Theory and Practice in Political Economy: Explaining Continuity in South American Socioeconomic Conditions

The socioeconomic history of South America has been traditionally marked by the chronic problems of poverty and inequality. South American states and societies have commonly failed to address these issues effectively, which continue to characterize the region’s socioeconomic outlook today. The persistence of poverty and inequality has created social and political pressures on those designing economic policy, prioritizing short-term “alleviating” mechanisms rather than long-term structural solutions. These same conditions, combined with historical experiences, have created a singular cyclical dynamic in the political economy of the region. In this context, this dissertation explores the underlying causes behind the continuity of such socioeconomic conditions. In doing so, the present study explores the systemic and structural conditions that influence the political economy of South America. Therefore, this dissertation situates itself within the academic literature on South American development, all the while it reinterprets the South American experience by focusing on the structure and the role of the state as the main factor behind the continuity of socioeconomic challenges in the region. In this sense, this dissertation advances the state argument to understand what factors explain the presence of socioeconomic challenges in South America’s political economy, and to explain why there is no change in these conditions or the political economy to tackle them

Judicial Mistakes in Discovery

A recent wave of scholarship argues that judges often fail to comply with binding rules or precedent and sometimes apply overturned laws. Scholars have hypothesized that the cause of this “judicial noncompliance” may be flawed litigant briefing that introduces mistakes into judicial decisions—an idea this Essay calls the “Litigant Hypothesis.” The Essay presents a preliminary study aimed at exploring ways of testing the validity of the Litigant Hypothesis. Employing an empirical analysis that exploits recent amendments to Federal Discovery Rule 26, this Essay finds that the strongest predictor of noncompliance in a dataset of discovery decisions is indeed faulty briefs. This study concludes that the Litigant Hypothesis of noncompliance may have explanatory value

Judicial Mistakes in Discovery

A recent wave of scholarship argues that judges often fail to comply with binding rules or precedent and sometimes apply overturned laws. Scholars have hypothesized that the cause of this “judicial noncompliance” may be flawed litigant briefing that introduces mistakes into judicial decisions—an idea this Essay calls the “Litigant Hypothesis.” The Essay presents a preliminary study aimed at exploring ways of testing the validity of the Litigant Hypothesis. Employing an empirical analysis that exploits recent amendments to Federal Discovery Rule 26, this Essay finds that the strongest predictor of noncompliance in a dataset of discovery decisions is indeed faulty briefs. This study concludes that the Litigant Hypothesis of noncompliance may have explanatory value

Discovery as Regulation

This article develops an approach to discovery that is grounded in regulatory theory and administrative subpoena power. The conventional judicial and scholarly view about discovery is that it promotes fair and accurate outcomes and nudges the parties toward settlement. While commonly held, however, this belief is increasingly outdated and suffers from limitations. Among them, it has generated endless controversy about the problem of discovery costs. Indeed, a growing chorus of scholars and courts has offered an avalanche of reforms, from cost shifting and bespoke discovery contracts to outright elimination. Recently, Judge Thomas Hardiman quipped that if he had absolute power, he would abolish discovery for cases involving less than $500,000. These debates, however, are at a standstill, and existing scholarship offers incomplete treatment of discovery theory that might move debates forward. The core insight of the project is that in the private-enforcement context—where Congress deliberately employs private litigants as the main method of statutory enforcement—there is a surprisingly strong case that our current discovery system should be understood in part as serving regulatory goals analogous to administrative subpoena power. That is, discovery here can be seen as an extension of the subpoena power that agencies like the SEC, FTC, and EPA possess and is the lynchpin of a system that depends on private litigants to enforce our most important statutes. By forcing parties to disclose large amounts of information, discovery deters harm and, most importantly, shapes industry-wide practices and the primary behavior of regulated entities. This approach has a vast array of implications for the scope of discovery as well as the debate over costs. Scholars and courts should thus grapple with the consequences of what I call “regulatory discovery” for the entire legal system

