Sweeping up gangs: The effects of tough-on-crime policies from a network approach

Worldwide, gang proliferation is fought mostly with tough punishment strategies such as sweeps. In this paper, I study their causal effect on crime for arrested individuals and known peers following a difference-in-differences strategy. I also take advantage of the network structure I retrieved to assess peer effects and identify key players. I perform such an analysis with novel administrative data from the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, where Latin gangs expanded rapidly and where a stark policy change occurred. Results show significant reductions in crimes of arrested individuals and their peers, particularly in crimes against the person. The areas of the sweeps benefit from improvements in crime, health and education. I further conduct an innovative counterfactual policy exercise comparing sweep outcomes with theoretically predicted crime reductions when removing key players. This exercise indicates that sweeps could have achieved a 50% larger reduction in criminal activity had key players been removed. In this way, a network analysis provides insights on how to improve policy design

Bolstering community ties as a mean of reducing crime

Recent evidence indicates that alternative policies based on building community can reduce crime, especially in disadvantaged neighborhoods. In this paper we study the effects on local crime rates of bolstering community ties. We take advantage of the quasi-random deployment of a community health policy (Barcelona Salut als Barris, BSaB) that aims to improve health outcomes and reduce inequalities in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods through community-based initiatives. To test whether BSaB reduces crime, we follow a difference-in-differences approach and make use of detailed data from local police and Barcelona City Council administrative records. We find that BSaB significantly reduces a category we term "intimate crimes" in the short term and drug crimes in the long term. The young offender crime rate is also lowered. Evidence suggests that this is due to tighterknit communities. These results provide evidence in favor of non-traditional crime prevention policies

Local press strategies of journalistic communication for Social Media publishing: Grupo Joly Action Plan

La interacción de la prensa con los lectores se ha limitado históricamente a publicar diariamente una selección de cartas al director. Con la expansión de las redes sociales, con más fuerza e impacto transformador que la propia web, los diarios empiezan a asumir el desafío de publicar y gestionar los contenidos aprovechando las características de los nuevos soportes y sus potencialidades. Las empresas, en un primer momento, se han debatido entre ignorar el nuevo ecosistema de medios y adaptarse replicando contenidos sin más. Las múltiples crisis que han sacudido en los últimos al sector han obligado, sin embargo, a activar planes específicos de formación, implementar desarrollos tecnológicos acordes a las necesidades y responder a las exigencias de los usuarios con un objetivo ineludible de pura supervivencia. Grupo Joly, empresa periodística de referencia en Andalucía, es un ejemplo de cómo también desde la prensa local y regional no hay más camino que innovar diseñando programas de acción específicos. Es el caso que aquí se desarrolla a partir de la experiencia de las nueve cabeceras y del plan de acción específica que se ha puesto en marcha en el último año en Diario de Sevilla como proyecto piloto exportable al resto de diarios.The interaction of the Press with readers has historically limited itself to publishing a daily selection of their letters to the Editor. With the expansion of social networks, with more strength and transformative impact than the web itself, the newspapers begin to assume the challenge of publishing and managing the content taking advantage of the characteristics of the new media and their potentialities. Companies have been debating between ignoring the new media ecosystem or adapting themselves by simply replicating printed content. However, the multiple crises that have shaken the last sector have forced to activate specific training plans, implement technological developments according to the needs and respond to the demands of users with an inescapable goal of survival. Grupo Joly, a leading journalistic company in Andalusia, is an example of how local and regional Press has to innovate by designing specific action programs. This is the case here developed from the experience of the nine newspapers of the group and the specific action plan that has been launched in the last year in Diario de Sevilla (October 2016-June 2017) as a pilot project exportable to the rest of the newspapers

Animal names used as insults and derogation in Polish and Spanish

Este artículo versa sobre los nombres de animales usados metafóricamente para significar diversos aspectos en el dominio de lo humano (características físicas y mentales, partes del cuerpo, fluidos corporales, enfermedades y acciones humanas) y que pueden ser usados como formas de desprecio o insulto. Generalmente los nombres de los animales que se aplican a las personas son ofensivos. De hecho, solo hay unos pocos ejemplos de nombres de animales que no tienen matiz peyorativo. En este artículo se analiza el material léxico de corporal españoles y polacos. Puesto que la clase de los animales es muy extensa y diversa, la hemos dividido en varias subclases. En la primera incluimos los nombres de animales de acuerdo con los siguientes criterios: 1) referidos a características físicas del ser humano, 2) referidos a los órganos sexuales humanos y a la sexualidad humana, 3) referidos a los caracteres humanos, 4) referidos a grupos humanos, 5) para significar trabajos y ocupaciones, 6) para nombrar secreciones, enfermedades, heridas e intoxicaciones humanas. En segundo lugar estudiamos los nombres de las partes de los cuerpos de los animales, sus secreciones, conducta y sonidos, así como los nombres de las acciones típicamente animales. El último grupo analizado es el de los derivados (nombres, adjetivos y verbos) de los nombres de los animales aplicados al dominio humano

