Private education supply in disadvantaged areas of the City of Buenos Aires and 'low-fee private schooling' : comparisons, contexts, and implications

Recent studies have revealed an increase in the enrollment of students coming from vulnerable social sectors in private primary schools in the City of Buenos Aires. To date, the phenomenon of 'private education for the poor' has been principally studied in Asian and African countries, where the deficit of state educational supply has given rise to a multiplicity of private education undertakings of diverse nature. Using official statistical data, this article explores and describes the structure of private education supply in areas of low socioeconomic status in Buenos Aires and assesses the extent to which the category of low-fee private school (LFPS) contributes to understanding this phenomenon. Our analysis reveals a great heterogeneity in this sector of private education in Buenos Aires with regard to financing structures, monthly fees, and the legal forms in which schools operate. We also find the presence of a significant religious component. We suggest the possibility that private provision has helped to mitigate coverage imbalances at a 'micro-local' level in some of the studied areas. Our comparative approach evidences that the notion of LFPS provides a more normative than descriptive view, limiting the perception of a phenomenon that is actually much broader, multifaceted and dynamic.Estudios recientes han evidenciado un crecimiento de la matriculación de alumnos provenientes de sectores sociales vulnerables en escuelas primarias privadas de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. El fenómeno de la 'educación privada para pobres' ha sido estudiado especialmente en los países de Asia y África donde el evidente déficit de oferta educativa estatal ha dado lugar al surgimiento de una multiplicidad de experiencias educacionales privadas de variada naturaleza. A partir de información estadística oficial, este artículo propone una exploración del modo en que se estructura la oferta privada en las zonas de bajo nivel socioeconómico de Buenos Aires y evalúa en qué medida la categoría de low-fee private school (LFPS) resulta útil para entender el fenómeno. Advertimos en primer lugar la gran heterogeneidad que presenta este subsector de la educación privada en Buenos Aires en cuanto a sus estructuras de financiamiento, el valor de los aranceles mensuales y las formas jurídicas bajo las que opera. Destacamos además la presencia de un importante componente religioso y sugerimos la posibilidad de que la oferta privada ha contribuido a mitigar desequilibrios de cobertura a nivel 'microlocal' en los ámbitos estudiados. Finalmente, consideramos que un enfoque comparado permite evidenciar que la categoría de LFPS opera un recorte más normativo que descriptivo que obtura la percepción de un fenómeno que es en realidad mucho más amplio, multifacético y dinámico.Estudos recentes têm mostrado um crescimento no número de estudantes provenientes de grupos sociais vulneráveis nas escolas primárias particulares da Cidade de Buenos Aires. O fenômeno da 'educação privada para os pobres' foi especialmente estudado nos países da Ásia e da África, onde o déficit da oferta aparente no ensino público levou ao surgimento de uma multiplicidade de experiências educacionais privadas de vários tipos. A partir de estatísticas oficiais, este artigo propõe uma exploração da prestação do setor privado em áreas de baixo nível socioeconômico de Buenos Aires e avalia até que ponto a categoria de low-fee private school (LFPS) é útil para compreender o fenômeno. Primeiro, notamos a grande heterogeneidade que apresenta este subsector do ensino privado em Buenos Aires nas suas estruturas de financiamento, no valor das mensalidades e nas suas formas legais de agir. Ressalta-se também a presença de um importante componente religioso e sugerem-se a possibilidade de que a oferta privada tem contribuido a mitigar desequilibros mico-locales na cobertura das áreas estudadas. Finalmente, consideramos que uma abordagem comparativa torna evidente que a categoria de LFPS opera um corte mais normativo que descritivo que fechou a percepção de um fenômeno que é, na verdade, muito mais ampla, multifacetada e dinâmica

Two-ballot versus plurality rule: an empirical investigation on the number of candidates

Duverger claimed more than 50 years ago that the number of candidates in elections should be a function of electoral rules. Both his “law” and “hypothesis” suggest the number of candidates vying for seats in elections to be tightly linked to characteristics of the electoral process such as its degree of proportionality and the presence of runoffs. Here we test the validity of Duverger’s claim using data from municipal elections in Brazil. Our study differs from others in the field in two important dimensions. First, by using municipal data we avoid the usual problems that plague statistical analysis using cross-country data. Secondly, we have a truly exogenous source of variation due to a change in electoral legislation introduced by the constitutional reform of 1988: simple plurality remained the rule only in municipalities with less than 200,000 voters, and a second-ballot became mandatory for the others above that threshold. This allows for a neat identification strategy using panel data. Our main finding is that elections with runoffs lure greater numbers of candidates in municipalities with sufficiently high levels of heterogeneity.Duverger's law, runoff, heterogeneity

