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This paper studies local governments' decisions on public debt under the Financial Discipline Law for States and Municipalities (ldfem in Spanish) in Mexico. It implies distinguishing economic and political factors and their relevance within ldfem's legal framework that defines norms and limitations for Mexican subnational governments. Based on municipal data for 2017-2019, our results prove that political variables significantly impact municipal debt. This paper highlights the elections' proximity and the incumbent mayor's electoral support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to identify the necessary or sufficient conditions that promote the installed photovoltaic (pv) capacity in Mexico. To do this, different configurations of conditions are identified, which can lead to the same desired case, through the comparative qualitative analysis of complex cases. The analysis suggests that, to boost the installed pv capacity, a long-term planning of the Mexican pv industry should be carried out. The starting point of such a plan should consists of the following five necessary conditions: a) tax credit for investment or production; b) feed in tariff & feed in premium; c) development of intellectual, technical and professional capital; d) the promotion of research and development of pv technology, and e) to include installed pv capacity in smart grids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the way in which the Mexican electorate modified the configuration of the party system after the 2018 election. By analyzing the structure and dynamics of electoral competition, it explores different dimensions to determine the magnitude of the electoral change and its translation in the party system after this election. For this purpose, the paper compares the results of the presidential and federal deputies' election in 2018, with the results of the elections held since the early 1990s. This research offers a historical perspective of the magnitude of the changes registered during this election in both the structure of electoral competition (the massive reorientation of the vote in a large part of the country, the re-concentration of power in a party, the reduction of partisan fragmentation and the changes in the nationalization of the vote of the main forces) and the dynamics of electoral competition (the emergence of the first government of the unified party from 1994, the effect of dragging the presidential election on legislative results). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we analyze some of the relevant elements of transparency associated to the public policy in education in five Mexican public universities. For this, we use multidimensional indexes based on indicators related to the main public programs in higher education. The analysis incorporate aspects of institutional performance, teaching staff, students and funding. As principal finding, it was identified that Mexican Public Universities have incorporated into their institutional discourse elements derived from educational policy as part of their processes of legitimation, considering the obligatory legal frame. This implies the incrementally approaching the dynamics of transparency present in the Mexican public administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the chemical hazards-related disaster risk reduction (drr) scheme in the petrochemical industry oriented city of Coatzacoalcos (Mexico) in the context of political decentralization. This work addresses the role of public-private partnerships, as well as the institutional environment around civil protection and chemical risk management. The paper identifies the scopes of action of public and private agents, and analyzes the legal framework, the informal political agreements and the non-legal regulations that allow these agents' collaboration. The study shows that the functionality of these partnerships is based on forms of trust that do not rely entirely on the normative framework established by State organizations and international agreements; the trust that underlies their schemes of collaboration is relatively autonomous from the bureaucratic side of this institutional environment. The study concludes that the benefits and rights accessed through personal networks are the core of the institutional environment around risk governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a characterization of water services as public services which purpose should be to generate public value. The case of the Monterrey's Metropolitan Area is analyzed; this case shows the complexity in creating public values for the social, financial and environmental sustainability of water services. Particularly, we analyze universal access, equity for consumption and affordability of water tariffs as public values for the social sustainability of water services. One of the main findings is that efficient water services utilities not necessarily generate public values. The case study shows a clear differentiation in water services access between urban and rural areas; different levels of consumption by income level; affordability; and a persistent loss of water in the water networks. All these aspects affect significantly the generation of public value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper estimates the cost of insecurity and crime (CID) in Mexico at a state level for 2013. The accounting approach is used, classifying costs as follows: anticipation, consequence or remedial, and response. Each of these is measured in terms of the state's gross domestic product and per capita. National average for CID in 2013 was 5.69 per cent of the gross domestic product. The average CID per capita is 6 799 Mexican pesos. It is observed that the richest states are the ones that spend the most. This relation deserves further discussion. We