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There has been a change in international politics since the 2008 financial crisis, thanks to a greater spread of economic resources and military capabilities. For many, it is a radical transformation that could spell the end of US hegemony in Latin America. This paper examines the proposition, beginning with a review of the concept of hegemony, which rather than being viewed as a structural characteristic is conceived of here as a "nuanced hegemony", in other words a network of asymmetric and hierarchical relations. We can observe not just one transformation then, but the emergence of a hemispheric context that could be described as "differentiated hegemony". The United States still occupies a central position, but its foreign policy is marked by subregional fragmentation and the externalisation of electoral priorities. The paper explores the effects at subregional level, focusing on the opportunities and challenges it presents to Latin American countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses Latin America's role in an international system in flux, with high levels of uncertainty and transformations that signal a shift in the geoeconomic and geopolitical landscape across the world. Against this backdrop, the paper examines the challenges (both old and new) the region must face, focusing on the impact of global changes on regional dynamics and the capacity of the different countries to find answers both to the international situation and old and new internal problems. In addition, as an introductory paper to this monograph entitled "Geopolitics from Latin America: a change of cycle and multipolarity", it identifies the fulcrums of these changes, their impact, the main actors involved and the processes underway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the ties between Latin America and Asia by moving beyond the homogenisation of the two regions through elevating the importance of opposition to a third party, in this case an "imperialist" and developed North. In contrast to normative analyses based on outmoded conceptions of world history, it proposes an intellectual exercise that problematises the interregional bond by placing the emphasis on heterogeneities rather than broad bush approaches that ignore the complex and diverse national and regional realities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a world of growing international competition and rivalry between China and the United States, Latin America and the European Union (EU) are caught in the same thorny dilemma. Positioned between these global giants, both regions are facing a retorn to a Westphalian system of nation-states, which undermines their roles as emerging regional players. In view of these new global challenges in Latin America and the EU, this paper uses a qualitative and comparative approach to explore foreign policy discourses on autonomy in both regions. It examines their goals and priorities and assesses the potential regional and interregional consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The international system is in a period of transition, marked by a weakening of multilateralism, challenges to the liberal order and the consolidation of new global leaderships. In addition, various cross-border crises, like the COVID-19 pandemic, have compounded the effects of these changes at a regional level. Given this context, what room is there for regional cooperation in Latin America? As a tool for regional coordination and integration into international flows and dynamics, regionalism can boast achievements, but challenges remain. In analytical terms, this paper proposes an approach that enables an examination of the combination of interests, ideas and institutions at play on a regional level in Latin America. The central argument is that the changing dynamics of regionalism are a product of the way in which states' interests interact with ideas about the region in a specific institutional environment over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article I move forward with the development of a new theory of World Society, and in particular of a theory of capitalism rooted in the history of the 20th Century, which follows from a proposal for paradigmatic renewal that I call the "World Paradigm". To this end, I engage in a selective dialogue with Marx's work. I start from the assumption that the World Society is created in the middle of the 20th century and, along with it, that the economy is only at that time mundialised, generating a new capitalist formation which I call the "Intercapital System". In this paper I assimilate Marx's methodological contributions to the study of social change and focus on two decisive aspects of the Marxian vision: the genesis and the historical evolution of capitalism. Attention to this last point allows me to analyse - among other aspects - the way in which Marx approaches the "colonial question". Each section of the paper is preceded by my preliminary view of the issue, and the conclusions seek to highlight the value of this proposal for renewal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides empirical evidence to the premise that the theoretical and methodological approach of Linguistics to the study of genres of the professional field has not had the same emphasis as the academics ones (Cassany & López, 2011; Montolío & López, 2010; Author, 2006, Lillis, 2021). In this sense, the objective of this research was to describe the study of professional genres between 2008 and 2017 in the 10 leading journals of Linguistics in Latin America. For this, a mixed approach was used in a corpus of 1,729 publications. The results indicate that only 1.85% of the researchs analizes professional genres, mainly about Articles of Scientific Research (36.3%), Judicial Sentences (27.2%) and News (18.1%), which evidences a pending challenge in Linguistics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

First-generation students (FGS) have become a recent field of study as a result of the massification processes of higher education. The objective of this paper is to analyze Latin American articles on FGS published from 2002 to 2020, and indexed in Web of Science, Scopus, and SciELO; the research is centered on the dimensions/variables under study and the theoretical approaches and methodologies used. The results show that research on FGS in Latin America is in the incipient stage—produced primarily in the Southern Cone. It follows the theoretical patterns of the global north; in other words, the object of study is addressed through sociological or psychological theories that emphasize individual characteristics as a determining factor in academic persistence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the issue of food security, articulating it with the relevance of achieving SDG 2, as one of the fundamental objectives set by the United Nations Organization for Sustainable Development (2015). To achieve this end, the research focuses on four fundamental aspects: 1. The relevance of food security in the global context and the need for timely access to food for individuals, without neglecting the asymmetric structural contexts on the planet, such as hunger and poverty, which limit the conditions for development (FAO, 2009). 2. The relevance of SDG 2 for food security, the production of goods and food effectively, preventing actions that threaten life on the planet (Cóndor et. al, 2022). 3. The presence of people who suffer from hunger in the Latin American and Caribbean region, which has been on the rise since the 2010s and which limits the possibilities of access to sustainability and better living conditions (ECLAC, 2019), a fact that has been intensified with the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic (FAO, 2021). 