Punctuated equilibrium theory in Brazilian public policy: the case of Ceará

Este artigo faz uma análise do processo de decisão orçamental dos municípios do Estado do Ceará. Através deste estudo, procura-se perceber em que medida a distribuição dos orçamentos aos governos locais sofrem (ou não) variações. Já em um segundo momento, tenta-se depreender quais as receitas de cada um dos municípios (as variáveis independentes) que melhor descrevem e auxiliam a opção política de investimento local (esta será a variável dependente). Considerando o período de 2006 a 2010 e fazendo uso de um desenho de pesquisa de tipo transversal, conclui-se que nos governos locais do Ceará o investimento público apresenta períodos de estabilidade seguido por períodos de grande alteração dos orçamentos – confirmando a hipótese de pesquisa. Estas conclusões confirmam os pressupostos da teoria do equilíbrio pontuado. Conclui-se igualmente que o investimento público que vem sendo realizado é dependente das transferências que a União faz para os governos locais do Estado do Ceará e das receitas de capital. Face a estas condições, é pertinente equacionar até que nível e grau o endividamento pode ocorrer em virtude da escassez cada vez maior do financiamento público.This research aims to analyze the budget decision process in Ceará municipalities in order to understand in which way budget distributions change (or not) during the research period under consideration. This research also aims to understand which revenues (the independent variables) of each municipality better expla in the political choices for local government investments (the dependent variable). Making use of data from 2006 to 2010 and using a cross - sectional research design, the study concludes a stability in local government investments periods of stress where su ch investments have both positive and negative significant fluctuations – confirming our working hypothesis. These results confirm punctuated Equilibrium Theory assumptions and also find that local government public investment is dependent on money transfe rs from the central government and also from capital revenues. Thus, it is important to question to what degree public indebtedness should be allowed, due to a scarcity of public fundsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Expanding Social Science Through Disaster Studies

Objectives. This article provides an overview of how the interdisciplinary field of disaster studies contributes to the social sciences. Methods. The following themes are explored in relation to the articles contained in the special issue: disasters are social and political phenomena that generate policy change, disasters reflect and affect democratic governance, and disasters reveal shared experience and collective identity. Results. Disaster studies bridge the social sciences theoretically and methodologically. Given the scope of disaster impacts—across social, political, economic, ecological, and infrastructure spheres—and the policy response they garner involving public, private, and civic actors, they offer a lens by which to see society and politics in a way that no other critical events can. Conclusion. Disaster studies offer important applications of social science theories and concepts that expand the field, broaden our reach as social scientists, and deepen our understanding of fundamental social processes and behaviors in meaningful ways

Integrative pathway genomics of lung function and airflow obstruction

Chronic respiratory disorders are important contributors to the global burden of disease. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of lung function measures have identified several trait-associated loci, but explain only a modest portion of the phenotypic variability. We postulated that integrating pathway-based methods with GWASs of pulmonary function and airflow obstruction would identify a broader repertoire of genes and processes influencing these traits. We performed two independent GWASs of lung function and applied gene set enrichment analysis to one of the studies and validated the results using the second GWAS. We identified 131 significantly enriched gene sets associated with lung function and clustered them into larger biological modules involved in diverse processes including development, immunity, cell signaling, proliferation and arachidonic acid. We found that enrichment of gene sets was not driven by GWAS-significant variants or loci, but instead by those with less stringent association P-values. Next, we applied pathway enrichment analysis to a meta-analyzed GWAS of airflow obstruction. We identified several biologic modules that functionally overlapped with those associated with pulmonary function. However, differences were also noted, including enrichment of extracellular matrix (ECM) processes specifically in the airflow obstruction study. Network analysis of the ECM module implicated a candidate gene, matrix metalloproteinase 10 (MMP10), as a putative disease target. We used a knockout mouse model to functionally validate MMP10's role in influencing lung's susceptibility to cigarette smoke-induced emphysema. By integrating pathway analysis with population-based genomics, we unraveled biologic processes underlying pulmonary function traits and identified a candidate gene for obstructive lung diseas

Organizing risk: organization and management theory for the risk society

Risk has become a crucial part of organizing, affecting a wide range of organizations in all sectors. We identify, review and integrate diverse literatures relevant to organizing risk, building on an existing framework that describes how risk is organized in three ‘modes’ – prospectively, in real-time, and retrospectively. We then identify three critical issues in the existing literature: its fragmented nature; its neglect of the tensions associated with each of the modes; and its tendency to assume that the meaning of an object in relation to risk is singular and stable. We provide a series of new insights with regard to each of these issues. First, we develop the concept of a risk cycle that shows how organizations engage with all three modes and transition between them over time. Second, we explain why the tensions have been largely ignored and show how studies using a risk work perspective can provide further insights into them. Third, we develop the concept of risk translation to highlight the ways in the meanings of risks can be transformed and to identify the political consequences of such translations. We conclude the paper with a research agenda to elaborate these insights and ideas further

Integrative pathway genomics of lung function and airflow obstruction

Chronic respiratory disorders are important contributors to the global burden of disease. Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) of lung function measures have identified several trait-associated loci, but explain only a modest portion of the phenotypic variability. We postulated that integrating pathway-based methods with GWASs of pulmonary function and airflow obstruction would identify a broader repertoire of genes and processes influencing these traits. We performed two independent GWASs of lung function and applied gene set enrichment analysis to one of the studies and validated the results using the second GWAS. We identified 131 significantly enriched gene sets associated with lung function and clustered them into larger biological modules involved in diverse processes including development, immunity, cell signalling, proliferation and arachidonic acid. We found that enrichment of gene sets was not driven by GWAS-significant variants or loci, but instead by those with less stringent association P-values. Next, we applied pathway enrichment analysis to a meta-analysed GWAS of airflow obstruction. We identified several biologic modules that functionally overlapped with those associated with pulmonary function. However, differences were also noted, including enrichment of extracellular matrix (ECM) processes specifically in the airflow obstruction study. Network analysis of the ECM module implicated a candidate gene, matrix metalloproteinase 10 (MMP10), as a putative disease target. We used a knockout mouse model to functionally validate MMP10’s role in influencing lung’s susceptibility to cigarette smoke-induced emphysema. By integrating pathway analysis with population-based genomics, we unravelled biologic processes underlying pulmonary function traits and identified a candidate gene for obstructive lung disease