Beyond - Another view on space and landscape

Die Beiträge dieser Veröffentlichung sind aus Vorträgen anlässlich der Postdoc-Konferenz zu Ehren von Prof. Dr. Detlev Ipsen, der sich im September 2010 aus dem Universitätsdienst verabschiedete, entstanden. Das inhaltliche Kernprogramm der Postdoc-Konferenz war bewusst auf sehr unterschiedliche Perspektiven auf den Raum und die Raumwahrnehmung ausgerichtet und bildet sich auch in den Beiträgen dieser Veröffentlichung ab. Elisabeth Heidenreich widmet sich in ihrem Beitrag „Der moderne Dschihad und seine (sakralen) Räume“ den technischen Räumen des islamistischen Terrorismus. Hans-Ulrich Werner zeigt in seinem Beitrag „SoundScapes als Klang und Raum“ verschiedene Begegnungen der Musik- und Klangwissenschaft mit der Stadt- und Umweltplanung auf und setzt sich mit der Bedeutung und Transformation von „Klangräumen“ in der Planung auseinander. Der Beitrag von Susanne Kost „Kulturbedingte Unterschiede im Landschaftsbewusstsein – eine Annäherung“ analysiert, wie und wodurch sich bestimmte Handlungs- und Wahrnehmungsweisen in Kulturen entwickelt haben könnten und ob sich am Beispiel der Niederlande bestimmte Muster der Landschaftswahrnehmung identifizieren lassen. Ilya Maharika erörtert in seinem Beitrag „Urban Gene of Desakota. A Dynamic of Indonesian Urban-Rural Continuum with the Case of Yogyakarta Region” internationale Phänomene und Dynamiken im Stadt-Land-Gefüge.

Effects of Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on Growth and Yield of Banana (Musa AAA cv. Malindi) in Oman

The Sultanate of Oman is located on the south-eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, which lies on the south-western tip of the Asian continent. The strategic geographical locations of the Sultanate with its many maritime ports distributed on the Indian Ocean have historically made it one of the Arabian Peninsula leaders in the international maritime trade sector. Intensive trading relationships over long time periods have contributed to the high plant diversity seen in Oman where agricultural production depends entirely on irrigation from groundwater sources. As a consequence of the expansion of the irrigated area, groundwater depletion has increased, leading to the intrusion of seawater into freshwater aquifers. This phenomenon has caused water and soil salinity problems in large parts of the Al-Batinah governorate of Oman and threatens cultivated crops, including banana (Musa spp.). According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, the majority of South Al-Batinah farms are affected by salinity (ECe > 4 dS m-1). As no alternative farmland is available, the reclamation of salt-affected soils using simple cultural practices is of paramount importance, but in Oman little scientific research has been conducted to develop such methods of reclamation. This doctoral study was initiated to help filling this research gap, particularly for bananas. A literature review of the banana cultivation history revealed that the banana germplasm on the Arabian Peninsula is probably introduced from Indonesia and India via maritime routes across the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea. In a second part of this dissertation, two experiments are described. A laboratory trial conducted at the University of Kassel, in Witzenhausen, Germany from June to July 2010. This incubation experiment was done to explore how C and N mineralization of composted dairy manure and date palm straw differed in alkaline non-saline and saline soils. Each soil was amended with four organic fertilizers: 1) composted dairy manure, 2) manure + 10% date palm straw, 3) manure + 30% date palm straw or 4) date palm straw alone, in addition to un-amended soils as control. The results showed that the saline soil had a lower soil organic C content and microbial biomass C than the non-saline soil. This led to lower mineralization rates of manure and date palm straw in the saline soil. In the non-saline soil, the application of manure and straw resulted in significant increases of CO2 emissions, equivalent to 2.5 and 30% of the added C, respectively. In the non-amended control treatment of the saline soil, the sum of CO2-C reached only 55% of the soil organic C in comparison with the non-saline soil. In which 66% of the added manure and 75% of the added straw were emitted, assuming that no interactions occurred between soil organic C, manure C and straw C during microbial decomposition. The application of straw always led to a net N immobilization compared to the control. Salinity had no specific effect on N mineralization as indicated by the CO2-C to Nmin ratio of soil organic matter and manure. However, N immobilization was markedly stronger in the saline soil. Date palm straw strongly promoted saprotrophic fungi in contrast to manure and the combined application of manure and date palm straw had synergistic positive effects on soil microorganisms. In the last week of incubation, net-N mineralization was observed in nearly all treatments. The strongest increase in microbial biomass C was observed in the manure + straw treatment. In both soils, manure had no effect on the fungi-specific membrane component ergosterol. In contrast, the application of straw resulted in strong increases of the ergosterol content. A field experiment was conducted on two adjacent fields at the Agricultural Research Station, Rumais (23°41’15” N, 57°59’1” E) in the South of Al-Batinah Plain in Oman from October 2007 to July 2009. In this experiment, the effects of 24 soil and fertilizer treatments on the growth and productivity of Musa AAA cv. 'Malindi' were evaluated. The treatments consisted of two soil types (saline and amended non-saline), two fertilizer application methods (mixed and ring applied), six fertilizer amendments (1: fresh dairy manure, 2: composted dairy manure, 3: composted dairy manure and 10% date palm straw, 4: composted dairy manure and 30% date palm straw, 5: only NPK, and 6: NPK and micronutrients). Sandy loam soil was imported from another part of Oman to amended the soil in the planting holes and create non-saline conditions in the root-zone. The results indicate that replacing the saline soil in the root zone by non-saline soil improved plant growth and yield more than fertilizer amendments or application methods. Particularly those plants on amended soil where NPK was applied using the ring method and which received micronutrients grew significantly faster to harvest (339 days), had a higher average bunch weight (9.5 kg/bunch) and were consequently more productive (10.6 tonnes/hectare/cycle) compared to the other treatments.

