La noción de competencia en el proyecto Tuning. Un análisis textual desde la Sociología de la Educación

Las competencias se han convertido en la piedra angular de la reforma de los sistemas educativos; también en la enseñanza universitaria. En este último caso, el proyecto Tuning ha desempeñado un papel de extraordinaria relevancia a nivel internacional y ha suscitado tantas adhesiones inquebrantables como críticas demoledoras. Este artículo parte de una lectura bien pegada a los textos del proyecto y persigue un examen crítico de su noción de competencia. Para ello, se prestará atención a los aspectos más destacados que afectan a la naturaleza y a los elementos constitutivos de las competencias ¿en ese plural recurrente en Tuning¿ en relación con el proceso educativo y el educando. También será objeto de consideración el contexto político y económico en el que surge el proyecto, a partir del cual se establecen sus presupuestos, su finalidad y sus objetivos. Todo esto será fundamental para calibrar el impacto y la evolución del proyecto en el proceso de reforma de la educación superior.

Agglomeration and labour productivity in Spanish industry: a long-term analysis

This paper analyzes the relationship between spatial density of economic activity and interregional differences in the productivity of industrial labour in Spain during the period 1860-1999. In the spirit of Ciccone and Hall (1996) and Ciccone (2002), we analyze the evolution of this relationship over the long term in Spain. Using data on the period 1860-1999 we show the existence of an agglomeration effect linking the density of economic activity with labour productivity in the industry. This effect was present since the beginning of the industrialization process in the middle of the 19th century but has been decreasing over time. The estimated elasticity of labour productivity with respect to employment density was close to 8% in the subperiod 1860-1900, reduces to a value of around 7% in the subperiod 1914-1930, to 4% in the subperiod 1965-1979 and becomes insignificant in the final subperiod 1985-1999. At the end of the period analyzed there is no evidence of the existence of net agglomeration effects in the industry. This result could be explained by an important increase in the congestion effects in large industrial metropolitan areas that would have compensated the centripetal or agglomeration forces at work. Furthermore, this result is also consistent with the evidence of a dispersion of industrial activity in Spain during the last decades.

Agglomeration and labour productivity in Spanish industry: a long-term analysis

This paper analyzes the relationship between spatial density of economic activity and interregional differences in the productivity of industrial labour in Spain during the period 1860-1999. In the spirit of Ciccone and Hall (1996) and Ciccone (2002), we analyze the evolution of this relationship over the long term in Spain. Using data on the period 1860-1999 we show the existence of an agglomeration effect linking the density of economic activity with labour productivity in the industry. This effect was present since the beginning of the industrialization process in the middle of the 19th century but has been decreasing over time. The estimated elasticity of labour productivity with respect to employment density was close to 8% in the subperiod 1860-1900, reduces to a value of around 7% in the subperiod 1914-1930, to 4% in the subperiod 1965-1979 and becomes insignificant in the final subperiod 1985-1999. At the end of the period analyzed there is no evidence of the existence of net agglomeration effects in the industry. This result could be explained by an important increase in the congestion effects in large industrial metropolitan areas that would have compensated the centripetal or agglomeration forces at work. Furthermore, this result is also consistent with the evidence of a dispersion of industrial activity in Spain during the last decades.

Human capital spillovers, productivity and regional convergence in Spain

This paper analyses the differential impact of human capital, in terms of different levels of schooling, on regional productivity and convergence. The potential existence of geographical spillovers of human capital is also considered by applying spatial panel data techniques. The empirical analysis of Spanish provinces between 1980 and 2007 confirms the positive impact of human capital on regional productivity and convergence, but reveals no evidence of any positive geographical spillovers of human capital. In fact, in some specifications the spatial lag presented by tertiary studies has a negative effect on the variables under consideration.

Aproximación al análisis textual informatizado

Este articulo pretende acercar al lector conocedor del análisis textual clásico, como el análisis de contenido, a alguna de las técnicas mas recientes de análisis textual mediante programas informáticos. Para cada una de ellas se facilitan unas minimas bases teóricas, información sobre el tipo de material verbal adecuado para ser analizado, el tipo de cuantificación del texto utilizado por el programa, los indices calculados y finalmente la utilidad y aplicación de dichos indices. En todos los casos, y para facilitar la comprensión, se ofrecen datos sobre investigaciones en las que se ha aplicado dicha técnica. Se hace referencia a la lexicometria, la lexicometria cronológica, al análisis factorial de correspondencias de Benzecri (1974), al análisis de correspondencias de protocolos verbales, y al sistema.