conclude that if the expenditure in public security were oriented to prevention of insecurity, social expenditure, infrastructure or some other area that may impact cultural change, economic growth and job generation, this would allow to boost greater social equality and opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the concept of environmental policy integration, qualitative expert interview and participative mapping, this paper focuses on the causes and consequences of environmental impacts on mangroves triggered by ill-coordinated public policies at México's southern Pacific coast. In this context, we identified not only the specific measures applied by governmental institutions and their impacts, but also other crucial political, socioeconomic, and environmental factors, which determined the scale and spatial extension of ecosystem degradation. As a result, public policies lacking environmental integration, particularly stream straightening and incentives to promote the production of biofuel made form African oil palms, were the decisive triggers, but not the sole agents of mangroves' degradation. The scale and spatial extension of observed impacts rather depend on multiply factors, not necessarily related to public policies. Moreover, an explicitly spatial dimension to the qualitative results is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops two methodological approaches for calculating the float factor of the stock market index (IPC) of the Mexican stock market (BMV). The first one assumes that the free float factor is approximated by the normalization of the daily market rotation of each title, while the second one uses the relative daily market rotation. In both cases, the float factor is simulated by a variable with mean reversion similar to the one proposed in Cox, Ingersoll and Ross' model (1985). The methodologies we have established here remedy the inability to replicate the IPC because of the elements of confidentiality that the float factor currently has. Moreover, the proposed flotation factor can be updated instantly given the nature of the developed models. The paper shows that the weights of the firms in the ipc, calculated by using the formulated methodologies, are substantially different from those provided by the BMV when applying its flotation factor, which contains discretionary components of information difficult to verify. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies information of 357 professors or researchers from 28 academic institutions in Mexico. All these individuals have published at least one paper between the years 2000 and 2010 in journals included in the EconLit data-base. The analysis indicates that these professors or researchers publish on average one paper in EconLit journals every two years and eight months. Moreover, most of these publications are concentrated in a small set of Mexican journals. On the other hand, few publications appear on prestigious international economics journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes and discusses the process of institutionalization of citizen participation in Mexican municipalities. The source for this exercise are the databases of Local Government Award (PGyGL) developed in the CIDE which analyze quantitatively and qualitatively the cases brought under the category of citizen participation. The aim is to discuss whether this involvement can be seen as a result of the change emerged in the process of transition towards a new institutional and whether it has instituted a practice of government. The paper has the following structure: in the first part discuss the process of institutional change and the role of citizen participation in local government in this process, secondly are discussed in general the results of PGyGL emphasizing the category of participation data citizen. In a third stage are discussed in detail the experiences that have achieved some recognition in order to evaluate the actors involved and main achievements of the programs, this allow us to know the evolution of the municipalities have had on this issue. We favor the use of empirical data that account for dimension of local government performance and its relationships with citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to investigate whether there is a significant correlation between energy subsidies in Mexico and some dimensions of sustainable development. In this sense are analyzed the CO2 emissions, subsidies per capita energy sector, the annual growth rate of gdp, electricity consumption per capita and the production of equivalent fossil fuel energy. This research has been between the 2004-2010 period in the recent history of that country. Finally the results are studied and also are established different recommendations related to energy policy and even are presented some possible future research lines in this entire topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analize four competitiveness indices for Mexican federative entities produced by two local higher educational institutions and two local agencies. The results indicate that while these studies require indicators to continuously improve their quality and explanatory power, these changes are greater compared to the main international competitiveness indices. Relevance and reliability for the economic planning will be greater for decision makers, policy makers and individuals concerned as usefulness and benchmarks in the design and monitoring of local public policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the government of Felipe Calderón (2006-2012), one of the most important issues on police reform was aimed at the elimination of municipal police or its incorporation into the local police aparatus. The idea that the state police can take over the tasks of the municipal police involves considering the role of both institutions as similar, or that