The Food Crisis: Implications for Labor

Food prices have gone up to prohibitive levels for many of the world’s poor. The vast majority of those who are hungry in the world today are working in agriculture, either as small landholders or as waged agricultural workers. The majority of the food producers have not benefited from rising prices. Apparently, the bargaining power of many producers, just as that of the end consumers, has been weakened vis-à-vis the buyers and retailers of agricultural produce. This powerlessness is also in the face of governments that fail to provide an appropriate infrastructure for smallholders and social protection. The first part of the book provides an introduction to the immediate and structural causes of the food crisis. The second part contains contributions that not only highlight the plight of rural labour but also develop tools for measuring the decent work deficit. The last part emphasizes income security as a major precondition for food security. It looks at the experiences of Brazil and India with the extension of social protection for the poor.

World Hunger, Malnutrition and Brain Development of Children

Hunger is still a major problem faced by people in the world especially in some areas in developing countries, and this condition is a cause of undernutrition. Insufficient nutrition during the early stages of life may adversely influence brain development. It was observed from my own research conducted in Bogor, Indonesia, that children with severe acute malnutrition (SAM, body mass index or BMI for age z score < -3) (N=54) had significantly (p<0.05) lower memory ability score (46.22±1.38) compared to normal children (BMI for age z score -2 ≤ z ≤ 1) (N=91) (51.56±1.24). Further, children with Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM, BMI for age z score -3 ≤ z <-2) tended to (p<0.1) have lower memory ability (50.08±1.58) than the normal children. On the other hand, overnutrition among children also might impair the brain function. The study revealed that children who are overweight (BMI for age z score 1 < z ≤ 2) (N=8) significantly (p<0.05) had lower memory ability score (46.13±4.50) compared to the normal children. This study also revealed that obese children (BMI for age z score > 2) (N=6) tended to (p<0.1) have lower memory ability score (50.33±5.64) than the normal children. It is therefore very important to maintain children at a normal BMI, not being undernourished (SAM and MAM categories) on one side and not being overnourished (overweight and obesity categories) on the other side in order to optimise their brain development. This could be achieved through providing children with an adequate and balanced nutrient supply via food.

Employment and Income of Workers on Indonesian Oil Palm Plantations: Food Crisis at the Micro Level

The importance of oil palm sector for Indonesia is inevitable as the country currently serves as the world’s largest producer of crude palm oil. This paper focuses on the situation of workers on Indonesian oil palm plantations. It attempts to investigate whether the remarkable development of the sector is followed by employment opportunities and income generation for workers. This question is posed within the theoretical framework on the link between trade liberalisation and labour rights, particularly in a labour-intensive and low-skilled sector. Based on extensive field research in Riau, this paper confirms that despite the rapid development of the oil palm plantation sector in Indonesia, the situations of workers in the sector remain deplorable, particularly their employment status and income. This also attests that trade liberalisation in the sector adversely affects labour rights. The poor working conditions also have ramifications for food security at the micro level.

