Russia and the Global Security Strategy of the European Union

The present article reviews the relations between the EU and Russia in the past decade and shows the deterioration of the bilateral relations. The Putin´s Russia has become a very active geostrategic player, with a worrying behaviour, breaking balances in the international scene established since the end of the Cold War. Russia is a priority in the Foreign and Security Policy of the European Global Security Strategy, but has become also a clear competitor. This last aspect is not sufficiently underlined in the Strategy and thus the strategic framework is not clear. In parallel, it is not clear in the Strategy which are the tools the EU has to defend its neighbourhood when their independence, sovereignty or territorial defence may be put in question. This question goes beyond the support to the resilience of those neighbours.

The cost of a minimum essential food basket in the Republic of Ireland: Study for six household types.

A Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) is derived from a negotiated consensus on what people believe is a minimum standard. It is a standard of living that meets an individual’s or a household’s physical, psychological and social needs. This is calculated by identifying the goods and services required by different household types in order to meet their needs. While an MESL is based on needs, not wants, it is a standard of living below which nobody should be expected to live. This report focuses on food, one of the 16 elements of the Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) data. It is based on a methodology called Consensual Budget Standards (CBS). The report is presented in the context of increasing concerns about the issue of food poverty in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) and an increase in the number of people reporting that they do not have enough money to buy food. Recent data from The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have shown that the number of people believing they cannot afford food doubled from 4.2% in 2008 to 9% in 2014. Data from Eurostat show that in 2013, food and non-alcoholic beverage prices in Ireland were 17% higher than the EU average. Moreover, research by Carney and Maitre, using data from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC), found that one in ten people are living in food poverty in Ireland. Food poverty is defined as the inability to have an adequate and nutritious diet due to issues of affordability and access to food. This has related effects on health, culture and social participation. The 2013 data from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) show that 1.4 million people, almost 31% of the population, suffer from deprivation. This means that they are unable to afford two items from a list of 11 very basic items (of which one is not being able to eat a meal with meat, chicken, fish or a vegetarian equivalent every second day). The highest levels of deprivation are experienced by lone parents (63%), unemployed people (55%) and people not at work because of illness or disability (53%). The experience of the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice (VPSJ) is that expenditure on food tends to be one of the least important considerations when households are dealing with competing demands on an inadequate income. A Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) is derived from a negotiated consensus on what people believe is a minimum standard. It is a standard of living that meets an individual’s or a household’s physical, psychological and social needs. This is calculated by identifying the goods and services required by different household types in order to meet their needs. While an MESL is based on needs, not wants, it is a standard of living below which nobody should be expected to live. This report focuses on food, one of the 16 elements of the Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) data. It is based on a methodology called Consensual Budget Standards (CBS). The report is presented in the context of increasing concerns about the issue of food poverty in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) and an increase in the number of people reporting that they do not have enough money to buy food. Recent data from The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have shown that the number of people believing they cannot afford food doubled from 4.2% in 2008 to 9% in 2014. Data from Eurostat show that in 2013, food and non-alcoholic beverage prices in Ireland were 17% higher than the EU average. Moreover, research by Carney and Maitre, using data from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC), found that one in ten people are living in food poverty in Ireland. Food poverty is defined as the inability to have an adequate and nutritious diet due to issues of affordability and access to food. This has related effects on health, culture and social participation. The 2013 data from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) show that 1.4 million people, almost 31% of the population, suffer from deprivation. This means that they are unable to afford two items from a list of 11 very basic items (of which one is not being able to eat a meal with meat, chicken, fish or a vegetarian equivalent every second day). The highest levels of deprivation are experienced by lone parents (63%), unemployed people (55%) and people not at work because of illness or disability (53%). The experience of the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice (VPSJ) is that expenditure on food tends to be one of the least important considerations when households are dealing with competing demands on an inadequate income. - See more at: http://www.safefood.eu/Publications/Research-reports/The-cost-of-a-healthy-food-basket.aspx#sthash.RiBpj5no.dpuf A Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) is derived from a negotiated consensus on what people believe is a minimum standard. It is a standard of living that meets an individual’s or a household’s physical, psychological and social needs. This is calculated by identifying the goods and services required by different household types in order to meet their needs. While an MESL is based on needs, not wants, it is a standard of living below which nobody should be expected to live. This report focuses on food, one of the 16 elements of the Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) data. It is based on a methodology called Consensual Budget Standards (CBS). The report is presented in the context of increasing concerns about the issue of food poverty in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) and an increase in the number of people reporting that they do not have enough money to buy food. Recent data from The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have shown that the number of people believing they cannot afford food doubled from 4.2% in 2008 to 9% in 2014. Data from Eurostat show that in 2013, food and non-alcoholic beverage prices in Ireland were 17% higher than the EU average. Moreover, research by Carney and Maitre, using data from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC), found that one in ten people are living in food poverty in Ireland. Food poverty is defined as the inability to have an adequate and nutritious diet due to issues of affordability and access to food. This has related effects on health, culture and social participation. The 2013 data from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) show that 1.4 million people, almost 31% of the population, suffer from deprivation. This means that they are unable to afford two items from a list of 11 very basic items (of which one is not being able to eat a meal with meat, chicken, fish or a vegetarian equivalent every second day). The highest levels of deprivation are experienced by lone parents (63%), unemployed people (55%) and people not at work because of illness or disability (53%). The experience of the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice (VPSJ) is that expenditure on food tends to be one of the least important considerations when households are dealing with competing demands on an inadequate income. - See more at: http://www.safefood.eu/Publications/Research-reports/The-cost-of-a-healthy-food-basket.aspx#sthash.RiBpj5no.dpuf A Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) is derived from a negotiated consensus on what people believe is a minimum standard. It is a standard of living that meets an individual’s or a household’s physical, psychological and social needs. This is calculated by identifying the goods and services required by different household types in order to meet their needs. While an MESL is based on needs, not wants, it is a standard of living below which nobody should be expected to live. This report focuses on food, one of the 16 elements of the Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) data. It is based on a methodology called Consensual Budget Standards (CBS). The report is presented in the context of increasing concerns about the issue of food poverty in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) and an increase in the number of people reporting that they do not have enough money to buy food. Recent data from The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have shown that the number of people believing they cannot afford food doubled from 4.2% in 2008 to 9% in 2014. Data from Eurostat show that in 2013, food and non-alcoholic beverage prices in Ireland were 17% higher than the EU average. Moreover, research by Carney and Maitre, using data from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC), found that one in ten people are living in food poverty in Ireland. Food poverty is defined as the inability to have an adequate and nutritious diet due to issues of affordability and access to food. This has related effects on health, culture and social participation. The 2013 data from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) show that 1.4 million people, almost 31% of the population, suffer from deprivation. This means that they are unable to afford two items from a list of 11 very basic items (of which one is not being able to eat a meal with meat, chicken, fish or a vegetarian equivalent every second day). The highest levels of deprivation are experienced by lone parents (63%), unemployed people (55%) and people not at work because of illness or disability (53%). The experience of the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice (VPSJ) is that expenditure on food tends to be one of the least important considerations when households are dealing with competing demands on an inadequate income. - See more at: http://www.safefood.eu/Publications/Research-reports/The-cost-of-a-healthy-food-basket.aspx#sthash.RiBpj5no.dpuf

