Who leads research productivity change? Guidelines for R&D policy-makers

We rely on efficiency and productivity analysis based on Malmquist indices to evaluate to what extent policy-makers have been able to promote the creation and consolidation of comprehensive research groups that contribute to the implementation of a successful innovation system. We suggest that this dynamic evaluation offers relevant information to current ex-post policy evaluation methods, helping decision makers to readapt and reorient policies and their associated means, most notably resource allocation (financial schemes), to better respond to the actual needs of promising research groups in their search for excellence (micro-level perspective), and to adapt future policy design to the achievement of medium-long term policy objectives (meso and macro level perspectives). We apply this methodology to the case of the Spanish R&D Food Technology Program finding that a large size and a comprehensive multi-dimensional research output are the key features of the leading groups exhibiting high efficiency and productivity levels. Identifying these groups as benchmark, we conclude that the financial grants allocated by the program, typically aimed at small-sized and partially oriented research group, have no succeeded in reorienting them in time so as to overcome their limitations.Innovation Policy; Management; Malmquist Index.

Efficiency in Public Research Centers: Evaluating the Spanish Food Technology Program

We rely on efficiency analysis to evaluate the Spanish R&D public policy based on financial incentives, and investigate to what extent this instrument has been able to promote a multidimensional research output mix, contributing to the articulation of a successful Spanish Food Innovation System. Introducing the use of the generalized distance function within DEA techniques, we assess whether this policy has encouraged the creation, strengthening and promotion of efficient public research units, whose activities present a balanced and comprehensive production of complementary research outputs −personnel training, science and technology results, and socio-economic collaboration with the private sector. Characterizing the alternative ways in which the different research units have been participating in the Spanish Food Technology Program, and hence their role within the innovation system, we conclude that R&D policy efforts have not succeeded in orienting research units toward a balanced output research mix due to wrong incentives and the lack of a sustained budget that would enable the consolidation of emerging research units. Furthermore, we observe that the majority of research units channel their efforts toward achieving science-technology results related to publications and submitted patents, instead of increasing socio-economic results that would strengthen the articulation and efficiency of the innovation system.Innovation System Management; Research Efficiency; Data Envelopment Analysis

Awareness of water losses does not impact thirst during exercise in the heat: a double-blind study

Versión original del autorThe purpose of this study was to identify if awareness of water loss could impact thirst perception during exercise in the heat. Eleven males participated in two sessions in random order, receiving true or false information of their water losses every 30 minutes. Thirst perception (TP), actual dehydration, stomach fullness, and heat stress were measured every 30 minutes during intermittent exercise until dehydrated by ~4% body mass (BM). Post exercise they ingested water ad libitum for 30 minutes. Preexercise BM, TP, and hydration status were not different between sessions (p>0.05). As dehydration progressed during exercise TP increased significantly (p= 0.001), but it was the same for both sessions (p=0.447). Post-exercise water ingestion was almost identical (p=0.949) between sessions. In this study, thirst was a good indicator of fluid needs during exercise in the heat when no fluid was ingested, regardless of receiving true or false water loss information.Gatorade Sports Science InstituteUniversidad de Costa Rica/[VI-838-B4-309]/UCR/Costa RicaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Sociales::Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Movimiento Humano (CIMOHU

Cuando el juego y la vida feliz quedaron bajo resguardo: disquisiciones sobre la felicidad protegida socialmente