Identification of Problem-based learning components and their effects on graduates' competencies

This study investigated the relationship between higher education and the requirement of the world of work with an emphasis on the effect of problem-based learning (PBL) on graduates' competencies. The implementation of full PBL method is costly (Albanese & Mitchell, 1993; Berkson, 1993; Finucane, Shannon, & McGrath, 2009). However, the implementation of PBL in a less than curriculum-wide mode is more achievable in a broader context (Albanese, 2000). This means higher education institutions implement only a few PBL components in the curriculum. Or a teacher implements a few PBL components at the courses level. For this kind of implementation there is a need to identify PBL components and their effects on particular educational outputs (Hmelo-Silver, 2004; Newman, 2003). So far, however there has been little research about this topic. The main aims of this study were: (1) to identify each of PBL components which were manifested in the development of a valid and reliable PBL implementation questionnaire and (2) to determine the effect of each identified PBL component to specific graduates' competencies. The analysis was based on quantitative data collected in the survey of medicine graduates of Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia. A total of 225 graduates responded to the survey. The result of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) showed that all individual constructs of PBL and graduates' competencies had acceptable GOFs (Goodness-of-fit). Additionally, the values of the factor loadings (standardize loading estimates), the AVEs (average variance extracted), CRs (construct reliability), and ASVs (average shared squared variance) showed the proof of convergent and discriminant validity. All values indicated valid and reliable measurements. The investigation of the effects of PBL showed that each PBL component had specific effects on graduates' competencies. Interpersonal competencies were affected by Student-centred learning (β = .137; p < .05) and Small group components (β = .078; p < .05). Problem as stimulus affected Leadership (β = .182; p < .01). Real-world problems affected Personal and organisational competencies (β = .140; p < .01) and Interpersonal competencies (β = .114; p < .05). Teacher as facilitator affected Leadership (β = 142; p < .05). Self-directed learning affected Field-related competencies (β = .080; p < .05). These results can help higher education institution and educator to have informed choice about the implementation of PBL components. With this information higher education institutions and educators could fulfil their educational goals and in the same time meet their limited resources. This study seeks to improve prior studies' research method in four major ways: (1) by indentifying PBL components based on theory and empirical data; (2) by using latent variables in the structural equation modelling instead of using a variable as a proxy of a construct; (3) by using CFA to validate the latent structure of the measurement, thus providing better evidence of validity; and (4) by using graduate survey data which is suitable for analysing PBL effects in the frame work of the relationship between higher education and the world of work.

Core Labor Rights

The working paper’s main objective is to explore the extent to which non-compliance to international labor rights is caused by global competition. From the perspective of institutional economics, compliance with core labor rights is beneficial for sustainable development. Nonetheless, violations of these rights occur on a massive scale. The violators usually blame competitive pressures. A number of studies have come to the conclusion that non-compliance does not provide for a competitive edge, thereby denying any economic rationale for non-compliance. While we sympathize with this conclusion, we find that these studies suffer from faulty assumptions in the design of their regression analyses. The assumption of perfect markets devoid of power relations is particularly unrealistic. While workers' rights promise long-term benefits, they may incur short-term production cost increases. On the supply side, the production sites with the highest amount of labor rights violations are characterized by a near perfect competitive situation. The demand side, however, is dominated by an oligopoly of brand name companies and large retailers. Facing a large pool of suppliers, these companies enjoy more bargaining power. Developing countries, the hosts to most of these suppliers, are therefore limited in their ability to raise labor standards on their own. This competitive situation, however, is the very reason why labor rights have to be negotiated internationally. Our exploration starts with an outline of the institutionalist argument of the benefits of core labor rights. Second, we briefly examine some cross-country empirical studies on the impact of trade liberalization (as a proxy for competitive pressures). Third, we develop our own argument which differentiates the impact of trade liberalization along the axes of labor- and capital-intensive production as well as low and medium skill production. Finally, we present evidence from a study on the impact of trade liberalization in Indonesia on the garment industry as an example of a low skill, laborintensive industry on the one hand, and the automobile as an example for a medium skill, capital-intensive industry on the other hand. Because the garment industry’s workforce consists mainly of women, we also discuss the gender dimension of trade liberalization.

