Gender and democratic politics: a comparative analysis of consolidation in Argentina and Chile

This article highlights a number of themes useful in the gendered analysis of democratic consolidation in Latin America by means of a comparative analysis of Argentina and Chile. It starts from the assumption that much of the work on democratisation in Latin America – both orthodox and the literature concentrating on women and transitions – produced up until now, has been too voluntaristic in its approach. It argues that what is needed, particularly in the study of democratic consolidation, is an analysis not only of the impact of women and women's organisations on institutions and structures but also of how these institutions and structures can shape and change gender relations and different women's activities. Any gendered analysis of democratic consolidation must begin by examining the terms of transition which, while they can be subject to some renegotiation later, affect the nature of the subsequent system and the space available to different actors. It is argued that a number of characteristics of the post-transition system are significant: first the impact of more arbitrary populist or presidential systems, second the importance of women's organising both inside and outside the state and party systems and third the existence of an institutionalised party system

You still don't understand: why troubled engagements continue between feminists and (critical) IPE

Relatively early in the attempts to gender the discipline of International Relations (IR), it was argued by some feminist scholars that it was easier to raise feminist concerns in International Political Economy (IPE) than in IR. However, it has subsequently proved very difficult to articulate these concerns within mainstream IPE, as ‘the neo-realist and neo-liberal frameworks, with their common focus on state-centric issues of co-operation and conflict and their positivist and rationalistic methodologies, do not lend themselves to investigating gendered structures of inequality …’. In contrast, more overlap has been discerned between feminist perspectives and methodologies and the less influential ‘globalist’ (also known as critical/transdisciplinary or heterodox) approaches to IPE than with the dominant statist approaches. This article takes this position as its starting point and will focus on the relationship between gendered analyses and critical IPE (as it will be known here). It therefore does not engage with the undoubtedly important question of how far it is possible or desirable to have a gendered analysis that is not linked to feminism, as within both feminist and critical approaches to IPE an emancipatory agenda is entirely legitimate and even an integral part of those approaches

On Waylen's regular axisymmetric similarity solutions

We review the similarity solutions proposed by Waylen for a regular time-dependent axisymmetric vacuum space-time, and show that the key equation introduced to solve the invariant surface conditions is related by a Baecklund transform to a restriction on the similarity variables. We further show that the vacuum space-times produced via this path automatically possess a (possibly homothetic) Killing vector, which may be time-like.Comment: 8 pages, LaTeX2

Tropical forest systems: A hydrological approach

This paper briefly examines the importance of considering the rates and magnitudes of water movement in the hillslope-river system of a tropical rainforest catchment. It is proposed that consideration of water movement is a fundamental component in understanding the release and movement of nutrients in this environment. In any such analysis it is essential that the 'opportunity time' or 'residence time' together with the availability of weatherable minerals be considered. Three conditions are suggested to account for the low solute concentrations in stream waters, each, any or all three of which may occur. (1) If there are no soil nutrients of importance then there can be supply neither to the river nor the plants. (2) If the residence time is too short relative to the equilibriation time of the minerals, then weathering and exchange may not occur. (3) If the residence time is too long (because rate of movement is slow), the 'turnover' will be small. In this context the analogy of an overflowing cup is discussed as a possible explanation of low solute concentrations. The results presented in the paper refer to the period 6th - 26thMay 1977, from a small hillslope-river segment at Resewa Ducke, Amazonas. Measurements made included soil tension, piezometric levels, river stage, infìltration rates and wetting front movement. Using Darcy's Law, water fluxes are determined. Draw down characteristics of the piezometers and river stage have been estimated using regressions of the logarithms of both these variables against the logarithm of time. The results suggest that during the period of observation the slope is almost saturated with respect to water. Actual saturation (positive pressures) are observed to occur at the foot of the slope under all conditions and within the slope during the earliest set of observations. Results from the computation of water fluxes indicate little lateral movement, the dominant flow is at or very close to vertical. Analysis of piezometer level and river stage suggests a very close link between the two, with only limited influence from the adjacent hillslope. In conclusion it seems that during the wet season, most of the river flow is generated by rapid rise beneath the floodplain and the slope immediately adjacent to the floodplain as a direct result of rainfall infiltration and that throughflow is unimportant. This is consistent with certain aspects of the cup analogy and goes far to explain the very low solute concentration found in the water of this and similar barrancos

That ‘mushy boxed fog feeling’:dental students’ evaluations of the social and behavioural sciences in dental education

