Las formas del salario en la agricultura pampeana : Su rol en el disciplinamiento, el aumento de la productividad y el abaratamiento de la fuerza de trabajo

Las transformaciones socio-económicas, políticas y gremiales acaecidas a fines de los '70 inauguraron un período desfavorable para las condiciones de trabajo de los obreros agrícolas. Se desarrolló una tendencia hacia la disminución de los tiempos requeridos por cada tarea, la discontinuación del proceso productivo, la estacionalización de la demanda de empleo y una mayor especialización de la fuerza de trabajo. La fragmentación extrema del proceso productivo derivó así en el astillamiento del ciclo laboral de los trabajadores en términos de ingresos y de empleadores. En este contexto, fueron logrando imponerse y naturalizarse distintas formas y niveles de remuneración para cada una de las tareas agrícolas, aun en los casos en que un trabajador las realizara todas para un mismo patrón como peón permanente, y singularmente en los casos de los obreros temporarios que se enfrentan a distintos empleadores para desarrollar cada una de las labores con las que construyen su ciclo laboral. Nos proponemos analizar el rol que la combinación de estas formas y niveles salariales ha venido cumpliendo para el abaratamiento de la fuerza de trabajo agrícola en su conjunto, así como en su estímulo a una mayor productividad y en la frustración de conflictos abiertos o a gran escala entre esta fracción de la clase obrera rural y sus patrones, a pesar de las condiciones de trabajo desfavorables que verificamos en este estudio

Assessing inequality using percentile shares

At least since Thomas Piketty's best-selling \Capital in the Twenty- First Century" (2014, Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press), percentile shares have become a popular approach for analyzing distributional inequalities. In their work on the development of top incomes, Piketty and collaborators typically report top- percentage shares, using varying percentages as thresholds (top 10%, top 1%, top 0.1%, etc.). However, analysis of percentile shares at other positions in the distri- bution may also be of interest. In this paper I present a new Stata command called pshare that estimates percentile shares from individual-level data and displays the results using histograms or stacked bar charts.

Assessing inequality using percentile shares

At least since Thomas Piketty's best-selling "Capital in the Twenty-First Century" (2014, Cambridge, MA: The Belknap Press), percentile shares have become a popular approach for analyzing distributional inequalities. In their work on the development of top incomes, Piketty and collaborators typically report top-percentage shares, using varying percentages as thresholds (top 10%, top 1%, top 0.1%, etc.). However, analysis of percentile shares at other positions in the distribution may also be of interest. In this paper I present a new Stata command called -pshare- that estimates percentile shares from individual-level data and displays the results using histograms or stacked bar charts.

Unlocking the Potential of Zambian Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises "Learning from the international best practices - the Southeast Asian Experience"

This paper examines the SMEs performance in Zambia and attempts to identify some practical lessons that Zambia can learn from Southeast Asian countries (with reference to Malaysia) in order to facilitate industrial development through unlocking the potential of its SMEs sector. Malaysia and Zambia were at the same level of economic development as evidenced by similar per capita incomes but Zambia has remained behind economically and its manufacturing sector has stagnated as if both countries did not have similar initial endowments. It therefore, becomes imperative that Zambia learns from such countries on how they managed to take-off economically with a focus on SME development. Training (education), research & development, market availability and technological advancement through establishment of industrial linkages coupled with cluster formation were some of the outstanding strategies identified that Zambia could use as a “key” to unlock its SMEs’ potential as it strives to meet the UN MDGs in particular halving its poverty levels by 2015 and also realizing its vision of becoming a middle income earner by 2030.

