Characteristics of the Portuguese Economic Growth: What has been Missing?

This paper analyzes the Portuguese economic growth since the 1960's until present and compares its composition with that of Spain, Greece and Ireland. The average real GDP growth rate in each decade is decomposed as the contribution of input accumulation and total factor productivity. The contribution of labour and capital is separated using computed elasticities and the contribution of total factor productivity is disentangled into technological progress and efficiency. The methodology is based on Bayesian statistical methods and allows the computation of a world translog dynamic stochastic production frontier, which captures the technology that is available to all economies in each period of time. The results obtained are accurate in terms of the contribution of input accumulation and total factor productivity to GDP growth but there is lower precision when separating the contributions of technology growth and efficiency. The results obtained show that Portugal owes most of its economic growth to the accumulation of factors and not to total factor productivity. In particular the contribution of technology to economic growth is substantially lower than what is observed in the other economies considered. It is argued that this may be due to the existence of a low capital-labour ratio, which determines that Portugal is placed in a segment of the world production frontier that does not expand significantly as a result of technological progress. In addition, there is some evidence of modest developments in terms of efficiency which may be associated with the low quality of new inputs relatively to other economies. Another possible explanation for the disappointing performance of the Portuguese economy in the last decade lies in the existence of statistical inaccuracies in the measurement of GDP, especially in what concerns the contribution of some services.

Total Factor Productivity Growth in the G7 Countries: Different or Alike?

The paper compares the contribution of total factor productivity (TFP) to economic growth in the G7 countries, from 1960 until 2005. A dynamic world translog stochastic production frontier is computed through Bayesian statistical methods using panel data on 21 OECD economies. The real GDP growth rate is decomposed in TFP and input accumulation contributions', the former being divided in two components: efficiency developments (the distance to the world production function) and technological progress (the expansion of the world production function). The paper adopts the methodology suggested by Koop, Osiewalsky and Steel (1999), though it covers a much larger period, allowing for the identification of intertemporal growth patters. The growth accounting exercise requires a Gibbs Sampling iteration algorithm and it is carried out for eight periods, each one covering ten yearly growth rates, with overlapping sub periods of five years. The results obtained show that the contribution of technological progress to total TFP is typically stronger than efficiency improvements. The US and Canada recorded a TFP acceleration after the mid 1980s, following declines in the previous decades. In addition, the inputs accumulation gave a relatively stable contribution for GDP growth throughout the sample period. Italy and France present a continuous declining trend in TFP contribution, though more marked in the latter case. Germany and the UK seem to have moved to a new lower floor of TFP contribution in the last decades. Japan, presents a downward trend in TFP contribution that is even more pronounced than in Italy. However, some reversal was seen in the Japanese TFP in the last decade considered. The shape of the stochastic production function changed along the period considered, benefiting more capital intensive input-combinations. In addition, there is some evidence of increasing returns to scale in the G7 countries, though it may be related with the non consideration of quality aspects in the measurement of inputs.

The value of the Juicio de Residencia as a documentary source: structure, characteristics and peculiarities. The paradigm of Tabasco in the second half of the 17th Century

El artículo centra su interés principal en presentar las posibilidades que el juicio de residencia ofrece como fuente para los investigadores a nivel histórico, utilizando como referencia el paradigmático caso de Tabasco, donde se puede advertir con cierta claridad el esfuerzo constante de las autoridades por recoger todo tipo de información de la región en este tipo de fuentes judiciales y, por ende, el valor que éstas adquieren para el estudio de la región.The article focuses its main interest in presenting the possibilities that the juicio de residencia offers as a source for researchers in History, using as a reference the paradigmatic case of Tabasco, where we can see the constant effort of the authorities to collect information from the region on this type of judicial sources and, therefore, the value they have for the study of the region

The alcaldía mayor of Tabasco: configuration, characyeristic and peculiarities of government

El artículo aborda la evolución del gobierno colonial de la provincia de Tabasco desde sus inicios hasta su institucionalización como alcaldía mayor, incidiendo en las particulares características de ésta y en el conflictivo sistema de nombramiento utilizado para designar alcaldes. Todo ello utilizando como fuente principal de estudio los juicios de residencia de diferentes gobernantes tabasqueños que, rompiendo con la norma general, aportan una información riquísima para estudiar la configuración gobierno de la región.The article discusses the evolution of the colonial government in the province of Tabasco, from its beginning to the rise to alcaldia mayor, focusing on its particular characteristics and on the controversial appointment system to lower posts. The main sources of this research have been the judicial proceedings that all governors had to undergo at the end of their tenure. These proceedings contrary to the norm in other places, provide valuable information for the study of the government practices in the region

