La incidencia de la actualización del tratado de amistad India-Bután 2007 en las orientaciones en materia de política exterior de Bután. 2007-2014

El interés de este estudio de caso es analizar la incidencia de la actualización del Tratado de Amistad entre India y Bután firmado en 2007 en las disposiciones de política exterior de Bután en el periodo 2007-2014. Este trabajo se enmarca en los conceptos de identidad nacional, tomadores de decisiones, proceso de toma de decisión y análisis de política exterior, a partir de los cuales se pretende comprobar que el tratado de 2007 tuvo principalmente un efecto cristalizador en la política exterior de Bután, manifestado de manera significativa en materia de cooperación internacional, moderada en materia de representación política internacional y muy modesta en materia de apertura económica y comercial.

El fenómeno de los refugiados ambientales en Haití y su repercusión en la seguridad regional (2010-2015)

Esta monografía busca analizar cómo el fenómeno de los refugiados ambientales que se generó a partir del terremoto en Haití de 2010, ha influido sobre el complejo de seguridad en la región de el Caribe, desde el 2010 hasta el 2015, teniendo en cuenta la crisis social provocada por el desastre ambiental, ya que en razón de la carencia de estatus legal y de amenazas interdependientes y multidimensionales obligó a los Estados del área a modificar sus políticas de seguridad, mediante la interacción de los países, puesto que se presentaron diferentes cambios en las relaciones del complejo de seguridad, lo cual determino nuevas transformaciones en la securitización de la región. Esta monografía recurrirá a la teoría de Complejos de Seguridad Regional de autores como: Barry Buzan, Ole Waever, Derrick Frazier y Robert Stewart.

Un nacionalismo más allá de las fronteras: la transnacionalización del movimiento independentista catalán

La presente investigación tiene como objetivo identificar los procesos que han posibilitado la transnacionalización del movimiento independentista catalán entre 2010 y 2014. Por tal motivo, el análisis de este estudio de caso permitirá comprender con mayor profundidad las dinámicas de transnacionalización de una causa nacional, con las que dicho movimiento ha conseguido conectar lo local con lo global. Para ello, la recolección de datos cualitativos se hace imprescindible en la caracterización de este fenómeno social, a partir del uso de herramientas como la observación participante, entrevistas y el análisis documental. Esto, con el propósito de facilitar la obtención de información proveniente de fuentes primarias y secundarias, respetando la perspectiva de los actores involucrados. De tal manera, será posible evidenciar que estos procesos transnacionales se impulsan mutuamente, propiciando la proyección del debate sobre la independencia fuera de las fronteras catalanas.

La securitización de la migración internacional: percepción de la UE sobre el flujo de rumanos hacia el Reino Unido 2007-2014

Actualmente, el concepto de seguridad ha logrado expandirse hacia la inclusión de amenazas no tradicionales. En este contexto, el fenómeno de la migración internacional empieza a hacer parte de la agenda de algunos gobiernos, entendiéndose como un asunto que amenaza la seguridad del Estado. El interés de esta monografía gira en torno a examinar el discurso securitizador del Reino Unido sobre la inmigración rumana entre 2007-2014, con el fin de determinar la incidencia que este ha tenido en la percepción de la migración internacional como un asunto de seguridad en la UE. Al entender el discurso del Reino Unido a la luz de la teoría de securitización e incluir el análisis de la opinión pública europea, se observa que, si bien el discurso ha influido en el contexto doméstico, éste ha tenido una baja incidencia en la percepción de la migración internacional como un asunto de seguridad en la UE.

La incidencia del totalitarismo en la configuración de una política exterior aislacionista

El presente estudio de caso consiste en identificar la incidencia del totalitarismo en la configuración de una política exterior aislacionista, tomando los casos del Tercer Reich y la República Democrática Popular de Corea; se trata de inferir si la incidencia de un régimen totalitario en la configuración de una política exterior aislacionista es directa, en tanto que responde al interés nacional del Estado con el fin de implementar reformas y actos que conlleven al aislamiento de la nación de la comunidad internacional. Para dicho efecto, se utilizará el paradigma realista con el que se pretenderán contrastar las diferencias y similitudes entre los casos estudiados. En consecuencia, en la investigación se utilizarán datos de carácter mixto, en tanto su uso cualitativo y cuantitativo.

