Just Accepted

Jesús Rodríguez de Luque

Abstract

Over the past few decades, growing attention has been paid to the impact of air temperature on academic performance. However, few studies have examined a broad range of temperatures in tropical countries or addressed the issue of omitted variables at the student level. This study analyzes the effects of variations in the frequency of low, medium, and high temperatures on the relative academic achievement in mathematics and reading tests in 9th and 11th grade public examinations in Colombia. To do so, I estimated regression models with student and year fixed effects. The findings indicate that relative achievement in both mathematics and reading declines as the frequency of days with average temperatures above 26.6ºC increases during the 12 months preceding the examination dates. These results underscore the importance of implementing adaptation strategies to protect students from the adverse effects of high temperatures.

Keywords: Academic achievement, student progress, temperature, Colombia.

The diffusion of agricultural groundwater extraction in São Paulo, Brazil: The role of climate variability and environmental preservation

Daniel Morales Martínez

Alexandre Gori Maia

Junior Ruiz Garcia

Abstract

Agricultural production in Brazil has increasingly relied on groundwater extraction, raising concerns about the sustainability of underground reservoirs. This paper compares the diffusion of the two most common types of wells used to extract groundwater for agriculture in the state of São Paulo, Brazil: conventional (low depth) and tubular (high depth). We use longitudinal municipal-level information and spatial panel models to analyze the two main drivers of groundwater extractions: climate variability (aridity) and environmental conservation (conservation agriculture and native forest conservation). Our results highlight how increasing aridification in the dry season (winter) has reduced the diffusion of conventional wells and increased the diffusion of less sustainable tubular wells. We also highlight that soil conservation and native forest preservation practices reduce the need for deep underground water extraction. 

Keywords:  soil conservation, forest conservation, econometrics, peer relationship, São Paulo.

Does having a first-born daughter reduce male violence against mothers in Peru?

Carlos Salas Peña

Abstract

The female wage determination differs according to the family composition, mainly associated with the presence of children. Thus, the goal of this article was to analyze how much maternity can be a differential factor that penalizes women's wages in the Colombian and Brazilian labor markets. The Heckman selection model was applied using the Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios Contínua (PNADC) for Brazil and the Gran Encuesta Integrada de Hogares (GEIH) for Colombia, referring to 2012 and 2019. Results show the maternity penalty in Colombia of 5.4% per child in 2012 and 7.9% per child in 2019; already, in the case of Brazil, 10.9% and 12.0%, respectively. So then, despite the continuous incorporation of Colombian and Brazilian women into the labor market, conventional gender social practices in the family make it difficult to reconcile work-family.

Key words: wage, gender role, gender division labor, working mothers, Brazil, Colombia.

Poverty identification in Colombia: Comparison between the Multidimensional Poverty Index and the Beneficiaries Identification Social System Programs

Guberney Muñetón-Santa

Carlos Andrés Pérez Aguirre

Juan Rafael Orozco-Arroyave

Abstract

This research aims to examine the relationship between the Employment Vulnerability Index (EVI) and labor informality in Ecuador during the years 2018, 2019, and 2021 (considering both pre- and post-pandemic periods). The EVI was constructed using a polychoric principal components analysis (PCPA), while a logistic regression model and a two-stage least squares linear probability model were employed to evaluate its association with workers' informal status. The findings indicate a positive correlation between employment vulnerability and the likelihood of a worker being engaged in the informal sector, with this correlation being particularly pronounced among individuals with higher EVI scores. Accordingly, policymakers are advised to concentrate their efforts on enhancing workers' conditions by increasing educational attainment and implementing programs aimed at incentivizing formal employment.

Keywords: Employment, Labor Market, Ecuador.

Investment in machinery and equipment in Colombia and the region: Long-run determinants and their dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic

Diego Vásquez-Escobar

Clark Granger

Norberto Rodríguez-Niño

Andrés Sánchez-Jabba

Carmiña O. Vargas

Fernando Arias-Rodríguez

Ignacio Lozano-Espitia

Abstract

Colombia experienced a decline in investment due to the COVID-19 shock, resulting in a negative gap of -2.8% of GDP in the second quarter of 2020. The recovery of investment in Colombia has been relatively slow but has been bolstered by sustained and growing dynamics in machinery and equipment purchases. This paper analyzes the macroeconomic factors influencing this type of investment and its behavior during the pandemic. The results confirm the expected effects: purchases of machinery and equipment decrease when the cost of capital use and the real exchange rate rise, while they increase in response to growth in economic activity and industrial confidence. Control variables include additional factors that may affect investment decisions, such as loan availability and degree of openness. 

Keywords: Capital, FMOLS, cointegration models, Colombia.