Map of scientific research on Communication in Spain: study fronts and rankings of authors, publications and institutions

This work presents a current map of scientific research on Communication in Spain, identifying both the research fronts of the publications with the greatest impact over the last three years (2019–2021) and the authors who led such work and their universities of reference. The original methodology applied herein focuses on an analysis of the cited authors. After a careful selection process, we work with a corpus of more than 800 articles, using Scopus and the VOSviewer software to generate a co-referencing map and throw light on the structure of the Communication field. On the basis of that analysis, we identify nine thematic clusters, with a particular grouping structure, leading authors, and relationships around fields of study such as communication, democracy and power, audiences and media consumption, the media industry, journalistic practice, fact checking and disinformation, journalistic innovation, and SEO journalism. The ranking of cited authors, where Ramón Salaverría and Rasmus K. Nielsen hold equal first position and the Chilean Claudia Mellado is the only woman at the head of a strong group, is put into context by analyzing their scientific production and the normalized impact in Communication of their institutions. The comparative analysis reveals the elite Spanish authors in Communication (Xosé López-García, Ignacio Aguaded, Andreu Casero-Ripollés, Lluís Codina, and Ramón Salaverría) and shows how universities in Madrid maintain their importance in terms of production but that those in Catalunya have the lead in terms of impact. The research is completed with a map of keyword co-occurrence that confirms the barrage of studies around the Covid crisis and the parallel and growing number of hoaxes (fakes). The research confirms the relevance of and opportunity to apply scientometric techniques to the Communication field

Turismo interno en Uruguay: un enfoque matricial

In this paper domestic tourism in Uruguay is analyzed by introducing an Origin-Destination matrix approach, and an attraction coefficient is calculated. We show that Montevideo is an attractive destination to every department except itself (even if it emits more trips than it receives), and the Southeast region is the main destination. Another important outcome is the importance of intra-regional patterns, associated to trips to bordering departments. Findings provide destination managers with practical knowledge, useful for reducing seasonality and attracting more domestic tourists throughout the year, as well as to deliver a better service offer, that attracts both usual visitors and new ones from competitive destinationsEl turismo en Uruguay es una actividad económica que ha crecido de manera importante en los últimos años, tanto aquella que hace referencia a los flujos internacionales como a los domésticos. El propósito central de este trabajo es describir los patrones vigentes de turismo interno en nuestro país a través de la construcción de una matriz de Origen-destino de flujos turísticos internos, así como un indicador de atracción turística entre departamentos. Los resultados indican un crecimiento sostenido de los viajes locales efectuados, donde Montevideo parece ser el principal emisor de los mismos, y la zona sureste la principal receptora. También se destacan importantes flujos intra-regionales, asociados a los viajes de los uruguayos a departamentos limítrofes a aquel en el que viven

Bolstering community ties as a means of reducing crime [WP-IEB]

In this paper we study the effects of bolstering community ties on local crime rates. To do so, we take advantage of the quasi-random nature of the implementation of the deployment of a community health policy in the city of Barcelona. The health-care program called Salut als Barris (BSaB; literally, `health in the neighborhoods') aims to improve health outcomes and reduce inequalities in the most disadvantaged neighborhoods of the city through community-based initiatives and empowerment of citizens. The economic and sociological literature suggests that such a policy may also affect other aspects of overall welfare, such as criminal activity. In order to test the hypothesis that BSaB reduces crime, we used monthly data at the neighborhood level and a staggered differences-in-differences approach. Overall we found that BSaB significantly reduces victimization of women. Furthermore, this decline is seen in types of crime we classify as `anger' and `intimate' crimes, with the reduction ranging from 9% to 18%. We argue that this result is due to the stronger community ties, and that it therefore provides evidence that non-traditional crime prevention policies can work

La cortesía pragmática como instrumento para la implementación de la competencia comunicativa en el aula de E/LE

Actualmente el uso del español como vehículo de comunicación goza de una gran aceptación a nivel mundial, produciéndose la necesidad de aportar instrumentos que contribuyan de manera eficaz al desarrollo del proceso de enseñanza-aprendizaje del idioma desde una perspectiva comunicativa. Con el presente trabajo de investigación, deseamos contribuir a clarificar la enseñanza de cómo se codifican lingüísticamente diferentes funciones comunicativas y cómo llevar las mismas al aula de E/LE pues el ICE no explica qué estructura debe usarse en un determinado contexto, asignando distintas estructuras a la comunicación de una misma función comunicativa en español. En este contexto, expondremos y analizaremos un total de nueve funciones comunicativas, seleccionando varias estructuras lingüísticas que el Instituto Cervantes vincula con estas, basándonos en dos indagaciones: el valor pragmático de cada estructura y su funcionamiento discursivo como intensificador/atenuador. Con esto, además de crear nuestra propia propuesta de justificación para el empleo de una u otra en determinada situación, ofreceremos al profesor de E/LE un instrumento de trabajo que le ayude y proporcione las herramientas necesarias para justificar el empleo de las distintas estructuras que el ICE propone.71 páginas

