MenCare in Latin America: Challenging Harmful Masculine Norms and Promoting Positive Changes in Men’s Caregiving

This study details the implementation and impact of MenCare – a global fatherhood and care giving campaign – in its engagement of men as involved, non-violent fathers for the advancement of gender equality in six Latin American countries – Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Uruguay. According to this study, fatherhood is a key entry point for discussions around household labour, childcare responsibilities, and gender equitable relationships. It can also serve as a gateway to involve men in other domains concerning gender equality. By analysing each country’s approach and implementation of the MenCare campaign, this study draws lessons learned from the best practices and innovations of each case in order to inform future programming on men’s caregiving in different contexts across the region and globally

Natural durability assessment of thermo-modified young wood of Eucalyptus

This study focuses on the effect on wood strength and natural durability of Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus botryoides when subjected to heat treatments with low energy consumption. The objective was to improve the wood durability, without negatively impacting the strength properties. Six-year-old trees from Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus botryoides were used. The samples were heat treated for 4 h conditioned to very low oxygen availability. A field test for assessing the resistance to termites and fungal degradation was conducted according to EN 252:1989/ AC1:1989 Inspections were made every six months for 3 years. All the samples of Eucalyptus globulus showed signs of termite and microorganisms attack, most showing extensive galleries. Eucalyptus botryoides wood showed no sign of termite attack and only few traces of microrganisms presence. The wood bending strength was smaller upon thermal treatment for both species, decreasing 3.8% and 4.8% for Eucalyptus globulus and Eucalyptus botryoides, respectively. Overall the results are promising regarding some common utilizations, mainly floor coverings, decks, doors and door and window frames, fences (only for Eucalyptus botryoides), decorative arbors and pergolas (only for Eucalyptus botryoides) but excluding structural beams for building roofs or bridges due to the fragility of the wood treated thermally towards impactsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Rural regions as key locations for the circular bioeconomy: insights from the northern interior of Portugal

Rural areas have often been singled out as strategic locations for the implementation of the Circular Bioeconomy (CBE) concept. This study aims to carry out a detailed analysis of the northern interior of Portugal, focusing on its business dynamics within the CBE. Two representative case studies were selected and critically compared with successful cases from European Nordic countries. The results showed that, generally, waste is managed inefficiently and with little benefit. The cross-comparison with the Nordic CBE model revealed that there is a lack of synergies and collaboration between different stakeholders, from the most basic to the most advanced level. Also, investment in more applied education, as well as a culture based on trust and dialogue, would greatly contribute to the successful implementation of regional CBE policies. In short, innovation, not only in products and services, but mainly in partnerships is key to a sustainable economic growth in rural regions.This work has been developed in the context of the INTERREG POCTEP project "INBEC - Circular bio-economy. Promotion and development of a sustainable economy through innovation and business cooperation" (ref. 0627_INBEC_6_E); The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) and FEDER under Programme PT2020 for financial support to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Sustainability from Policy to Practice: Assessing the Impact of European Research and Innovation Frameworks on Circular Bioeconomy

Europe leads in shaping circular bioeconomy (CBE) policies for sustainability, relying on dynamic research and innovation (R&I) projects to propel the transition. Increased European R&I investment, fueled by commitment and a societal demand for measurable project returns, lacks a comprehensive evaluation. This study provides an in-depth analysis of the alignment of European-funded R&I projects with CBE policy priorities and assesses their societal impact. Rooted in an interpretive paradigm, it employs content analysis through semi-structured questionnaires to survey project leaders. The study evaluates benefits using the triple bottom line concept and interprets results guided by the theory of change. Our results suggest that European-funded R&I projects actively cultivate a supportive ecosystem for CBE adoption, as evidenced by emerging themes such as knowledge sharing, capacity building, and collaborative learning, aligning closely with investment priorities and funding schemes. The societal impact focuses on the short and medium term, emphasizing the social dimension by committing to empowering individuals, fostering collaboration, and enriching knowledge. Long-term benefits primarily contribute to the economic dimension, highlighting the potential for positive impacts like promoting business growth, innovation, improving market efficiency, and fostering sustainability. This study seeks to enhance the impact of R&I projects and promote a paradigm shift towards sustainability by providing context-specific recommendations.This work was supported by national funds through FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC): CIMO, UIDB/00690/2020 (DOI: 10.54499/UIDB/00690/2020) and UIDP/00690/2020 (DOI: 10.54499/UIDP/ 00690/2020); and SusTEC, LA/P/0007/2020 (DOI: 10.54499/LA/P/0007/2020). National funding by FCT, Foundation for Science and Technology, through the individual research grant 2022.11836.BD of Ana Sofia Brandãoinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