Jovens NEET: o caso português

O fenómeno NEET- “Not in Employment, Education or Training”, jovens que não estudam, não trabalham e não frequentam qualquer formação, constitui um problema social comum ao espaço europeu, onde, segundo o Eurostat há 14 milhões de jovens excluídos do mercado de trabalho e do sistema de educação e formação. A perda económica resultante desde afastamento é estimada em 153 mil milhões de euros por ano, 1,2% do PIB da União Europeia. Apresenta-se uma análise crítica do conceito NEET e a sua dimensão europeia. Em Portugal a “Geração Nem-Nem” tem vindo a crescer significativamente desde 2008 e atingiu um valor recorde em 2012 com 434 mil jovens inativos, colocando Portugal entre os 10 países da OCDE com maior percentagem de NEET. Procura-se traçar um diagnóstico do perfil destes jovens, compreender quem são e quanto custa ao país o seu afastamento da escola e do mercado de trabalho. Por fim, abordam-se as principais estratégias políticas que vêm sendo adotadas para reduzir o número de NEET, com a criação de um conjunto de programas de apoio à transição entre o sistema de educação e formação e o mercado de trabalho, estímulos à criação de emprego e uma aposta no reforço do ensino profissional e da aprendizagem dual. Conclui-se que o fenómeno NEET em Portugal tem registado uma tendência crescente e resulta em grande medida do aumento exponencial das taxas de desemprego jovem que em 2013 atingiram os 40%, predominando jovens com um nível de escolaridade relativamente baixo. Contudo, as estatísticas demonstram que o problema também cresceu nos últimos anos entre os que têm formação superior, o que revela um problema estrutural que dificulta a transição da educação para o mercado de trabalho, mesmo entre os mais qualificados.

Explaining tourists´ support for environmental protection

Any movement towards sustainable tourism is dependent not only upon the industry and other key stakeholders but also the demand side, namely the tourists. Yet, there is a limited literature from the demand point of view. In this area, contributions to an understanding of tourists’ support to sustainable development are necessary. This paper analyzes the main determinants in tourist behavior regarding the environmental considerations when they are making decisions about their holiday plans. General literature on this issue highlights the need to consider socio-economic variables of the individual as well as the attributes related of their style of living. If the econometric model takes into account all these variables simultaneously, then the linkage between contextual changes and tourists´ behaviour is enriched and it may be estimated more accurately. In this sense, a multilevel approach using a random-intercept logistic models is proposed, since tourists belong to a country are affected by the same contextual variables. The analysis comprises a joint dataset composed by microdata belong to the survey Attitudes of Europeans Towards Tourism, which corresponds to Flash Eurobarometer 281, macrodata from Eurostat (GDP in pps and GDP growth) and additional variables profiles from the 2005 Environmental Sustainability Index. Country-specific effects are calculated across the EU-27 countries, which corroborated that attitudes to the sustainable tourism are heterogeneous geo-graphically. The higher the level of GDP, the lower the level of tourists´ support. These results could be explained because tourists of richer countries already have to pay more tax for envi-ronmental protection. Age, gender and educational attainment are relevant. Motivations for travelling, size of the community, type of the destination, and environmental sustainability indi-cators of the place of residence are also important factors.

Indicadores de eficiencia asociados a los Grupos Relacionados por el Diagnóstico (GRD) de Partos en un Hospital Público de Nivel I