¿Una segunda fase de privatización de la matrícula escolar? Los sectores populares y la educación privada en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires

Hacia finales de la década de 1940, el sistema educativo argentino comenzó a experimentar un proceso de privatización educativa expresado en la matriculación creciente de alumnos en escuelas privadas. Por sus características sociodemográficas y por aspectos estructurales de su sistema educativo, la Ciudad Au.tónoma de Buenos Aires (CABA) ha sido el epicentro del proceso de privatización. El objetivo de este trabajo es ofrecer una caracterización de la fase más reciente del proceso de privatización de la matrícula escolar primaria en la Ciudad para conocer el perfil sociodemográfico de quienes se han incorporado al subsistema privado en el período 2004-2014. A partir del trabajo con la Encuesta Anual de Hogares de la CABA, advertimos, por un lado, una fuerte tendencia a la privatización de la matrícula en sectores de clase media-baja y baja y, por otro, que la tendencia a la privatización de la matrícula no se encuentra aún agotada entre sectores de clase media-media, media-alta y alta. El artículo culmina con el esbozo de un programa de investigación con el que identificar, ya desde una visión cualitativa, los determinantes más profundos del proceso.By the late 1940s, the Argentine educational system began to experience a process of educational privatization expressed in the increasing enrollment of students in private schools. Due to its sociodemographic characteristics and structural aspects of its educational system, the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires (CABA) has been the epicenter of the privatization process. The aim of this paper is to provide a characterization of the most recent phase of the privatization of primary school enrollment in the City, and identify the demographic profile of those who have joined the private system in 2004-2014. Drawing on data from the Annual Household Survey of the CABA, we note, first, a strong trend towards privatiza.tion among lower-middle and lower-class families and, secondly, that the trend towards privatization is not yet exhausted among middle, upper-middle and upper-class households. The article ends with the outline of a research program aimed at identifying, now from a qualitative view, the deepest determinants of the process

Public-private partnerships in education : exploring different models and policy options

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are increasingly perceived as an appropriate policy approach to provide education for all in many different contexts. Key education stakeholders suggest that, by partnering with the private sector, governments can expand their education systems in a more efficient and effective way. For this and other reasons, many governments are establishing PPP frameworks within their education systems. This is happening in both industrialized and non-industrialized countries, and in countries with very different administrative, financial, and political situations, including those affected by crisis and conflict. Nonetheless, in education, PPP frameworks cover many policy options and follow very diverse rationales. As such, one of the main objectives of this framing paper is to unpack PPPs as a policy category and to reflect on its different translations and implications in the educational sector. Specifically, the paper argues that not all the PPP policy options and rationales are equally appropriate to achieve the expected goals in all types of education settings

Between open and internal privatization: the Argentine educational system from 1940 through 2010

Abstract: The educational system of Argentina has undergone a process of decentralization along with a steady growth in private schools enrolment. This complex process is usually subsumed under the general concept of ‘privatization’. We have considered it necessary to provide a deeper understanding of the multiple dimensions this process of privatization encompasses. In this article we intend to analyze and reflect upon the transformations of the Argentine educational system and to understand the specific levels and aspects where privatization has taken place. We note that the public and the private sectors seem to have experienced divergent trajectories with compromising effects in terms of equity and social cohesion. We argue that the uneasy coexistence of a deregulated independent private sector and a hyperregulated public sector is the result of a partial and inadequate implementation of a public-private partnership scheme

Modeling time and valuation in structured argumentation frameworks

Temporal Argumentation Frameworks (TAF) represent a recent extension of Dung's abstract argumentation frameworks that consider the temporal availability of arguments. In a TAF, arguments are valid during specific time intervals, called availability intervals, while the attack relation of the framework remains static and permanent in time; thus, in general, when identifying the set of acceptable arguments, the outcome associated with a TAF will vary in time. We introduce an extension of TAF, called Extended Temporal Argumentation Framework (E-TAF), adding the capability of modeling the temporal availability of attacks among arguments, thus modeling special features of arguments varying over time and the possibility that attacks are only available in a given time interval. E-TAF will be enriched by considering Structured Abstract Argumentation, using Dynamic Argumentation Frameworks. The resulting framework, E-TAF∗, provides a suitable model for different time-dependent issues satisfying properties and equivalence results that permit to contrast the expressivity of E-TAF and E-TAF∗ with argumentation based on abstract frameworks. Thus, the main contribution here is to provide an enhanced framework for modeling special features of argumentation varying over time, which are relevant in many real-world situations. The proposal aims at advancing in the integration of time and valuation in the context of argumentation systems as well.Fil: Budan, Maximiliano Celmo David. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnologías. Departamento de Matemática; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; ArgentinaFil: Gomez Lucero, Mauro Javier. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación; ArgentinaFil: Chesñevar, Carlos Iván. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Santiago del Estero. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Tecnologías. Departamento de Matemática; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación; ArgentinaFil: Simari, Guillermo Ricardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca; Argentina. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Departamento de Ciencias e Ingeniería de la Computación; Argentin

