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This paper investigates whether parents' entry into unemployment affects investment in children's education through their decision to provide public or private education for their children. The empirical approach makes use of longitudinal data from the Continuous National Household Sample Survey (Pesquisa Nacional por Amostra de Domicílios Contínua–PNAD contínua) and propensity-score matching with difference-in-difference methods. According to estimates, parents' unemployment reduces the probability of children's enrollment in the private educational system, which usually has better quality but high costs, instead of in the public educational system, which is offered for free but typically has poor quality. Thus, evidence suggests that reductions in household income as a consequence of unemployment can have impacts on the quality of human capital accumulated by children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Early-life shocks often produce negative long-run consequences lasting into adulthood, but little is known about how childhood social programs interact with early-life environments. In this paper, we analyze the effect of early-life conditions on child health and evaluate whether access to a conditional cash transfer program is differentially effective among children who experienced adverse early-life events. We use variation in delays in enrollment from the rollout of Brazil's Bolsa Família program to analyze the impact of longer treatment durations alongside a variation of in utero rainfall to determine the potential for the program to drive catch-up growth. We find that the duration of Bolsa treatment impacts stunting, obesity, and other health outcomes, with the program being most effective among children whose in utero conditions predisposed them to worse health outcomes. Finally, we find that these effects are driven by children who receive Bolsa before age five and that girls experience more health gains. Overall, the duration of treatment matters, with some effects only appearing after one to two years of transfers, as does the timing of treatment, with some effects only appearing for younger initial recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of affirmative action on the incentives to human capital accumulation are ambiguous from a theoretical perspective and the scarce empirical evidence on the matter provides mixed results. In this paper, we address this issue by investigating the impacts of Brazil's Law of Quotas on the students' performance in the college entrance exam, the ENEM. We provide causal evidence that the law fostered incentives to pre-college human capital accumulation, inducing students to attain higher ENEM scores. Moreover, the effects of the quotas were greater in quantitative-intensive subjects and these impacts increased throughout the first years after the law's implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The ARDL cointegration technique was applied for the Brazilian context in the very long-run (1822–2019). • We focus on three main determinants of Brazil's economic growth, namely human capital, structural change, and institutional quality. • The research provides policy suggestions for promoting economic growth in Brazil through human capital accumulation and industrialization. A growing body of empirical literature has considered very long-time horizons when studying the sources of a country's economic growth. Nevertheless, the growth experiences of emerging economies (EEs) have been overlooked. This study examines to what extent human capital, structural change, and institutional quality contribute to the economic growth of one of the largest EEs in the world, Brazil, between 1822 and 2019. Resorting to the ARDL cointegration technique, the results suggest that years of schooling (human capital) have a positive and long-lasting impact on Brazil's economic growth. Moreover, there is solid evidence that sectoral changes toward more advanced and sophisticated manufacturing basis is growth-enhancing in the country. Finally, institutional quality does not constitute over the very long-run, a significant booster of Brazilian economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research was to analyze the impact of industrial firms' proximity to regional innovation systems on financial performance and value creation, considering the Brazilian reality. The theoretical-empirical challenge explored was to propose a model to identify regional innovation systems based on the existence of innovation ecosystems. To do so, the research used variables such as researcher training, human capital devoted to research and development, patents and publications, and business creation to identify innovation ecosystems, whose level of geographical density allowed for the identification of regional innovation systems. Exploratory factor analysis was used. A total of 556 industrial firms in Brazil with published financial information were surveyed for the period 2017-2018. Profitability and value creation indicators, as well as the proximity of each firm to innovation ecosystems and regional innovation systems, were calculated. Five regional innovation systems were identified in Brazil, and it was found that firms' proximity to these systems has a positive and significant impact on financial and value creation indicators. These findings demonstrate the need to foster new regional innovation systems to support the country's economic development more equitably. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reasons why Brazilian civil engineering education has not achieved competitive performance worldwide remain unclear. Thus, this study aims to identify what factors influence student performance in civil engineering undergraduate programs in public institutions in Brazil. Multiple linear regression methods were used to analyse the interactions between the student performance (dependent variable) and the professors' and universities' attributes (predictors). The analysis shows that the professor's qualification and didactics are significant attributes, as are the time of the program's existence, the academic organisation (if it is annual or semester courses), and the institutions' administrative jurisdiction. The discussion presented possible explanations for each attribute's contribution. The study adds to the theory of predicting student performance in a developing country scenario, in this case, Latin America, where engineering education has less investments in academic infrastructure and human capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reconstruction of the economic history of Brazil since independence from Portugal (1822) may lead to a new understanding of its economic growth. The deep-rooted idea that Brazil could have done better means there is a need to delve into each phase of its development. In this paper, we provide a very long-run perspective (1822-2019) of Brazil's economic growth and process of real convergence. On the one hand, this review indicates that structural changes observed in the middle of the 20th century were crucial in promoting the country's growth and real convergence with technologically advanced countries. On the other hand, poor institutional conditions and deficient human capital formation have emerged since colonial times as critical factors underlying Brazil's inability to establish robust and sustainable economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the admission to positions in the Brazilian public sector based on secondary data. The results of the models tested show that the variables of human capital (meritocratic) were associated to the admittance to the public sector and the effect of these variables was more important for the case of servants under the statutory regime. This might confirm the bureaucratic and meritocratic character of the Brazilian public sector. However, when analyzing the admittance to more privileged positions in the public sector, such as managerial and professional positions, one might observe that the process is in fact not meritocratic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study investigates the effect of investment in intellectual capital and its components on the performance of Brazilian companies listed on the Brasil, Bolsa, Balcão (B3) exchange. More specifically, we examine whether a positive relationship exists between the proxies for intellectual, structural, human, and invested capital and firms' return on assets and equity. Originality/value: This study differs from those of Richieri (2007), Turra et al. (2015), and Brizolla and Turra (2015) by using panel data and static and dynamic econometric regression models to analyze firms' performance. It also differs from Nadeem et al. (2018) by using return on equity and return on assets to measure performance. Design/methodology/approach: We estimated two equations employing static estimators (static OLS and fixed effect) and dynamic estimators (dynamic OLS and GMM), as proposed by Nadeem et al. (2018). We performed strict exogeneity tests to ascertain the need to use dynamic models. Thus, the first equation analyzed the effect of intellectual capital on future performance (measured by ROA and ROE). In contrast, the second equation investigated the impact of structural, invested, and human capital on these same performance indicators. Findings: The results indicate a positive effect of investment in intellectual capital on the performance of Brazilian companies. In addition, all components of intellectual capital are significant in increasing returns on assets and equity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of markets in promoting rural development points to the need to identify the most relevant capital for the commercialization of family farm production. We seeks to verify the extent to which livelihood assets help family farmers commercialize their production through research among 125 family farmers settled in agricultural lands redistributed by the government during land reform, in the Federal District, Brazil. Data were collected in the field using a structured form in the Likert scale format and assessed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). We show that livelihoods have a positive and significant influence on commercialization, and that human and social capital are the major contributors to the commercialization of family farm production. Our findings show the need to reinforce public policies focused on training of farmers in market opportunities and the promotion of a collective organization aimed at fostering commercialization as a rural development strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Tuberculosis is one of the ten leading causes of death and the leading infectious cause worldwide. The disease represents a challenge to health systems around the world. In 2018, it is estimated that 10 million people were affected by tuberculosis, and approximately 1.5 million people died due to the disease worldwide, including 251,000 patients coinfected with HIV. In Brazil, the disease caused 4,490 deaths, with rate of 2.2 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants. The objective of this study was to analyze the time behavior, spatial, spatial-temporal distribution, and the effects of social vulnerability on the incidence of TB in Brazil during the period from 2001 to 2017. Materials and methods: A spatial-temporal ecological study was conducted, including all new cases of tuberculosis registered in Brazil during the period from 2001 to 2017. The following variables were analyzed: incidence rate of tuberculosis, the Social Vulnerability Index, its subindices, its 16 indicators, and an additional 14 variables available on the Atlas of Social Vulnerability. The statistical treatment of the data consisted of the following three stages: a) time trend analysis with a joinpoint regression model; b) spatial analysis and identification of risk areas based on smoothing of the incidence rate by