Inequality of opportunity for educational achievement in Latin America: Evidence from PISA 2006–2009

We evaluate how far away six Latin American countries stand from a normative goal of equality of opportunity for educational achievement in PISA 2006–2009. We work with alternative characterizations of types: gender, school type (public or private), parental education, and their combinations. Following Checchi–Peragine's (2010) non-parametric method, we find that inequality of opportunity for educational achievement in Latin America ranges from less than 1% to up to 25%, depending on the year, the country, the subject and the specification of circumstances. These magnitudes are substantial with respect to what is found in comparator countries. Parental education and school type prove to be important sources of inequality of opportunity, contrary to gender. By means of sensitivity analyses, while most results show small to moderate variation in terms of magnitudes, in ordinal terms (rankings) they remain quite stable. Brazil stands out as the most opportunity-unequal country of the sample.     

Which firms want PhDs? An analysis of the determinants of the demand

PhD graduates hold the highest education degree, are trained to conduct research and can be considered a key element in the creation, commercialization and diffusion of innovations. The impact of PhDs on innovation and economic development takes place through several channels such as the accumulation of scientific capital stock, the enhancement of technology transfers and the promotion of cooperation relationships in innovation processes. Although the placement of PhDs in industry provides a very important mechanism for transmitting knowledge from universities to firms, information about the characteristics of the firms that employ PhDs is very scarce. The goal of this paper is to improve understanding of the determinants of the demand for PhDs in the private sector. Three main potential determinants of the demand for PhDs are considered: cooperation between firms and universities, R&D activities of firms and several characteristics of firms, size, sector, productivity and age. The results from the econometric analysis show that cooperation between firms and universities encourages firms to recruit PhDs and point to the existence of accumulative effects in the hiring of PhD graduates.     

Towards a multidimensional model for evaluating electronic government: Proposing a more comprehensive and integrative perspective

The use of information and communication technologies has been a key strategy for government reform. It offers diverse benefits, ranging from efficiency and effectiveness to transparency and greater democratic participation. Governments in many parts of the world have invested vast resources into electronic government projects with the expectation of achieving these and other outcomes. However, the results in many cases are limited and there is no comprehensive way to evaluate these initiatives at the aggregate level. A method for measuring and evaluating electronic government that identifies its advances and problems is needed. Previous efforts to do so are limited in terms of scope and dimensions being considered. Based on a review of current literature and the analysis of international best practices, this paper proposes a multidimensional model for measuring and evaluating electronic government. It also includes examples, a proposal of how to operationalize it, and several recommendations for practical use.     

Understanding risks,benefits, and strategic alternatives of social media applications in the public sector

Social media such as blogs, microblogs or electronic social networks can transform the ways in which we relate to other people and organizations. Government organizations are experimenting with social media to communicate with their constituents, and many analysts see in these media a powerful set of tools to reinvent government–citizen relationships. In this paper, we present the perceptions of risks, benefits and strategic guidelines about social media applications gathered from 250 public servants from Central Mexico, most of them working in information technology, as web masters or responding to Freedom of Information Act requests. The conclusions of the analysis are 1) that governments' participation in social media may result in improved communication and citizen participation, more transparency, and transfer of best practices among government agencies; 2) that a good implementation strategy is necessary to realize these benefits and to avoid risks; and 3) that the implementation of social media highlights the importance of updating laws and regulations, and of promoting changes in government culture and organizational practices.     

PERSONNEL NEEDS IN SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGY: A 10‐YEAR FOLLOW‐UP STUDY ON PREDICTED PERSONNEL SHORTAGES

Concerns regarding whether a sufficient supply of school psychologists exists have been evident for decades. Studies have predicted that school psychology would face a critical personnel shortage that would peak in 2010, but continue into the foreseeable future. The current study is a 10‐year follow‐up investigation based on previously published personnel shortage projections. Data derived from the National Association of School Psychologists 2009–2010 national study were used to examine current personnel shortages as well as to project the extent to which personnel shortages are likely to continue. Findings indicate that the field of school psychology continues to experience a personnel shortage that will continue through 2025. Additionally, greater rates of retirements are projected for the field for school psychologists who are males, who possess a doctoral degree, and for university faculty. Analyses based on the U.S. Census Regions indicate that notable differences are likely to occur in the match between the supply of and demand for school psychologists based on geographical location. Implications are discussed relating to the recruitment and retention of school psychologists and to the services they deliver.     

