Economic sanctions and covert actions from hegemonic states are common tools used to influence other countries. Less is known about non-state actors such as banks and their impact across borders. read more

Score auctions are used in procurement to incorporate other attributes beyond price. We establish nonparametric econometric identification of bidders' pseudotypes (a measure of bidder's private cost), when bids are evaluated using a preannounced quasi-linear score, calculated on the basis of the submitted levels of the attributes. Hence, we extend the standard nonparametric method for independent private costs sealed-bid, first price auctions, to multi-attribute quasi-linear score auctions. We illustrate the result with an application to scoring bid data.

Business groups are the predominant organizational structure in modern Chile. This article tests the long-standing hypothesis that the privatization reform implemented by the “Chicago Boys” during the Pinochet regime facilitated the creation of new groups and hence the renovation of the country’s elites. Using new data we find that firms sold during this privatization later became part of new business groups, process aided by an economic crisis that debilitated traditional elites. Moreover, some firms were bought by Pinochet’s allies and were later used as providers of capital within groups. We conclude that privatizations can empower outsiders to replace business elites.