Addressing conflicts of interest in the research paper: a societal demand in contemporary science?

In the last decade, dialogue between science and society has found a forum in an increasing number of publications on topics such as public engagement with science and public trust in science. Concerning the latter, issues that include cases of research misconduct, accountability in research, and conflicts of interest (COIs) have shaped global discussions on the communication of science. In the publication setting, the perception that hiding COIs and/or not managing them well may affect public trust in the research record has grown among editors. We conducted a search for editorials addressing COIs between 1989 and 2011, using four major databases: Medline/PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Knowledge. We explored the content of these editorials and the relationship they established between COIs and the public trust in science. Our results demonstrate that the relationship between disclosure of COIs and public trust in science has become a major concern among editors. We, thus, argue that COIs should be discussed more openly and frequently in graduate courses in the sciences, around the globe, not only in biomedical but also in non-biomedical areas. This is a critical issue in contemporary science, as graduate students are the future voices and decision-makers of the research community. Therefore, COIs, especially in the broader context of science and society, merit closer attention from policymakers, researchers, and educators. At times of great expectations for public engagement with science, mishandling of COIs may have undesirable consequences for public engagement with science and confidence in the scientific endeavor.

A cidadania corporativa como uma orientação de marketing: um estudo no varejo

O tema cidadania corporativa tem recebido substancial interesse a partir da última década. Apesar disso, poucas pesquisas têm procurado investigar se a adoção de práticas consideradas socialmente responsáveis pode ser utilizada como um instrumento de marketing para as empresas. Sendo assim, realizou-se um estudo envolvendo 208 empresas do setor varejista com o propósito de investigar em que grau a adoção de práticas de cidadania corporativa impacta o comportamento dos clientes e funcionários das organizações. A pesquisa é baseada em estudos de Maignan e Ferrell (2001a) e utiliza-se do modelo de Archie Carroll (1991) para a performance social corporativa em suas quatro dimensões (econômica, legal, ética e filantrópica). Para atingir os objetivos propostos, foram utilizadas a análise do coeficiente de Pearson e a técnica estatística denominada análise de regressão múltipla. Os resultados indicam que a adoção de práticas de cidadania corporativa impacta, fracamente, a lealdade dos clientes e mais fortemente o comprometimento dos funcionários. Assim, pode-se afirmar que a cidadania corporativa pode ser utilizada como um instrumento de marketing interno e externo para as organizações.

Administração pública brasileira entreo gerencialismo e a gestão social

O objetivo deste artigo é analisar, em uma perspectiva comparada, a administração pública gerencial e a administração pública societal, propondo uma agenda de pesquisa para futuras investigações. Examinamos os antecedentes e as características desses modelos de gestão pública. Em seguida, comparamos os modelos a partir de seis variáveis de observação: a origem, o projeto político, as dimensões estruturais enfatizadas na gestão, a organização administrativa do aparelho do Estado, a abertura das instituições à participação social e a abordagem de gestão. Por fim, enfatizamos os limites e os pontos positivos de cada um dos modelos, além de enfatizarmos a necessidade de aprofundamento dos estudos sobre a administração pública societal e a abordagem de gestão social.

Predominância ou coexistência?: modelos de administração pública brasileira na Política Nacional de Habitação

No Brasil, identifica-se que a administração pública tem sido conduzida ao longo dos anos por diferentes modelos de gestão: patrimonialista, burocrático, gerencial e societal, cada qual representando determinado contexto histórico, econômico e político. Este artigo verifica quais elementos desses modelos predominam na administração pública brasileira, tendo como objeto de análise a Política Nacional de Habitação e suas etapas no ciclo político. Constata-se que essa política pública é marcada pelo hibridismo de elementos característicos dos modelos de administração pública burocrático, gerencial e com predominância do modelo societal, por se tornar evidente em todas as etapas do ciclo político analisadas.

Leprosy control: perspectives & epidemiological and operational aspects

OBJECTIVES: As a starting point, a vast variety of 200 technical papers and documents published during the ten years 1999-2008, from Brazilian and international organizations dedicated to the control of leprosy, was taken. A study was then undertaken to investigate its future evolutive possibilities by employing resources obtained from scenario analyses. DESIGN: The methodological reconstruction in use was of a qualitative nature, based on a bibliographic review and content analysis techniques. The latter were employed in a documental, categorical, contingent, frequency-based format, in compliance with appropriate and pertinent conditions. RESULTS: Nowadays, important elements on epidemiological and operational aspects have been regained, as well as respective perspectives. CONCLUSIONS: A projection is made towards the fact that the maintenance of the disease's present incidence levels constitute economic and sanitary challenges that confront issues ranging from the neoliberal model of global societal organization to specific competences of actions taken by health teams in the field.

Química e sustentabilidade: novas fronteiras em biocombustíveis

This contribution discusses the state of the art and the challenges in producing biofuels, as well as the need to develop chemical conversion processes of CO2 in Brazil. Biofuels are sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels for providing energy, whilst minimizing the effects of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Ethanol from fermentation of simple sugars and biodiesel produced from oils and fats are the first-generation of biofuels available in the country. However, they are preferentially produced from edible feedstocks (sugar cane and vegetable oils), which limits the expansion of national production. In addition, environmental issues, as well as political and societal pressures, have promoted the development of 2nd and 3rd generation biofuels. These biofuels are based on lignocellulosic biomass from agricultural waste and wood processing, and on algae, respectively. Cellulosic ethanol, from fermentation of cellulose-derived sugars, and hydrocarbons in the range of liquid fuels (gasoline, jet, and diesel fuels) produced through thermochemical conversion processes are considered biofuels of the new generation. Nevertheless, the available 2nd and 3rd generation biofuels, and those under development, have to be subsidized for inclusion in the consumer market. Therefore, one of the greatest challenges in the biofuels area is their competitive large-scale production in relation to fossil fuels. Owing to this, fossil fuels, based on petroleum, coal and natural gas, will be around for many years to come. Thus, it is necessary to utilize the inevitable CO2 released by the combustion processes in a rational and economical way. Chemical transformation processes of CO2 into methanol, hydrocarbons and organic carbonates are attractive and relatively easy to implement in the short-to-medium terms. However, the low reactivity of CO2 and the thermodynamic limitations in terms of conversion and yield of products remain challenges to be overcome in the development of sustainable CO2 conversion processes.

Narratives of emergence: rising powers and the end of the Third World?

This article examines recent arguments from development economists, from historians and from international relations specialists that do challenge the continued relevance of the idea of the Third World. It then examines five reasons why these arguments are wrong. We can indeed understand much about emerging powers in terms of how they are seeking to navigate and best position themselves within an existing state-centric, liberal and capitalist order whilst accepting many of the underlying assumptions and values of that order. But the nature of that navigation has been shaped by their historical trajectory and by the developmental, societal and geopolitical context of their emergence.

Social control of public expenditures in a multilevel principal-agent approach

ABSTRACTThis study enhances the principal-agent model by incorporating a multilevel perspective and differences among agency situations. A theoretical discussion is developed using a proposed intersection of methodological focuses and a descriptive-exemplificative hypothetical analysis. The analysis is applied to public expenditure social control in representative democracies, and as a result, a principal-agent model unfolds that incorporates a decision-making perspective and focuses on formulation, negotiation, articulation, and implementation competencies. Thus, it is possible to incorporate elements into the principal-agent model to make it more permeable to individual, group, and societal idiosyncrasies with respect to public expenditure social control.