This paper analyzes “play and games” as the most primitive and elementary expression of “good life” culture in the light of Sociology, Law, and Psychology, particularly the Freudian, post-Freudian, and counter-Freudian approaches. It also addresses a historical review of “ludic,” highlighting how, through its constant invention of social representations, it has gradually gotten a deeper and more profound meaning. This work studies emerging ludic institutions such as tourism, sports, leisure, as well as the passive contemplation of oneself, the other, and the otherness as potential ways to express happiness. In this context, the author approaches “good life” as a pursued value in Modern Societies for individuals and communities, which demands Law to entrust “supplementary protection” (Law 100/1993) along all human territories, starting with the school for children and young people (Law 115 of 1994) and reaching the adult territory. Finally, this analysis reflects on the Postmodernity of a comprehensive Social Security, digging deep into the ludic and play in the light of Constitutional hermeneutics and the dialectic of the new social organizations, showing how happiness brings to light its essence as a superior-good as well as its relevance to the State/Nation. This exposition leads to the conclusion that States must recognize happiness nature and character as a right of the child Territory, the young territory as well as the adult and older territory, starting from the school, considered as a training institution, but also as human, natural and social environment that nests and shelters us and of which we are part.Este artículo explora y trasiega por las ciencias de la sociología, el derecho y de la psicología, en particular en las interpretaciones freudianas, posfreudianas y contrafreudianas de “el juego” como la más primitiva y elemental expresión de cultura de la vida buena. Constata a través de este repaso histórico que la lúdica, con su constante invención de representaciones colectivas sociales, se va, a cada paso, cargando de un profundo e intenso sentido y que se inicia, en serio, un florecer de instituciones lúdicas expresivas de felicidad: el turismo, la recreación, el deporte, el ocio pasivo y contemplativo de sí mismo, del otro y de lo-otro. Todo está listo para que las sociedades modernas valoren la búsqueda de la vida feliz como fin apetecible del vivir personal y comunitario que exige de un servicio cuya protección debe ser encomendada a la ley, para que la caracterice como amparo “suplementario” (Ley 100 de 1993), al igual que todos los territorios de la humanidad, iniciando por la escuela del niño y del joven (Ley 115 de 1994) y llegando hasta el territorio adulto. Pero ahora, en la posmodernidad de una seguridad social integral que incursiona hasta el fondo de la ludicidad con profunda hermenéutica constitucional y que manejan con temple los cinceles dialécticos de las nuevas organizaciones sociales, la mina de la felicidad pone a la luz su esencia como bien superior, luciendo ante el Estado-nación los méritos para que le sea reconocida su naturaleza y carácter de derecho propio del territorio niño, del territorio joven y del territorio adulto, nacido en la escuela, no entendida solo como institución formativa, sino como contexto natural y cultural del que se hace parte, en la calidad innata de comunidad humana, anidada y abrigada por dicho contexto.&nbsp

Gender based prescriptions: evidence for altruism

This paper analyzes the way in which men and women are expected to behave differently in an experimental situation. To do so, we concentrate on a single topic: altruism. Since the dictator game provides the most suitable design for studying altruism and generosity in the lab setting, we use a modified version to study the beliefs involved in the game. Our results are substantial: men and women are expected to behave differently and both believe that women are more generous. These two premises affect their behavior.prescriptions, dictator game, beliefs, generosity, gender

Deontological and Consequentialist Ethics and Attitudes Towards Corruption: A Survey Data Analysis

Much of the empirical research on corruption for the past 45 years has focused on perception-based definitions and measurements. Citizens’ perceptions, their attitudes and (self)reported experiences of corruption have been widely studied through different perception-based measures obtained in surveys, interviews, and experiments applied to citizens in general, and experts, business leaders, politicians, or public officials. Notwithstanding the significant progress made to understand the complexity of citizens’ understandings, judgements and practices, we are still unable to decipher by what criteria they establish what is or is not corruption and what types of corruption are susceptible of being condemned/tolerated. This paper makes an innovative contribution to fill this gap. We propose a methodological design to identify and measure different perception-based definitions of corruption based on two contrasting normative perspectives: deontological and consequentialist ethics. We identified four groups: the Virtuous; the Intransigent; the Pragmatic; and the Hypocrite. Using survey data from a national sample of Portuguese citizens, we employ discriminant analysis and logistic regression models to differentiate individual profiles in terms of process- and outcome-based social definitions of corruption and explore the explanatory factors that account for these different conceptualisations and their different degree of tolerance towards corruption.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Enfoques curriculares y educación con calidad en enseñanza de lenguas extranjeras

RESUMEN: Adelantar una reflexión sobre el problema de la educación con calidad supone, en mi sentir, reflexionar necesariamente sobre la selección del enfoque curricular que garantizaría tal calidad. Se puede considerar, entonces, el currículo y todo lo que éste comprende, el método científico propio de casa saber y su relación con la didáctica particular, es decir, la didáctica que puede inducir más efectivamente cada saber, el tipo de aprendizaje esperado o privilegiado por un programa o nivel educativo, la relación docente alumno, y la filosofía de la educación o proyecto de hombre y sociedad que un determinado tipo de enseñanza pretende implementa