Working Paper
Firm specific human capital vs. job matching: a new test
Quintin, Erwan; Stevens, John J. (2003)
We use a unique data set on employee turnover by industry in Arizona to test competing theories of turnover. We find that industries with lower establishment survival rates have more employee turnover, even after controlling for differences in the distribution of employee tenure. This result is consistent with a model of turnover where employees choose how much firm specific human capital to accumulate, but it is inconsistent with job matching models.
Finance and Economics Discussion Series , Paper 2003-33

Working Paper
Growing old together: firm survival and employee turnover
Quintin, Erwan; Stevens, John J. (2005)
Labor market outcomes such as turnover and earnings are correlated with employer characteristics, even after controlling for observable differences in worker characteristics. We argue that this systematic relationship constitutes strong evidence in favor of models where workers choose how much to invest in future productivity. Because employer characteristics are correlated with firm survival, returns to these investments vary across firm types. We describe a dynamic general equilibrium model where workers employed in firms more likely to survive choose to devote more time to productivity ...
Finance and Economics Discussion Series , Paper 2005-22

Journal Article
Beyond the border: the politics of Brazil's financial troubles
Quintin, Erwan; Gruben, William C. (2002-09)
Southwest Economy , Issue Sep , Pages 9-10

Working Paper
The implications of capital-skill complementarity in economies with large informal sectors
Quintin, Erwan; Amaral, Pedro S. (2004)
In most developing nations, formal workers tend to be more experienced, more educated, and earn more than informal workers. These facts are often interpreted as evidence that low-skill workers face barriers to entry into the formal sector. Yet, there exists little direct evidence that such barriers are important. This paper describes a model where significant differences arise between formal and informal workers even though labor markets are perfectly competitive. In equilibrium, the informal sector emphasizes low-skill work because informal managers have access to less outside financing, and ...
Center for Latin America Working Papers , Paper 0404

Journal Article
Mexico's financial vulnerability: then and now
Quintin, Erwan; Lopez, Jose Joaquin (2006)
Financial turmoil dots Mexico?s recent economic history. Between 1975 and 1995, the nation experienced recurrent currency, debt and banking crises with devastating effects on real economic activity. ; In Mexico, election years often heighten the risk of financial instability. Debt defaults or massive devaluations?or both?have accompanied three of the past five presidential elections. Given that history, it?s not surprising that questions about Mexico?s financial vulnerability have arisen with the approach of July?s presidential election. ; While the concerns may be understandable, Mexico has ...
Economic Letter , Volume 1

Working Paper
Are labor markets segmented in Argentina? a semiparametric approach
Pratap, Sangeeta; Quintin, Erwan (2003-01-13)
We use data from Argentina?s household survey to evaluate the hypothesis that informal workers would expect higher wages in the formal sector. Using various definitions of informal employment we find that, on average, formal wages are higher than informal wages. Parametric tests suggest that a formal premium remains after controlling for individual and establishment characteristics. However, this approach suffers from several econometric problems, which we address with semiparametric methods. The resulting formal premium estimates prove either small and insignificant, or negative. Neither do ...
Working Papers , Paper 0110

Journal Article
Mexico's export woes not all China-induced
Quintin, Erwan (2004-11)
Southwest Economy , Issue Nov , Pages 9-10

Journal Article
Financial crises: still a mystery
Quintin, Erwan; Meza, Felipe (2005-09)
Southwest Economy , Issue Sep , Pages 14-15

Report
Constructing Pure-Exchange Economies with Many Equilibria
Gauthier, Pascal; Kehoe, Timothy J.; Quintin, Erwan (2021-12-13)
We develop a restart algorithm based on Scarf’s (1973) algorithm for computing approximate Brouwer fixed points. We use the algorithm to compute all of the equilibria of a general equilibrium pure-exchange model with four consumers, four goods, and 15 equilibria. The mathematical result that motivates the algorithm is a fixed-point index theorem that provides a sufficient condition for uniqueness of equilibrium and a necessary condition for multiplicity of equilibria. Examining the structure of the model with 15 equilibria provides us with a method for constructing higher dimensional models ...
Staff Report , Paper 631

Journal Article
Inequality and growth: challenges to the old orthodoxy
Quintin, Erwan; Saving, Jason L. (2008)
Discussions of how best to alleviate poverty often center on the relative merits of policies that boost growth and those that promote redistribution. If greater inequality allows economies to expand faster, or if it?s an inevitable consequence of pro-growth measures, the two principles seem incompatible. Under such a scenario, societies seeking rapid growth rates have to forgo redistribution from rich to poor. Conversely, choosing a high degree of redistribution implies the decision to accept lower growth rates.
Economic Letter , Volume 3