Esta investigación toma como tema de referencia los costes sanitarios en originados en la Unidad de Partos del Servicio de Obstetricia y Ginecología de un Hospital de Nivel I. El objetivo general de la presente investigación se concreta en la definición y determinación de un conjunto de indicadores que permitan cuantificar el grado de eficiencia en la actividad sanitaria. Estos indicadores se construyen sobre variables representativas de coste, relativizadas por la actividad de la unidad, medida ésta por el número de casos atendidos. Otro indicador global que se podría haber utilizado es el número de estancias causadas, si bien hay razones, que se explican a lo largo del trabajo, que desaconsejan su utilización. El ámbito de estudio de este trabajo lo constituye la unidad de gestión clínica (servicio) de obstetricia y ginecología de un hospital de Nivel I de la Comunidad Autónoma de Andalucía y el año de referencia del estudio es 2005. Dentro de este servicio se ha centrado la atención en los partos atendidos, por la representatividad que los mismos tienen en la actividad de la unidad, desagregando la diferente tipología de aquellos mediante el uso de los correspondientes GRD. Las fuentes de información utilizadas han sido: • Conjunto Mínimo Básico de Datos (CMBD) • Grupos Relacionados con el Diagnóstico (GRD). • Relación de los GRD con el CMBD. • Cuadros de Mando Integrales del Centro Hospitalario. • Contabilidad Analítica del Hospital (COANHyD). • Contrato Programa del Centro Sanitario. • Instituto de Estadística de Andalucía (IEA). • Instituto Nacional de Estadística de España (INE). • Sistema Estadístico Europeo (EUROSTAT). Una vez se han determinado los costes controlables para todas las categorías y para cada uno de los GRD de partos, se procede a la determinación de una serie de indicadores que van a ser de gran utilidad para las conclusiones de la investigación, en cuanto que van a proporcionar una información determinante para los responsables de las unidades en la búsqueda de la eficiencia en la aplicación de los recursos. De igual manera van a ser útiles para establecer comparaciones con otras unidades, ya sean del mismo centro hospitalario o de otros centros. Si se hace una revisión de la literatura, la mayoría de los indicadores de eficiencia se formalizan mediante un cociente en el que el numerador representa una variable de coste y el denominador una variable de actividad, identificándose esta última por los casos tratados o las estancias causadas. La propuesta que se hace en la presente investigación es la de aplicar la primera de las alternativas enunciadas, es decir, el coste por caso, ya que las estancias causadas, aunque no han intervenido activamente en aquellos costes que se han estimado siguiendo la estrategia bottom up, sí se han utilizado, por así establecerlo la contabilidad analítica, a la hora de determinar los costes estimados mediante el modelo top down, como es el caso de todos los costes no controlables. Además del coste por caso que, como se ha dicho, es uno de los indicadores de eficiencia más citados en la literatura, podrían utilizarse otros indicadores como el coste por producción ajustada, que se define como el cociente entre los costes de explotación, que son los que se han contemplado en la presente investigación, y el número de altas ajustado por el peso relativo del correspondiente GRD. El coste por producción ajustada puede parecer más preciso. Sin embargo, depende mucho de la homogeneidad existente en la definición de las patologías que conforman cada GRD, es decir, depende del grado de variabilidad intra GRD. Como quiera que no es fácil lograr dicha homogeneidad, la ventaja apuntada puede compensarse en cierta medida con el inconveniente de mostrar una menor neutralidad. Si se analiza su distribución por GRD, puede observarse que el coste correspondiente a los GRD 371, 372 y 373 conforma más del 70% del coste total. El correspondiente a los GRD 370 y 651 alrededor del 19% del total. Les siguen en importancia el GRD 650 con un 5%, el GRD 375 con alrededor del 3%, repartiéndose el 2% restante los GRD 374 y 652. Si no distinguimos entre costes controlables y no controlables, el total de todos los costes en que incurre la unidad objeto de estudio en el año 2005 asciende a 16.956.541 euros, de los que el 57,18% se corresponde con los costes controlables, quedando el 42,82% restante para los no controlables. Por conceptos, el mayor peso relativo en la estructura de costes, lo tienen los costes del personal adscrito al servicio, con un 48,16%, siendo de un 29,88% el correspondiente al resto del personal, conformando entre ambos algo más del 78% del coste total. Le sigue en importancia el concepto de varios con una aportación del 6,52%, ello debido fundamentalmente al coste de los set de esterilización, lavandería y lencería que aportan un 61 y 34% del total del concepto. En cuanto a gestoría de usuarios y tributos, su importancia es residual. En tercer lugar tenemos a las contratas, con un 4,04% del coste total, destacando entre las mismas la contrata de la limpieza que supone un 70% del total del concepto. El cuarto lugar lo ocupan las determinaciones analíticas con un 3,37% del peso relativo, destacando entre ellas las de bioquímica con un 34,26%, seguidas de las de inmunología con un 30,25% y los hemogramas con un 18,79%, conformando entre las tres algo más del 83% del total. La aportación de alimentación, material fungible y consumos, es un 2,61%, un 2,55% y un 2,38% respectivamente, destacando en importancia el peso del material de curas, que supone el 66,58% del total del concepto, los consumos de electricidad con un 36,91% del total y el oxigeno que constituye el 28,68% de dicho total. El menor peso relativo, casi residual, se corresponde con los costes de farmacia, con una participación del 0,49% del coste total.

