| Hello, *|NOME|* For the third consecutive year, IMDS is promoting in partnership with SBE (Brazilian Society of Econometrics) the IMDS-SBE Award, created with the objective of fostering research in the field of social mobility. For this 3rd edition of the award, which will be delivered in a ceremony held next Thursday, the 12th, at 7:30 pm, during the 46th Brazilian Meeting of Econometrics (46th EBE), individual or collective works competed in the areas of applied microeconomics or macroeconomic equilibrium models, addressing thematic sub-lines related to social mobility. The submitted papers were evaluated by the Scientific Committee of the 46th EBE, and the two finalists are already known. These are the articles "Does University Expansion Promote Entrepreneurship?", by Bruna Alvarez, Bruna de Abreu Martins and Daniel Da Mata (all from FGV-EESP) and "The Effects of Urban Violence on Primary Health Care Services: Evidence from Poor Neighborhoods in Rio de Janeiro", by Vinicius Peçanha (Institute for Health Policy Studies - IEPS), Julia Guerra (FGV-SP), Rudi Rocha (FGV-EAESP), Christopher Millett and Thomas Hone (both from Imperial College London). Both papers will be presented by their authors on Thursday (12/12) at 08:30 am, at the SBE Special Session/Imds-SBE Award, as part of the official program of the Meeting.
The first article analyzes the effects of the expansion of public universities in Brazil between 1998 and 2019 and highlights a 21% increase in the number of companies per 1,000 inhabitants in regions traditionally less attractive for business. This growth was mainly driven by micro and small companies concentrated in the retail and services sectors. Two factors explain these results: the increase in local demand generated by the arrival of students and workers, and the impact of more qualified human capital, with an average increase of 75% in the number of workers with higher education and an increase of 112% in the number of patents registered. The authors also explore alternative scenarios of university expansion, suggesting more strategic allocations to maximize impact on entrepreneurship. The findings underscore the relevance of evidence-based public policies to promote innovation, regional development, and reduce economic inequalities.
The second addresses the impacts of urban violence on the use of Primary Health Care services between 2009 and 2016, focusing on the city of Rio de Janeiro (RJ). The research highlights how episodes of violence, especially shootings resulting from conflicts between criminal factions and police operations, disproportionately affect the poorest areas. Using several databases with high spatial precision, the authors identify the causal effects of violence on the health system. Estimates indicate that police operations result in a 12.7% reduction in primary health procedures, with a greater impact on home visits. Conflicts between armed groups, in turn, lead to a 7.1% drop in the total number of procedures. These results show that urban violence not only compromises access to health services, but also aggravates inequalities in the use of these services. The two selected works have in common the discussion of the effects of public interventions directed at historically disadvantaged regions. While the first highlights the positive impacts of university expansion on economic growth and the reduction of inequalities, the second highlights the adverse effects of conflicts between criminal factions and police operations on the provision of health services and the deepening of inequalities. During the 46th EBE, IMDS will also promote the special session "Childhood and the challenges of literacy", on the same day 12/12, at 3:45 pm. The panel will feature the participation of Gisele Alves (eduLab21 and Ayrton Senna Institute), Flávio Riva (IMDS) and Renan Sargiani (Edube Institute), and will be mediated by Paulo Tafner (IMDS). Flávio Riva will present data on the literacy levels and reading and writing skills of Brazilian children. Gisele Alves will discuss the advances in the cognitive science of reading, highlighting the stages of learning and the strategies to make this process more efficient. Renan Sargiani will address the research and scientific reports that have systematized evidence on how people learn to read and write, in addition to the importance of data-based public policies, bringing examples of successful practices in Brazil and around the world. The 46th Meeting of the Brazilian Society of Econometrics begins today (10/12) at SERHS Natal Grand Hotel & Resort in the city of Natal (RN), and runs until next Friday, 13/12, with a rich program presented by prominent economists and researchers from various institutions in Brazil and abroad. Follow IMDS on LinkedIn for updates on the event, including the release of the 2024 IMDS-SBE Award winning work! See you in the next "IMDS Letter"! Paulo Tafner CEO |
