Impact of policy changes on the efficiency and returns-to-scale of Japanese financial institutions: an evaluation

This paper examines the impact of FSA's (Financial Services Agency) recent policy changes on the efficiency and returns-to-scale (RTS) of Japanese financial institutions including banks, securities companies and bank holding companies. Three kinds of efficiency are investigated namely, technical efficiency (TE), pure technical efficiency (PTE) and scale efficiency (SE) using the non-parametric methodology named data envelopment analysis (DEA). The DEA analysis shows a substantial improvement in the overall efficiency of Japanese banks, albeit a significant difference of efficiency scores between the major/city banks and the regional banks. Results are robust to alternative specifications of efficiency and scale changes.

Effects of sea temperature and stratification changes on seabird breeding success

As apex predators in marine ecosystems, seabirds may primarily experience climate change impacts indirectly, via changes to their food webs. Observed seabird population declines have been linked to climate-driven oceanographic and food web changes. However, relationships have often been derived from relatively few colonies and consider only sea surface temperature (SST), so important drivers, and spatial variation in drivers, could remain undetected. Further, ex - plicit climate change projections have rarely been made, so longer-term risks remain unclear. Here, we use tracking data to estimate foraging areas for 11 black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridac - ty la colonies in the UK and Ireland, thus reducing reliance on single colonies and allowing calculation of colony-specific oceanographic conditions. We use mixed models to consider how SST, the potential energy anomaly (indicating density stratification strength) and the timing of seasonal stratification influence kittiwake productivity. Across all colonies, higher breeding success was associated with weaker stratification before breeding and lower SSTs during the breeding season. Eight colonies with sufficient data were modelled individually: higher productivity was associated with later stratification at 3 colonies, weaker stratification at 2, and lower SSTs at one, whilst 2 colonies showed no significant relationships. Hence, key drivers of productivity varied among colonies. Climate change projections, made using fitted models, indicated that breeding success could decline by 21 to 43% between 1961-90 and 2070-99. Climate change therefore poses a longer-term threat to kittiwakes, but as this will be mediated via availability of key prey species, other marine apex predators could also face similar threats.

Banrisul: do PROES ao IPO com governança corporativa

The scene prevalecente, in this work was to analyze the capacity of BANRISUL - Bank of the State of the Rio Grande Do Sul, as bank of public control, was assumen of the continued increase of the profitability of the Brazilian banking sector, remaining itself as a brought up to date financial institution tecnologicamente and managemental structuralized by mechanisms of brought up to date taking of decision and permanently revised in compatibility with the increasing instabilidades imposed for the incited competition of the banking sector in adequacy with the macroeconomic volatillidades. On the basis of the extremely positive performance in the analyzed period enters 1997 the 2007, the commercial strategy remains focada in the constant improvement of the rendering of services and in the growth of the credit average small the physical people and the e companies. The abrangência of the attendance points and the ample base of customers are aggregate advantages to an exclusive differential: the Banricompras, the biggest card of proper mark of Latin America. Stronger and income-producing, with an adequate and transparent management, the BANRISUL follows in propósito de to gain position of prominence in the national economic-financial scene.

Como interpretar as normas emitidas pelo Bacen e CMN?: uma resposta a partir da evolução do modelo de estado brasileiro

Este ensaio identifica referenciais preferenciais para a interpretação do marco regulatório do setor bancário brasileiro. O texto parte da transição do modelo de Estado brasileiro nas últimas duas décadas e dos seus reflexos sobre o direito administrativo bancário. O argumento apresentado é o de que o intérprete do marco regulatório bancário deve guiar-se a partir de uma perspectiva que defino como teleológica e insularizada, porém limitada pelas normas e princípios constitucionais que resguardam as liberdades individuais dos agentes privados ante o arbítrio do Estado.

The risk premium on brazilian government debt, 1996-2002

The goal of this paper is to identify the determinants of the risk premium on Brazilian government debt. As the risk premium is a component of the interest rate set by the Brazilian central bank, its reduction would make it possible for the central bank to cut interest rates to levels compatible with a higher economic growth environment. The empirical evidence presented in this paper does not reject the hypotheses that fiscal solvency and the size of the public debt affect the risk premium as measured by the spread over treasury bills of the Brazilian C-bond.

