Browsing by Author "Vergara, Rodrigo"

Now showing 1 - 11 of 11
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    Business cycle and political election outcomes: Evidence from the Chilean democracy
    (2007) Cerda, Rodrigo; Vergara, Rodrigo
    This paper explores the influence of economic variables in Chilean presidential elections. We use a panel where the dependent variable corresponds to the share of the vote obtained by the incumbent at a municipal level in the presidential elections of 1989, 1993 and 1999. We focus on the unemployment rate and the output gap and find that both have a significant influence on the vote. We also find that if the mayor is from the same coalition as the incumbent, people will further punish the incumbent when regional unemployment is above national unemployment.
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    Compared to self-immersion, mindful attention reduces salivation and automatic food bias
    (2017) Baquedano, Constanza; Vergara, Rodrigo; López Hernández, Vladimir; Fabar, Catalina; Cosmelli, Diego; Lutz, Antoine
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    Do large retailers affect employment? Evidence from an emerging economy
    (2008) Rivero, Rosario; Vergara, Rodrigo
    This article studies the effect of the emergence of large retailers (hypermarkets and department stores) on employment in the commerce sector in the regions of Chile. We use a panel with quarterly data from 11 Chilean regions for the period 1996 to 2004. Our results indicate that the entry of large retailers produces a discrete increase in employment in the commerce sector in the quarter that the entry occurs. We also find that there is an additional positive effect on employment throughout the year entry occurs, suggesting that suppliers or other parts of the chain of production follow the large retailer into the local market. However, after the first year of the entry there is a partial reversion, suggesting that smaller retailers exit or contract in response to the entry of the large retailer. The net effect on employment of the entry of a large retailer is an increase of 300 jobs.
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    Economic Growth and Political Approval Ratings: Evidence from Latin America
    (2023) Cerda, Rodrigo; Vergara, Rodrigo
    Using a panel of 17 Latin American countries for the period 2002-18, we study the impact of economic variables on government approval. Our empirical analysis shows that the one economic variable that appears consistently in all estimates is economic growth. More specifically, we show that for each point of additional growth, the approval rating increases between 1.1 and 1.9 percentage points. Other variables, such as inflation, government spending, and the composition of spending, are significant in only some of the specifications used, while growth is remarkably robust in all of them. Among non-economic variables, the lack of solid institutions also appears consistently as significant as well as the lagged value of government approval ratings. These results suggest that a program focused on growth has a positive influence on the popularity of the government. This conclusion is particularly relevant in a region where populism has been remarkably persistent over time and where the norm has been to run large budget deficits to gain popular support, with consequences on inflation and the external accounts.
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    Entry and prices: Evidence from the supermarket sector
    (2007) Lira, Loreto; Rivero, Rosario; Vergara, Rodrigo
    The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect on prices of the entry of a large supermarket into a given location. We use a panel with data from fifteen cities in Chile for the period 1998: I-2004: IV. We correct for the potential simultaneity problem derived from the fact that entry can be a response to price differentials. We find that the entry of a hypermarket to a given city reduces relative prices in that local market by 7-11%. Most interestingly, we also find that part of this effect takes place the year before the supermarket actually opens for business.
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    Evaluación de la efectividad, seguridad y costos del tratamiento antimicrobiano intravenoso ambulatorio (TAIA) vs hospitalizado en infección urinaria en pediatría
    (2013) Peña Donati, Anamaría; Zambrano, Alexsandra; Alvarado, Muriel; Cerda, Jaime; Vergara, Rodrigo
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    Government Subsidies and Presidential Election Outcomes: Evidence for a Developing Country
    (PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD, 2008) Cerda, Rodrigo; Vergara, Rodrigo
    We explore the effects of government subsidies on presidential elections in Chile in 1989-99. We use a panel with three periods (the elections of 1989. 1993, and 1999) and 229 counties. We correct for the potential simultaneity problem deriving front the fact that an incumbent facing a difficult political scenario might react by increasing subsidies to improve his/her electoral performance. Our results indicate that the greater the coverage of these types of programs (i.e., the percentage of people receiving subsidies), the higher the votes for the incumbent. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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    Modification of pertussis vaccination schedule in Chile, immunization of special groups and control strategies. Commentary from the Consultive Committee of Immunizations of The Chilean Society of Infectious Diseases
    (SOC CHILENA INFECTOLOGIA, 2012) Potin, Marcela; Cerda, Jaime; Contreras, Lily; Munoz, Alma; Ripoll, Erna; Vergara, Rodrigo
    In Chile, an increased number of notifications of cases of whooping cough was detected at the beginning of October 2010, and maintained through 2012. Accumulated cases during 2011 were 2,581 (15.0 per 100,000), which is greater than the number of cases registered during the period 2008-2010 (2,460 cases). On the other hand, the local sanitary authority introduced a modification of pertussis vaccination schedule (starting 2012), which consists in the replacement of the second booster of pertussis vaccine (DTwP, administered to 4-year-old children) as well as diphtheria-tetanus toxoid (dT, administered to second grade scholars) for an acellular pertussis vaccine with reduced antigenic content (dTpa), which will be administrated to first grade scholars. The Consultive Committee of Immunizations considers that the modification is adequate, since it extends the age of protection, reducing at least in theory the infection in older scholars and adolescents who are significant sources of transmission of Bordetella pertussis to infants using an adequate vaccine formulation (acellular pertussis vaccine). The available evidence regarding vaccination in special groups (adolescents and adults, health-care workers and pregnant women) and cocooning strategy are commented.
