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Reflections: Pitfalls and Possibilities A View from the South. Cassio M. Turra Princeton University. Why should we be enthusiastic?. Impact of first results in 2000. Historical data can elucidate determinants of intergenerational transfers.
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Reflections: Pitfalls and PossibilitiesA View from the South Cassio M. Turra Princeton University
Why should we be enthusiastic? • Impact of first results in 2000. • Historical data can elucidate determinants of intergenerational transfers. • Lee’s model has evolved: golden-rule and steady-state assumptions have been relaxed. Integration with Mason’s saving model. • More emphasis on the role played by familial transfers: 70% of municipalities in Brazil have higher income from SS than FPM.
Reflecting on Latin America’s Economy • Effects of Inflation: • “Transfer Role”: Inflation Tax • 3.5% of GDP in 1987 (Brazil) • We don’t know the age profile of holders of currency • “Transfer Role”: Partial indexation of the economy. • Retirement Benefits may have lost real value during the 1980s. • “Credit Role”: Money supply
Reflecting on Latin America’s Economy • Future Trends: • Determinants of Interest Rate • Is the rate endogenous in the model? • How sensitive are the results to changes in the rate used in the model? • Determinants of Growth Rate • Is the rate endogenous in the model? • What’s the role played by public expenditures with education and health in promoting economic growth?
Possibilities: Intergenerational Transfers and Poverty • Bravo’s suggestion last meeting; PB in Brazil • Intergenerational equity: concept loses importance in face of persistent inequality and current poverty rates in Latin America. • Historical data and future trends can cast light on the dynamics of inequality in Latin America • Discussion on public policy changes and intergenerational transfers can’t be divorced from debate on poverty.
Age, Poverty Rates and Public Transfers in Brazil (Paes de Barros and Carvalho 2003)
Possibilities: Inter and Intra-generational Transfers • How valid is the concept of “average individual” in a heterogeneous country? • Life cycle trajectories and demographic changes may vary substantially among population subgroups. • Example1: Differences between pay-as-you-go systems for private workers and civil servants. • Example 2: Informal economy.