local empirical Bayesian model, application of global and local Moran statistics, and, finally, spatial-temporal scan statistics; and c) analysis of association between the incidence rate and the indicators of social vulnerability. Results: Brazil reduced the incidence of tuberculosis from 42.8 per 100,000 to 35.2 per 100,000 between 2001 and 2017. Only the state of Minas Gerais showed an increasing trend, whereas nine other states showed a stationary trend. A total of 326 Brazilian municipalities were classified as high priority, and 22 high-risk spatial-temporal clusters were identified. The overall Social Vulnerability Index and the subindices of Human Capital and Income and Work were associated with the incidence of tuberculosis. It was also observed that the incidence rates were greater in municipalities with greater social vulnerability. Conclusions: This study identified clusters with high risk of TB in Brazil. A significant association was observed between the incidence rate of TB and the indices of social vulnerability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the effects of education on the income of individuals residing in Brazil and, specifically, in the South and Northeast regions. Estimates are made from the PNAD database for the year 2017 using the income equation proposed by Mincer (1974) and Heckman’s (1979) procedure to correct the selection bias. The method of Trostel (2004) is also used to calculate the returns to schooling both in Brazil and in the South and Northeast regions. As a main result, the theoretical model and its estimates indicate that in all the regions analyzed, human capital presents increasing returns, which are increasingly higher as the individual reaches higher degrees of education, pointing out that in Brazil people with 4 years of study have returns of 2.9% in their salaries; with 15 years of study the returns are 33.2%. In the South and Northeast, the values are respectively 1.8% and 2.7% for 4 years, and 26, 3% and 33.2% for 15 years of study, indicating higher returns for the Northeast region. Therefore, the results suggest that it is of fundamental importance to devise policies that encourage the completion of higher levels of education to increase workers’ income. Keywords: human capital; income; return of schooling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze the influence of intellectual capital (IC) on sustainable economic and financial performance (EFP) and value creation (VC) in Brazilian companies. Design/methodology/approach: Based on finance and accounting theories, a quantitative and descriptive long-term study was carried out in the companies listed on the Brazil Stock Exchange and Over-the-Counter Market (B3), covering 20 years period. Findings: The results indicate that IC positively influences profitability, corporate return and organizational value sustainably; the most intangible-intensive Brazilian companies listed on B3 presented more robust results than the least intangible-intensive; and IC contributes to a systematic increase in EFP and VC over time. Research limitations/implications: Using a well-established metric, the IC-INDEX, the IC and its effects were measured, obtaining theoretical contributions (expanding the understanding of the IC influence in sustainable EFP and VC from a long-term perspective – one subject still unexplored in the literature); and empirical (increasing the understanding of the IC's role as a driver of competitiveness, performance and organizational value). Practical implications: This study increases the understanding of the theoretical and practical effects of IC, also providing a competitive benchmarking process to access sustainable EFP and VC of companies and their industries. Originality/value: The originally applied and validated proposal extends existing theory by offering a set of indicators to scale the contribution of IC to competitiveness from the perspective of long-term (historical) corporate outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Short-run income shocks can negatively impact school attendance when children are pulled out in order to work, either based on the need for greater income during negative shocks or the increased opportunity cost of child time during positive shocks. This paper proxies for income shocks using fluctuations in local rainfall and evaluates its impact on child schooling, labour force participation, and domestic work. We then investigate whether conditional cash transfers are able to protect school attendance during these temporary shocks. Using data on Brazil's Bolsa Família programme along with municipal-level rainfall data, we find that positive rainfall shocks cause children to increase the likelihood of paid labour but Bolsa partially mitigates these effects, though less so among boys and older children. Furthermore, we find evidence that even when children do not drop out of school during these shocks, Bolsa may not fully maintain their intensity of school attendance and shocks may hinder academic progress. These results suggest that higher wages cause children to substitute time away from schooling, but that Bolsa acts as a partial safety net that stabilises human capital investments during short-run shocks and may help produce larger long-run benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being the second most populated region in Brazil, the Northeast has persistently accounted for a small share of national income. A well‐known attempt to develop the region was made in 1959 with the creation of SUDENE, a big push type of place‐based policy resulting in an intensification of industrial investments. Historical data sets are used to make comparable input–output tables at a 31 sector level for 1959 and 1980, and input–output analysis is applied to appraise transformations. Developments in the following decades are also discussed. The main focus is on changes in the interdependence among sectors in the region, the sectors' dependency on the rest of Brazil, and the sectors' contributions