Double burden malnutrition of preschool children and its association with brain development and milk consumption

Protecting the quality of children growth and development becomes a supreme qualification for the betterment of a nation. Double burden child malnutrition is emerging worldwide which might have a strong influence to the quality of child brain development and could not be paid-off on later life. Milk places a notable portion during the infancy and childhood. Thus, the deep insight on milk consumption pattern might explain the phenomenon of double burden child malnutrition correlated to the cognitive impairments. Objective: Current study is intended (1) to examine the current face of Indonesian double burden child malnutrition: a case study in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, (2) to investigate the association of this phenomenon with child brain development, and (3) to examine the contribution of socioeconomic status and milk consumption on this phenomenon so that able to formulate some possible solutions to encounter this problem. Design: A cross-sectional study using a structured coded questionnaire was conducted among 387 children age 5-6 years old and their parents from 8 areas in Bogor, West-Java, Indonesia on November 2012 to December 2013, to record some socioeconomic status, anthropometric measurements, and history of breast feeding. Diet and probability of milk intake was assessed by two 24 h dietary recalls and food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Usual daily milk intake was calculated using Multiple Source Method (MSM). Some brain development indicators (IQ, EQ, learning, and memory ability) using Projective Multi-phase Orientation method was also executed to learn the correlation between double burden child malnutrition and some brain development indicator. Results and conclusions: A small picture of child double burden malnutrition is shown in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia, where prevalence of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) is 27.1%, Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) is 24.9%, and overnutrition is 7.7%. This phenomenon proves to impair the child brain development. The malnourished children, both under- and over- nourished children have significantly (P-value<0.05) lower memory ability compared to the normal children (memory score, N; SAM = 45.2, 60; MAM = 48.5, 61; overweight = 48.4, 43; obesity = 47.9, 60; normal = 52.4, 163). The plausible reasons behind these evidences are the lack of nutrient intake during the sprout growth period on undernourished children or increasing adiposity on overnourished children might influence the growth of hippocampus area which responsible to the memory ability. Either undernutrition or overnutrition, the preventive action on this problem is preferable to avoid ongoing cognitive performance loss of the next generation. Some possible solutions for this phenomenon are promoting breast feeding initiation and exclusive breast feeding practices for infants, supporting the consumption of a normal portion of milk (250 to 500 ml per day) for children, and breaking the chain of poverty by socioeconomic improvement. And, the national food security becomes the fundamental point for the betterment of the next. In the global context, the causes of under- and over- nutrition have to be opposed through integrated and systemic approaches for a better quality of the next generation of human beings.

Comparing european and asian studies : towards the renewal of curriculum programmes. 'Comparación de estudios europeos y asiáticos : hacia la renovación de los programas de estudio'.

Publicación financiada por el Programa Asia-Link de la Comisión Europea. - Notas a pie de página.

Cultura de enseñanza y cultura de aprendizaje del francés como lengua extranjera en la Educación Secundaria : análisis de una experiencia.

Reflexionar sobre las relaciones existentes entre el componente lingüístico y el cultural, y la presencia de éste en el aula, en los materiales, qué técnicas y estrategias de enseñanza y de aprendizaje se utilizan para lograr su adquisición por parte del alumnado, cual es el role del docente en todo este marco educativo. Discernir las representaciones ideológicas, las organizaciones, las técnicas y las formas de realizar la cultura de enseñanza de aprendizaje. Indagar sobre los instrumentos, tanto de enseñanza (profesorado) como de aprendizaje (alumnado). En definitiva reflejar si existe, o no, una manera de enseñar o aprender francés. Se trata de un estudio de caso, organizado en tres etapas: 1) Recogida de cierto numero de datos; 2) Análisis crítico con el fin de devolver un primer estudio interpretativo; 3) Intercambio, entre los diferentes equipos, de los resultados obtenidos. El estudio se realiza en un Instituto de Educación Secundaria Peñalba de Moral de Calatrava en Ciudad Real en el curso de cuarto de Educación Secundaria Obligatoria y un centro educativo de Indonesia. La visión cruzada entre el Instituto de Educación Secundaria Peñalba y la visión del equipo de Indonesia muestra que lo que puede cambiar es el estilo, influenciado por los recursos materiales de los que se disponga o no, del grado de formación y perfeccionamiento de los docentes, de las características y del número del alumnado en el aula o del tipo de actividades presentadas (lúdicas o motivadoras, tradicionales, orales u escritas); pueden cambiar ciertas formas de organizar el trabajo en clase (disciplina, uniformes, trato entre docente y discente). El equipo de Indonesia reconoce como familiar o cercana la modalidad de enseñanza-aprendizaje, por lo que se llega a la conclusión de que la forma de enseñar francés tanto en un determinado centro educativo de Indonesia como en Peñalba se encuentran inmersas dentro de la misma cultura de enseñanza-aprendizaje del francés como lengua extranjera.