Toiling children in India : the gender dimension

Child labour in several low income households is rather pursued for gaining experience and at times for meagre incomes, which are possibly spent on household food expenditure. Though the contribution made by the child labour to the overall wellbeing does not turn out to be substantial, without child labour these households would have been much worse off than the households which can afford not to have child labour. The probability of working is higher for a male child compared to a girl child. This is because the girl children are often engaged in household activities and even when they are engaged in income earning jobs they are shown as helpers. Parents' income as such may not be having a positive impact on child's education rather it is the educational level of the parents which matters in determining whether the child would go to school and continue her/his education. To substantiate the gender bias, the probability of falling ill among the girl children is found to be higher compared to the boys. Parents' educational attainments beyond a certain level again tend to reduce the probability of falling ill.

Corruption in Kazakhstan and the quality of governance

In Kazakhstan, uncover of numerous corruption scandals involving government officials has become almost a normal feature of life. Behind the high-profile acts of waging a battle against corruption, however, is a serious and systemic phenomenon. The most endemic form of corruption is the various transfers of funds in the state structures and national companies which remain opaque and thus unaccounted for. There are questions about the volumes and spending of revenues earned from natural resources, and there is no independent monitoring and control of the flow of funds in national oil and gas companies. The main actors involved in the shadow economy are state officials and informal pressure groups, who distribute resources among themselves, and accumulate wealth by way of legalising informal incomes or obtaining official business using connections. While important decision making is carried out among the close circles of the elite, formal institutions remain weak and ineffective.

Measuring the effect of agricultural cooperatives on household income using PSM-DID : a case study of a rice-producing cooperative in China

Agricultural cooperatives in China, known as Farmers' Professional Cooperatives (FPCs), are becoming popular and have been intensely promoted by the Chinese government to improve the economic welfare of small farmers. However, very few studies on Chinese agricultural cooperatives have measured the benefits to farmers who participate in FPCs after controlling for time-invariant attributes of farmers. This paper investigates the treatment effect of participation in a rice-producing cooperative in suburban China using propensity score matching (PSM) and difference-in-differences (DID) method. Estimated results show that no significant difference is observed between participants and non-participants of the cooperative in terms of net income from rice production when controlling for the difference in farmers' rice incomes before the treatment. In addition, there is no significant heterogeneity of the treatment effects between large and small farmers, although the probability of participation in the cooperative is significantly higher when the size of cultivated rice farmland is greater. These results indicate that the benefits of the cooperative appear to be overestimated considering the vigorous policy supports for FPCs from the Chinese government.

Caracterización y aprovechamiento de los varillales amazónicos : contribución a la economía de las comunidades locales