the municipal policing activities could be included in the operation of the state police. In this context, the aim of this paper is to argue that at least some municipal police have quite distinct functions to state and cannot be replaced by the usual functions of the state police without substantial and irreplaceable loss of police service that municipalities offer its inhabitants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been an increase in papers in the economics literature that analyze interconnection issues. Most of these papers are highly technical and not readily accessible for people not trained in the economics tradition but oriented towards the study of telecommunications issues. This paper reviews the literature on interconnection by simplifying the technicalities and positing in an intuitive way the main arguments that are relevant for the practical analysis of interconnection. The paper is a bridge between the analytic literature and the practical job of studying interconnection issues. The paper studies one-way-interconnection and two-way-interconnection. We study the literature on efficient component pricing rule (ECPR), price caps and regulation based upon long run incremental cost. We also study interconnection models in two ways, the potential incentives for collusion and the incentives to price discriminate. We also study the issue of the high charges for mobile termination. We rationalize this as a competitive bottleneck and we relate this result with the disadvantages of the calling party pays scheme. In the end we make policy proposals that attempt to reduce market power issues that emerge in the interconnection analysis. The proposals also diminish the incentives to discriminate between on-net calls and off-net calls. In the policy proposals section we discuss schemes such as bill and keep and cost based regulation as tools that attempt to solve the interconnection problems that we find. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The percentage of women heading a municipal government has only increased a point (from 2.9 to 3.8%) over a decade (1986-2006), as opposed to women in other areas, for example the legislative sphere. This paradox has called the attention of several scholars. This paper reviews the literature on female municipal presidents produced in Mexico. The main debates, approaches and findings on the topic are identified. The paper concludes by pointing out some important research needs: state and regional case studies; the socioeconomic characterization of both male and female municipal presidents at the national level and from a comparative perspective; the analysis of the meanings and costs of political participation for women, and the construction of more sophisticated theoretical approaches, capable of explaining the social determinants at play when women make life choices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to analyze the relationship between the Mexican executive and legislative branches in foreign policy issues during the 2000-2006 period. While in quantitative terms there was not a significant change, the relationship between both branches was characterized by being conflictive. The key argument is that the confrontation between the Executive and the Legislative in foreign policy issues was due to the electoral interests of the key political actors. The paper is divided into three parts. The first one describes the theoretical and legal framework that explains the relationship between the Congress and the Executive in foreign policy matters. The second part analyzes this interaction from a quantitative perspective. Finally, the last part evaluates the relationship from a qualitative criterion, using the cases of the Mexican relationship towards the United States, Cuba and Venezuela. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Certainly, the appearance and implementation of the Career Professional Service (CPS) in the federal public administration has transformed, in many ways, the being and work of people management. However, we still do not know the real cost of its results. On the one side, its implementation has not been easy, filled with backward steps, obstacles and resistances, but, on the other side, it has had an interesting record of a series of advances. This paper is aimed at assessing these three years regarding the description of some results, the identification of strengths and weaknesses of the Career Professional Service, and to present some reflections on the present and future of this institution. The paper is divided in the following way: Problems and difficulties in the CPS implementation; CPS organization and results; CPS strength and tension points; Where are we going from here?; and Conclusions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to determine the presence of political budget cycles related to the elections of presidents in Mexico over the period 1980-2014. To do so, autoregressive and moving average models, extended to take account of economic shocks, are estimated for the total public expenditure, the programmable expenditure as well as the components of the latter. Our results suggest that economic shocks (measured by manufacturing production) play a minor role in the dynamics of public expenditure and, more important, that political budget cycles are present in total expenditure as well as current and capital expenditure, among others. This evidence reflects opportunist conducts of governments to remain in power as well as the use of public resources to benefit specific political groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the recent Mexico experience in the opening to competition in networks infrastructure mainly in the telecommunications sector. In spite of deregulation and privatization policies in the recent past, there are threats coming from regulatory failures which create obstacles