The promise of transformation through participation: an analysis of Communal Councils in Caracas, Venezuela

Communal Councils (CCs) in Venezuela are deemed as part of a greater project of social transformation under a radical approach to participatory democracy. The Hugo Chavez’s administration endorsed the creation of thousands of allegedly self-governing CCs in every neighbourhood of every city or town in the country. The initial goal was to address people’s most urgent needs while including them in the decision-making process in their communities. The passing of President Chavez, a charismatic leader who was the driving force behind Chavismo and the Bolivarian Revolution, represents a challenge to the participatory process where CCs have been framed. Within this overall context, a radical approach to participation should lay the foundations of a State-led process of social transformation of the left. Based on this, the objectives of this paper are: on the one hand, to propose a set of indicators to study spaces of participation at the community level framed in a State-led process of social transformation; on the other, to show the viability of these indicators in the analysis of Communal Councils in the context of the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela. These indicators refer to the recognition of ‘the other’; autonomy from state institutions; mobilization of the community; and design and internal dynamics. In order to advance these objectives, this paper explores how participation in the CCs has been operationalized under the Bolivarian Revolution. Therefore, this research has empirically implemented the proposed indicators in six CCs of Caracas through semi-structure interviews with community leaders. The results suggest that the type of participation offered is one strongly conditioned by an ideological system which promises transformation but impedes this transformation in practice. I have called this situation a ‘conditioned participation’

Negotiating Migration in Cities: A Relational Comparative Perspective

This discussion paper calls for broadening the scope of research on cities and migration, both empirically and theoretically, by applying a relational comparative perspective. It pleas to rethink how cities are studied and compared in migration studies. Although cities have become central reference points in migration research since the ›local turn‹, most studies still focus primarily on capital cities and gateway cities as self-contained spaces in the Global North. These biases lead to blind spots in the production of knowledge regarding the migration–city nexus. Newer theoretical, empirical, and methodological perspectives offer possible ways out by decentering migration and focusing on the multiple relations sustained in and across cities in the Global South and North. Die Aushandlung von Migration in Städten: eine relational vergleichende Perspektive In diesem Diskussionspapier rufen wir dazu auf, die Forschung über Städte und Migration sowohl empirisch als auch theoretisch um eine relational vergleichende Perspektive zu erweitern. Es plädiert dafür, die Art und Weise, wie Städte in der Migrationsforschung untersucht und verglichen werden, zu überdenken. Obwohl Städte seit dem ›local turn‹ zu zentralen Bezugspunkten in der Migrationsforschung geworden sind, konzentrieren sich die meisten Studien weiterhin hauptsächlich auf Hauptstädte und Gateway-Cities als in sich geschlossene Räume im Globalen Norden. Dieser Blick führt zu blinden Flecken bei der Produktion von Wissen an der Schnittstelle von Stadt und Migration. Neuere theoretische, empirische und methodische Perspektiven bieten mögliche Auswege, indem sie Migration dezentrieren und sich auf die vielfältigen Beziehungen konzentrieren, die in und zwischen Städten im Globalen Süden und im Globalen Norden bestehen

BIRC6 Is Associated with Vulnerability of Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque

Carotid atherosclerotic plaque rupture can lead to cerebrovascular accident (CVA). By comparing RNA-Seq data from vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) extracted from carotid atheroma surgically excised from a group of asymptomatic and symptomatic subjects, we identified more than 700 genomic variants associated with symptomatology (p < 0.05). From these, twelve single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were selected for further validation. Comparing genotypes of a hospital-based cohort of asymptomatic with symptomatic patients, an exonic SNP in the BIRC6 (BRUCE/Apollon) gene, rs35286811, emerged as significantly associated with CVA symptomatology (p = 0.002; OR = 2.24). Moreover, BIRC6 mRNA levels were significantly higher in symptomatic than asymptomatic subjects upon measurement by qPCR in excised carotid atherosclerotic tissue (p < 0.0001), and significantly higher in carriers of the rs35286811 risk allele (p < 0.0001). rs35286811 is a proxy of a GWAS SNP reported to be associated with red cell distribution width (RDW); RDW was increased in symptomatic patients (p < 0.03), but was not influenced by the rs35286811 genotype in our cohort. BIRC6 is a negative regulator of both apoptosis and autophagy. This work introduces BIRC6 as a novel genetic risk factor for stroke, and identifies autophagy as a genetically regulated mechanism of carotid plaque vulnerability.This work was financially supported by grants from the Departments of Education (Ref. PIBA2018-67) and Health (Ref. RIS3-2019222038) of the Basque Government, Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain; by the Spanish Neurovascular Network (INVICTUSplus) (Ref. RD16/0019/0007) funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación, Madrid, Spain; and by the research project grant (IKERIKTUS) funded by the RefbioII Trans-Pyrenean Cooperation Network for Biomedical Research financed by Horizon 2020. I.A. is supported by the Maratón EiTB 2017 for Funding of Research into Stroke, Bilbao, Spain (Ref. BIO18/IC/005); R.T.N. is the recipient of a fellowship from the Secretaría Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología e Innovación (SENACYT; Convocatoria Doctorado de Investigación Ronda III, 2018; Ref. BIDP-III-2018-12) of the Gobierno Nacional, República de Panamá