On the societal impact of publicly funded Circular Bioeconomy research in Europe

Europe has taken a world leadership position in setting policy priorities for Circular Bioeconomy (CBE) as a key determinant of economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Consequently, European R&D investment in this area keeps growing along with the societal pressure to demonstrate the return of investment of publicly funded projects. Thus, this work presents a pioneering exploratory analysis of the extent to which projects funded at the European level incorporate the policy priorities for which they are being designed in the context of CBE, and how can the impact they are having on society be assessed. Thence, project impact evaluation is carried out in the short- and medium-term, and categorized under Industrial Competitiveness, Sustainable Development, and Community and Public Policies. For this purpose, secondary information was gathered from the European projects database Cordis, as well as primary information through a questionnaire survey of project coordinators. The empirical data collected suggest that European Framework Programmes have been fulfilling their purpose, as they are increasingly societal challenges-driven and market-oriented. This is evidenced by market-related topics addressed in the projects analysed and by the active participation of companies that outnumber academic institutions. As far as impact is concerned, scientific publications continue to be the main result of this type of project in the short-term, whereas in the medium-term social and economic benefits were also identified. Notably, the creation of scientific jobs in the industry, of industrial joint ventures, and the generation of documents to support the improvement of public and EU policies on biobased productsThis work was supported by the European Regional Development Fund [0627_INBEC_6_E to J. M. R. C. A. S.] and the Portuguese Science and Technology Foundation [UIDB/00690/2020]. The authors are grateful to the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT, Portugal) for financial support through national funds FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC) to CIMO (UIDB/00690/2020 and UIDP/00690/2020) and SusTEC (LA/P/0007/2021).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Da desconstrução do romantismo aos múltiplos rostos das violências - Primavera Árabe, novos media e políticas de contestação

As análises dos contornos das revoltas e dos processos de democratização que têm tido lugar no Mundo Árabe, desde Dezembro de 2010, ainda que com distintos níveis de intensidade nos diferentes países envolvidos, têm invariavelmente chamado a atenção para a centralidade dos novos media, enquanto atores decisivos na divulgação e mobilização de agendas políticas, particularmente as de democratização. Porém, esta inclinação analítica – tendencialmente consensual – parte de uma certa visão romantizada tanto dos novos media, como das próprias mobilizações da região. Por um lado, assume-se uma perspectiva amplificada, e de certo modo fantasiada, sobre os novos media enquanto instrumentos/plataformas com um amplo potencial democratizador e uma consequente visão segmentada do espaço mediático, em que o novo suprime ou opõe-se ao convencional, como se diálogo e sobreposição entre novos e velhos media não existisse. Por outro lado, há uma clara focagem na dimensão de mobilização meramente local dos novos media, descurando o seu papel como plataforma de intervenção externae e o facto de a reacção e opção por políticas de contestação ter como alvo os regimes ditatoriais, bem como a a estruturação económica, política e social do sistema internaciona

Lisboa como cidade internacional: contributos para uma agenda de investigação

Ainda que à primeira vista, a realidade das cidades como atores internacionais possa parecer algo novo e em construção, a verdade é que muito antes do Estado existir, as cidades constituíam já polos de poder e peças fundamentais de (redes de) governação internacional. A sua internacionalização tem estado presente ao longo da História, bem como nas diferentes geografias e histórias que as povoam

Título da página electrónica: The Communication Initiative Network

A Communication Initiative Network é uma plataforma electrónica, apoiada por diversas instituições internacionais (UNDP, FAO, BBC, entre outras), que tem como objectivo aproximar e promover a partilha de experiências e, sobretudo, de conhecimento entre todos aqueles que vêem a comunicação, quer de massas quer interpessoal, como um veículo crucial na mudança e no desenvolvimento económico e social. Para isso, disponibiliza na sua página uma ampla base de dados de recursos bibliográficos. É est..

Cleaning in times of pandemic

Cleaning services are a transversal activity that guarantees the proper functioning and conditions of safety, hygiene, and health across all economic sectors. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the need for clean, sanitary spaces, particularly in health services and other areas with a large number of people. The workers in these services were often placed on the frontline without any specific training or information

Cleaning in times of pandemic: perceptions of COVID-19 risks among workers in facility

Cleaning services are a transversal activity that guarantees the proper functioning and conditions of safety, hygiene, and health across all economic sectors. The COVID-19 pandemic increased the need for clean, sanitary spaces, particularly in health services and other areas with a large number of people. The workers in these services were often placed on the frontline without any specific training or information. Their low average schooling aggravated this situation. Therefore, exploring these workers perceptions about the COVID-19 pandemic and its potential influence on their mental health was the primary goal of our research. Structured interviews were conducted based on questionnaires in a sample of 436 women. Their characterisation focused on three aspects related to the pandemic. First, to prevent infecting others (85.5%) and that people close to them could die (86.0%) were the dominant concerns; second, the feeling of permanent vigilance was mentioned (56.2%); and third, the fear of not getting medical care (60.7%). Thus, the workers felt there was a need for more dissemination of individual protection measures, as well as more training, better general working conditions, and access to psychological counselling