Las operaciones de mantenimiento de paz de Australia en Timor Oriental y Papúa Nueva Guinea como herramientas de seguridad nacional de 1996 a 2009

La seguridad nacional, en este caso específico la seguridad nacional australiana, no está limitada su espacio físico del territorio sino que se expande a escenarios más amplios cómo sus vecinos inmediatos (Indonesia, Timor Oriental y Papúa Nueva Guinea) e incluso la región en la que se encuentra Australia. En esta perspectiva, las operaciones de mantenimiento de paz son herramientas de la política de seguridad australiana que se han establecido debido a la necesidad de responder a los nuevos desafíos en seguridad. En este trabajo se analizarán las Operaciones de Mantenimiento de Paz en Timor Oriental (1999) y Papúa Nueva Guinea (1997) como parte de la política de seguridad nacional de Australia.

Drogas ilegales, economía y sociedad

Durante los últimos 35 años las drogas ilegales han constituido un factor significativo en el drama social colombiano. Hoy día es común atribuir a éstas la causalidad de muchos problemas del país y se han elaborado algunas explicaciones del desarrollo de dicha "industria" en Colombia, de las cuales se derivan recomendaciones de política, tanto las implementadas por los gobiernos como las recomendadas por los críticos. El Centro de Estudios y Observatorio de Drogas y Delito (Ceodd),(...) de la Facultad de Economía de la Universidad del Rosario, ha encontrado que las explicaciones más comunes pueden clasificarse en tres grupos. El primero, incluye afirmaciones simples que atribuyen el desarrollo de las drogas ilegales a la pobreza, a la desigualdad, a las crisis económicas, a la corrupción o a la localización de Colombia a mitad de camino entre las plantaciones de coca de Bolivia y Perú con Estados Unidos. (...) En segundo lugar, se encuentran las razones basadas en modelos de criminalidad común, también llamados policivos, en los cuales las leyes surgen de procesos legitimados por la sociedad y quienes las violan son considerados personas con comportamientos desviados, que deben corregirse por medio de sanciones o restricciones. Siguiendo este enfoque, las políticas hacia las drogas tienen que ser represivas. En tercer lugar, están las respuestas basadas en la elevada rentabilidad de las drogas, generada por su ilegalidad, y por la existencia de una gran demanda internacional: por ejemplo, un kilo de cocaína en Colombia puede costar unos US$1.500 y cuando llega a los Estados Unidos se paga entre US$15.000 y US$18.000. Según estimaciones de las Naciones Unidas, en los últimos años la demanda mundial de cocaína ha estado alrededor de 800 toneladas. Este enfoque justifica la producción ilegal y quienes lo apoyan creen que el país produce drogas como resultado de un ‘choque externo’. Los que comulgan con esta posición consideran que Colombia, en los años sesenta, era una nación típica en términos de criminalidad, afectada por el surgimiento de una gran demanda externa de drogas que estimuló la producción de éstas. Este desarrollo constituye la causa principal de los graves problemas que enfrenta actualmente el país. Según esta explicación, la razón por la cual el país produce drogas radica en el exterior y la única solución es la legalización para acabar el ‘choque externo’. Desafortunadamente, quienes apoyan este modelo no explican por qué ese ‘choque externo’ afectó de manera tan grave a Colombia y no a otros países como Ecuador, Perú y Bolivia, donde no se desarrollaron grandes carteles de traficantes, o en Malasia, Indonesia y Taiwán, que en el pasado fueron grandes exportadores de coca. Sin embargo, la evidencia empírica encontrada por el Ceodd contradice los argumentos anteriores, pues ninguno explica por qué la producción y el tráfico de drogas ilegales están concentrados en pocos países. En el caso de la teoría policiva, la concentración se explicaría solamente si por razones genéticas una población fuera más proclive al crimen. Respecto a la producción justificada por la rentabilidad, ésta se explicaría si todos los países que pudieran producir coca, amapola, cocaína y heroína lo estuvieran haciendo. La coca puede crecer en unos 30 países, la amapola en 120 y la cocaína y la heroína se pueden refinar en cualquier parte del mundo. Por consiguiente, si la rentabilidad determinara la producción, Colombia sería sólo uno entre los muchos productores. De la misma forma, otras explicaciones como la pobreza, las crisis, la desigualdad y la corrupción fallan porque dichos problemas son endémicos en muchas sociedades que no producen o trafican drogas. La localización geográfica del país, por su parte, no explica por qué en Colombia surgieron las grandes organizaciones criminales. Además, cuando la diferencia entre los precios de exportación e importación es tan grande, como en el caso de la cocaína y de la heroína, los costos de transporte y la distancia son problemas menores. En ese caso lo que importa es reducir el riesgo y no la distancia. Ahora bien, si no hubiera demanda de drogas tampoco habría oferta y sin oferta no habría demanda. La teoría económica enseña que la demanda y la oferta son como las dos hojas de una tijera: ambas son necesarias para que haya un mercado. Para el Ceodd, estas afirmaciones son ciertas pero triviales e incompletas. La rentabilidad de las drogas es una condición necesaria, pero no suficiente para que en un país se cultive coca y se refine cocaína. Entonces, lo que se debe averiguar es por qué una condición necesaria, en el caso colombiano, se vuelve suficiente. Es claro que la gran demanda internacional es ilegal y que cuando un producto fácil de fabricar, que no requiere grandes destrezas o capital -como la cocaína o la heroína- es declarado ilegal a nivel mundial, su producción y tráfico tenderá a concentrarse en los países donde el imperio de la ley sea más débil y la sociedad más laxa frente a la ilegalidad. Es cierto que si la cocaína no fuera rentable no se produciría, pero Colombia no concentra la producción de cocaína porque sea rentable sino porque es ilegal, advierte el director del Ceodd, Francisco E. Thoumi.