Political parties and immigrant associations: alliances in the presence of politicized immigration conflicts at the local level: a comparative study

La presente tesis doctoral investiga la formación de alianzas entre partidos políticos y asociaciones de inmigrantes en presencia de conflictos politizados sobre inmigración a nivel local. Esta investigación incorpora la importancia de actores específicos en la literatura sobre inmigración basada en las estructuras de oportunidad política. Con este fin, se desarrolla, en tres artículos, un estudio comparativo basado en métodos cualitativos (fuentes secundarias y entrevistas semi-estructuradas) donde se analiza el surgimiento de alianzas en tres conflictos localizados en tres ciudades de Cataluña: la campaña anti-rumano-gitana en Badalona; la prohibición del burka en Lleida y el no empadronamiento de inmigrantes en situación irregular en Vic. Las conclusiones del estudio defienden que las alianzas están: primero, conectadas a la movilización de recursos; segundo, son el resultado de distintos patrones de movilización; tercero, profundamente conectadas al ambiente político y finalmente, son el resultado de las estructuras de poder que los inmigrantes enfrentan a nivel local.The Ph.D. thesis studies the formation of alliances between political parties and immigrant associations in the presence of politicized immigration conflicts (PICs) at the local level. With this in mind, I introduce the importance of alliances between specific actors in the immigration literature following the political opportunity structure (POS) approach. To do so, I develop, in three articles, a comparative case-study research based on qualitative methodology (desk research and semi-structured interviews). I analyze the emergence of alliances in three conflicts located in cities in Catalonia, Spain, namely: the anti-Romanian-Roma campaign in Badalona, the burka ban in public buildings in Lleida and the banning of undocumented immigrants from the local census in Vic. The results show that alliances are: first, connected to the mobilization of resources; second, the outcome of different patterns of mobilization; third, strongly shaped by the political environment and finally, the result of the local power structures that immigrants face

Local politics and immigration: mobilizing immigrant associations beyond small-scale cities

Cities, towns and rural areas may respond differently to similar challenges posed by the arrival of immigrants. While New York or London are large-scale, global cities; residential cities outside of Madrid or Lisbon may be considered small-scale ones. I propose an analytical framework that problematizes the political mobilization of immigrant associations in small-scale cities through a multi-scalar lens. I illustrate the utility of this framework by studying the mobilization of immigrant associations in the 2010 local census controversy in the Catalan city of Vic, Spain. I highlight the potential that small-scale settings have for the multi-scalar mobilization of immigrant associations

Alliances in the resolution of politicized immigration conflicts in the city : the construction of an interpretive framework

The political opportunity structure (POS) debate has mainly focused on how institutional and cultural factors shape the mobilization of immigrants in receiving societies. Nevertheless, they have not focused on alliances between specific actors as a political opportunity. This paper aims to construct an interpretive framework, within the POS, to study how the resolution of politicized immigration conflicts (PICs) at the local level facilitates alliances between political parties and immigrant associations. The guiding question is: How do alliances between political parties and immigrant associations emerge in the resolution of PICs at the local level? I argue that these alliances emerge because of the specific local political environment surrounding the resolution of PICs. This framework seeks to expand the POS debate by challenging the existing literature that considers alliances an explanatory factor of mobilization; highlighting the importance of specific alliances in the local management of immigration and offering a typology of alliances

The politics of immigration locally: alliances between political parties and immigrant organizations

Alliances are a political opportunity that reinforce the claims made by different players in the political sphere. However, the literature on the political participation of immigrants pays little attention to the formation of alliances and their effects on the interaction between immigrants and institutional actors, especially under circumstances of politicization. This article aims to explain the emergence of alliances between political parties and immigrant organizations when immigration is politicized locally. I argue that the need to legitimize the political parties’ position on the politicization guide their alliances with immigrants. Using qualitative methods, I analyse the emergence of alliances in the anti-Romanian-Roma campaign in Badalona and the burka ban in Lleida, both in Catalonia, Spain. The findings portray these relationships as the outcome of strategic interactions that respond to the balance of power between institutional and non-institutional actors