La Gestión Forestal Sustentable es la principal herramienta para garantizar la compatibilidad entre producción y conservación en todos los bosques, y mas especialmente en los que exhiben niveles máximos de diversidad, como los tropicales humedos. En ellos existe un gran desconocimiento sobre la gestión de los recursos maderables de pequeña dimensión y los no maderables (PFNM) con mercado local. La madera redonda de pequeño diámetro es un recurso forestal de bajo valor económico extraído tradicionalmente por los pobladores locales de las zonas tropicales húmedas para construir sus viviendas. Los fustes de mejor calidad se obtienen del bosque de varillal, o bosques sobre arena blanca, altamente oligotroficos, sin potencial agrícola, escasos, dispersos, de pequeña superficie, gran fragilidad y alto porcentaje de endemismos. En el entorno de los centros urbanos de la Amazonia peruana, esta madera supone uno de los principales ingresos económicos para la población local, al ser extraida para su comercialización en dichos centros urbanos. Esto supone un riesgo de sobre-explotacion cuyos efectos se desconocen hasta el momento. Para acercarnos la situacion ambiental, social y económica asociada al varillal, se han realizado inventarios botanicos y de estructura forestal, se ha descrito el sistema de aprovechamiento tradicional y cuantificado sus efectos y, finalmente, se han realizado encuestas orientadas a analizar la situación social y economica de las comunidades locales que extraen y comercializan sus productos. El aprovechamiento tradicional del varillal es una actividad de bajo impacto que no emplea maquinaria y se centra en la extracción de fustes con diámetro normal entre 5 y 15 cm y características especificas de longitud, forma de fuste y calidad de la especie. Los resultados ponen de manifiesto la relevancia de la distancia existente entre el punto de extracción y el punto de venta, asi como la gran influencia que tiene la situación social y económica en la gestión sustentable del varillal. Todo ello pone en evidencia que si existe un cierto efecto negativo de la extracción intensa y continuada que han sufrido los varíllales mas próximos al centro urbano. Para favorecer una Gestión Forestal Sustentable que reduzca este efecto negativo es esencial llevar a cabo una adecuada planificación comunal que permita establecer una secuencia ordenada de zonas de corta y un cronograma para su gestión y aprovechamiento que evite la extracción repetida en un mismo varillal. ABSTRACT Sustainable forest management is the main tool to ensure compatibility between production and conservation in all forests, and especially in those exhibiting the maximum levels of diversity, such as tropical rain. Within them there is a great ignorance about the management of small sized timber and non-timber resources (PFMN) in the local market. The small-diameter round timber is a forest resource of low economic value extracted traditionally by local people of the humid tropics to build their homes. The better quality shafts are obtained from varillal forest or forests on white sand, highly oligotrophic, no agricultural potential, few, scattered, small size, fragility and high percentage of endemic species. In the environment of the urban centres of the Peruvian Amazon, this wood is one of the main incomes for the local population, since it is extracted for marketing in these urban centres. This poses a risk of overexploitation whose effects are unknown so far. To approach the environmental, social and economic situation associated to the varillal, botanical and forest structure inventories have been conducted, traditional harvesting systems described and their effects quantified and targeted surveys have eventually been conducted to analyse the social and local economic situation of the communities that extract and sell the products. The traditional use of varillal is a low-impact activity that does not use machinery and focuses on the extraction of shafts with a normal diameter of between 5 and 15 cm and specific characteristics in length, stem form and quality of the species. The results highlight the importance of the distance from the extraction point and the sale point, and the great influence of the social and economic situation in the sustainable management of varillal. This demonstrates that there is indeed a negative effect caused by the intense and continuous extraction that varillales closest to the city centre have suffered. To encourage a Sustainable Forest Management to reduce this negative effect is essential to conduct proper community planning in order to establish an ordered sequence of areas and a chronogram for their management and use, to avoid a repeat extraction in the same varillal.

Estudio de opciones reales para decisiones de inversión en un proyecto minero de nueva ejecución

El objetivo principal es desarrollar la metodología de opciones reales para evaluar la posible puesta en marcha de un proyecto minero. Para esto, el proyecto se divide en dos partes: En la primera parte, con carácter teórico se analizan las inversiones desde el punto de vista tradicional, comparando la problemática de estas valoraciones en ambientes de incertidumbre y flexibilidad operativa. Se analizan las opciones financieras y se comparan con las opciones reales, en cuanto a similitudes y problemáticas. Se desarrollan también los procesos estocásticos que afectan a las variables del proyecto de inversión. Se explican además, las metodologías para el cálculo de las opciones reales, incluido el cálculo de la volatilidad de las mismas. En una segunda parte, se estudia el yacimiento aurífero de Corcoesto, para el cual se realiza la simulación del plan de negocio según las características necesarias para la explotación, donde los ingresos se modelizan mediante un movimiento geométrico browniano para simular el comportamiento del precio de la onza de oro. Se elige un desarrollo de árboles binomiales para estimar el valor futuro del proyecto, a la vez que se establece un intervalo de precios de la opción para adquirir el proyecto minero. Este intervalo estará determinado por las incertidumbres del proyecto calculadas según las metodologías de Copeland y Antikarov, y Heraht y Park. Abstract This project is aimed mainly to develop real options theory to assess a mining project start-up. The project is divided in two documents: The first document with theorical content, investments are analyzed from the clasical point of view, comparing the advantages and disadvantages of this appraisal in high uncertainity and operational flexibility conditions. Financial options are analyzed and compared to real options, in both similarities and problematics. Stochastical process that affect the project variables are also developed. Methods for estimating real options value, including the methods for volatility estimation are commented. In the second document, the Corcoesto gold deposit has been studied. A bussines plan simulation has been maked according to the characteristics of the extraction, where incomes have been simulated with a geometrical Brownian movement to estimate the gold onze behaviour. The binomial tree method has been generated to study the future project value, as well as a range of option prices, for adquiring the mine project. This interval is determined by the project uncertainity calculated with the theories from Copeland and Antikarov and Herath and Park

