Socio-economic inequalities in health in Catalonia

In this paper we measure the degree of income related inequality in mental health as measured by the GHQ instrument and general health as measured by the EQOL-5D instrument for the Catalan population. We find that income is the main contributor to inequality, although the share of inequality in mental health that can be explained by income is much greater than the corresponding share of inequality in general health. We also find that the variation in demographic structure reduces income related inequality in mental health but increases income related inequality in general health. The regional variations in both instruments for health are striking, with the Barcelona districts faring relatively bad with respect to the rest of geographical areas and Lleida being the health region where, all else held equal, the population reports the greatest level of health. A big share of inequality in the two health measures, but specially mental health, is due to the favourable position in both health and income of those who enjoy an indefinite contract with respect to the rest of individuals. We also find that risky working conditions affect both health measures and are able to explain an important share of socio-economic inequality.

Regional differences in socio-economic health inequalities in Spain

This paper reports an analysis of income related health inequalities at the AutonomousCommunity level in Spain using the self assessed health measure in the 2001 edition of theEncuesta Nacional de Salud. We use recently developed methods in order to cardinalise andmodel self assessed health within a regression framework, decompose the sources ofinequality and explain the observed differences across regions. We find that the regions with the highest levels of mean health tend to enjoy the lowest degrees of income related health inequality and vice-versa. The main feature characterizing regions where income related health inequality is low is the absence of a positive gradient between income and health. In turn, the regions where income related health inequality is greater are characterized by a strong and significant positive gradient between health and income. These results suggest that policies aimed at eliminating the gradient between health and income can potentially lead to greate r reductions in socio-economic health inequalities than policies aimed at redistributing income.

Socio-economic benefits of using space technologies to monitor and respond to earthquakes

Earthquakes represent a major hazard for populations around the world, causing frequent loss of life,human suffering and enormous damage to homes, other buildings and infrastructure. The Technology Resources forEarthquake Monitoring and Response (TREMOR) Team of 36 space professionals analysed this problem over thecourse of the International Space University Summer Session Program and published their recommendations in the formof a report. The TREMOR Team proposes a series of space- and ground-based systems to provide improved capabilityto manage earthquakes. The first proposed system is a prototype earthquake early-warning system that improves theexisting knowledge of earthquake precursors and addresses the potential of these phenomena. Thus, the system willat first enable the definitive assessment of whether reliable earthquake early warning is possible through precursormonitoring. Should the answer be affirmative, the system itself would then form the basis of an operational earlywarningsystem. To achieve these goals, the authors propose a multi-variable approach in which the system will combine,integrate and process precursor data from space- and ground-based seismic monitoring systems (already existing andnew proposed systems) and data from a variety of related sources (e.g. historical databases, space weather data, faultmaps). The second proposed system, the prototype earthquake simulation and response system, coordinates the maincomponents of the response phase to reduce the time delays of response operations, increase the level of precisionin the data collected, facilitate communication amongst teams, enhance rescue and aid capabilities and so forth. It isbased in part on an earthquake simulator that will provide pre-event (if early warning is proven feasible) and post-eventdamage assessment and detailed data of the affected areas to corresponding disaster management actors by means of ageographic information system (GIS) interface. This is coupled with proposed mobile satellite communication hubs toprovide links between response teams. Business- and policy-based implementation strategies for these proposals, suchas the establishment of a non-governmental organisation to develop and operate the systems, are included.

Caciques y cabildos: organización socio-política de los pueblos de indios en la Alcaldía Mayor de Sonsonate (s. XVI)

Este estudio analiza los mecanismos desarrollados en el siglo XVI por el grupo Pipil de la región de los Izalcos que les permitieron mantener, aunque no en su totalidad, los aspectos esenciales de su organización socio-política prehispánica. Las autoridades tradicionales (caciques y principales) desempeñaron un papel fundamental en la adecuación de dicho sistema al modelo castellano impuesto, el cabildo indígena. También se demuestra cómo dicha institución, a pesar de ser totalmente ajena al orden prehispánico, constituyó una pieza clave para la supervivencia de su organización socio-política tradicional.

