European cohesion policy after 2006:some comments about current proposals

EU regional policy is in a challenging and dynamic period of change. Not only are there significant administrative problems to overcome in both the current and the new Member States, but there is also a major ongoing debate about the reform of EU regional policy after 2006. Post 2006, the principal challenge concerns economic and social cohesion in an enlarged Union. Enlargement will lead to a severely unbalanced EU territory in terms of the widening disparities between Member States and regions. The degree to which EU regional policy can meet these challenges will be determined by budgetary constraints. The period of successive increases in EU regional policy ended at the Berlin Council in March 1999. Aspects of the current debate concern not only the EU regional policy budget for 2007-2013 but also the possible allocations. In this context, the paper has two main objectives: a) To identify regional disparities in the forthcoming enlarged Europe using multivariate statistical analysis techniques. b) To assess different proposals arising from the Commission open debate on future Cohesion Policy. The data used in the analysis is Newcronos-REGIO database elaborated by EUROSTAT. As a result, a classification of all regions (NUTsII) in the EU-25 is obtained through factor and cluster analysis techniques. Results obtained show that regional disparities cannot be exclusively explained by GDP per capita. Other factors linked to the behaviour of the labour market and to the demographic characteristics of the territories are also of a great importance Key words: Economic and Social Cohesion, Regional Policy, Cluster Analysis

Integración y autonomía : una hoja de ruta para el análisis de la relación entre movimientos sociales y gobiernos posneoliberales en Argentina y Venezuela

La presente trabajo surge de una indagación en curso sobre el proceso que se desarrolló en Venezuela con posterioridad al “Caracazo" de 1989. Aquella irrupción popular frente al llamado “paquetazo" que intentó implementar en su segunda presidencia Carlos Andrés Pérez, supuso el inicio de un ciclo de conmociones sociales que ya ha sido bien descrito por autores como Margarita López Maya (2006) y Daniel Azzellini (2007). El masivo repudio popular frente a las políticas económicas neoliberales comenzó en la zona de Guarenas-Guatire, en la periferia caraqueña, para luego extenderse a toda la capital y algunos otros grandes centros urbanos, abriendo una crisis política de magnitud. La comparación con el caso argentino presenta múltiples dificultades, atentos a la muy diversa conformación histórica del Estado y de las clases sociales, a matrices económico-productivas heterogéneas, y entramados culturales y psicosociales relativamente lejanos. Sin embargo, entendemos que la comparación es pertinente recortando la misma al proceso socio-político más inmediato, producido por resistencias, crisis del neoliberalismo y emergencia de nuevas experiencias políticas que acceden al gobierno.Fil: Ogando, Martín. Universidad de Buenos Aire

Comunidad y comunicación: prácticas en europa y américa latina

Ressenya del llibre 'Comunidad y comunicación : prácticas comunicativas y medios comunitarios en Europa y América Latina', coordinat per Marcelo Martínez Hermida, Carme Mayugo i Majó i Ana Tamarit Rodríguez i publicat l'any 2012. Comunidad y Comunicación presenta una amplia panorámica de posibles relaciones entre experiencias comunicativas y ciudadanía a través de estudios y reflexiones sobre prácticas y medios de carácter participativo, impulsados por las propias sociedades civiles, de cara a autoabastecer sus necesidades comunicativa

The Spanish Regional Policy: an assessment of economic incentives during the period 1988-2003

Two main challenges influence the design of regional policies carried out by European, National and Regional policy makers. The first is the shift towards a knowledge-based economy, where enterprise competitiveness is increasingly linked to intangible assets. The second is the enlargement of the European Union that means important changes in the European Union marketplace and the possibilities of intervention in some less favoured regions. Until today, Regional Policy in many European Union countries has principally been founded on incentives for the creation of employment and investment in tangible assets. In this context, Spanish Regional Policy has been formulated, on the one hand, to achieve decentralisation of the entities responsible for its promotion and, on the other, to foster co-ordination and integration of Community, National and Autonomous Region interventions. Moreover, the design of this policy has taken into consideration the classical conflict between equity and efficiency. The objective of this paper is to assess the results and the gradual changes in regional incentive policy applied in Spain over the last 15 years and to identify the elements in which public intervention could be improved in order to adapt this policy to the demands laid out within the new environment previously defined. This assessment includes: firstly, a brief analysis of the evolution of public intervention; secondly, a study of the spatial distribution of the incentives over the period considered; and thirdly, a comparison of the economic performance of the different areas depending on the awards received. The analysis of this policy is based on a database comprising over 16 000 items referring to award decisions to applications for Regional Investment Grants (Law 50/1985 of 22 December 1985) gathered from the Official State Bulletin (Boletín Oficial del Estado, BOE) during the period 1988-2003. KEY WORDS: Spain, Regional policy, Regional incentive, Employment, Investment, Policy assessment

