Second Partial Exam

Second Partial Exam Choosing paper work instead of written exam Doing Business in Mexico Professor Carla Diez de Marina Salcedo Thursday, October 8th Read and Report on one of the following papers Contents I.

General directions

II. Work Specifications III. Titles of papers to choose from; 1. Measuring Quality of Life in Latin America: What Happiness Research Can (and Cannot) Contribute, 45 pages, Abstract 2. How much are we willing to pay to send poor adolescents to school? Simulating changes to Mexico’s Opotunidades in urban areas, 21 pages, Abstract 3. Latin America to 2020 a UK Public Strategy Paper, 21 pages 4. Latin America 2020: Discussing Long-Term Scenarios , 14 pages General directions You will find 4 options of articles (and papers) in this power point presentation. Either article may help increase your understanding of Latin America and specifically about México and therefore, make your experience in México much more enjoyable. ➢ Choose one and only one of them. ➢ Summarize and report on the chosen document. ➢ Report must be written as a word processor document, printed out and handed to professor at 5:30pm on Thursday, October 8th ,in the classroom. ➢ After handing the document, student should take attendance and leave the room.

Work specifications ➢ Maximum length of report; 4 pages double spaced, following APA or MLA style (either style will be accepted). ➢ Report must contain; ✔ Introductory paragraph ✔ Summary (body of the reading) ✔ Personal statement about the reading ✔ Bibliography ➢ Name of student, Student ID #, Date, Title of the work, Name of the subject and content of the work, are expected to be included in the first page.

Measuring Quality of Life in Latin America: What Happiness Research Can (and Cannot) Contribute Carol Graham, The Brookings Institution and University of Maryland, November 2008 Available in: http://www.iadb.org/res/pub_desc.cfm?pub_id=WP-652&Language=Spanish 45 pages Abstract This paper addresses the issues involved in taking a broader, quality of lifebased approach rather than an income-based approach to assessing welfare. Using tools provided by the economics of happiness and relying on both largescale surveys and field research in Latin America, the paper shows how a quality of life approach can help to evaluate the welfare effects of factors ranging from health, education, and unemployment status to institutional arrangements such as inequality and opportunity. Nonetheless, directly inferring policy implications from the results is problematic because of factors including norms and expectations based on differences in the way individuals answer questions to surveys and lack of clarity in the definition of happiness. The latter allows for research comparisons across individuals and cultures but presents challenges as a basis for policymaking.

HOW MUCH ARE WE WILLING TO PAY TO SEND POOR ADOLESCENTS TO SCHOOL? SIMULATING CHANGES TO MEXICO’S OPORTUNIDADES IN URBAN AREAS by Viviane Azevedo, César P. Bouillon, Patricia Yáñez-Pagans, Inter-American Development Bank, June 2008 Available in: http://www.iadb.org/res/pub_desc.cfm?pub_id=WP-680&Language=Spanish 21 pages Abstract •

Although Mexico’s Conditional Cash Transfer Program Oportunidades has increased overall school enrollment, many adolescents do not attend school, especially in urban areas. This paper simulates the effects of changes in program design using a simple parametric method based on a simultaneous probability model of school attendance and child labor. The paper also provides alternative non parametric simulation results by extending Todd and Wolpin’s (2006) method to incorporate changes in working hours when attending school. The results indicate that eliminating or reducing school subsidies for primary education and increasing transfer for older students is a cost-effective way to raise overall school enrollment in urban areas. Increasing school attendance of 16-year-olds to 80 percent or more, however, would require a quadrupling of scholarships. This suggests that complementary interventions are needed.

Latin America to 2020 a UK Public Strategy Paper Content I. Why Latin America matters to the United Kingdom II. The Latin American context III. Latin America to 2020 IV. The UK approach

V. UK Available in: http://www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/pdf16/fco_ukstrategypaperbooklet07 21 pages NO abstract available.

Latin America 2020: Discussing Long-Term Scenarios Summary of conclusions of the workshop on Latin American Trends Santiago de Chile, 7-8 June 2004 for the National Intelligence Council Global Trends 2020 Project1

Available in: http://www.dni.gov/nic/PDF_GIF_2020_Support/2004_06_06_papers/la_summary .pdf 14 pages, No abstract available