Estudio de la viabilidad técnica y económica del establecimiento de una terminal de contenedores automatizada en el Mediterráneo español

Esta Tesis analiza, en primer lugar, las posibilidades y condiciones de los puertos españoles de Algeciras, Valencia y Barcelona para acoger en el futuro una terminal totalmente automatizada (robotizada) de contenedores con una capacidad aproximada de 1,3-1,4 millones de contenedores/año o 2 millones de TEU/año. Entre las posibles amenazas y oportunidades que pueden afectar al actual tráfico de esos puertos, la Tesis se centra en el desvío del tráfico de contenedores de transbordo, la sustitución de los tráficos marinos por tráficos ferroviarios, la posibilidad de convertir al Mediterráneo español en la puerta de entrada de productos asiáticos, el cambio de la ruta Asia-Europa a través del Canal de Suez por la ruta Asia-Europa a través del Ártico, la posibilidad de circunvalar África para evitar el Canal de Suez y la próxima apertura de nuevo Canal de Panamá ampliado. La Tesis describe el Estado del Arte de la tecnología para las terminales de contenedores automatizadas que pudiera ser aplicada en nuestro país y desarrolla una terminal automatizada con la capacidad ya mencionada de 2 millones de TEU/año. El tema del ferrocarril en las terminales de contenedores, como futura lanzadera para la proyección de la influencia de los puertos, está desarrollado como una parte esencial de una terminal de contenedores. Se investiga, también, la automatización total o parcial en la transferencia de mercancía buque-ferrocarril La Tesis también desarrolla una metodología para desglosar los costes e ingresos de una terminal automatizada. A través de esos costes e ingresos se va desarrollando, mediante la utilización de hojas Excel relacionadas, el método para mostrar la estructuración de los hitos económicos fundamentales hasta llegar al VAN, TIR y Periodo de Retorno de la Inversión como elementos clave para la calificación de la terminal como proyecto de inversión. La Tesis realiza la misma metodología para la terminal convencional de contenedores más habitual en el Mediterráneo español: la terminal que utiliza sistemas de grúas sobre ruedas (RTG) en el patio de contenedores. Por último, la Tesis establece la comparativa entre los dos tipos de terminales analizadas: la convencional y la automatizada, basándose en el coste de la mano de obra portuaria como elemento clave para dicha comparativa. Se establece la frontera que determina en qué niveles de coste del personal portuario la terminal automatizada es mejor proyecto de inversión que la terminal convencional con RTG. Mediante la creación de la metodología descrita, la Tesis permite: - La comparativa entre diferentes tipos de terminales - La posibilidad de analizar un modelo de terminal variando sus parámetros fundamentales: costes de los estibadores, nuevas tecnologías de manipulación, diferentes rendimientos, variación de los ingresos, etc. - Descubrir el modelo más rentable de una futura terminal mediante la comparación de las diferentes tecnologías que se puedan emplear para la construcción de dicha terminal ABSTRACT This Thesis examines, first, the possibilities and conditions of the Spanish ports of Algeciras, Valencia and Barcelona to host in the future a fully automated container terminal (robotized) with a capacity of approximately 1.3-1.4 million containers/year or 2 million TEU/year. Among the potential threats and opportunities that may affect the current traffic of these ports, the thesis focuses on the diversion of container transhipment traffic, the replacing of marine traffic by rail traffic, the possibility of converting the Spanish Mediterranean in the door input of Asian products, the changing of the Asia-Europe route through the Suez Canal by the Asia-Europe route through the Arctic, the possibility of circumnavigating Africa to avoid the Suez Canal and the upcoming opening of the new expanded Canal of Panama. The Thesis describes the state-of-the-art technology for automated container terminals that could be applied in our country and develops an automated terminal with the listed capacity of 2 million TEUs / year. The use of the railway system in container terminals to be used as future shuttle to the projection of the influence of the ports is developed as an essential part of a container terminal. We also investigate the total or partial automation in transferring goods from ship to rail. The Thesis also develops a methodology to break down the costs and revenues of an automated terminal. Through these costs and revenues is developed, using linked Excel sheets, the method to show the formation of structured key economic milestones until the NPV, IRR and Period of Return of Investment as key to determining the terminal as an investment project. The Thesis takes the same methodology for the conventional container terminal more common in the Spanish Mediterranean: the terminal using rubber tyred cranes (RTG) in the container yard. Finally, the Thesis provides a comparison between the two types of analyzed terminals: conventional and automated, based on the cost of stevedores labor as a key point for that comparison. It establishes the boundary that determines what levels of stevedore costs make automated terminal to be better investment project than a conventional terminal using RTG. By creating the above methodology, the Thesis allows: - The comparison between different types of terminals - The possibility of analyzing a model of terminal varying its key parameters: stevedores costs, new technologies of container handling, different loading/unloading rates, changes in incomes and so on - Unveil the most profitable model for a future terminal by comparing the different technologies that can be employed for the construction of that terminal