Socio-economic inequalities in reported depression in Spain : a decomposition approach

Recent evidence questions some conventional view on the existence of income-related inequalities in depression suggesting in turn that other determinants might be in place, such as activity status and educational attainment. Evidence of socio-economic inequalities is especially relevant in countries such as Spain that have a limited coverage of mental health care and are regionally heterogeneous. This paper aims at measuring and explaining the degree of socio-economic inequality in reported depression in Spain. We employ linear probability models to estimate the concentration index and its decomposition drawing from 2003 edition of the Spanish National Health Survey, the most recent representative health survey in Spain. Our findings point towards the existence of avoidable inequalities in the prevalence of reported depression. However, besides ¿pure income effects¿ explaining 37% of inequality, economic activity status (28%), education (15%) and demographics (15%) play also a key encompassing role. Although high income implies higher resources to invest and cure (mental) illness, environmental factors influencing in peoples perceived social status act as indirect path as explaining the prevalence of depression. Finally, we find evidence of a gender effect, gender social-economic inequality in income is mainly avoidable.

Self-organized evolution in a socio-economic environment

We propose a general scenario to analyze technological changes in socio-economic environments. We illustrate the ideas with a model that incorporating the main trends is simple enough to extract analytical results and, at the same time, sufficiently complex to display a rich dynamic behavior. Our study shows that there exists a macroscopic observable that is maximized in a regime where the system is critical, in the sense that the distribution of events follow power laws. Computer simulations show that, in addition, the system always self-organizes to achieve the optimal performance in the stationary state.

Socio-economic inequalities in reported depression in Spain : a decomposition approach

Recent evidence questions some conventional view on the existence of income-related inequalities in depression suggesting in turn that other determinants might be in place, such as activity status and educational attainment. Evidence of socio-economic inequalities is especially relevant in countries such as Spain that have a limited coverage of mental health care and are regionally heterogeneous. This paper aims at measuring and explaining the degree of socio-economic inequality in reported depression in Spain. We employ linear probability models to estimate the concentration index and its decomposition drawing from 2003 edition of the Spanish National Health Survey, the most recent representative health survey in Spain. Our findings point towards the existence of avoidable inequalities in the prevalence of reported depression. However, besides ¿pure income effects¿ explaining 37% of inequality, economic activity status (28%), education (15%) and demographics (15%) play also a key encompassing role. Although high income implies higher resources to invest and cure (mental) illness, environmental factors influencing in peoples perceived social status act as indirect path as explaining the prevalence of depression. Finally, we find evidence of a gender effect, gender social-economic inequality in income is mainly avoidable.

¿Cómo podemos entender la inteligencia en el siglo XXI?: una visión psico-socio-cultural.

Indudablemente, no podemos desligar el tema del alumnado con altas capacidades intelectuales del constructo “inteligencia”, ya que en el fondo las sucesivas definiciones de inteligencia o de conducta inteligente marcan qué vamos a evaluar como “capacidad intelectual superior”.El siglo XX, ha sido rico en definiciones e instrumentos de medida, especialmente desde el ámbito de la Psicología, aunque no debemos dejar de lado los aportes de otras ciencias como la biología, la cibernética, la antropología o la neurología por citar algunas. Muchos autores han intentado rastrear el concepto de inteligencia y su evolución en estos últimos 100 años...

Complexitat i fenomen (socio)linguístic

Intermediate phenomena of reality present particular characteristics of systemic self-organization, multilevel interrelations, recursivity, emergence of new «objects» with properties different from those of the elements that form them, and evolutionary dynamics, that probably need the formulation of new theoretical concepts and different paradigm principles. The sciences or perspectives of complexity, or the «complex» thinking, try to respond adequately to this complexity of reality. This approach adopts a multidimensional, integrated and dynamic view of reality: the world is made up of overlapping levels of different elements which produce new properties or new organizations at higher levels. If we conceive what we call languages as simple and decontextualized objects, we can understand some of the more mechanical aspects but we will ignore their conditions of existence, functionality, maintenance, variation, change and extinction.