Natural resource windfalls and efficiency of local government expenditures: evidence from Peru

We study the role of natural resource windfalls in explaining the efficiency of public expenditures. Using a rich dataset of expenditures and public good provision for 1,836 municipalities in Peru for period 2001-2010, we estimate a non-monotonic relationship between the efficiency of public good provision and the level of natural resource transfers. Local governments that were extremely favored by the boom of mineral prices were more efficient in using fiscal windfalls whereas those benefited with modest transfers were more inefficient. These results can be explained by the increase in political competition associated with the boom. However, the fact that increases in efficiency were related to reductions in public good provision casts doubts about the beneficial effects of political competition in promoting efficiency.

A problemática jurídica da detenção de requerentes de asilo e imigrantes irregulares na Europa e em Portugal : eventuais alternativas à detenção

A problemática jurídica da detenção de requerentes de asilo e de imigrantes irregulares assume uma especial relevância no período da nossa história coletiva, em que o fenómeno migratório, em pleno século XXI (século do movimento dos povos)tenderá cada vez mais a condicionar e a pulverizar as políticas públicas estaduais e supra estaduais. Como fenómeno político, económico, social, religioso e cultural, o fenómeno migratório, goste-se mais ou menos dele, aborde-se de forma mais generalizada ou mais pormenorizada, vai quase obrigatoriamente ter de estar nas prioridades políticas, legislativas e jurídicas dos Estados europeus e também ao nível das Instituições da União Europeia. Muito do futuro da Europa e de Portugal está umbilicalmente associado, política e juridicamente, à forma como souberem trabalhar a imigração em cada uma das suas múltiplas variáveis. Desde logo, dedicando especial atenção a variáveis, como o envelhecimento populacional e as taxas de fecundidade e natalidade, entre muitas outras. Fiel ao seu passado coletivo, faz sentido que a Europa e Portugal da diversidade, da tolerância, do respeito pelos direitos humanos, mesmo em momentos de crise económica e social, como o que vivemos atualmente, não deverão transigir nos seus princípios humanistas e de influência cristã.

Confiança nas Instituições e Valores Culturais : Estudo Internacional Comparado entre Angola, Cabo Verde, Moçambique e Portugal

The present study shows the results of an international comparative research carried out in four Portuguese-speaking countries: Angola, Cape Verde, Mozambique and Portugal. The purpose is, firstly, to find these countries cultural profile according to Hofstede/ Minkov dimensions as well as to measure the citizens` level of trust in institutions and, secondly, to analyze the relation between cultural values and level of trust. A bibliographic and theoretical review has been made on the main theoretical references about trust as far as its multiple forms and dimensions are concerned. Then, a scale of confidence in institutions has been drawn. An extensive analysis has been carried out, using qualitative and quantitative methods, including factorial analysis and simple linear regression. The results provide relevant information on what makes the four target countries very alike and on what differentiates them the most. In Portugal, a tendency towards a growing trust in institutions of public offering has been registered, whereas in the African countries, citizens tend to trust institutions of private offering more. All the institutions connected with the judicial and political sphere of society have been negatively qualified by the respondents in all countries, in a relatively similar way.

Ação política e a perspetiva social : Freguesia de São Domingos de Benfica : Relatório Profissional

O presente relatório caracteriza a ação política e a perspetiva social da Junta de Freguesia de São Domingos de Benfica, categorizando-o em cinco eixos de intervenção, analisando a sua eficácia e abrangência no período entre 2005 e 2011. No primeiro eixo, focado na ação na infância e juventude, inclui-se o Programa de Promoção de Competências Pessoais e Sociais, o Gabinete de Apoio à Criança e ao Jovem, os Encontros para Pais, a Comissão de Proteção de Crianças e Jovens, as Atividades de OTL do Espaço Jovem e os Programas de Férias. Das respostas para os adultos, no segundo eixo, fazem parte dois gabinetes de apoio aos munícipes1 com perturbações de comportamento aditivo e vítimas de violência doméstica, incluindo-se ações de prevenção e sensibilização. Para a população idosa temos o terceiro eixo e salienta-se o Programa de Envelhecimento Ativo e Saudável, as Atividades de OTL, nomeadamente o Programa de Férias para a população Sénior e as visitas e passeios histórico-culturais. A família e a qualidade das relações familiares são um aspeto de grande importância, por isso temos o quarto eixo que tem o acompanhamento psicossocial, apoio a famílias carenciadas e o projeto de apoio às famílias junto de bairros isolados da freguesia. Finalmente, o quinto e último eixo refere-se a um movimento de integração das várias entidades da freguesia designado por Comissão Social de Freguesia que pretende desenvolver projetos orientados para o apoio à comunidade. Este relatório terminará com uma reflexão crítica relativamente à evolução do trabalho desenvolvido na ação social desde 2005 até 2011.