Proyecto de evaluación de un yacimiento de gas mediante fracturación hidráulica

En este proyecto se evalúa la posibilidad de mejorar la producción de gas en un yacimiento en el que las reservas son todavía suficientes para ser explotadas. Para realizar esta evaluación se estudia en primer lugar la cantidad de gas que se extrae sin ningún método de mejoramiento de producción, y después se evalúa la cantidad de gas que se extraería si se aplicase el método de estimulación de yacimientos llamado fracturación hidráulica mediante unos ensayos de calibración que se han realizado en uno de los pozos que hay en el yacimiento de gas. Finalmente se hace una comparación económica de cómo mejoraría la producción de gas cuando el yacimiento no está estimulado y cuando lo está. Además, se aprovecha también para hacer una sucinta revisión de la base teórica de la fracturación hidráulica y de la ingeniería de yacimientos, así como un breve estudio de impacto ambiental de la fracturación. ABSTRACT This project is trying to assess the possibility to improve the gas production of a reservoir in which there are still enough reserves to be exploited. To do that, it is necessary to evaluate the quantity of gas that is producing without any type of stimulation method and then assess how the production will grow if a stimulation method called hydraulic fracturing is applied though some calibration tests, subsequently compare how much the incomes will be increased in case of application of the stimulation method. In addition, some of the basis and concepts of reservoir stimulation and reservoir engineering are reviewed in order to understand the project. Finally, a brief environmental impact is also assessed.

A card Game Description Language

We present initial research regarding a system capable of generating novel card games. We furthermore propose a method for com- putationally analysing existing games of the same genre. Ultimately, we present a formalisation of card game rules, and a context-free grammar G cardgame capable of expressing the rules of a large variety of card games. Example derivations are given for the poker variant Texashold?em , Blackjack and UNO. Stochastic simulations are used both to verify the implementation of these well-known games, and to evaluate the results of new game rules derived from the grammar. In future work, this grammar will be used to evolve completely novel card games using a grammar- guided genetic program.

Looking beyond the average agricultural impacts in defining adaptation needs in Europe.

