Tenth Annual Inter-American Seminar on Economics.

The NBER held its Tenth Annual "Inter-American Seminar on Economics" in Santiago, Chile on November 21 and 22, 1997. Organizers Sebastian Edwards, NBER and University of California, Los Angeles, and Harald Beyer, Centro de Estudios Publicos, chose the following papers for discussion:

Harald Beyer, Patricia Rojas, and Rodrigo Vergara, Centro de Estudios Publicos, "Trade Liberalization and Wage Inequality in Chile"

Eduardo M. Engel, NBER and Universidad de Chile, and Alex Galetovic and Claudio Raddatz, Universidad de Chile, "Taxes and Income Distribution in Chile: Some Unpleasant Redistributionist Arithmetic"

Discussants: Jose de Gregorio and Osvaldo Larranaga, Universidad de Chile

Ana Flavia Machado, Minas Gerais Federal University, and Ricardo Paes de Barros and Rosane Silva Pinto de Mendonca, Instituto de Pesquisa Economica Aplicada," "Inequality Among the Poor: Occupational Strategies and Gender Differences"

Leonardo Gasparini, Universidad de la Plata, "Measuring Unfairness in the Distribution of a Good: An Analytical Framework and an Application for Education and Health in Argentina"

Discussants: Dante Contrareras, Universidad de Chile and Cristian Aedo, ILADES

Raquel Bernal and Mauricio Cardenas, FEDESARROLLO, and Jairo Nunez and Fabio Sanchez, National Planning Department of Colombia, "Unemployment, Inflation, and Income Distribution in Colombia"

Nora Lustig and Miguel Szekely, " 'Hidden' Trends in Poverty and Inequality in Mexico'

Discussants: Francisco Rosende, Universidad Catolica, and Ricardo Paredes, Universidad de Chile

Jeffrey D. Sachs, NBER and Harvard University, and Andrew Warner, Harvard University, "Natural Resource Booms and the Theory of the Big Push"

Edward E. Leamer, NBER and University of California, Los Angeles, "Latin American Income Inequality: A Heckscher-Olin Approach" Anne Harrison, NBER and Columbia University, and Gordon H. Hanson, NBER and University of Texas, "Who Gains from Trade Reform? Some Remaining Puzzles"

Discussants: Pablo Serra and Rodrigo Fuentes, Universidad de Chile

Sebastian Edwards, and Daniel Lederman, Johns Hopkins University, "The Political Economy of Unilateral Trade Liberalization: The Case of Chile"

Beyer, Rojas, and Vergara explore the impact of trade liberalization on income distribution in Chile and conclude that trade openness increased wage inequality. Their research also indicates that the recent decline in wage inequality in Chile can be attributed to the relative increase in the...