Resistencia e identidade na produción literaria de María Xosé Queizán: cara á lexitimación do feminismo galego

[Resumo] Baixo o concepto de muller galega atopamos o eixo central que unifica o percorrido vital, o pensamento e a literatura de María Xosé Queizán. Coa figura da muller galega, definida sobre todo nos dous primeiros ensaios, A muller en Galicia (1977) e Recuperemos as mans (1980), a autora mostra un desexado e novo modelo de muller que defende, primeiro, a súa propia identidade como suxeita no patriarcado e, segundo, a súa identidade como ser que pertence ao pobo galego. Neste senso, a figura da muller galega constrúese como alter ego da autora, quen, a través da súa produción literaria, tenta transmitir a súa ideoloxía feminista e nacionalista para tratar de construír un país de mulleres feministas que queiran estender as súas raíces galegas cara ao futuro[Abstract] The concept of Galician woman represents the central idea in María Xosé Queizán’s life, ideology and literature. In her essays A muller en Galicia (1977) and Recuperemos as mans (1980), the author focuses on a new idea of woman, capable of defending her own identity within and against patriarchy, as well as her identity as a human being belonging to the Galician people. In this way, the figure of the Galician woman appears as the alter ego of the author, who is trying to create the idea of a land of feminist women, determined to expand their Galician identity into the futur

Enterprise creation at a local scale - determining factors in the case of municipalities in Castilla y León

The behaviour of enterprises in terms of their spatial distribution is increasingly drawing the attention of regional science, due to the fact that regional economic development is the result of the complex interaction of various factors, key amongst which is entrepreneurial demography. Yet, as the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development has recognised, few empirical studies have addressed the link between new enterprises and economic change at a local scale, despite entrepreneurs constituting one means of creating employment and increasing local community wealth. Within this context, this paper pinpoints those factors that determine the birth of new enterprises at a local scale, focusing on towns in the Spanish Autonomous Region of Castilla y León. The information used was gathered from the approximately 15 000 companies set up between 2001 and 2003 in the 270 towns with over 1 000 inhabitants in the region, and whose creation as a company was published in the Official Journal of the Trade Register Office. The approach used is based on the link between entrepreneurial capacity and regional economic growth, prior to an analysis of regional differences in the setting up of companies within the Spanish economy. Subsequently, a detailed analysis is made of the factors that influence the creation of new enterprises in towns in Castilla y León, through the use of a regression model which, amongst other conclusions, attributes the emergence of enterprises to a large extent to the presence of agglomeration economies and urban growth.

A Computational Model for Calcium Signaling in Osteocyte Cell Cultures Under Mechanical Stimulation

Bone is a highly complex and organized tissue that is composed of an abundance of cells including the osteocyte. While it is known that osteocytes are responsible for the control of the bone remodeling process and the maintenance of calcium (Ca2+) homeostasis using their network of gap junction connections, their complete role is not yet fully understood. It is also known that various bone related diseases as well as cancer demonstrate an alteration of Ca2+ homeostasis during the progression of the disease. Previous researchers have combined computational modeling with experimental studies to gain a better understanding of cell-to-cell Ca2+ signaling within the osteocyte network in hopes of developing new diagnostic and therapeutic methods for bone related diseases. In this work, we connect and expand previously developed computational models of Ca2+ propagation within cell populations with the goal to gain more insight of cell-to-cell signaling amongst in vitro osteocyte network cultures that mimic their native environment. Our work demonstrates that unique signal response patterns displayed amongst osteocyte networks are attributed to varying specific kinetic parameters. We were also able to determine the arrangement of two connected osteocytes with differing signal response patterns from our experimental studies using our computational model. The insight of osteocyte heterogeneity gained can contribute to future efforts to develop diagnostic and therapeutic treatments for bone related diseases and cancer

Lean performance measures in a supply chain

Dissertação para obtenção do Grau de Mestre em Engenharia e Gestão IndustrialIn the existing global economic context it is crucial that companies understand the importance of the supply chain, so that they can maintain their respective competitive advantage. Several of the supply chain’s approaches consider the customer and the definition of value as key features. One easily associates the Lean philosophy to supply chains, with its basis of continuous improvement and elimination of waste. Companies which employ this philosophy begin with lean thinking, which highlights the customer and the definition of value. Therefore it is vital that companies identify what constitutes added value to the customer. Thus we arrive at the reasons which have led to the creation of this dissertation. The motivation concerns the small amount of data found upon reviewing the existing literature of the application of Lean philosophy to the Wood-Plastic Composite Industry (WPC). Consequently the study’s main goal is the identification of Lean performance measures. This dissertation contains concepts of Lean philosophy and strategy to provide background for its practical part, after which, we explain the applied methodology: identification of the performance measures, application of strategy analysis tools, the development of a survey and its statistical treatment and finally interviews to management. The results of the surveys have provided results which have helped identify the most important categories: time and flexibility; and the most relevant performance measures. The interviews’ results provided input on management’s knowledge and expectations of Lean, and the discovery of possible areas for improvement. The major conclusion of this study is the importance given to Lean performance measures in the WPC industry’s context, which can help in the implementation of Lean

Uma abordagem de consciência de máquina ao controle de semáforos de tráfego urbano

Orientador: Ricardo Ribeiro GudwinTese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Elétrica e de ComputaçãoResumo: Neste trabalho, apresentamos uma arquitetura cognitiva distribuída usada para o controle de tráfego em uma rede urbana. Essa arquitetura se baseia em uma abordagem de consciência de máquina - Teoria do Workspace Global - de forma a usar competição e difusão em broadcast, permitindo que um grupo de controladores de tráfego locais interajam, resultando em melhor desempenho do grupo. A ideia principal é que controladores locais geralmente realizam um comportamento reativo, definindo os tempos de verde e vermelho do semáforo, de acordo com informações locais. Esses controladores locais competem de forma a definir qual deles está experienciando a situação mais crítica. O controlador nas piores condições ganha acesso ao workspace global, e depois realiza uma difusão em broadcast de sua condição (e sua localização) para todos os outros controladores, pedindo sua ajuda para lidar com sua situação. Essa chamada do controlador que acessa o workspace global causará uma interferência no comportamento local reativo, para aqueles controladores locais com alguma chance de ajudar o controlador na situação crítica, contendo o tráfego na sua direção. Esse comportamento do grupo, coordenado pela estratégia do workspace global, transforma o comportamento reativo anterior em uma forma de comportamento deliberativo. Nós mostramos que essa estratégia é capaz de melhorar a média do tempo de viagem de todos os veículos que fluem na rede urbana. Um ganho consistente no desempenho foi conseguido com o controlador "Consciência de Máquina" durante todo o tempo da simulação, em diferentes cenários, indo de 10% até maisde 20%, quando comparado ao controlador "Reativo Paralelo" sem o mecanismo de consciência artificial, produzindo evidência para suportar a hipótese de que um mecanismo de consciência artificial, que difunde serialmente em broadcast conteúdo para processos automáticos, pode trazer vantagens para uma tarefa global realizada por uma sociedade de agentes paralelos que operam juntos por uma meta comumAbstract: In this work, we present a distributed cognitive architecture used to control the traffic in an urban network. This architecture relies on a machine consciousness approach - Global Workspace Theory - in order to use competition and broadcast, allowing a group of local traffic controllers to interact, resulting in a better group performance.The main idea is that the local controllers usually perform a purely reactive behavior, defining the times of red and green lights, according just to local information. These local controllers compete in order to define which of them is experiencing the most critical traffic situation. The controller in the worst condition gains access to the global workspace, further broadcasting its condition (and its location) to all other controllers, asking for their help in dealing with its situation. This call from the controller accessing the global workspace will cause an interference in the reactive local behavior, for those local controllers with some chance in helping the controller in a critical condition, by containing traffic in its direction. This group behavior, coordinated by the global workspace strategy, turns the once reactive behavior into a kind of deliberative one. We show that this strategy is capable of improving the overall mean travel time of vehicles flowing through the urban network. A consistent gain in performance with the "Machine Consciousness" traffic signal controller during all simulation time, throughout different simulated scenarios, could be observed, ranging from around 10% to more than 20%, when compared to the "Parallel Reactive" controller without the artificial consciousness mechanism, producing evidence to support the hypothesis that an artificial consciousness mechanism, which serially broadcasts content to automatic processes, can bring advantages to the global task performed by a society of parallel agents working together for a common goalDoutoradoEngenharia de ComputaçãoDoutor em Engenharia Elétrica153206/2010-1CNPQCAPESFAPES