This article was migrated. The article was marked as recommended. This article documents the experiences of two dental educators with responsibility for teaching the Social and Behavioural sciences components of an undergraduate dental programme in the United Kingdom (UK). Many dental undergraduates struggle to see the relevance of behavioural and social science components to their training as dentists, similar to the experiences of medical students. This opinion piece will outline some of the key challenges faced by dental students when studying a social and behavioural science curriculum. It will conclude with an outline of a research project designed to learn more about the learning journey of dental students with the social and behavioural sciences that is currently in progress.</ns4:p

Surveying views on Payments for Ecosystem Services: implications for environmental management and research

The concept of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) is globally of increasing interest. However, little is known about the views and expectations of professionals and practitioners expected to enable or implement this concept. Since these individuals design, select, shape and deliver environmental management, their views and expectations are critical to understanding how PES may play out in practice. Using the first survey on this topic, in the UK this research discusses the implications for future research and environmental management. Responses indicate a range of views about PES and its potential effects. Most expect to see greater use of PES in future; and are cautiously positive about the environmental, social and economic consequences of doing so. Many hope PES may overcome existing challenges facing environmental management, subject to conditions or changes. The research also revealed tensions related to broader challenges in environmental governance – e.g. calls for standardisation may conflict with requests for adaptability. Meanwhile, other expectations – e.g. improved engagement with groups currently uninterested in the environment – indicate priorities that may be better addressed with other instruments. Varied views are likely in most countries and must be assessed to better understand the prospects and potential of PES

Exact treatment of time-dependent axisymmetric gravitation

This paper extends an earlier treatment of time-dependent gravitational fields that are axially symmetric and nonrotating. From a consideration of the canonical solution of the Einstein vacuum field equations previously obtained as an axial expansion, a new method has been found that now provides the exact solution, whenever a certain generative key function x(t, z) is known

Análisis climático de la precipitación anual e interanual en la cuenca media del río Grande de San Ramón, Costa Rica

This project investigates three sectors located in the central basin of the río Grande San Ramón in Costa Rica. In spite of their proximity to each other, these stations show considerable variation, both temporal and spatial in intra- and interannual precipitation. This variation is attributed to regional atmospheric circulation patterns in the equatorial Pacific, producing strong precipitation during some years, and declines in others. There is a greater probability of lower annual precipitation during El Niño years and higher probabilities of large totals during La Niña years. The warm phase, El Niño, of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation phenomenon (ENSO) is more pronounced in Naranjo, which is located on the lower slope of the Central Volcanic Mountain range. The influence of regional/hemispherical cannot be regarded homogeneous in mountainous areas where local conditions may prevail.Se investigan tres sectores ubicados en la Cuenca media del río Grande de San Ramón en Costa Rica que a pesar de encontrarse muy cerca unos de otros, éstos muestran variaciones espacio temporales en la precipitación anual e interanual. Dicha variación se atribuye a patrones de circulación atmosféricos que influyen anualmente, produciendo fuertes precipitaciones durante unos años, mientras que en otros, se da más bien una disminución. Pareciera que existe una mayor probabilidad que ocurran promedios bajos de precipitación anual durante los años El Niño y promedios altos durante los años La Niña. De esta forma, la fase cálida es más marcada en aquellos lugares de topografía plana, en valles, que tienen una mayor influencia marítima y de corrientes de viento, como son los casos de Palmares y San Ramón, no así el caso de Naranjo que se ubica en las faldas de la Sección de la Cordillera Volcánica Central. Por lo tanto, se manifiestan variaciones en distancias cortas, o sea no se muestra un comportamiento homogéneo aún en regiones pequeñas

Expectations and experiences of diverse forms of knowledge use: the case of the UK National Ecosystem Assessment

Assessments of environmental issues are often expected to tackle the perceived disconnect between scientific knowledge and environmental policy making. However, their actual influence on processes of knowledge communication and use remains understudied. We provide one of the first studies of the UK National Ecosystem Assessment (NEA), itself one of the first national-level assessments of ecosystem services. We explore expectations, early experiences, and implications for its role in promoting knowledge use, drawing on both documentary evidence and qualitative analysis of interviews with NEA authors and potential users. Many interviewees expected instrumental use; that is, facts directly assisting problem solving. This matches the rhetoric surrounding the NEA’s creation. However, we found more early evidence of interacting conceptual uses (learning), and strategic uses (sometimes deemed misuse). Such uses depend not only on assessment outputs, such as reports, but also on the processes of communication and interaction by which these are created. Thus, planning and analysis of such assessments should deemphasise instrumental use and instead focus on the complex knowledge ‘coproduction’ processes by which diverse and interacting forms of knowledge use may be realised