https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/18969 2026-04-03T20:42:56Z https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/48530 Title: Ensaios em Finanças Públicas: Um Enfoque nas Despesas por Função de Governo Abstract: This thesis investigates how the functional composition of public expenditures influences economic performance, fiscal dynamics, and the territorial organization of public spending. Based on the premise that the effects of the State do not derive solely from the total volume of resources but mainly from the way these resources are distributed across different budgetary functions, the study articulates evidence at three levels of analysis: international, national, and municipal. At the international level, the relationship between public expenditures classified according to the COFOG system and GDP per capita is analyzed using a panel of 74 advanced and emerging countries between 2010 and 2019 through panel data models estimated via system GMM. The results highlight the relevance of environmental protection and health expenditures for economic growth, while spending on public order/safety and economic affairs shows a negative relationship with economic activity. At the national level, the dynamic relationship between revenues and expenditures of the Brazilian central government is investigated using bimonthly data from 2009 to 2024, employing ARDL and NARDL models combined with cointegration tests. The results indicate a long-run relationship between revenue collection and several expenditure functions, a predominance of the spend–revenue hypothesis, the presence of asymmetries in fiscal adjustments, and a relevant influence of financial expenditures in the dissociation of the long-run fiscal equilibrium. At the municipal level, the dynamics of per capita public expenditures between 2015 and 2024 are analyzed by combining spatial econometrics and convergence tests. The results reveal stable positive spatial autocorrelation, the absence of national convergence, and the formation of two convergence clubs, indicating that municipal fiscal inequalities reflect persistent spatial structuring and institutional heterogeneity. 2026-02-11T00:00:00Z https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/47237 Title: Ensaios sobre política fiscal: expectativas, dívida pública e câmbio Abstract: This thesis investigates issues related to fiscal policy in Brazil, with a focus on its interaction with monetary policy, market expectations, and the exchange rate. The study is structured into three essays. The first essay conducts an empirical analysis of the demand for Letra Financeira do Tesouro (LFTs) in relation to the Central Bank’s repo operations, employing ARDL, DOLS, and FMOLS models. The study explores how these instruments interact within the framework of Brazilian monetary policy and public debt. Thus, the objective of this essay is to empirically analyze the determinants of the behavior of demand for LFTs relative to the demand for the securities underlying the Central Bank of Brazil’s repo operations. The econometric results suggest that LFTs exhibit a long-term relationship that is inversely associated with repo operations and exchange rate fluctuations, while positively associated with the expansion of the public debt stock. Therefore, the volume of LFTs demanded depends on the behavior of these other variables. The second essay analyzes the role of fiscal policy and expectations in the Brazilian economy from a Keynesian and post-keynesian perspective. This approach integrates both a theoretical review and econometric analysis. Accordingly, the objective of this essay is, on the one hand, to examine the theoretical contributions of Keynes and the post-keynesians regarding the role of fiscal policy in the formation of expectations and, on the other hand, to provide empirical evidence on the impacts of fiscal variables on economic expectations during the period from January 2008 to May 2025. To achieve these objectives, VAR/VEC econometric models are employed, whose empirical results converge with the theoretical debate and prior empirical studies on the subject, suggesting that the economic uncertainty index, which captures market expectations, is influenced by fiscal variables such as public debt and the primary balance. Finally, the third essay investigates the relationship between fiscal dominance and the exchange rate in Brazil from 2003 to 2025, following the approach proposed by Blanchard (2004) for open economies. The research combines theoretical review and empirical analysis of the coordination between fiscal and monetary policies. The objective of this essay is to analyze whether fiscal dominance was present in Brazil during the period from January 2008 to May 2025, considering an open economy with free capital mobility. The results suggest that the behavior of the real effective exchange rate in Brazil appears to be relatively insensitive to fiscal policy, in terms of both the primary balance and public debt, over the period analyzed. In the Keynesian and post-keynesian tradition, however, other factors condition the behavior of the exchange rate in Brazil, such as international liquidity conditions and the real flows of goods and services between the domestic economy and the rest of the world. 2025-08-29T00:00:00Z https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/46469 Title: Ensaios sobre dilemas da regulação econômica por agências no saneamento básico brasileiro Abstract: This dissertation investigates whether the establishment of regulatory agencies in Brazil’s basic sanitation sector is necessary and beneficial. The analysis begins by acknowledging the sector’s structural deficits and institutional challenges, and examines whether economic regulation—particularly through autonomous agencies—contributes to improving service provision. After discussing the economic characteristics of the sector and the history of public policies, the thesis applies empirical approaches to evaluate the effects of regulation on performance and public health indicators. The findings suggest that regulatory agencies have limited and often statistically insignificant effects. Furthermore, the decision to create these agencies does not always reflect the public interest and may be driven by strategic motivations. The research also highlights the weakness of external control mechanisms, such as municipal sanitation councils, which tend to operate ineffectively. The conclusion is that while regulation remains relevant, its effectiveness depends on institutional conditions and the strength of supervisory instruments. 2025-06-27T00:00:00Z https://repositorio.ufu.br/handle/123456789/45643 Title: Três ensaios sobre trabalho reprodutivo, violência contra as mulheres e saúde mental Abstract: The socially constructed differences between men and women manifest across various political, social, and economic spheres, leading to a range of gender inequalities. In this context, this Doctoral Thesis aims to investigate the interrelationship between the sexual division of labor, violence against women, and mental health. To this end, three essays were structured to progressively address these topics, demonstrating their interdependence. All studies used data from the 2019 National Health Survey (PNS). The first study examines the extent to which reproductive labor 3 understood here as the sum of household chores and caregiving 3 affects men’s and women’s labor market conditions, particularly their likelihood of holding a formal job, working part-time, or being self-employed. To address potential issues of endogeneity and selection bias, instrumental variable estimators and Probit models with selection were employed. The main findings indicate that both performing household chores and the time devoted to reproductive labor reduce the likelihood of formal employment and increase the probability of working part-time or being self-employed. These effects are observed for both genders but are more pronounced among women. The second study investigates whether paid work influences the occurrence of violence against women, examining the potential protective effect of employment, as proposed by the "marital bargaining theory", or an increased risk of victimization, in line with the "backlash theory". To mitigate the widely recognized endogeneity problem in the literature, instrumental variable models were applied. The results suggest that, when correcting for endogeneity, there is evidence of a protective effect of paid work. Finally, the third study connects the key discussions from the previous essays 3 reproductive labor and victimization 3 to women's mental health. Linear probability models and Probit models were estimated, along with robustness tests using the Propensity Score Matching methodology. The findings indicate that experiencing violence significantly increases the likelihood of exhibiting depressive symptoms, particularly moderate, severe, and very severe depression. Regarding reproductive labor, the results suggest that engaging in caregiving increases the probability of experiencing depressive symptoms, especially severe cases, while performing household chores does not consistently yield significant effects. In addition to the main analyses, all studies conduct heterogeneity analyses, highlighting the importance of considering sociodemographic differences among women and the distinct ways in which gender-related phenomena impact them. 2025-04-29T00:00:00Z