Calidad de vida laboral y liderazgo en trabajadores asistenciales y administrativos en un centro oncológico de la ciudad de Bogotá

El propósito de este estudio fue describir la Calidad de vida laboral (CVL) y el estilo de liderazgo percibido por el personal administrativo/asistencial de un centro oncológico y estimar la asociación entre ellas, considerando las características sociodemográficas. Para ello se aplicó el Cuestionario de Vida profesional [CVP-35] y el Test de Adjetivos de Pitcher [PAT]. En general, los participantes presentan una CVL satisfactoria, caracterizada principalmente por motivación intrínseca, lo cual fue más evidente en el personal asistencial. Respecto al liderazgo, se observó una percepción de ausencia de liderazgo o características poco deseables de éste, lo cual aunque no determina la CVL, si constituye un factor modulador de la misma, las variables sociodemográficas no guardaron relación con la CVL. Por último se resalta la responsabilidad social que tienen los directivos sobre bienestar de los trabajadores de la salud, y consecuentemente sobre la atención al paciente. Se discuten estos hallazgos y lo pertinente de utilizar las categorías emergentes del PAT.

Company Challenge Project: L'Oréal Brandstorm 2013

Creación de plan de negocios completo, para la escogencia y el lanzamiento de un producto de la línea L’Oréal Paris que no estuviera presente en el mercado del sudeste asiático (Singapur, Filipinas, Camboya, Laos, Indonesia, Malasia) e India, y adicionalmente crear un nuevo producto que estuviera ligado al escogido en la primera parte.

Más allá de la infraestructura: el impacto de las bibliotecas públicas en la calidad de la educación

La literatura sobre la calidad de la educación ha prestado poca atención al papel que tienen las bibliotecas públicas dentro de los determinantes del desempeño educativo. Las bibliotecas públicas son activos externos al colegio y al hogar del estudiante, pero hacen parte del entorno social que les rodea. La puesta en marcha a finales de 2001 de tres bibliotecas de gran tamaño en Bogotá, conocidas como megabibliotecas, nos permite analizar el impacto de estas iniciativas sobre la calidad de la educación en los colegios aledaños. Dicho impacto se daría a través de mecanismos adicionales a la simple reducción de costos al acceso a la información: las bibliotecas renovaron el espacio público mediante la generación de espacios agradables y amigables hacia la educación, además ofrecen regularmente actividades lúdicas dirigidas a las habitantes del sector. Aprovechando la distancia del plantel educativo a la biblioteca como una aproximación al costo de acceso a la misma, utilizando para ello Diferencia en Diferencias junto a la descomposición Blinder Oaxaca. Encontramos que las mismas parecen no tener un impacto significativo sobre el desempeño académico general en los exámenes oficiales SABER 11 durante los años posteriores a su implementación. Se recomienda analizar programas específicos que aprovechen las bibliotecas para actividades escolares y otras posibles variables de impacto como actitudes hacia el estudio y aspiraciones a la educación superior.