The philosophy of order trough der Ring des Nibelunguen of Wagner. (Part I: “Das Rheingold”)

La presente contribución analiza el pensamiento filosófico de Richard Wagner desde una propuesta politológica propia en la que muestra el conflicto que existe entre el amor y el poder, dos pasiones que determinan nuestra condición egoísta y las decisiones personales y sociales. La fundamentación teórica se basa en la función política de la estética que es capaz de describir el imaginario social y una forma de ordenar y normar la vida en común.This contribution analyses the thought of the philosopher Richard Wagner from a political proposal where he shows the conflict between the power and love, two natural passions of selfish condition and personal and social choices. The theoretical foundation it’s based on the political function of esthetic, who has the ability to describe the social imaginary as a way to give order to the community

Ira al volante

Las calles de Medellín y otras capitales son el ring de conductores furiosos e intolerantes que, a diario, protagonizan discusiones y agresiones que pasan fácil de las palabras a los hechos. No hay partes para los gritos y pitazos, pero sí consejos para evitar la rabia al timón. ¿Alguna vez lo han braveado o ha revirado? La educación vial es permanente, según la Secretaría de Movilidad de Medellín, pero para que sea eficaz, señalan expertos, habría que entender primero la razón por la que cualquier ser humano es susceptible de ponerse violento al conducir. Manejar un vehículo es una actividad que siempre genera estrés, explica Juan David Giraldo, jefe del programa de Psicología de la Universidad de Medellín. No obstante, Emmanuel Ospina, investigador en temas de Movilidad de Universidad Eafit, cree que la gente solo logra interiorizar el mensaje cuando lo vive, cuando en la calle encuentra las condiciones para conducir de una manera menos violenta. (...) El gerente de la ARL Sura, Adolfo Vargas, recomienda planificar mejor los viajes para evitar el estrés y las conductas violentas cuando se maneja un vehículo

Contra toda negativa, migrantes tienen derecho a la salud

Cándido Valbuena se dio el golpe el pasado jueves santo en el baño de la casa de su hija. La sangre, siempre tan escandalosa, no dejaba de brotar de su cabeza y de inmediato lo llevaron al Hospital San Vicente Fundación, cerca de Prado Centro, donde vive la familia venezolana. Mileidy, su hija, fue testigo de cómo le negaron la atención porque su papá no tiene papeles para estar en el país. Mención Universidad de Medellín, UPB

La energía solar llega a Guatapé

No solo es el lugar donde una hidroeléctrica genera cerca del 4 % de la electricidad del país. No. Ahora la represa de Guatapé también es el escenario donde se instaló el primer parque flotante de energía solar en Colombia con el que EPM ensayará una nueva forma de generación fotovoltaica. Lo habitual es que las instalaciones de celdas solares en el mundo se hagan sobre pisos o techos de edificios. No obstante, en esta ocasión estas estructuras se pusieron sobre flotadores en el embalse, fuera del área turística para no entorpecer estas actividades, y se espera que puedan ser hasta un 15 % más eficientes que los sistemas convencionales. Mención Universidad de Medellín

Arqueología bajo el suelo de Envigado

"No serán de oro, ni resultarán tan vistosas a los ojos de la gente, pero ya van más de 6.000 piezas arqueológicas halladas bajo el suelo de Envigado que han sido desenterradas por las obras del Metroplús. Con ellas, los expertos han podido determinar que un asentamiento indígena tuvo su morada allí antes que se levantara la Ciudad Señorial. Se trata de vasija, trozos de cerámica, herramientas de piedra y restos óseos. Aún pendientes del resultado de la prueba de carbono 14, que permitirá determinar su antigüedad, se estima que podrían tener hasta 2.500 años. ""Hay evidencias contundentes de que se localizó un poblado indígena, en algún momento hace más de dos milenios. Mención: Tranvía de de Ayacucho, EPM, Universidad Nacional, Universidad EAFIT, Universidad de Medellín.