in the process of maximizing the competition scope. The path from State-operation to “managed competition” leads to a deficient competition environment due to the excessive authority oversight, which make costly future, more ambitious, deregulation efforts. The paper focus on interconnection policy between the public telephone network operator and the new long distance carriers, and explore related provisions in natural gas and railroads. Also, it focus on spectrum policy allocation and the role of the new antitrust authority and the specialized regulatory agencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The metropolization phenomenon was increased in the last decades in the Latin American middle cities. Traditionally the metropolitan area is delimited by its political structure, each peripheral locality immersed in these geographical areas show dissimilar socioeconomic characteristics depending on their location, that is to say, with own characteristics of gravitation. Therefore, this paper presents a discussion of some international methodologies in the definition of metropolitan areas and proposes a probabilistic model approach to choose the most influential localities in its suburbs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to analyze the impact of Habitat program concerning social capital of urban poor communities that were intervened between 2009 and 2012 in Mexico. Following a randomized evaluation methodology or experimental type, and applying a difference-in-difference method (DID) to databases resulting from two surveys conducted in more than 11000 households located in 33 cities or metropolitan areas of the country, the conclusion was that the program positively impacted only one of the fourteen variables of the social capital index constructed for this purpose. That variable was prevailing trust between neighbors. Results indicated that the actions of Habitat were insufficient to favorably influence on other significant and specific dimensions of social capital, like participation, cooperation, solidarity, social cohesion or the exchange of useful information in communities, nor in the integral behavior index of social capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the local public action in peripheral neighborhoods that do not have water services and sewerage in five cities in the state of Chihuahua. In an analysis that integrates structural and self-management experiences in these colonies, it appears that access to water to some colonies, organizational structures depends on citizens, meanwhile, the residents retain a strong distrust of the political actors and a cold relationship with institutional structures of the political system. It is concluded that the economic crisis and legitimacy of government bodies persists associated with the ineffectiveness of innovative water management in cities and political marginalization of citizens in decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes steps towards environmental policy integration (EPI) in Mexico, with special emphasis in agricultural policy. So far, the country has mostly used communicative instruments to reach this aim. Semi-structured interviews with high-ranking officials from the ministries of Agriculture and of the Environment show that even though these measures break ground for public servants with the will to implement the principle of EPI in policy towards the countryside, they fail to make environmentally friendly policies mandatory. Yet, recent efforts to achieve this have attained some success. It remains to be seen if they are preserved and further enhanced by the next administrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows evidence about the compliance of the Wagner's Law at the level of the Mexican states during the period 1980-2007. This law sets that the growth of public spending is explained as a result of increased economic activity. To test compliance with the law, this study use the specification proposed by Peacock and Wiseman (1961), Musgrave (1969), and Goffman and Mahar (1971), which sets that public spending and output variables are related in their levels. The bulk of empirical research on the fulfillment of the law at the global level has been conducted investigating whether Wagner's Law is fulfilled in the country level, with few studies on its fulfillment at the level of states, provinces or regions into a country. By means of econometric methods of panel data analysis, the whole set of the states of the Mexican Republic is studied, so as three subgroups classified according to their GDP per capita. The results of the cointegration analysis suggest evidence in favor of compliance with the Wagner's Law in the study period and that compliance is a function of the level of development achieved by the states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to verify if there is any effect in the income distribution for the Mexican economy when applying a tax on fossil fuels in order to reduce CO2 emissions. In order to reach this goal a computable general equilibrium model was built following the Shoven and Whalley method. It is observed that the application of a tax achieves a reduction in fossil fuel demand, but it does not have any meaningful consequence on the income redistribution of the society. All the levels of the economy have a loss in welfare as a consequence of the application of this tax. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes the design of an early warning system (EWS) to evaluate the possibility of public debt crisis in Mexico. For the EWS construction we use the signal detection theory based on non-parametric statistics and exploratory data analysis. We generated a mainly classified index, which is able to adjust to debt fluctuations. The model is estimated using data for the period 1990-2010, taking financial ratios as classifiers, and as a target variable the total net debt of the public sector as a proportion of gdp. Our results are consistent with the theoretical proposition. This article is suggested as a manual to build up a monitoring tool that allows macroprudential analysis of public debt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some countries, including Mexico, are drug producers and exporters, although their domestic consumption is relatively low. They count with very few tools and resources to reduce drug demand (this, due to an exogenous variable), but they face a high social cost which is mainly caused by the activities of criminal groups. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze these groups using economic theory, and comes to it showing two things: a) production and drug traffic induce criminality, and the delinquents have a high probability of becoming hitmen, and b) public spending to fight drug cartels can cause criminals to violate agreements among them, leading to an increase in violence. Evidence for Mexico is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban freight transport has gained increasingly importance in today's world, where not only its contribution to the economic and social dynamics has been recognized, but also its negative externalities such as traffic congestion, energy consumption, pollution and road accidents. The aim of this paper is to globally evaluate the urban freight transport system within the metropolitan area of Queretaro (Mexico), particularly in relation with the public policies. The research puts into context the transport of goods in cities and the methodological efforts looking at assessing or monitoring of its effects. In the experimental aspect, this work introduces a new method together with its use in the geographical area of study. Results show a deficient performance in relation with the fulfillment of the proposed index concerning the international practices, mainly due to a lack of problem awareness on the part of national and local authorities. It is concluded that this method can serve as an aid to public administrations in diagnosing and intervening, on the basis of a paradigmatic shift in the way the problem is faced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper highlights the historical construction of the concept of rural development in Mexico, particularly is a synthesis of its institutionalization and its evolution in public policy by governments and development agencies. We emphasize the contents of the various rural development approaches, methodologies and the role of government. All this in order to reflect on the prospects of the Mexican rural development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies on financial dependence of Mexican states have concentrated on the effects of the National System of Fiscal Coordination, established in 1980, and regional characteristics of the states. In this paper we analyze the effects of the political framework over states' financial dependence on revenue sharing transfers. The variables comprising the political framework are constructed with the political affiliation of the state governor, the composition of the local congresses, the political affiliation of the Mexican president, and the electoral cycles. In order to study the influence of such framework, we propose and estimate empirical fixed effects models with the panel data approach. We use a data base consisting of a pooling of cross sectional (31 states) and annual time series (1998-2006). The results show evidence that the impact of confluence and political cycles on financial dependence is different, depending on political affiliation of the governor. It is in that sense that not only institutional, economic, fiscal, and regional factors influence states' financial dependence: the political framework is also important. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This investigation classifies Mexican states according to their strength for attracting clean development mechanism (CDM) projects, as a means to promote economic development from donating Annex I countries of the Kyoto Protocol. We calculated that 46.5 per cent of all cdm projects are concentrated in the states of Jalisco, Coahuila, Puebla, Durango and Veracruz. The study classifies the 32 Mexican states using cluster analysis, based on three dimensions: potential to achieve gas reductions, institutional capacities to tackle the environment; and the general investment climate. The technique creates five clusters where the key variable responds to greenhouse gas reduction projects. Findings have implications both for cdm policies, their federal and state coordination, and also for invest- ment readiness by some states that demonstrate institutional capabilities, but where State-owned Pemex and CFE have shown low attraction of projects and shallow institutional commitment. The paper contributes to analyze the distribution of this type of projects at sub-national level, and their pulling and limiting forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on hard data, this paper studies some of the features of bank lending to firms in Mexico which are of interest to economic theory and looks for evidence of statistically significant differences between the loans provided by commercial and development banks. The analysis is based on a comparison of characteristics of the loans (the existence of collateral, loan purpose, etc.) as well as those of the borrowers (if they are firms or persons, their size, their economic activity, etc.). It is found that the loans granted by mexican development banks are not always similar to those granted by private banks. However, differences do not necessarily imply that development banks mitigate the market imperfections from which credit exclusion emerges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Almost two hundred years after the term gerrymandering