El diagnóstico en orientación socio-laboral: Caso Iban

El diagnóstico en orientación socio-laboral tiene la finalidad deanalizar y delimitar aquellas áreas y variables de las personas que estánvinculadas con posibilidades de acceso a un puesto de trabajo, para deesta manera poder orientarlas y acompañarlas en sus procesos depromoción, ajuste u optimización de sus situaciones laborales. Ejerceresta función necesita de una mirada altamente amplia y global delindividuo que contribuya a que, a su vez, éste tenga una mayor concienciade su realidad y puede hacer frente a los retos que plantea la sociedad dela información.

Caracterización de las almazaras cooperativas catalanas, análisis interno de la fase industrial o de transformación

En el presente artículo hemos tratado de analizar las características de las almazaras cooperativas catalanas con la finalidad de destacar no solamente sus elementos más importantes de gestión sino también sus principales debilidades.Las cooperativas se consideran instrumentos útiles para acometer políticas de desarrollo económico y bienestar social. A pesar de ello hay un gran debate abierto acerca de la eficiencia de estas organizaciones, que plantean el interrogante de si están en condiciones de competir con éxito en una economía cada vez más abierta, liberalizada y global. A través de las encuestas que hemos realizado al conjunto de las cooperativas oleícolas de Catalunya, hemos podido averiguar sus características distintivas, así como las principales desventajas y problemas a los que se enfrentan. Creemos puede ser de interés analizar las características de estas organizaciones, que tanto desde el punto de vista organizativo como de recursos humanos, como financiero, las hace diferentes de otro tipo de organizaciones pero que sin embargo, han de hacer frente a un mercado cada día más exigente y competitivo.

Estudio sobre la relación entre personalidad, actitudes socio-sexuales y tendencia de voto en estudiantes universitarios

Este trabajo se diseñó para evaluar la relación entre variantes de personalidad, actitudes sociales y actitudes hacia el sexo, con las tendencias de voto hacia los partidos políticos vascos y catalanes. Se partía de los hallazgos de Eysenck en que los extravertidos informaban de más interés por el hedonismo sexual y de mantener actitudes sexuales más duras que los introvertidos. Los resultados de este trabajo se presentan por sexos y conjuntamente, ya que existen diferencias importantes tanto en la personalidad como en las actitudes sociales y políticas de los varones y las hembras estudiadas. Los hombres son más favorables al sexo oral e impersonal, son menos conservadores, son más desinhibidos y más buscadores de sensaciones que las mujeres y tienen más curiosidad morbosa por las películas pornográficas y violentas que aquellas. Los comunistas, nacionalistas vascos y catalanes son más buscadores de sensaciones y tienen actitudes sexuales más liberales. Se comentan las interrelaciones entre las variables, así como las diferentes soluciones factoriales obtenidas a partir de las medidas psicométricas empleadas.

Rendimiento matemático en contextos bilingües: análisis de la incidencia de algunas variables del contexto socio-educativo

El trabajo que se presenta en este artículo se sitúa en el contexto bilingüe de la provincia de Lleida en la que coexisten dos lenguas en contacto, el catalán y el castellano, si bien existe un predominio de uso familiar y escolar de la primera de ellas. En este contexto, nuestro estudio analiza cómo influyen en el rendimiento en matemáticas las variables del contexto educativo de condición lingüística familiar y situación socio-profesional de la familia, así como las variables individuales de conciente intelectual y autoconcepto matemático. Los resultados globales muestran, en primer lugar, la importancia del lenguaje como instrumento mediador de la enseñanza-aprendizaje de contenidos matemáticos, ya que el rendimiento de los alumnos en esta área curricular está en función del dominio y el uso de la lengua vehicular de la enseñanza —el catalán—. En segundo lugar, se constata una correlación significativa entre el rendimiento matemático y las variables individuales de cociente intelectual y el autoconcepto sobre el propio rendimiento matemático.