of development with social inclusion through labour.

A teoria da perspectiva e as mudanças de preferência no mainstream: um prospecto Lakatoseano

The theory of the perspective and the changes of preference in the mainstream: a Lakatosean prospect. For many decades over the 20th Century, the mainstream of economics adopted a normative and axiomatic theory of individual behavior in which maximizing procedures were carried out by rationally unbounded agents. This status has been challenged on many grounds and alternative views from fields like psychology have found a way into the core of economics research frontier. Prospect theory, developed by psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky since the 1970s, has provided a more empirical, inductive and descriptive theory of decision making. It has made significant inroads into mainstream microeconomics, shaking the habits of some of its practitioners. This paper first takes stock of its main developments and then uses a Lakatosian framework to draw out its negative and positive heuristics. In what follows, its heuristics are compared to those of traditional rational decision-making theories. The differences between them are highlighted, pointing to changes in the mainstream of the profession and to new opportunities for research.

Integração financeira, poupança externa e convergência de renda: teoria e evidência

The conventional argument favoring capital controls elimination is based on the predictions from the neoclassical model: free international capital mobility would allow capital flows from country where capital is abundant to countries where capital is scarce and the outcome in a global perspective is efficient allocation of savings and income convergence. Within this perspective, financial integration would be particularly beneficial for developing countries resulting in external savings import, temporary increase in per-capita GDP growth rate and a permanent increase in the per-capita GDP level. Using data for a sample of 105 countries from 1980 to 2004 the evidences show that capitals flows from developing to developed countries and that international financial integration and external savings do not increase the conditional convergence rate.

Trajetórias e interesses: os EUA e as finanças globalizadas num contexto de crise e transição

This paper aims to analyze the elements of continuity and discontinuity in American foreign policy from the nineties. In this regard, it emphasizes the importance of financial issues within the scope of the U.S. government strategies for foreign integration and tries to analyze comparatively the Republicans and Democrats government of the period, ending with some prospective questions concerning the Democratic government of President Obama in the context of international economic crisis.