A productivity map of cognitive pretest methos for improving survey questions

Interest in cognitive pretest methods for evaluating survey questionnaires has been increasing for the last three decades. However, analysing the features of the scientific output in the field can be difficult due to its prevalence in public and private institutes whose main mission is not scientific research. The aim of this research is to characterize the current state of scientific output in the field by means of two bibliometric studies for the period from 1980 to 2007. Study 1 analysed documents obtained from the more commonly used bibliographic databases. Study 2 supplemented the body of documents from Study 1 with documents from non-indexed journals, conference papers, etc. Results show a constant growth in the number of publications. The wide dispersion of publication sources, together with the highlighted role of the public and private institutions as centres of production, can also be identified as relevant characteristics of the scientific output in this field.

The Impact of Cooperation on R&D, Innovation and Productivity: an Analysis of Spanish Manufacturing and Services Firms

This paper investigates relationships between cooperation, R&D, innovation and productivity in Spanish firms. It uses a large sample of firm-level micro-data and applies an extended structural model that aims to explain the effects of cooperation on R&D investment, of R&D investment on output innovation, and of innovation on firms’ productivity levels. It also analyses the determinants of R&D cooperation. Firms’ technology level is taken into account in order to analyse the differences between high-tech and low-tech firms, both in the industrial and service sectors. The database used was the Technological Innovation Panel (PITEC) for the period 2004-2010. Empirical results show that firms which cooperate in innovative activities are more likely to invest in R&D in subsequent years. As expected, R&D investment has a positive impact on the probability of generating an innovation, in terms of both product and process, for manufacturing firms. Finally, innovation output has a positive impact on firms’ productivity, being greater in process innovations. Keywords: innovation sources; productivity; R&D Cooperation

Agricultural productivity and structural transformation. Evidence from Brazil

We study the effects of the adoption of new agricultural technologies on structural transformation. To guide empirical work, we present a simple model where the effect of agriculturalproductivity on industrial development depends on the factor bias of technical change. We testthe predictions of the model by studying the introduction of genetically engineered soybeanseeds in Brazil, which had heterogeneous effects on agricultural productivity across areas withdifferent soil and weather characteristics. We find that technical change in soy production wasstrongly labor saving and lead to industrial growth, as predicted by the model.

Anàlisi del coneixement, de l'actitud i de l'ús que fan els cuidadors informals dels malalts d' Alzheimer en el domicili, de les contencions mecàniques i farmacològiques

L’objectiu d’aquest estudi consisteix en saber quins coneixements posseeixen, quines actituds i quin ús fan els cuidadors informals de persones diagnosticades d’Alzheimer en el domicili, de les contencions mecàniques i farmacològiques. Aquest projecte es tracta d’un disseny exploratori, descriptiu i transversal. Per a realitzar-lo es prendrà com a mostra a cuidadors principals informals, que tinguin al seu càrrec persones diagnosticades d’Alzheimer que siguin usuàries de l’atenció primària dels serveis sanitaris públics, de la província de Barcelona. L’estudi integrarà dues fases: la primera consistirà en realitzar una prova pilot a un nombre reduït de persones que servirà per avaluar i perfeccionar l’eina de la recollida de dades (els instruments a emprar seran una enquesta d’elaboració pròpia i entrevistes) i la segona consistirà en efectuar la recollida de dades a partir de l’enquesta modificada i validada en la fase anterior. En la fase pilot es realitzarà l’anàlisi de les dades a través de la tècnica coneguda com <> i en la fase següent, s’utilitzarà el paquet estadístic SPSS versió 21.0.0.