Retos de la inclusión educativa en los próximos años en la comunidad autónoma del País Vasco

Tras 25 años del Primer Plan de Educación Especial de la Comunidad Autónoma del País Vasco, es mucho lo conseguido. Se ha asegurado la presencia en centros ordinarios de la casi totalidad del alumnado con Necesidades educativas Especiales. Sin embargo, es necesario hacer una reflexión sobre el momento actual y los ámbitos de mejora que permitan que la respuesta a dicho alumnado sea realmente inclusiva y eficaz. Se trata de sacar a la luz aquello aspectos que aún no se han desarrollado plenamente ( inclusión real, gestión de recursos, apoyos,…) ,así como aquellos nuevos que el andar del tiempo ha traído ( nuevas competencias, nuevas necesidades, nuevos perfiles profesionales, …

The precarious plight of the church in Tabasco in time of the Austria’s: notes and general considerations

Si algo caracterizó a Tabasco en el ámbito religioso fue, sin duda, la limitación que sufrió el desarrollo de la Iglesia en aquella región durante gran parte del periodo colonial. Este artículo centra su interés en analizar el papel que dicha institución desempeñó en Tabasco desde la conquista hasta el advenimiento de la dinastía borbónica, ofreciendo algunos apuntes y consideraciones generales que ayuden a comprender su escasa evolución bajo la dinastía de los AustriasIf something characterized Tabasco in the religious sphere, it was undoubtedly the limitation suffered by the development of the church in that region during a large part of the colonial period. This article focuses on analyzing the role that this institution played in Tabasco from the conquest until the advent of the Bourbon dynasty, offering some notes and general considerations that help us understand its limited evolution under the Habsburg dynasty

Modeling the deposition of fluorescent whitening agents on cotton fabrics

The adsorption of two widely used fluorescent whitening agents (FWAs) on unbrightened cotton fabrics has been investigated as a function of temperature, hardness of the wash liquor, initial concentration of FWA in solution, and fabric to wash liquor ratio. Sorption efficiencies of FWAs have been studied using a UV spectrophotometry technique. A mechanistic model has been developed to describe the dissolution process of FWAs, convective mass transport into the fabrics, diffusion in the stagnant layer to the fabrics' surface, and adsorption of FWAs on cotton fabrics. Dual porosity of the fabrics (inter‐yarn and intra‐yarn porosity) has been considered by allowing two different regions (outer and inner areas of the cotton fabrics) where FWAs molecules can diffuse and adsorb. Good agreement between experimental and predicted whiteness benefit by the proposed mathematical model has been observed for the range of variables considered

Semana Internacional del Acceso Abierto 2016. Actividades en la EEAD-CSIC

1 copia .pdf (a-3) del cartel de difusión de las actividades; 2 copias .pdfs de documentos divulgativos difundidos a la comunidad de usuarios EEAD-CSIC.En este año 2016 se cumplen 8 años desde que se inició (marzo de 2008 ) la actividad de colaboración de nuestra Biblioteca con los investigadores de nuestro Instituto, la Estación Experimental de Aula Dei del CSIC (EEAD-CSIC), para la difusión en abierto de su producción científica en el repositorio Digital.CSIC a través del Servicio de Archivo Delegado. Este servicio pasó a estar recogido posteriormente en la Carta de Servicios de la Red de Bibliotecas del CSIC como de carácter básico en todas las Bibliotecas del CSIC.La celebración de la Semana Internacional del Acceso Abierto 2016 (24 a 30 de octubre) nos da ocasión, una vez más, de organizar unas sencillas actividades con las que intentar contribuir por nuestra parte a tan ya arraigado movimiento en nuestra comunidad científica: 1) Divulgación de las novedades más destacables implementadas durante el último año en el repositorio institucional Digital CSIC (documento .pdf, difundido vía email y repositorio). 2) Programación durante oct-nov 2016 de actividad para la generalización de creación de perfiles públicos de autores Open Access EEAD-CSIC en Digital.CSIC con intermediación de la Unidad Técnica de Biblioteca y Documentación (Citas personalizadas y Talleres en Grupos previamente concertados).Peer reviewe