High expectations, varying outcomes: Decentralization and participation in Brazil, Japan, Russia and Sweden

In the past 20 years, decentralization has been proposed as a strategy for enhancing public participation. Aid-providing organizations, such as the World Bank, stimulated decentralization processes in several countries in the hope that this would promote civic empowerment, diminish corruption, enhance efficiency, and improve public service delivery. This assumption forms the basis for a comparative analysis into the relation between decentralization and participation at the local level in Brazil, Japan, Russia and Sweden. A multi-level regression analysis using the data of the Democracy and Local Governance Project was undertaken in order to test the 'one size fits all' and the 'diversity in development' hypotheses. The results show that the second hypothesis was corroborated. Perceived autonomy had a different impact on openness to participation depending on the country considered; in one country (Japan), perceived autonomy diminished public officials' willingness to be open to public participation.

Expectativas sobre os efeitos do uso de álcool e padrão de beber em alunos de ensino médio

Studies have shown that adolescents begin to make use of alcoholic beverages earlier and excessively, a behavior which has several negative consequences. Thus, the present study aims at investigating whether the expectations they have for the effects of alcohol consumption are high or low and if there is a relationship between expectation and consumption pattern. AUDIT and IECPA were applied as data collection instruments. The first indentifies the pattern of alcohol use and the second investigates the expectations the subjects have in relation to the use of alcohol. The results of this study, differently than others, do not evidence the positive relationship between binge-drinking and high expectations about the use of alcohol.

Measurement of the t(t)over-bar cross section using high-multiplicity jet events

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)