This article estimates the weighted average cost of capital (WACC) for the energy sector in Ecuador, a country with a dollarized economy and illiquid stock markets. Thus, reference companies in the region were taken, and at the same time combined with characteristics of national companies, establishing a useful methodology, which makes sense with the acceptable discount rates in the Ecuadorian economy. For the above, four estimation alternatives were used. In method one, the traditional WACC formula was applied using interest rates and risk premiums from the U.S. market, which resulted in an overestimation due to the double penalty of the country risk and the U.S. market premium. Method two adjusted the market risk premium to consider only the Ecuador-specific risk premium, thus avoiding the double penalty. In method three, the credit default swap (CDS) was used to calculate the country risk premium, and the CDS was excluded from the nominal interest rate, avoiding redundancies. Finally, method four combined the U.S. interest rate with the CDS directly to calculate the market risk premium, more accurately reflecting local economic conditions in a dollarized economy. The WACC results range from 12.63% to 29.70%. In addition, a dummy variable was controlled for during the pandemic period. This article highlights the need for methodologies adapted to emerging markets, since traditional approaches would overestimate the WACC.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on the world economy, affecting the financial performance of companies, Ecuador has been no exception. This study aims to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the financial performance (profitability, earnings and sales) of large Ecuadorian private companies using data from the balance sheets and income statements of the hundred largest companies in Ecuador in the period 2015-2020, by applying the quasi-experimental differences-in-differences methodology. The results reveal that the pandemic has had a negative impact on companies' profitability and sales, however, in some cases, net income has an inverse behavior. These findings have important implications for business management strategies and the future of the Ecuadorian market.

The efficiency that drinking water suppliers have, is widely analyzed in the literature due to the importance of its proper diagnosis in the regulation of the sector. These regulations seek, via the reduction of inefficiencies, to counteract water access crises. This research calculates the level of input-oriented technical efficiency of Ecuador’s potable water service providers in the period 2014–2017. It analyzes its determinants, focusing on the effect of the geographic region (Highlands, Coast, and Amazon), as well as the type of management, specifically municipal departments and autonomous public enterprises. For this purpose, the semi-parametric method of data envelopment analysis (DEA) with double bootstrap is used. The results suggest that drinking water suppliers could save the inputs used while maintaining their level of production. In addition, it was found that the level of technical efficiency differs by geographic region but not by the type of management used. The natural Highlands region is more efficient compared to the Coast and Amazon region, suggesting climatic and natural resource distribution heterogeneities that induce this difference. The result by type of management shows that the advantages indicated by some literature regarding the technical, financial, and administrative autonomy of public companies may not improve efficiency compared to municipal departments.

El objetivo de este trabajo es determinar si existen diferencias significativas en los resultados de la inversión en innovación -específicamente en la probabilidad de innovar en productos y/o procesos y en la productividad laboral- cuando se distingue entre esfuerzos de innovación endógenos y exógenos. Se utilizaron datos de la encuesta de innovación 2012-2014 del Ecuador y se aplicó la metodología propuesta por Crépon, Duguet y Mairesse. La evidencia sugiere que la innovación endógena tiene un impacto sobre la probabilidad de introducir innovación en productos y/o procesos que es del orden del doble que la exógena, mostrando además un mayor impacto sobre la productividad laboral.

Introducción: Angiostrongylus cantonensis es reconocido como uno de los principales patógenos causantes de la meningoencefalitis eosinofílica, fue identificado en Ecuador por primera vez en 2008. Métodos: Se recolectaron 1476 ejemplares de Achatina fulica con el método de captura por unidad de esfuerzo durante 30 minutos, en 3 cantones de la provincia del Napo, con el fin de establecer la prevalencia de infección por Angiostrongylus cantonensis Resultados: El porcentaje total de caracoles infectados fue de 46,5% (687/1476). Conclusiones: Los resultados revelan una amplia distribución de A. fulica infectado con A. cantonensis, lo que, sumado a la gran cantidad de hospederos definitivos presentes, indica que un número considerable de personas tiene riesgo de adquirir angiostrongiliasis. Se necesitan educación sanitaria, una inspección y una vigilancia rigurosa de los alimentos para prevenir la aparición de casos esporádicos y de brotes de la enfermedad. Palabras clave: Angiostrongylus cantonensis, prevalencia, Achatina fulica..