Ibero-American journalism in the face of scientific disinformation: Fact-checkers’ initiatives on the social network Instagram

This work is funded by the National Research and Development Agency [Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo] (ANID)/ Human Capital Subdirectorate [Subdirección de Capital Humano] / Chile Foreign PhD Grants/2020 – 72210109. As well as support and funding from the HUM-466 Group and the Department of Information and Communication of the University of Granada.Este artículo se puede leer en español en: https://revista.profesionaldelainformacion.com/index.php/EPI/article/view/87250The fight against disinformation is one of the major battles that journalism has had to face in recent years, especially after the coronavirus pandemic. As a counterbalance, “fact-checker” news media –platforms that have an important role in verifying whether or not the content circulating is true and that have harnessed the benefits of social networks, in spite of the difficulties inherent in these applications, to disseminate reliable and fact-checked content– have emerged. This study aims to explore how 10 prominent fact-checking accounts in Ibero-America use the social network Instagram to debunk false information, focusing in particular on the field of science and health. Applying a content analysis method using a checklist with quantitative and qualitative indicators, a total corpus of 240 posts from the first half of 2022 was obtained. The results allow us to determine which type of hoax has been used most as well as whether Twitter, Face-book, and WhatsApp are used for its dissemination. It was observed that health topics are the ones that attract the grea-test interest from fact-checker accounts when it comes to creating fact-checks, and they tend to use static images or slide mode as opposed to video. In addition, they tend to use formal language in their presentation. This study also reveals that there were no instances of interaction with followers. While fact-checker accounts extensively use Instagram owing to its visual capabilities, they do not necessarily take advantage of its graphic potential. In addition, it was concluded that coronavirus is still a relevant topic for fact-checker media outlets, which must constantly refute the hoaxes that are mostly spread through social networks.Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo ANIDSubdirección de Capital HumanoChile Foreign PhD Grants/2020 – 72210109HUM-466 GroupDepartment of Information and Communication of the University of Granad

Science journalism in the current digital ecosystem: challenges and alerts from the perspective of Chilean professionals

El periodismo científico se encuentra en un constante proceso de digitalización, por lo que se hace necesario contar con análisis que permita entender la realidad actual de la disciplina y estar atentos a las tendencias y dificultades futuras. Ante el hecho de que la consideración que se le presta al periodismo científico en América Latina no es uniforme entre las diferentes regiones, el presente estudio persigue determinar cómo los periodistas científicos de Chile están desempeñándose en el nuevo escenario digital. Por medio de la técnica de “bola de nieve”, se difundió una encuesta con preguntas asociadas al ejercicio profesional, las cuales permiten evaluar la labor de la disciplina en el país. Los 42 periodistas participantes destacaron la importancia de usar adecuadamente el lenguaje científico y saber utilizar de forma apropiada las redes sociales para comunicarse con las audiencias. Además, alertaron sobre el desafío que se le presenta al periodismo científico local para enfrentar las desinformaciones que se comparten en el entorno digital, así como la constante especialización en contenidos y el empleo cualificado de tecnologías que deben desarrollar los profesionales en la materia. Esta investigación pone de manifiesto la necesidad de que los periodistas tengan una mayor versatilidad y conocimiento de los nuevos canales por los que se informan los públicos y así aprovechar el auge actual del consumo de noticias de ciencia por parte de la sociedad.Science journalism is in an ongoing process of digitisation, so it is necessary to have analyses that allow understanding of the current reality of the discipline and awareness of future trends and difficulties. Due to the fact that the consideration given to science journalism in Latin America is not uniform across the different regions, this study seeks to determine how science journalists in Chile are performing in the new digital scenario. By using the “snowball” technique, a survey was disseminated with questions associated with professional practice, which enable evaluation of the work of the discipline in the country. The 42 participating journalists highlighted the importance of using scientific language appropriately and the use of social networks to communicate with audiences. They also warned about the challenge encountered by local science journalism in facing the misinformation that is shared in the digital environment, as well as the ongoing specialisation in content and the qualified use of technologies that professionals in the field must develop. This research reveals the need for journalists to have greater versatility and knowledge of the new channels through which the public is informed, and thereby take advantage of the current boom in the consumption of science news by citizens.La investigación fue financiada por la Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo (ANID)/ Subdirección de Capital Humano / Becas Chile de Doctorado en el Extranjero, en la convocatoria del 2020 con código de referencia 72210109. Además del apoyo y financiamiento del Grupo HUM-466 y el Departamento de Información y Comunicación de la Universidad de Granada