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    Prices and market structure: an empirical analysis of the supermarket industry in Chile
    (2012) Lira, Loreto; Ugarte, Magdalena; Vergara, Rodrigo
    This article investigates empirically the relationship between market structure and consumer prices in the supermarket industry in Chile. A panel of monthly data from 16 cities in the period January 1998-September 2006 is used. We find that, the more concentrated the industry in a city, the higher the prices, while the participation of major national chains in cities tends to lower prices. In terms of magnitude, this latter effect prevails over the former. Moreover, the dominant local chain is found to behave differently depending on whether or not one of the national chains is present in the city. Finally, we find that prices rise when a national chain acquires another chain and both were previously in a city (inmerge) while if only one of the two was present (outmerge), prices fall.
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    Rotavirus genotypes in children with gastroenteritis assisted in two public hospitals from Chile: viral strains circulating in a country without a universal vaccination against rotavirus
    (SOC CHILENA INFECTOLOGIA, 2012) Lucero, Yalda; Mamani, Nora; Cortes, Hector; Pena, Alfredo; Vergara, Rodrigo; O'Ryan, Miguel
    Background: Rotavirus is the main cause of severe gastroenteritis (GE) in children. Two vaccines currently available have proven efficacy against the predominant genotypes. Rotavirus genotypes vary both geographically and/or temporally. Genotype surveillance is important to monitor trends associated or not with vaccine use. Aim: To update information on rotavirus genotypes circulating in two main cities of Chile. Methodology: Between May 2009-March 2010, children < 5y of age receiving medical care for GE in two large hospitals were recruited; none of these children had received rotavirus vaccine previously. Epidemiological information was recorded in an ad-hoc form and stool samples were collected for rotavinis detection by a commercial ELISA. Genotyping was performed by semi-nested RT-PCR. Results: A total of 296/967 samples (31%) were positive for rotavirus, with a peak in November/December mostly in children 7-24 months old (67%). G9P[8] was the predominant genotype (76%), followed for G1P[8] (6%) and G2P[4] (6%) in both cities. Conclusions: Rotavirus caused one third of GE requiring emergency room care and/or hospitalization, mostly in children within an age range susceptible to benefit from rotavirus vaccines. G9P[8], a genotype against which rotavirus vaccines have demonstrated high efficacy, was by far the most frequent rotavirus variant. Continued surveillance in Chile is crucial for providing background information on disease burden and strain diversity before the introduction of rotavirus vaccines.
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    Unemployment insurance in Chile: Does it stabilize the business cycle?
    (2007) Cerda, Rodrigo; Vergara, Rodrigo
    We explore the stabilizing effects of unemployment insurance in Chile. A dynamic general equilibrium model is calibrated for the Chilean economy for the 1960-2000 period. We assume that the economy is subject to exogenous technological shocks and that a fraction of the population is liquidity constrained. Our main conclusion is that unemployment insurance has some stabilizing effect on the business cycle, especially on consumption, but that this effect is of the second order of magnitude. We also find that the larger the fraction of the population that is liquidity constrained, the more likely the program is welfare improving. Our results suggest that the objective of stabilizing the business cycle would be more efficiently achieved using alternative instruments. (C) 2006 Society for Policy Modeling. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.