The false promises of the (second) Washington consensus: evidence from Latin America and the Caribbean (1990-2003)

The objective of this paper is twofold. Firstly, we show how, and to what extent, Latin American and Caribbean countries applied the precepts of the second Washington consensus, i.e. a consensus which stresses the capital account liberalization. Secondly, we highlight the effects of this set of reforms on their economies. Thus, we show that countries having most scrupulously followed these recommendations did not experience better economic results. On the contrary, their situation as regards inequality and debt is getting worse than others.

Biomarkers in Cardiology – Part 1 – In Heart Failure and Specific Cardiomyopathies

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of mortality and morbidity in Brazil. The primary and secondary preventions of those diseases are a priority for the health system and require multiple approaches to increase their effectiveness. Biomarkers are tools used to more accurately identify high-risk individuals, to speed the diagnosis, and to aid in treatment and prognosis determination. This review aims to highlight the importance of biomarkers in clinical cardiology practice, and to raise relevant points of their use and the promises for the coming years. This document was divided into two parts, and this first one discusses the use of biomarkers in specific cardiomyopathies and heart failure.

Novos modelos previdenciários na América Latina: lições da experiência Argentina

New pension programs in Latin America: lessons from the Argentinean experience. This work analyzes the political constraints of pension reform in Argentina. The first part presents a brief description of the development of pension programs in Latin America. Additionally, it also discusses the pension system crisis and the main proposals in order to overcome this crisis. The second part examines the peculiarities of the Argentine pension reform, with specific attention on economic imperatives and political constraints which have shaped the pension reform project of Menem´s Government (1989-1999). The article demonstrates that there are a large gap between the new system promises and its outcomes.

Ciência econômica e modelos de explicação científica: retomando a questão

Economic science and scientific explanation models. Economics was born under the sign of methodological vagueness. The first author who tried to solve the question (John Stuart Mill) asserted that it is a kind of knowledge that uses the abstract (direct deductive) method but also that it is an exception because for all other phenomena in the field of moral science the correct method is the inverse deductive or historical method. On the other side, functionalist explanations that are condemned by the scientific precepts of economics are present in the science since its beginning with Adam Smith. Economics went ahead without worriment about these methodological issues but this indefiniteness has never gone off stage. Since the start of XXI century new facts are emerging. Developments in Psychology are giving a new breath to Friedman's point of view and seem to fortify the mainstream (Rogebert e Nordberg, 2005), whereas unfolding in complexity science promises to throw it down and put in its place another kind of explanation borrowed from Biology (Beinhocker, 2006). All this stimulates to retake the question. We do this here, under a critical vision, taking the taxonomy of scientific explanations framed by modern positivism.