Alguns gens fan més difícil aconseguir deixar de fumar

Un estudi permet identificar nous gens relacionats amb la regulació dels nivells de serotonina, el neurotransmissor sobre el qual actua el tabac

The Network Company in Catalonia : ICT, Productivity, Competitiveness, Salaries and Performance in Catalonia's Companies. Research report (synthesis document)

Resum en anglès del projecte de recerca L'empresa xarxa a Catalunya. TIC, productivitat, competitivitat, salaris i beneficis a l'empresa catalana té com a objectiu principal constatar que la consolidació d'un nou model estratègic, organitzatiu i d'activitat empresarial, vinculat amb la inversió i l'ús de les TIC (o empresa xarxa), modifica substancialment els patrons de comportament dels resultats empresarials, en especial la productivitat, la competitivitat, les retribucions dels treballadors i el benefici. La contrastació empírica de les hipòtesis de treball l'hem feta per mitjà de les dades d'una enquesta a una mostra representativa de 2.038 empreses catalanes. Amb la perspectiva de l'impacte de la inversió i l'ús de les TIC no s'aprecia una relació directa entre els processos d'innovació digital i els resultats de l'activitat de l'empresa catalana. En aquest sentit, hem hagut de segmentar el teixit productiu català per a buscar les organitzacions en què el procés de coinnovació tecnològica digital i organitzativa és més present i en què la intensitat de l'ús del coneixement és un recurs molt freqüent per a poder copsar impactes rellevants en els principals resultats empresarials. Això és així perquè l'economia catalana, avui, presenta una estructura productiva dual.

Alguns gens fan més difícil aconseguir deixar de fumar

Un estudi permet identificar nous gens relacionats amb la regulació dels nivells de serotonina, el neurotransmissor sobre el qual actua el tabac

The effect of age at the first mating and herd size on the lifetime productivity of sows

The effect of age at the first mating and herd size were evaluated in the reference Spanish Databank (BDporc) of 37 698 sows born between 1991 and 1995 and with individual lifetime records. The data included dates of births at entrance and culling, first mating, repetitive mating and conception, first farrowing and weaning records. Individual records were validated before the analysis by screening them through a tolerance “filter” in order to eliminate the extreme values from the analysis. The total database of the sows was classified in 7 classes according to age at the first mating (< 210, 210–220, 221–230, 231–240, 241–250, 251–270, and > 270 days) and in 6 classes of herd size (< 200, 200–300, 301–400, 401–600, 601–800, and > 800 sows). The total number of litters and number of weaned piglets obtained from each sow during the lifetime production were significantly (P < 0.05) greater for gilts between 221 and 240 d of age at the first mating. There was a significant (P < 0.001) effect of the herd size on the reproductive performance of the sow, and the best performance was obtained with herds with 401 to 600 sows compared to < 200 or > 800 sow-herds. Furthermore, a significant (P < 0.001) interaction between age at the first mating and herd size was detected and can be associated with a particular pattern for the herd size class 401–600 sows with the best performances obtained for the sows first mated at less than 200 days. For the other herd sizes, the results indicated that sows mated for the first time at the right age, 221–240 days, are more productive, both in the number and size of the parities throughout lifetime production.

Irrigation performance and gross water productivity in furrow-irrigated ornamental tree production

In the ornamental plant production region of Girona (Spain), which is one of the largest of its kind in southern Europe, most of the surface is irrigated using wide blocked-end furrows. The objectives of this paper were: (1) to evaluate the irrigation scheduling methods used by ornamental plant producers; (2) to analyse different scenarios in order to assess how they affect irrigation performance; (3) to evaluate the risk of deep percolation; and (4) to calculate gross water productivity. A two-year study in a representative commercial field, planted with Prunus cerasifera ‘Nigra’, was carried out. The irrigation dose applied by the farmers was slightly smaller than the required water dose estimated by the use of two different methods: the first based on soil water content, and the second based on evapotranspiration. Distribution uniformity and application eff iciency were high, with mean values above 87%. Soil water content measurements revealed that even at the end of the furrow, where the infiltrated water depth was greatest, more than 90% of the infiltrated water was retained in the shallowest 40 cm of the soil; accordingly, the risk of water loss due to deep percolation was minimal. Gross water productivity for ornamental tree production was € 11.70 m–3, approximately 20 times higher than that obtained with maize in the same region.