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This paper presents a novel monthly dataset of job vacancies in Bogota between 1960 and 2010. The dataset was constructed by counting the number of help-wanted announcements published in the most important newspaper with national circulation- namely, El Tiempo. We describe the methodology used to construct the database, discuss some possible problems associated with it, and propose ways to solve them. The paper also presents an estimation of the job vacancy rate. We depict a Beveridge curve and use the vacancy rate to forecast unemployment. This first look at the series yields sensible results, while leaving a myriad of open questions for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper sheds new light on the observed income polarization process between Bogota and the rest of the departments in Colombia by pointing out the crucial role played by market access in avoiding departmental income disparities to be narrowed and, in so acting, as a penalty for the convergence process in income levels. Results from our econometric estimations with data for Colombian departments in the period 1975-2000 show that market access emerges as a key variable in explaining the spatial distribution of income in Colombia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the cost effectiveness property of different control strategies for improving environmental quality. Our prospective analysis considers the application of Transferable Emissions Permit System (TEPS), Transferable Ambient Permit System (TAPS) and Standards (Std) applied on fix sources in Bogota-Colombia. A numerical simulation model allowed us to obtain costs of each regulatory system, which were compared with associated environmental quality. The results show that the most cost effective regulation for any environmental quality goal is TEPS, followed by TAPS and finally Std. In addition, the paper presents a new conceptual result on the enforcement strategies for a regulatory instrument that considers a spatially differentiated pollutant. The results suggest that for any goal of environmental improvement, a TAPS induce compliance cheaper than in any other regulatory system under consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]