El capital intelectual y su relación con la innovación en la universidad CES

En la sociedad actual del conocimiento las universidades tienen la responsabilidad de generar conocimiento e innovaciones para ofrecer soluciones a problemas de comunidades de interés. Para lograrlo las universidades deben enfocarse en su activo más importante, su capital intelectual. Hasta ahora las investigaciones relacionadas con el capital intelectual y la innovación en las universidades, son limitadas a pesar de ser un elemento estratégico para la dirección de estas organizaciones, ya que estos aspectos le representan valor en el tiempo, por tanto esta investigación busca establecer cuál es la relación que existe entre el capital intelectual y la innovación en la Universidad CES. El objetivo de esta investigación era identificar el grado de relación entre capital intelectual e innovación en la Universidad CES. La metodología del estudio, es un estudio cuantitativo, de tipo descriptivo explicativo, con un diseño transversal, que permitió establecer el efecto del capital intelectual sobre la innovación de la Universidad CES. La población del fueron los directivos, líderes de los grupos de investigación y los coordinadores de investigación de la Universidad CES. Según los resultados obtenidos, este estudio determinó que el capital intelectual no tiene una relación estadísticamente significativa con la innovación personal de la Universidad CES y se determinó también que las tres dimensiones del capital intelectual tienen una relación estadísticamente significativa con los resultados de la innovación en la Universidad CES. El principal aporte de este estudio fue ofrecer evidencias sobre el capital intelectual como una de las principales fuentes de innovación para la Universidad.

Interpretación de la construcción de un racismo de Estado : política inmigratoria de Angela Merkel en Alemania (2005-2014)

El objetivo de esta monografía es interpretar, desde la biopolítica, la construcción de un racismo de Estado en Alemania a través de la política inmigratoria bajo el mandato de Angela Merkel (2005-2014). Por medio de tres apartados se presenta de manera organizada la teoría de la biopolítica desarrollada por Michel Foucault, con sus postulados y conceptos principales, resaltando el concepto de racismo de Estado. También se enuncia de manera breve la historia de la inmigración en Alemania, su ley de inmigración actual y la ley de nacionalidad. De esta forma, se puede analizar que en Alemania se ha construido un racismo de Estado, desde la visión teórica de la biopolítica de Foucault, a través de la consolidación de la política inmigratoria vigente en dicho Estado (2005-2014), que reúne el tema de la migración internacional regular.

Indicadores de desenvolvimento sustentável para avaliação de impactos associados à expansão da cana-de-açúcar para a produção de biocombustíveis: uma análise baseada nos indicadores de desenvolvimento sustentável da União Européia.

A implementação de políticas públicas que promovam a mudança de uso do solo demanda o desenvolvimento de ferramentas que avaliem os possíveis impactos futuros destas políticas, visando promover a sua sustentabilidade. Para medir os impactos resultantes da implementação destas políticas, um grupo de indicadores foi selecionado pelo projeto SENSOR União Européia (www.sensor-ip.org, EU FP-6 ), a partir dos indicadores desenvolvidos pelo Eurostat (http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/). Este trabalho apresenta esses indicadores e analisa sua aplicabilidade para descrever os principais impactos do cultivo da cana-de-açúcar no Brasil. A região centro-sul é a maior produtora de cana-de-açúcar em todo o país, sendo esta uma cultura que vem apresentando grande crescimento nesta região. Parte dos indicadores selecionados pela EU não são totalmente suficientes para descrever o impacto da Mudança do Uso do Solo no Brasil, tanto devido à sua inadequação quanto pela indisponibilidade de dados para calculá-los. Alternativamente, outros indicadores devem ser selecionados visando uma avaliação ex-ante dos impactos das políticas públicas para a expansão da cana-de-açúcar para a produção de biocombustíveis.