Strategies for Bridging the Internet Digital Divide in Peru: A Benchmarking of South Korea and Chile

The Internet has become a catalyst of the global economy. Developing countries are lagging behind developed countries due to unequal access to the Internet and other information and communication technologies (ICTs). Governments are challenged to establish adequate strategies to reduce this gap and achieve the inclusion of their citizens. In this context, developing countries could leverage on adequate Internet-gap-reduction strategies to boost economic growth and development. The present study attempts to make an analysis of the Internet-related policies adopted by Chile, which is a leading country in South America; and by South Korea, which is a leading country in the world. We gathered data from secondary sources related to the process of digitalization in both countries. The collected data was processed and a PEST (political, economic, social, and technological) analysis was conducted for Peru to determine which actions can be taken to bridge the Internet digital divide in this country. The results shed light on the complexity of this phenomenon, which depends not only on access, but also on intensity of use and skills. Implications for policy makers are discussed

Infrared excesses in stars with and without planets using revised WISE{\it WISE} photometry

We present an analysis on the potential prevalence of mid infrared excesses in stars with and without planetary companions. Based on an extended database of stars detected with the ${\it WISE}$ satellite, we studied two stellar samples: one with 236 planet hosts and another with 986 objects for which planets have been searched but not found. We determined the presence of an excess over the photosphere by comparing the observed flux ratio at 22 $\mu$m and 12 $\mu$m ($f_{22}/f_{12}$) with the corresponding synthetic value, derived from results of classical model photospheres. We found a detection rate of 0.85$\%$ at 22 $\mu$m (2 excesses) in the sample of stars with planets and 0.1$\%$ (1 detection) for the stars without planets. The difference of the detection rate between the two samples is not statistically significant, a result that is independent of the different approaches found in the literature to define an excess in the wavelength range covered by ${\it WISE}$ observations. As an additional result, we found that the ${\it WISE}$ fluxes required a normalisation procedure to make them compatible with synthetic data, probably pointing out a revision of the ${\it WISE}$ data calibration.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, 3 tables. Accepted for publication in MNRA

Can supply chain's coordination mechanisms include small holders? Insight from an empirical work in Costa Rica.

Small holders' agriculture is currently facing new stakes due to State's withdrawal from agricultural support and to higher market requests for producing agricultural products. Different coordination mechanisms can be observed inside the supply chains involving farmers, farmers' organizations, and others stakeholders. They depend on the nature of the product, the characteristics of the stakeholders involved, the technical specifications related to the transactions, and the institutional environment. Relying on a comparative case study methodology, the paper analyzes the consequences of different coordination mechanisms on inclusion or exclusion of small farmers in the northern region of Costa Rica. Market coordination could be an efficient way to integrate farmers in supply chains in the case of low technical specifications and of existence of adequate selling mechanisms. Hybrid coordination is the main mechanism and facilitates the inclusion of small farmers, depending on the farmers' organizations capacities to negotiate adequate rules. In some situations hybrid coordination with captive relationships could occur but leads to a more or less rapid exclusion process.supply chain, small holders, farmers, contracting, coordination, Costa Rica, Agribusiness,

Pago por servicios ambientales en Guatemala: un inventario preliminar de experiencias : Informe de mision en Guatemala 27-29 de febrero 2012

Rapport