The Clientelistic Nature of Television Policies in Democratic Spain

This article uses a case study to contribute to the debate on media-political clientelism and its relation to the theory of media systems. It proposes a cross-disciplinary approach between the fields of communication and political sciences and thus analyzes four dimensions to observe the evolution of these practices in the area of television policies during Spanish democracy: license granting, television ownership regulation, politicization of the public service, and partisan news coverage. The period analyzed includes conservative and social democrat governments, trying to find differences in clientelistic practices among the different political parties. The analysis demonstrates how partisan relationships have evolved and what mechanisms have been put in place to maintain clientelistic ties.     

“A moving target”: a critical race analysis of Latina/o faculty experiences,perspectives, and reflections on the tenure and promotion process

This article examines how Latina/o professors perceive, experience, and reflect on the tenure and promotion process. Findings for this longitudinal study are drawn from a purposive sample of nine female and seven male, Latina/o tenure-track faculty participants. Using a Critical Race Theory, Latino Critical (LatCrit) Race Theory, and Chicana Feminist framework, this article documents fundamental inequities in the tenure and promotion policies and practices that affected the Latina/o faculty in this study. Using narrative data, educational biographies, in-depth semi-structured interviews, and unstructured ethnographic interviews, this study found four common themes: (1) tenure and promotion processes functioned as a “tool of fear,” (2) the tenure and promotion process was like a “moving target,” (3) tenure provided limited forms of respect but not full membership, and (4) Latina/o supervivencia enabled the professors to thrive despite unsupportive and sometimes hostile campus and departmental climates.     

The measurement of production efficiency in scientific journals through stochastic frontier analysis models: Application to quantitative economics journals

The importance of a scientific journal is usually established by considering the number of citations received by the papers that the journal publishes. In this way, the number of citations received by a scientific journal can be considered as a measure of the total production of the journal. In this paper, in order to obtain measures of the efficiency in the production process, the approach provided by stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) is considered, and econometric models are proposed. These models estimate a frontier production, which is the maximum achievable number of citations to the journal based on its resources. The efficiency can then be measured by considering the difference between the actual production and the estimated frontier. This approach is applied to the measurement of the productive efficiency of the journals of the JCR social sciences edition database, which belong simultaneously to the areas of “economics” and “social sciences, mathematical methods”.     

Análisis del desarrollo fonológico en sujetos malagueños

Resumen

El presente estudio intenta analizar, desde una perspectiva psicolinguistica, el desarrollo fonológico de niños castellanoparlantes de la ciudad de Málaga, en función de variables como el sexo, el nivel sociocultural y edad de los sujetos, atendiendo, por otra parte, a la influencia de características dialectales del habla andaluza.

Tras la elaboración y administración de una prueba de screening, en condiciones de imitación, se registraron las producciones correctas y distintos procesos de simplificación del habla (sustitución, relativos a la estructura de la sílaba y asimilatorios), no encontrándose diferencias significativas con respecto al sexo, aunque sí en cuanto al nivel sociocultural y a la edad de los sujetos.

Cabe destacar que la influencia del modelo lingüístico andaluz podría enmascarar los patrones evolutivos del desarrollo fonológico infantil. Sin embargo, el hecho de que los sujetos malagueños presenten porcentajes bajos en pronunciación correcta en edades avanzadas, en algunas categorías de fonemas, es debido a la influencia de variantes dialectales, más a que presenten patrones evolutivos más tardíos en cuanto a su capacidad de representación fonológica.     

El enfoque sistemático en Educación Especial

RESUMEN

Se presenta un modelo de educación especial basado en un enfoque sistemático de la enseñanza. La aplicación de este enfoque a la educación normal y a la especial presenta algunas diferencias. Se hace un desarrollo teórico de los principales componente del modelo (identificación de necesidades, definición de objetivos, análisis de tareas, evaluación, secuenciación), así como una descripción del procedimiento y las diversas técnicas relativas a cada uno de ellos (sistemas de incentivos, materiales, sistemas de registro, requisitos de los sujetos, etc.).