Personal networks in portuguese society : a configurational and lifecourse approach

Tese de doutoramento, Sociologia (Sociologia da Família, da Juventude e das Relações de Género), Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto de Ciências Sociais, 2014

The role of implicit theories in the formation of expert opinion in portuguese criminal law

Tese de doutoramento, Ciências e Tecnologias da Saúde (Medicina Legal e Ciências Forenses), Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Medicina, 2014

Questioning the Universality of Institutional Transformation Theories in Spatial Planning: Shopping Mall Developments in Palermo

Theories about institutional transformation in spatial planning, although mainly based on the Anglo-Saxon context, have assumed a dominant role in planning research and theory as means to understand the transformations that have been restructuring planning systems in recent decades in the Western world and beyond. The article, looking at transformations of planning practice through the lenses of the concept of planning cultures, debates the utility of building ‘universal’ theories for spatial planning and advocates for the need for a de-provincialization of planning theories. This is done through a case-study approach applied to the history of the transformation of the retail system in a context characterized by the specificities of the Italian planning context and Southern European cities, namely: the planning processes for, and power relationships underlying, the first shopping malls opened in Palermo, Italy, since 2009 — some decades later than most of Western cities.

From "Spaces of Fear" to "Fearscapes": Mapping for Reframing Theories About the Spatialization of Fear in Urban Space

The article engages with theory about the processes of spatialization of fear in contemporary Western urban space (fortification, privatization, exclusion/seclusion, fragmentation, polarization) and their relation to fear of crime and violence. A threefold taxonomy is outlined (Enclosure, Post-Public Space, Barrier), and “spaces of fear” in the city of Palermo are mapped with the aim of exploring the cumulative large-scale effects of the spatialization of fear on a concrete urban territory. Building on empirical evidence, the author suggests that mainstream theories be reframed as part of a less hegemonic and more discursive approach and that theories mainly based on the analyses of global cities be deprovincialized. The author argues for the deconstruction of the concept of “spaces of fear” in favor of the more discursive concept of “fearscapes” to describe the growing landscapes of fear in contemporary Western cities.

Differences and connections: beyond universal theories in planning, urban, and heritage studies

The annual Young Academics network of the Association of European School of Planning (AESOP YA) conference, entitled Differences and Connections, was held for the first time in a Southern Italian city, Palermo, Italy, during 23–26 March 2015. The call for papers attracted a wide range of authors within the field of planning and other related fields. Forty-five contributions by young academic scholars, representing 19 countries, were selected by the conference scientific committee to critically explore the themes of the conference.

Direitos sociais na Constituição: uma análise da constitucionalização dos direitos sociais em Portugal, 1975-76

Embora todas as constituições incluam direitos, e muitas delas incluam direitos sociais, a verdade é que algumas são mais generosas do que outras a este respeito. Mas nenhuma se aproxima da Constituição da República Portuguesa de 1976 no que toca à extensão e detalhe do seu catálogo de direitos sociais, económicos e culturais. As principais teorias sobre as origens de instituições geraram hipóteses explicativas da constitucionalização desta segunda geração de direitos. Sucede, porém, que estas hipóteses não conseguem explicar de forma totalmente convincente o processo de constitucionalização dos direitos sociais. Isto é ainda mais verdade em casos como o do nosso país, cujo carácter discrepante os tornam ainda mais difíceis de explicar. Neste artigo, estas teorias e respectivas hipóteses serão testadas por relação ao caso português o qual será, sempre que se revelar necessário, comparado com o espanhol. Visamos alcançar dois objectivos com este exercício. Por um lado, pretendemos identificar as limitações das explicações dominantes, incluindo as teorias e hipóteses sobre os mecanismos causais responsáveis pela inclusão de direitos sociais nas constituições. Por outro lado, o nosso propósito é o de conceber explicações alternativas sempre que as existentes se revelem inadequadas ou insuficientes.