The effects of climate change on agriculture are often characterised by changes in the average productivity of crops; however, these indicators provide limited information regarding the risks associated with fluctuations in productivity resulting from future changes in climate variability that may also affect agriculture. In this context, this study evaluates the combined effects of the risks associated with anomalies reflected by changes in the mean crop yield and the variability of productivity in European agroclimatic regions under future climate change scenarios. The objective of this study is to evaluate adaptation needs and to identify regional effects that should be addressed with greater urgency in the light of the risks and opportunities that are identified. The results show differential effects on regional agriculture and highlight the importance of considering both regional average impacts and the variability in crop productivity in setting priorities for the adaptation and maintenance of rural incomes and agricultural insurance programmes

Customer loyalty plan at Residencia Gómez-Pardo, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid

Accommodation is a first need and one of the most important decisions that university students have to decide taking into account their limited budget. The satisfaction grade of these students is the relevant aspect for the administrators and managers of the university residences, because it allows assuring the viability and sustainability of this kind of accommodation. In a situation of decline in rate of retention of students into the residence, coupled with an environment of economic crisis. Hence, of disposable income reduction, it seems essential to get to know what factors affect the motivation to remain into the university residence more than others when it comes to the final choice. The offer?s increase of different kind of accommodation is another variable to be considered when taking the decision related to the management of this kind of accommodation. Thus, there is the need to know which are the key factors and to obtain information about these variables in order to go deep into the relevance grade with the aim to pursue the strategic objectives, that will allow to improve the relationship with the customer and to respond to his accommodation? needs. This article researches the motivation elements that lead the students to remain in a university residence or to abandon it in exchange or a different accommodation, as per example shared flats or individual apartments. This research work intends to be useful for the university residence?s managers in order to increase its incomes, to raise the satisfaction degree among its residents and to obtain better end results in the management of these properties. The fieldwork conducted in the Residencia Universitaria Gómez Pardo (RUGP), Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), for four semesters, which means students from 27 different grades (undergraduates) and 81 surveys finished, shows the following conclusions. Not only the relation with the residence?s personnel but also the quality and quantity of the feeding and the availability and quality of the internet service, constitute key factors when it comes to make the decision of remaining or of abandoning the residence when the semester comes to its end.

Identificación y evaluación de los recursos pesqueros de la República de Guinea Bissau para su explotación sostenible

A través del conocimiento de los recursos pesqueros, es decir especies, cantidad extraíble, métodos de pesca, etc., se ofrece a la comunidad un medio para mejorar su nivel de vida. En el presente trabajo se han catalogado 171. especies cuya captura es rentable económicamente. Están agrupadas en tres Phyllum y 73 familias. Una vez realizada la identificación de especies, se ha elaborado un modelo matemático, que basado en la dinámica de poblaciones, nos permite estimar la cantidad de biomasa existente en el caladero para una determinada especie. En función de la biomasa estimada de esta forma, pueden planificarse las capturas, de tal forma que la explotación del recurso sea sostenible, para evitar que éste se agote. En función de la estimación, las autoridades económicas podrán planificar la política pesquera adecuada para conseguir la sostenibilidad ambiental y económica a medio y largo plazo. Se puede aplicar este modelo a cualquier especie, pero lo hemos particularizado a la gamba blanca por su especial interés económico para el país. Se observa cómo evolucionarán las capturas hasta el año 2027, en el que tanto la producción como el beneficio es máximo. A continuación obtenemos una estabilización de las capturas y por tanto de los ingresos, lo que nos permite mantener la extracción y la sostenibilidad de la especie. ABSTRACT The knowledge of fishery resources, i.e., species, the quantity of fish that can be caught, fishing methods, etc, provides the community with a means to improve their standard of living. In this work, we have listed some species the yield of which is economically profitable. They have been grouped into three categories… The mathematical model, based on population dynamics, allows us to plan the harvesting and to estimate resources. In turn, this will translate into an ability to plan the budget by the economic authorities, since the middle and long turn incomes are known. This model can be applied to any species, but we have chosen the white shrimp because of its special economic value for the country. It shows how the yields will develop up to a maximum in 2027. Then we will obtain a stable catch and therefore a stable income. This will allow us to maintain the harvesting and also the sustainability of the species.