Micro evidence on brazilian price stickiness and its consequences for sectoral real exchange rate and inflation persistence

The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the price-setting behavior in Brazil and, in particular, the effects on inflation and good-level real exchange rate persistence. This thesis is composed by three Chapters. In the first Chapter, we present the main stylized facts about the behavior of retail prices in Brazil using micro data from the CPI index computed by the Fundação Getulio Vargas. Moreover we construct time series of price-setting statistics and relate them to macroeconomic variables using regression analyses. In Chapter 2, we investigated the relevance of heterogeneity in countries price stickiness on good-level real exchange rate persistence, considering a newly constructed panel data set of relative prices of 115 common products between the U.S. and Brazil. Chapter 3 is devoted to the relation between sectoral price stickiness and inflation persistence.

Um estudo da gênese das dynamic capabilities: o caso da tecnologia bancária no Brasil

Este trabalho analisa o desenvolvimento de dynamic capabilities em um contexto de turbulência institucional, diferente das condições em que esta perspectiva teórica costuma ser estudada. É feito um estudo de caso histórico e processual que analisa o surgimento das Dynamic Capabilities nos bancos brasileiros, a partir do desenvolvimento da tecnologia bancária que se deu entre os anos 1960 e 1990. Baseando-se nas proposições da Estratégia que analisam as vantagens competitivas das empresas através de seus recursos, conhecimentos e Dynamic Capabilities, é construído um framework com o qual são analisados diversos depoimentos dados ao livro “Tecnologia bancária no Brasil: uma história de conquistas, uma visão de futuro” (FONSECA; MEIRELLES; DINIZ, 2010) e em entrevistas feitas para este trabalho. Os depoimentos mostram que os bancos fizeram fortes investimentos em tecnologia a partir da reforma financeira de 1964, época em que se iniciou uma sequência de períodos com características próprias do ponto de vista institucional. Conforme as condições mudavam a cada período, os bancos também mudavam seu processo de informatização. No início, os projetos eram executados ad hoc, sob o comando direto dos líderes dos bancos. Com o tempo, à medida que a tecnologia evoluía, a infraestrutura tecnológica crescia e surgiam turbulências institucionais, os bancos progressivamente desenvolveram parcerias entre si e com fornecedores locais, descentralizaram a área de tecnologia, tornaram-se mais flexíveis, fortaleceram a governança corporativa e adotaram uma série de rotinas para cuidar da informática, o que levou ao desenvolvimento gradual das microfundações das Dynamic Capabilties nesses períodos. Em meados dos anos 1990 ocorreram a estabilização institucional e a abertura da economia à concorrência estrangeira, e assim o país colocou-se nas condições que a perspectiva teórica adotada considera ideais para que as Dynamic Capabilities sejam fontes de vantagem competitiva. Os bancos brasileiros mostraram-se preparados para enfrentar essa nova fase, o que é uma evidência de que eles haviam desenvolvido Dynamic Capabilities nas décadas precedentes, sendo que parte desse desenvolvimento podia ser atribuído às turbulências institucionais que eles haviam enfrentado.

EDF and the Brazilian Power Sector

Electricité de France (EDF) is a leading player in the European energy market by being both the first electricity producer in Europe and the world’s leading nuclear plant operator. EDF is also the first electricity producer and supplier in France. However, Europe, EDF’s core market, is currently underperforming: the European sovereign debt crisis is lowering significantly the growth perspective of an energy market that has already reached its maturity. As a consequence, European energy companies are now looking at international markets and especially BRIC economies where economic growth potential remains high. Among them, Brazil is expected to keep its strong economic and electricity demand growth perspectives for the coming decades. Though Brazil has not been considered as a strategic priority for EDF after the Light reversal in 2006, the current economic situation has led the Group to reconsider its position toward the country. EDF’s current presence in Brazil is limited to its stake in UTE Norte Fluminense, a thermal plant, located in the state of Rio de Janeiro. This report investigates the possibility and the feasibility of EDF’s activities expansion in Brazil and what added value it could bring for the Brazilian power market. Considering that the status quo would not allow EDF to take full advantage of Brazil’s future growth, this work is identifying the various options that are currently opened to EDF: market exit, status quo, EDF alone, local partner. For that purpose, this study collects and analyses the latest energy market data as well as generation companies’ information which are necessary to give a relevant overview of the current brazilian power sector and to present EDF strategic options for the country.