A Critical Review of Opinion Polls relating to Iranian Voting Intentions: Problems of Research Methodology as applied to Complex Societies

After the 10th Iranian Presidential election on June 12, 2009, several public opinion polls taken in Iran attracted the attention of policy-makers and journalists around the world because of the political crisis that followed. In this paper I first review critically the polls conducted by the WPO (WorldPublicOpinion.org), PIPA (Program on International Policy Attitudes) at the University of Maryland. I also review an essay by Steven Kull, which is based on the aforementioned poll results and which in my opinion leads to false conclusions concerning Iran’s political prospects. I also discuss “An Analysis of Multiple Polls of the Iranian Public,” published by WPO-PIPA on February 3 2010. The present paper arrives at the overall conclusion that it is impossible to obtain an accurate image of political opinions in societies as complicated as that of Iran by concentrating on only one technique of research and analysis, especially when the political and social situation in the society concerned is in a state of constant flux.

El palacio de la Agricultura: expresión y gesto moderno. Francisco de Asís Cabrero y Jaime Ruiz: pioneros de la arquitectura expositiva madrileña.

Investigación sobre los edificios que componen el núcleo del recinto ferial de la Casa de Campo de Madrid, denominados el "agora expoositivo". El estudio se centra en el actual pabellón de la Pipa que originalmente fue concebido como Palacio de la Agricultura de la II Feria Internacional del Campo celebrada en 1953.

Turismo imobiliário: uma reflexão sobre o impacto da crise financeira de 2008 e perspectivas no Rio Grande do Norte

Comunicación presentada en el V Encontro Nacional da Anppas, Florianópolis, Brasil, 4-7 outubro 2010.

International residential tourism in north east Brazil: a stakeholder analysis

This paper analyses the system of actors involved in the development of residential tourism on the north east coast of Brazil. The study observes the socio-political effects of the 2001-2008 real estate boom, focused on the promotion of second homes in closed residential areas. Stakeholder Analysis (SA) is used to identify the various actors’ roles and positions within a particular social space in a tourist setting which is exposed to transnational and real estate interests. The method reveals an unequal and conflict-ridden social reality. The results show that residential tourism shapes the local socio-political configuration, strengthening some actors (urban developers, real estate companies) whilst positioning others in a situation of dependence (local communities, cities).