Transitions towards co-management: the process of marine resource management devolution in three east African countries

Communities are increasingly empowered with the ability and responsibility of working with national governments to make decisions about marine resources in decentralized co-management arrangements. This transition toward decentralized management represents a changing governance landscape. This paper explores the transition to decentralisation in marine resource management systems in three East African countries. The paper draws upon expert opinion and literature from both political science and linked social-ecological systems fields to guide exploration of five key governance transition concepts in each country: (1) drivers of change; (2) institutional arrangments; (3 institutional fit; (4) actor interactions; and (5) adaptive management. Key findings are that decentralized management in the region was largely donor-driven and only partly tranferred power to local stakeholders. However, increased accountability created a degree of democracy in regards to natural resource governance that was not previously present. Additionally, increased local-level adaptive management has emerged in most systems and, to date, this experimental management has helped to change resource user's views from metaphysical to more scientific cause-and-effect attribution of changes to resource conditions.

Conspicuous redemption? Reflections on the promises and perils of the 'celebritization' of climate change

With rising public awareness of climate change, celebrities have become an increasingly important community of non nation-state ‘actors’ influencing discourse and action, thereby comprising an emergent climate science–policy–celebrity complex. Some feel that these amplified and prominent voices contribute to greater public understanding of climate change science, as well as potentially catalyze climate policy cooperation. However, critics posit that increased involvement from the entertainment industry has not served to influence substantive long-term advancements in these arenas; rather, it has instead reduced the politics of climate change to the domain of fashion and fad, devoid of political and public saliency. Through tracking media coverage in Australia, Canada, the United States, and United Kingdom, we map out the terrain of a ‘Politicized Celebrity System’ in attempts to cut through dualistic characterizations of celebrity involvement in politics. We develop a classification system of the various types of climate change celebrity activities, and situate movements in contemporary consumer- and spectacle-driven carbon-based society. Through these analyses, we place dynamic and contested interactions in a spatially and temporally-sensitive ‘Cultural Circuits of Climate Change Celebrities’ model. In so doing, first we explore how these newly ‘authorized’ speakers and ‘experts’ might open up spaces in the public sphere and the science/policy nexus through ‘celebritization’ effects. Second, we examine how the celebrity as the ‘heroic individual’ seeking ‘conspicuous redemption’ may focus climate change actions through individualist frames. Overall, this paper explores potential promises, pitfalls and contradictions of this increasingly entrenched set of ‘agents’ in the cultural politics of climate change. Thus, as a form of climate change action, we consider whether it is more effective to ‘plant’ celebrities instead of trees.

The sexual constitution of political authority: the 'trials' of same sex desire

The Sexual Constitution of Political Authority argues that there are good reasons to suppose that our understandings of state power quiver with erotic undercurrents. Through a series of case studies where a statesman's same sex desire was put on trial (either literally or metaphorically) as a problem for the good exercise of public powers, the book shows the resilience and adaptability of cultural beliefs in the incompatibility between public office and male same-sex desire.

Talking AIDS in Hong Kong: Cultural models in public health discourse

This paper explores issues of cultural models in the discourse of public health in a multicultural, multilingual context through a 'frame analysis' of 20 AIDS awareness campaigns aired in both English and Cantonese in Hong Kong from 1987 to 1994. Using a methodology derived from the work of Goffman (1974), and Gee (1990), it examines how the authors of AIDS awareness messages in Hong Kong project cultural models on several different levels of "framing" and how these models both reflect and validate dominant ideologies within the society.

Demokrati eller presidentdiktatur? : Konstitutionella vägval i postkommunistiska länder

While authoritarian presidents prevail under heavily president-oriented constitutions throughout the post-Soviet region, democracy along parliamentary lines triumphs in Central Europe. This article discusses the constitutional pattern among the post-communist countries on the basis of two general questions: First, how can we explain why strong presidential constitutions dominate throughout the post-Soviet region whereas constrained presidencies and governments anchored in parliament have become the prevailing option in Central Europe? Second, and interlinked with the first question, why have so many post-communist countries (in the post-Soviet region as well as in Central Europe) chosen neither parliamentarism nor presidentialism, but instead semi-presidential arrangements whereby a directly elected president is provided with considerable powers and coexists with a prime minister? The analysis indicates that both historical-institutional and actor-oriented factors are relevant here. Key factors have been regime transition, pre-communist era constitutions and leaders, as well as short-term economic and political considerations. With differing strengths and in partly different ways, these factors seem to have affected the actors’ preferences and final constitutional compromises.