to the regional economy in terms of value added. From the first decades, the main finding is an unintended trade‐off between production growth and employment performance. Over the 1990s and turn of the century, although the economy diversified, dependence on inputs from the rest of Brazil also increased. Also, manufacturing sectors continued to be less capable of generating value added. Given persistent regional inequalities, levelling up attempts require a more encompassing approach including investing in human capital and addressing differential access to power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the results from an evaluation of a public policy that offers scholarships to current and former public high school students, so that they can attend technical and vocational education courses free of charge. We use a waiting list randomized controlled trial in four municipalities in a southern Brazilian State (Santa Catarina) to quantify the effects of the program on school progression, labor market outcomes and non-cognitive skills. Our intention-to-treat estimates reveal substantial gender heterogeneity two years after program completion. Women experienced large gains in labor market outcomes and non-cognitive skills. Employment rose by 21 percentage points (or approximately 33%) and the gains in earnings are of more than 50%. Also, women who received the offer scored 0.5σ higher on the synthetic index of non-cognitive skills and 0.69σ higher on an extraversion indicator. We find no effects on the male sub-sample. These findings corroborate the evidence on gender heterogeneity in the labor market effects of technical and vocational education programs. We also perform a series of exercises to explore potential channels through which these effects arise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the results from an evaluation of a public policy that offers scholarships to current and former public high school students, so that they can attend technical and vocational education courses free of charge. We use a waiting list randomized controlled trial in four municipalities in a southern Brazilian State (Santa Catarina) to quantify the effects of the program on school progression, labor market outcomes and non-cognitive skills. Our intention-to-treat estimates reveal substantial gender heterogeneity two years after program completion. Women experienced large gains in labor market outcomes and non-cognitive skills. Employment rose by 21 percentage points (or approximately 33%) and the gains in earnings are of more than 50%. Also, women who received the offer scored 0.5σ higher on the synthetic index of non-cognitive skills and 0.69σ higher on an extraversion indicator. We find no effects on the male sub-sample. These findings corroborate the evidence on gender heterogeneity in the labor market effects of technical and vocational education programs. We also perform a series of exercises to explore potential channels through which these effects arise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the results from an evaluation of a public policy that offers scholarships to current and former public high school students, so that they can attend technical and vocational education courses free of charge. We use a waiting list randomized controlled trial in four municipalities in a southern Brazilian State (Santa Catarina) to quantify the effects of the program on school progression, labor market outcomes and non-cognitive skills. Our intention-to-treat estimates reveal substantial gender heterogeneity two years after program completion. Women experienced large gains in labor market outcomes and non-cognitive skills. Employment rose by 21 percentage points (or approximately 33%) and the gains in earnings are of more than 50%. Also, women who received the offer scored 0.5σ higher on the synthetic index of non-cognitive skills and 0.69σ higher on an extraversion indicator. We find no effects on the male sub-sample. These findings corroborate the evidence on gender heterogeneity in the labor market effects of technical and vocational education programs. We also perform a series of exercises to explore potential channels through which these effects arise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports that Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva started his third term as president of Brazil and has made commitments to addressing climate change and promoting science, technology, and innovation. It mentions about Investing in early-career scientists will help Brazil achieve its environmental goals and contribute to building a green economy based on human capital, technology, and innovation to help drive Brazil's development and economic growth.

This paper estimates intersectoral labor efficiencies and its covariances in Brazil from 2003 to 2016 using a two-stage neural network model. It investigates whether there is a positive relationship between education and productivity. At the first stage, a static Markov chain regression provides labor quantitative efficiency (volume) and labor value efficiency (value added). The second stage runs a dynamic regression model between each estimated efficiency and the social contextual variables to unveil endogeneities from covariances among the variables set. Strong covariances are found between the efficiencies and fertility rate, suggesting that there is a relevant gap between the productive sector and worker qualification, leading to lower levels of efficiency in Brazil, as shown in the theoretical model. The economy is unable to allocate efficiently the stock of qualified workers. • Usage of NDEA model to evaluate Brazilian labor productivity. • Usage of Markov neural chains to unveil the endogeneities between social variables and efficiency indexes. • Proposition of economic model of intersectoral efficiency based on structural factors and social variables. • Dynamic model based on two sectors – tradables and non-tradables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]