was first used in Massachusetts, redistricting remains a complex and politicized process that affects the way the legislative branches are conformed and the quality of political representation around the world. In this paper, we describe the redistricting process in California and ask how it would work if it were to be implemented by an independent agent (instead of the local legislature or a bipartisan commission). Using a simulated annealing redistricting algorithm we create a hypothetical scenario that reduces significantly partisan bias in the state. Developed by the Mexican Federal Electoral Institute in 2005, this optimization model allowed us to recreate California's 53 Congressional districts and to analyze their racial and electoral composition. We found systematic evidence that the majority party in local legislature ends up with electoral benefits every time districts are drawn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the relationship between the arrival of news on macroeconomic performance and the Mexican stock market. We examine the reaction of daily excess returns of the stock price index, "indice de precios y cotizaciones" (IPC), as well as of seven portfolios from the Mexican stock market, "Bolsa Mexicana de Valores" (BMV), to announcements on macroeconomic variables of Mexico and the US. We use garch models and focus on the unexpected or surprising component of the news about macroeconomic performance. The study covers the period 2003-2008. We find that the dynamics of daily returns in the Mexican stock market is linked to the arrival of new information (surprises) on macroeconomic fundamentals of both Mexico and the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the Mexican automobile and truck industries, and estimates the long run functional relationship between these industries and the automobile industry in the USA. The methodology consists of a cointegration analysis of the two series in the long run and the estimation of an autoregressive vector to evaluate the response of the Mexican automobile industry to shocks coming from the US automobile industry. The results show a longrun positive functional relationship between the US car industry and the Mexican car and truck industries, and also a shortterm positive shock with four periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is aimed at assessing the impact of deregulation initiatives on the recent performance of Mexico's airline industry. By doing so, three econometric models are estimated with the view of differentiating the weights of deregulation variables from the ones of non-deregulation variables. The main statistical findings support the idea that deregulation in Mexico's airlines: 1) has had only a marginal positive effect on the number of passengers; 2) has been no influential in establishing a definite competitive price structure in the market, and 3) has rendered insufficient benefits for improving competition conditions in the airline market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the spatial patterns and trends of vehicle theft crimes in Mexico City. Data on arrests and criminal warrants are examined at the municipality and police sector levels. Also, series are examined in a yearly, monthly and daily fashion. This allows the detection of hot spots and the probabilistic forecasting of vehicle theft crimes on a daily basis. This is performed within reasonable limits of data reliability, sampling error, and in disconnection from theoretical postulates. Findings are discussed in relationship to criminal prevention policy actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the results of analyzing an investment policy about water supply, sewerage and sanitation in the Mexican economy. The authors evaluated the effects of a fiscal policy that taxes the water consumption of various economical sectors so that the funds raised will finance the investment in water supply and waste water sector. In order to evaluate the economic impact, the authors use a computable general equilibrium model. It is concluded that there is an optimal level of investment in the water supply sector which is closely linked to the form of financing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are some scholars who believe that Mexican political science has followed the standard of American political science and the former has accumulated the same flaws of the later, whereas other scholars consider that the practice of the discipline is still far from the American standard but that should be its goal. The current discussion is dominated by personal impressions rather than by empirical evaluations on the actual state of the discipline. This paper analyzes a sample of 231 published articles in three leading political science journals between 1990 and 2007. Contrary to beliefs about the Americanization of Mexican political science, results show that the later is dominantly descriptive, monographic and qualitative. The main conclusion is that beyond debating the preeminence of any method in particular, the discipline in Mexico will contribute more to the extent that it starts debating substantive aspects of the research methods and processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper discusses the conditions for microenterprises to remain in the market. The analysis demonstrates that microenterprises facing tight constraints may remain in the market only if they are capable of achieving increasing returns and economies of scale that shift down their average cost curves towards more competitive levels. This finding is supported by the analysis of a sample of 95 Mexican microenterprises, and by the estimation of a production optimization model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the finance policy through contestable extraordinary funds implemented by the Mexican Ministry of Public Education in the state