European Union agencies: a global governance perspective

European Union agencies have been studied explicitly or implicitly from two distinct perspectives: an intergovernmental and a supranational point of view. Both relate to broader dynamics that aim to understand the forces that EU agencies respond to. However, different authors have pointed out that both perspectives can be observed simultaneously in EU agencies. This is because they combine intergovernmental coordination and access to supranational power with different intensities under conditions of institutional isolation and a strong professional identity. This article takes as its starting point this integrating vision and argues that EU agencies function as a new type of regional trans-governmental body that is flexible, adapts to the new age of global governance and actively participates in it. The paper discusses the literature on EU agencies along these lines and concludes with a plea to favour an analysis that includes global governance to understand how these bodies operate in transnational spaces. The fragmentation of sovereignty into multiple levels and regulatory spaces, where complex sectorial systems take on a global dimension to produce public goods, requires articulating hybrid institutional structures. EU agencies respond perfectly to this need as their institutional design endows them with a strong capacity for multilevel interaction.This study was supported by the TransCrisis project (grant number 649484) under the European Union Horizon 2020 programme

EU agencies' involvement in transboundary crisis response: supporting efforts or leading coordination?

Data de publicació electrónica: 13-01-2020EU agencies have emerged as entities offering technical coordination to member states and support to the European Commission in different policy areas. Their expertise may play a role in responding to unexpected crises. Against this backdrop, we examine under which circumstances EU agencies, through their specialised expertise, are involved in transboundary crisis responses, and when they acquire a leading position in coordinating those responses. To do so, we study four agencies which faced crises: the EBA and the 2012 banking crisis; the ECDC and the 2014 Ebola outbreak; EFSA and the 2011 E. coli outbreak; and Frontex and the 2015 refugee crisis. Our findings discuss to what extent agencies’ involvement in transboundary crises is related to functional (sector characteristics) and institutional (delegation of authority) variables. We also identify that under certain political conditions EU agencies’ coordination capability is activated, allowing them to emerge as leading institutions in transboundary crises resolution.This study was supported by the TransCrisis project (grant number 649484) under the European Union Horizon 2020 programme

European Union Agencies: A global governance perspective

European Union agencies have been studied explicitly or implicitly from two distinct perspectives: an intergovernmental or a supranational point of view. Both relate to broader dynamics and aim to understand the forces that EU agencies respond to. However, different authors have pointed out that both perspectives can be observed simultaneously in EU agencies. This is because they combine intergovernmental coordination and access to supranational power with different intensities under conditions of institutional isolation and a strong professional identity. This article takes as its starting point this integrating vision and argues that EU agencies function as a new type of regional trans-governmental body that is flexible, adapts to the new age of global governance and actively participates in it. The paper discusses the literature on EU agencies along these lines and concludes with a plea to favour an analysis that includes global governance, in order to better understand how these bodies operate in transnational spaces. The fragmentation of sovereignty into multiple levels and regulatory spaces, where complex sectorial systems take on a global dimension to produce public goods, requires articulating hybrid institutional structures. EU agencies respond perfectly to this need as their institutional design endows them with a strong capacity for multilevel interaction.El estudio de las agencias de la Unión Europea se ha realizado, explícita o implícitamente, a partir de dos lógicas distintas: una lógica intergubernamental y una supranacional. Ambas lógicas se relacionan con dinámicas más amplias que tienen como objetivo comprender las fuerzas a las que responde el surgimiento de las mismas. Recientemente, diversos autores han señalado que ambas perspectivas pueden considerarse simultáneamente, entendiendo que las agencias de la UE combinan la coordinación intergubernamental y el acceso al poder supranacional con diferentes intensidades, según las temáticas que abordan, en condiciones de aislamiento institucional y una fuerte identidad profesional. Este artículo parte de esta visión integradora para argumentar que las agencias de la UE funcionan como un nuevo tipo de organismo regional transgubernamental que es flexible y se adapta a la nueva era de la gobernanza global, participando en ella activamente. En esta línea, la fragmentación de la soberanía en múltiples niveles y espacios reguladores, donde complejos sistemas sectoriales toman una dimensión global para producir bienes públicos de alcance mundial, conlleva la necesidad de articular estructuras institucionales de carácter hibrido, con elevadas capacidades de interacción multinivel, algo a lo que el diseño institucional de la agencias de la UE responde perfectamente