Crisis and Catalonia: An Analysis on the Impact of Crisis on the Public Opinion of the Secessionist Movement in Catalonia

Catalonia, the autonomous region of Spain has seen an increase in secessionist sentiments in recent years. While the past inclination toward independence has been centered on economic autonomy and cultural identity, there has been a recent emphasis on political independence, particularly in the times of crisis. In this thesis. I analyze the relationship between the economic changes during the period of a crisis and the public opinion about the potential Catalan secession. Specifically, it investigates the relationships between the economic change and public sentiment during the financial crisis of 2008, the political crisis of 2017, and the pandemic crisis of 2020. I hypothesized that there would be a significant relationship between the economic growth and the Catalan desire to secede during times of crisis. To test my hypothesis, I conducted a trend analysis of the percentage of agreement with questions or statements posed by the Baròmetre d’Opinió Política [Political Opinion Barometer]. The trend of this percentage of agreement was examined against the GDP in Catalonia. This thesis was conducted under the theoretical framework of political economy, paying specific attention to the political economy of secession. The results indicate a weak relationship between the public’s desire for secessionism and economic prosperity. The results do suggest, however, that there may be a deterioration between the region of Catalonia and the central government in Spain

INTERVIEW—TEACHER TO HEAD TO CEO—SHIFTING ROLES AND RELATIONSHIPS

Mark Ducker recently retired CEO or the STEP Academy Trust reflects on the journey which took him from primary school teacher to CEO of an outstanding multi-academy trust

The Correlation of Biometrics and Game Performance in Division I Collegiate Women\u27s Soccer Team

In competitive sports, the ultimate goal is to win as many matches, competitions, or games as possible. In an attempt to optimize this goal, the use of data analytics has risen. Soccer, a particularly popular sport across the globe, has been using data analytics for this optimization for multiple decades. One common practice for this data collection is the use of heart rate monitors paired with GPS tracking in order to collect data. Some of the data collected includes training load, total distance, sprints, and time spent in various heart rate percentage zones. Additionally, InStat Index has been used to collect skill specific data about various competition related variables such as shots completed, passes completed and goals conceded. In conjunction with the performance data, coaches can make informed decisions based off of this information to improve the outcome of winning. A University Women’s Soccer team used Polar Team Pro and InStat to analyze their performance. It was found that training load, total distance, sprints and time spent at or above 70% of heart rate maximum are weakly correlated with InStat Index