public universities between 2001 and 2005. The results show that this allocation mechanism of public resources has been effective to reward their institutional consolidation. It has also improved their social returns and their contribution to the educational equity through a better quality higher education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates to what extent the end-of-sample problem inherent to the Hodrick-Prescott (HP) filter may be ameliorated when estimating the output gap. For that purpose, the filter of St-Amant and van Norden (1997) is proposed using Mexican data under both univariate and multivariate methods. As a reference, the filter of Christiano and Fitzgerald (2003) and a simple linear trend method are also used. On average, the results suggest that both the univariate method of St-Amant and van Norden and the linear trend method may significantly decrease the end-of-sample problem of the HP filter. These results are used to interpret the conduct of monetary policy in Mexico during 2001-2002. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On these current days, the world's economic map is dominated by clusters or economic groupings, present in almost all geographical levels, which have demonstrated to be critical masses with an unusual success on specific fields. Such clusters are groupings of firms and related institutions that compete, and at the same time cooperate. In this new context of economic activity organization, industrial groupings (clusters) are fundamental, and their performance has become a key factor for cities', regions' and nations' competitive advantages. In this paper, I analyze and implement a methodology that identifies benchmark clusters, useful for applied regional based economic studies. The approach addressed here, applied to the Mexican economy, is based on Feser and Bergman's methodology, and an extension due to Rey and Mattheis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes and tries to quantify the effects of some factors that have affected costs of state owned electric utilities in Mexico (energy losses, fuel and labor). It is noted that the impact of the increase in fuel prices on the electric utilities' total cost in the last years has been important. However, the "over-cost" associated to energy losses and labor is also significant and comparable to the impact of the increase in fuel prices. The structure of cross subsidies in the industry is also described, pointing out that it is complex and makes the performance evaluation of the state owned electric utilities difficult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tests some of the main fraud allegations of the 2006 presidential election in Mexico with the evidence from a statistical analysis of precinct-level data. First, I analyze the data flow from the quick count, the preliminary results (PREP) and the official district tally (cómputo distrital). Secondly, I analyze the size and distribution of errors in the polling-station acts and the partial recount. Lastly, I consider atypical precincts and the role of party representatives. My main conclusion is that, since most fraud allegations are not supported by the evidence, the presidential election outcome is statistically reliable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The disputed presidential elections of 2006 moved the PRI to third place of preferences. While there was a deep polarization between the parties of left and right, and errors in the PRI's campaign, it is also possible to find another cause in the process of choosing the candidate Roberto Madrazo. This paper reconstructs the nomination process of 2005, as well as the historical and short-term conditions that made it possible, the internal confrontations and recomposition of interests of political groups in the PRI, which allowed, for the first time in the history of this party, to make its leader a presidential candidate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper contrasts public policies to enforce the payment of water services provided by two water utilities at the US-Mexico border. Our study shows that different payment enforcement strategies are shaped by the institutional context of each city. More importantly, these findings suggest that a high rate of nonpayment is associated with inadequate institutional arrangements that involve utilities, local politicians, and water users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our paper offers a first analysis on the evolution and behaviour of enrollment to the undergraduate degrees of PC and PCPA in Mexico during 1974-2004. We emphasized an increase in enrollment, more accentuated for pcpa, which is explained to a great extent by the expansion of private institutions, particularly in the last ten years. A decentralization process is also observed, increasing the participation in province, as well as a growing participation of women. Our analysis suggests the political context is relevant for the election of cp, whereas the relevance of the State is useful to explain the fluctuations in the enrolment pcpa. Finally, a substitution effect between cp and economy and ri is also observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) dominated Mexican politics for over 70 years, but its fortunes have been sliding in the past two decades, capped by its loss of the presidency in 2000. The results for the PRI were even worse in 2006, with a third-place finish in the presidential race and significant losses in both houses of the legislature. This paper examines whether or not the PRI risks going from being a dominant party to a third party in a Mexican two-party system. The results suggest that the PRI has fallen behind, but that it may have a limited window to regroup based upon comparative regional advantage in the northern and southern states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]