Legislative organization and executive success rate at the subnational level: a comparison of Brazil and Germany, 1990-2010

How does parliamentary organization affect the legislative success rate of the executive in presidential and parliamentary systems at the subnational level? Why are some governors much more successful than others even though they serve under the same basic constitutional designs? This essay explores these questions with a comparison of Brazilian and German states from 1990 to 2010. Our main findings are that governors’ success rates in both Brazil and Germany seem not to be associated with centralization of legislative institutions. This means that coalition management and party politics may play a larger role than expected by the literature. Other factors, such as “minor” and neglected legislative arrangements can compound the governors’ strength and allow them to reach Westminster levels of legislative success

Legislative organization and executive success rate at the subnational level: a comparison of Brazil and Germany, 1990-2010

How does parliamentary organization affect the legislative success rate of the executive in presidential and parliamentary systems at the subnational level? Why are some governors much more successful than others even though they serve under the same basic constitutional designs? This essay explores these questions with a comparison of Brazilian and German states from 1990 to 2010. Our main findings are that governors’ success rates in both Brazil and Germany seem not to be associated with centralization of legislative institutions. This means that coalition management and party politics may play a larger role than expected by the literature. Other factors, such as “minor” and neglected legislative arrangements can compound the governors’ strength and allow them to reach Westminster levels of legislative success

Rawls e o desenho constitucional brasileiro

Discute o conceito de democracia a partir da posição de John Rawls e expõe considerações sobre a democracia brasileira. Trata da liberdade política brasileira e a necessidade de recorrer às maiorias legislativas para modificar leis e políticas. Discute se existem arrajos constitucionais, definidores do processo democrático, que tendem a resultar em leis e políticas que podem ser defendidas como mais “justas” do que outras

Os pequenos partidos nas coligações eleitorais para prefeituras em 2000

Analisando as coligações firmadas por pequenos partidos nas eleições municipais do Brasil em 2000, esse trabalho se inscreve no rico debate sobre a existência ou não de um sistema partidário institucionalizado. Centrando a análise nas alianças para o cargo majoritário em disputa, os autores, em um primeiro momento, propõem uma definição de pequeno partido. Tendo delimitado o objeto, concentram-se em verificar e analisar a quantidade de alianças celebradas por pequenos partidos naquelas eleições. Em seguida, contrapõem os dados aos discursos de dirigentes partidários registrados em entrevistas exclusivas. Concluem que existe certo grau de racionalidade nas coliga- ções, mas não suficiente para afirmar que o sistema está institucionalizad

Rawls e o desenho constitucional brasileiro

Existem arranjos constitucionais, definidores do processo democrático, que levam a resultados mais justos do que outros? Este texto explora essa questão tendo em mente a teoria rawlsiana. Na primeira parte do trabalho, tecemos considerações a respeito do que significa “democracia” para John Rawls. Em seguida, discutimos se algum tipo de arranjo constitucional tende a resultar em leis e políticas que podem ser defendidas como mais “justas” do que outras. A democracia brasileira seria uma democracia para Rawls? Na segunda parte do texto, discutimos dois elementos referentes ao processo democrático que Rawls considera necessários para que este processo seja de fato democrático. Destacamos que, de acordo com os critérios rawlsianos, a liberdade política no Brasil é baixa, dado que o texto constitucional brasileiro não difere duas categorias de decisões políticas: o que Rawls chama de “questões essenciais à Constituição” (constitutional essentials) e políticas públicas, ou seja, decisões que não envolvem questões de justiça

Energy consumption forecasting using neuro-fuzzy inference systems: Thales TRT building case study

Electrical energy consumption forecasting is, nowadays, essential in order to deal with the new paradigm of consumers' active participation in the power and energy system. The uncertainty related to the variability of consumption is associated to numerous factors, such as consumers' habits, the environmental temperature, luminosity, etc. Current forecasting methods are not suitable to deal with such a combination of input variables, with often highly variable influence on the outcomes of the actual energy consumption. This paper presents a study on the application of five different methods based on fuzzy rule-based systems. This type of method is able to find associations between the distinct input variables, thus creating rules that support and improve the actual forecasting process. A case study is presented, showing the results of applying these five methods to predict the consumption of a real building: the Thales TRT building, in France.This work has been developed under the EUREKA - ITEA2 Project FUSE-IT (ITEA-13023), Project GREEDI (ANI|P2020 17822), and has received funding from FEDER Funds through COMPETE program and from National Funds through FCT under the project UID/EEA/00760/2013info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Meralgia paresthetica by compression from a modeling girdle

Meralgia paresthetica is characterized by pain, paresthesia or burning sensation, and reduction of tactile and pain sensitivity in the anterolateral surface of the thigh. This disability is caused by a neuropathy of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (LFCN). Conservative treatment is often successful at relieving the symptoms in the majority of patients. We describe the case of a 44-year-old patient who presented with these symptoms caused by postoperative use of a surgical girdle after aesthetic surgery