Democratic survival in Latin America (1945-2005)

Why do democracies survive or break down? In this paper, it returns to this classic question with an empirical focus on Latin America from 1945 to 2005. The argument deviates from the quantitative literature and a good part of the qualitative literature on democratic survival and breakdown. It is argued that structural variables such as the level of development and inequalities have not shaped prospects for democratic survival in Latin America. Nor, contrary to findings in some of the literature, has economic performance affected the survival of competitive regimes. Instead, it is focused on the regional political environment and on actors’ normative preferences about democracy and dictatorship and their policy radicalism or moderation. It is argued that 1) a higher level of development did not increase the likelihood of democratic survival in Latin America over this long time; 2) if actors have a normative preference for democracy, it is more likely to survive; and 3) policy moderation facilitates democratic survival

The negligence and lazy of the administration: The greatest danger to the conservation of unique sites of exceptional preservation

An example is given of one of the most important sites in the Spanish fossil record, such as the almost a hundred moulds of ancient jellyfish of hydrozoan Medusozoa, Cnidaria, exceptionally preserved in an arkosic greywacke bedding plane of the Corduban/Terreneuvian Epoch (lowermost Cambrian) in the municipal district of Constantina (Seville). In spite of its scientific-patrimonial importance and the fact that it has been brought to the attention of the Andalusian autonomous administration for more than twenty-five years, it has still not been the object of an adequate legal protection figure. This lack of interest or bureaucratic slowness is causing an irreparable loss in many of its elements affected by erosion and the passage of time. A series of urgent actions are also proposed to mitigate the current deterioration of the site and favour its conservation. Se expone el ejemplo de uno de los yacimientos más importantes del registro fósil español como son los casi cien moldes externos de antiguas medusas de Medusoz oa, Cnidaria, tipo hidrozoo, conservadas en el techo de un estrato de grauvacas arcósicas de edad Cordubiense/Terreneuviense (Cámbrico inferior temprano), en el término municip al de Constantina (Sevilla). A pesar de su excepcional idad científi co-patrimonial y de haber sido puesto en co nocimiento de la administración autonómica andaluza desde hace más de veinticinco años, todavía no ha sido objeto de una fi gura de protección legal adecuada. Esta falta de interés o de lentitud burocrática está ocasionando una pérdida irreparabl e en muchos de sus elementos, afectados por la erosión y el paso del tiempo

Individualism and entrepreneurship: Does the pattern depend on the social context?

This article argues that cultural and personal values are relevant in the formation of entrepreneurial intentions; as such, the interplay between both value-levels deserves attention. Individualist values such as achievement, pleasure, self-direction and an exciting and stimulating life are related to entrepreneurial intention and activity, at both the cultural and personal levels. From a sample of 2069 adults with a university degree, the results support a double-effect of culture on entrepreneurial intention: the personal values effect (a more individualist culture leads to more members exhibiting higher entrepreneurial intentions) and the outlier effect (those who are more individualist than average in their culture will exhibit a higher entrepreneurial intention). Within the two individualist dimensions considered (self-enhancement and openness to change), the relationship of self-enhancement to entrepreneurial intention is stronger than that of openness to change. The implications of these results are discussed and avenues for future research are proposed

VIE Project: Cultural values and socioeconomic factors as determinants of entrepreneurial intentions

This paper describes a research project currently being developed by the authors. It aims to analyse the role played by psychosocial, cultural and socioeconomic factors in shaping the entrepreneurial intention. Survey methods will be used on a population of potential entrepreneurs (having not yet performed actual entrepreneurial behaviours). In this sense, undergraduate students and individuals contacting business support centres will be considered as part of the sample. We expect to get a clearer understanding of the psychosocial elements, socioeconomic factors and cultural values affecting the venture-creation decision. The results would be important to policy makers (showing them what to encourage), to practitioners (what to do better), and to researchers (what to clarify)

A cognitive attempt to understanding female entrepreneurial potential : the role of social norms and culture

This article analyzes the different perceptions of both male and female potential entrepreneur

Strained premixed laminar flames with nonunity Lewis numbers

The method of activation energy asymptotics is used to study the effects of Lewis numbers different from unity on nonadiabatic flamelets in counterflowing streams of reactants and products. A sequence of analyses parallels those reported earlier for such flamelets having Lewis number unity. Thus initial results relate to nearly adiabatic flows with Lewis numbers close to unity. It is found that the effect of nonunity Lewis numbers is accentuated in flamelets subjected to low rates of strain and that Lewis numbers greater than unity tend to promote extinction. Thus abrupt extinction and ignition events can occur even under adiabatic conditions. Next fully nonadiabatic flamelets with Lewis numbers near unity are treated in order to consider cases involving relatively large degrees of product heating and cooling. These results relate to reaction zones as they arise under conditions of low-to-moderate rates of strain with the customary diffusive-reactive balance. We also treat flamelets subjected to such high rates of strain that the reaction zone is extended and located far into the product stream. In this case a diffusive-convective-reactive balance prevails. Realistic density variations are considered in the numerical examples and are shown to tend to retard extinction

Personal values and entrepreneurial intention: an empirical study

From a cognitive perspective, the study of the psychosocial characteristics of new entrepreneurs continues to attract more and more attention among researchers. Nevertheless, the identification of individual values and the effect they exert on the decision to become an entrepreneur is clearly an under-researched area of study. Social psychology has shown that values may cause behaviour by promoting positive attitudes and action-planning. This study examines the value-intention link in entrepreneurship on a sample of 1467 Spanish university students. Schwartz’s Portrait Value Questionnaire (PVQ) is used to measure values. Results confirm the positive effects of openness to change and self-enhancement values on the entrepreneurial intentio