Las costras calcáreas del Pleistoceno en el registro de cambios de polaridad magnética de la tierra

La presente contribución se refiere a los registros paleomagnéticos obtenidos en costras calcáreas y en sedimentos loessoides de la localidad de Camet, al norte de Mar del Plata. Los resultados obtenidos confirman la existencia del límite Brunhes/Matuyama (0,78 Ma) en los acantilados de la zona. Las muestras de las unidades U1 y U2 en la base del perfil presentan polaridad reversa y se asignan al cron de magnetopolaridad Matuyama (>0,78 Ma), las muestras de las unidades U3 a U7 son de polaridad normal y se asignan a Brunhes (>0,78 Ma). El patrón de susceptibilidad magnética es similar al obtenido en sedimentos loéssicos del norte de la provincia de Buenos Aires. Los sedimentos menos pedogenizados presentan valores relativamente más elevados (390 x 10⁻⁸ m³kg), los paleosuelos valores intermedios (70x10⁻⁸ m³kg ) y los horizontes hidromórficos (17x10⁻⁸ m³kg) los valores más bajos. El valor de susceptibilidad dependiente de frecuencia, que se utiliza para estimar la contribución superparamagnética, es bajo a lo largo de todo el perfil, aunque se incrementa en los horizontes pedogenizados. Estimamos que la presente contribución puede ser de utilidad a la paleontología y particularmente a la bioestratigrafía debido a la existencia de fauna de vertebrados fósiles.The present contribution refers to one sedimentary sequence exposed at Camet (37º 53´34´´ S. Lat. and 57º 31´16´´ W. Long.), north of Mar del Plata. Paleomagnetic directions as well as magnetic parameters were measured on samples collected from seven units separated by discontinuities. The obtained results confirm the existence of the BBM in sediments and calcrete layers assigned to the Ensenadean at the base of the cliffs. The samples from the units labelled U1 and U2 at the base of the profile show reverse polarity while the samples collected from units U3 to U7 show normal polarity. The pattern of magnetic susceptibility follows that of the north of the Buenos Aires province. The less pedogenized sediments show the higher LF susceptibility (390x10⁻⁸ m³kg) while the paleosols (70x10⁻⁸ m³kg) and gley (17x10⁻⁸ m³kg ) horizons show the lower values Frequency dependent susceptibility (χfd) employed, to estimate the superparamagnetic contribution, is low along the profile but it increases in the pedogenized horizons and decreases markedly in loess. Due to the findings of mammal fossils in the Pleistocene cliffs of Camet, the present contribution may probably be of value for paleontological and particularly for the biostratigraphical research

Designing eBook interaction for mobile and contextual learning

Given the global spread of mobile platforms, such as iOS and Android, it is relevant to consider the potential of these devices in teaching and learning. Our exploratory research was designed to evaluate the possibility of using common ebook formats to create gamebooks (gamified books) that are effective in teaching and learning. After analyzing the features available in many free or open tools, we decided to use iBooks Author to built a first model of a dynamic book that may function as an educational game for "Environmental Studies", aimed at children in the 4th grade, mostly 9-10 years old, in Portuguese schools. This paper presents the design and features of this interactive book titled "Adventures in the Guadiana River", developed using the Apple iBook format, and especially set for the iPad retina. Because this is a proprietary format we also built a prototype following the EPUB3 standard and developed new ways to interact with content within this universal format. Preliminary tests with our prototypes revealed very good usability and promising pedagogical potential in the proposed models.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Interactive design and gamification of eBooks for mobile and contextual learning

Given the global spread of mobile platforms like iOS and Android, it is relevant to consider the potential of these devices to teach and learn. Our exploratory research was designed to evaluate the possibility of using common eBook formats to create gamebooks (gamified books) that are effective in teaching and learning. After analyzing the features available in many free or open tools, we decided to use iBooks Author to build a model of a dynamic book that may function as an educational game for "Environmental Studies", aimed at children in the 4th grade, mostly 9 to 10- year olds enrolled in Portuguese schools. This paper pre- sents the design and features of this interactive book titled "Adventures in the Guadiana River", developed using the Apple iBook format, and especially set for the iPad retina. Because this is a proprietary format, we also built a proto- type following the EPUB3 standard and developed new ways to interact with content within this universal format. Preliminary tests with our prototypes revealed very good usability and a promising pedagogical potential for the proposed models.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio