In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in International Economics:

President of the committee:

• Mr Cédric Tille, Professor

Members of the committee:

• Mr Ugo Panizza, Professor, Thesis Director
• Mr Cédric Tille, Professor, Internal Reader
• Mr Guillermo Javier Vuletin, Senior Economist, Office of the Regional Chief Economist, Latin America, and Caribbean, World Bank, Washington D.C, USA