Copyright (c) 2009 All rights reserved. http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida Recent documents in Claudio Djissey Shikida en-us Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:47:05 PDT 3600 http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/11 http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/11 Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:58:32 PDT This paper aims to study theoretically and empirically the relationship between the level of crime and religiosity in Brazil. Previous studies on other countries concerning this subject identified a negative relation between the level of crime and religiosity. In Brazil, specific studies for this relationship do not exist yet. In the attempt to fill this gap, this paper tests, through state and county data, the significance of this relationship for the Brazilian case. Claudio D. Shikida Economics of Religion http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/10 http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/10 Sun, 17 May 2009 03:28:30 PDT This paper discusses the reasons that led to the Lula's 2006 re-election. Spatial analysis methods revealed that, contrary to 2002, the President had more votes in less developed municipalities of Brazil. The econometric results cast doubt on the analyses that attribute to Bolsa Família Programme total responsibility for the re-election. Lula''s electoral success results from changes in the labor market, low inflation and an export boom that have reduced inequality and improved the real wages of the Brazilian poor. Claudio D. Shikida Public Choice http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/9 http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/9 Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:30:57 PST The article analyzes the determinants of the probability of dispute over land (conflicts, occupations and settlement projects) in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Through the use of a logit model, we found that the main influences are political and economical ones. Apparently, the behavior of the agrarian reform's supporters follows the political incentive, with fewer occurrences of conflicts in towns governed by political allies. By other hand, the economical determinants - degree of poverty and the economic growth - have negative impacts on it. claudio d. shikida Public Choice http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/8 http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/8 Sun, 21 Dec 2008 01:50:11 PST The aim of the paper is to evaluate the behavior of drivers when they face a safe-traffic environment. Some studies suggest that the laws that demand auto makers to produce safer vehicles also stimulate their drivers to drive carelessly, since the cost of driving carefully decreases. Likewise, a safer traffic environment or less dangerous surroundings can stimulate drivers to drive more aggressively and less carefully. This study tries to test whether the undesirable behavior described by Peltzman (1975) is observed on the highways and roads of the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Estimates based on data found in the Brazilian Federal Road Police's accident report databank confirm drivers' lack of attention in safer environments. The results suggest that careless behavior in traffic increases when safer conditions prevail. Claudio D. Shikida Public Choice http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/7 http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/7 Tue, 16 Sep 2008 15:25:14 PDT Do military expenditures have impact on growth? Aizenman Glick (2006) found that this impact is positive in countries with good governance, where the external threat is significant. Our article shows that their results suffer from three limitations: (i) they are not robust to the most recent main database used; (ii) small changes in the time period of some variables change their results, and (iii) the authors' econometric specification is not adequate to their hypothesis. Using a 2SLS specification we reconfirm the authors' hypothesis. Citation: Claudio D. Shikida Public Choice http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/6 http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/6 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:28:00 PDT The concept of soft budget constraint is recent in economic analysis. It has become increasingly important in economic theory, for its role as a system of incentives. However, soft budget constraint plays also an important role in the history of economic thought, where it can be traced back until Mises's writings on economic calculation and property rights, both derived from the debate of the economic calculation in socialist regimes. In this sense, soft budget constraint can be viewed as a bridge between Austrian Economics and New Institutional Economics. Since Mises, like other Austrian economists, is virtually ignored in Brazilian courses of Economic Thought, this article intends to show his importance as a forerunner of the concept of soft budget constraint, and will try to link these two theoretical views of economic systems. Claudio D. Shikida Austrian Economics http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/5 http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/5 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 03:59:54 PDT The article examines the impact of the density of trade unions and business associations on state growth rates in Brazil during 1970-1995. Various econometric specifications are tested, based on Mancur Olson's approach. Results corroborate Olsonian hypotheses and suggest that changes in the political environment modified the relation between these unions and associations, on the one hand, and state economic performance, on the other. Claudio D. Shikida Public Choice http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/4 http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/4 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 16:52:18 PDT This paper analyzes the heights of Brazilian people using anthropometric and economic data. The literature suggests that height is a good proxy of the material living conditions of different populations. Data indicate that the difference between the heights of 21 and 65-year-old men is approximately six centimetres. The same value, by coincidence, represents the difference in the stature of the poorest and richest quintiles. Adjusted data show an increase of 3.8 centimetres in the heights of adult male Brazilians born between 1939 and 1981. There are also stable regional differences; in the North and Northeast of the country, heights are about two centimetres lower than the national average for all groups. Regression analyses show that proxy variables related to living conditions during bodily growth, and using regional dummies, were statistically significant causes of the variation in the heights of individuals. In contrast, colour, urban/rural, and inequality variables were not significant. The results replicate what the historiography of the relation between living conditions and stature makes clear: the social environment has a significant impact on the average height of populations. Leonardo M. Monasterio Economics and Human Biology http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/3 http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/3 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:01:35 PDT This paper studies the determinants of international citations by Brazilian economists in papers published in the top domestic journals in 1994 and 2004. Brazilian research in economics has become more open to international influence and widespread geographically; researchers more specialized and technically oriented and the research topics more diversified. However, Brazil is plagued by editorial favoritism, reflected in the negative and significant impact of references to the works authored by domestic journals editors on international citations. We also find that longer technical papers written on topics other than the economic history of Brazil are more likely to cite foreign literature. Joao R. Faria Economic Incentives in Academy http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/2 http://works.bepress.com/claudio_shikida/2 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 14:49:49 PDT This paper extends Faria (2000) analysis to the period of 1999-2006. The study analyzes the production of 750 Brazilian academic economists from 31 departments of economics with graduate programs. At individual level, only 12 out of 750 economists managed to publish at least one paper in the top journals of economics, and 96 economists published at least one paper in a wide list of international journals. The areas in which Brazilian research is most internationally successful are: Applied Economics, Development Economics, Mathematical Economics and Post-keynesian Economics. There is a remarkable difference in quality among departments. The performance of departments depends on isolated individuals efforts and achievements. The results show that Brazilian academic research in economics has improved. The total numbers of international papers published, of researchers publishing in international journals, and departments with members with international publications have increased during this period. Claudio D. Shikida Economic Incentives in Academy