4. The COVID-19 pandemic that has given rise to new vulnerabilities and conditions for access to food, resulting, among other things, in the stunted growth of infants under five years of age. The method used is documentary review. It concludes on the relevance of food security for the achievement of sustainable development, for the reduction of poverty and structural asymmetric conditions, without failing to recognize the distance that exists to reach the fulfillment of these objectives, especially in convulsive scenarios such as those of the global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the role of corruption in social instances in Latin America, its effects and the perception that public administration has among citizens. To achieve this end, the following aspects are addressed: 1. The conceptualization of corruption, as part of a systematic framework, which distorts the scope of the public and private spheres, as well as the political, economic and power spheres, serving as a incentive for the breakdown of democratic institutions. 2. The failures of the State when it comes to dealing with corruption, which has resulted in its institutionalization, having a notable impact on public opinion, expanding through the media, making this a precarious condition within political agendas Latin American. 3. The critical review from the philosophical and legal postulates, which guide the treatment of corruption from clear and precise sanctions, which tend to strengthen the public sphere, democracy and the institutionalization of the State. It concludes in the urgency of promoting State reforms, establishing appropriate laws and sanctions for corruption cases, which, consequently, leads to the strengthening of the social fabric and the recovery of the State's credibility by the citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the theoretical-conceptual assumptions concerning cultural heritage and its link with Latin American cultural identity. To achieve this goal, we reflect on cultural heritage as a material, tangible and intangible asset of humanity, whose value is not obtained in a utilitarian way, but through its connection with the ancestral legacy and with social identification towards it. On the other hand, it points out the importance of the ownership and conservation of heritage buildings, which is why cultural management is essential, whose purpose is to summon the citizenry, the State and private entities to respect and value heritage, assuming a responsible, sustainable and sustained attitude towards emblematic historic buildings in Latin America, which have been victims of human intervention, violence, and various natural disasters. Finally, by understanding that adequate care and understanding of the historical, social and philosophical relevance of historical heritage buildings would improve not only the material conditions of the buildings, but also the citizen's conception of their identity and the role they play. as a mechanism of resistance to the changes sponsored by globalization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over 5.4 million people have fled Venezuela in the last decade, with 4.6 million arriving in Latin American and Caribbean countries. Most are refugees seeking to settle in another of the region's countries, including Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. This paper focuses on the Venezuelan diaspora towards these countries and analyses whether these borders should be defined as open or closed, along with the forms of institutional incorporation or exclusion these people have experienced. To do this, it takes a case-by-case approach, reviewing legislation and analysing policy for each country. While Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay are all Mercosur members and signed the common residence agreement, which facilitated the movement of people, Paraguay has not created a special migration category for Venezuelan citizens, and has taken a more restrictive approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper makes a comparative study of the socio-state capacities developed during the processes of institutionalising protected natural areas (PNA) in Latin America. It sets them within a framework of their interdependence with global governance processes and in relation to the role human rights have played for these purposes. Taking an approach that combines analysis of multilevel collective action with process monitoring, this work traces the trajectories of national and multilateral institutions; analyses the main dynamics that arise in the delimitation of the protection of natural areas in the countries with the greatest biodiversity in the region; and explores the possibilities for new agreements on the global agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyzes the behavior of the Economic Fitness indicator as a measure of the international competitiveness of Latin American economies, as well as an indicator of their relationship with per capita income gaps and the Human Development Index (HDI). Positive correlations were found between per capita income gaps and the stagnation of the international competitiveness of Latin American economies, as well as between human development levels and the productive structure, suggesting a causal relationship between human development and competitiveness. This paper also finds that the Economic Fitness indicator fluctuates significantly when estimated using exports in domestic value-added, suggesting that the original estimate may over- or underestimate competitiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper engages with the meanings and practices of digital sovereignty that four social collectives are building and enacting in Latin America. Through a qualitative methodological approach based on semi-structured interviews with founding members of the selected collectives, we sought to know how they conceive and carry out activities of digital sovereignty on a daily basis. Among the research findings, the identification of five articulating axes in the work of these organizations stands out, namely: 1) conception / proposal of particular digital sovereignty; 2.) ways to achieve/achieve digital sovereignty; 3.) criticism and resignification in the ways of making digital sovereignty; 4.) agents involved and 5.) relationship with other groups and/ or organizations interested in digital sovereignty. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One hundred years after the birth of Leopoldo Zea, one of the most prominent philosophers of Latin America, in this paper we reflect on the role of the human being in history and the philosophy proposed by the author. We gather his vision about the Western philosophical heritage, anthropocentric and Eurocentric, facing the possibility of generating from our region a philosophy centered on the idea that all humans are human. Thus, we will unveil his criticism to the pretension of a universal Man and we will make visible his anthropological and humanist proposal, from which he manifests the need of recognition, from the cultural diversity, of all human beings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze the economic models applied throughout history in Latin America, emphasizing the development of the neoliberal model, understood as the preference for markets over cultural norms; bringing up the substitution of the company name for an economy abundant in capital and accumulated wealth in a sector of the population. Thus, guaranteeing the conversion of social rights into commercial services, where its main purpose is the search for macroeconomic balances at the expense of marginalization, discrimination and violation of the rights of populations that represent multiculturalism in the region. That is why, the need to search for balance focused on individual and collective safeguarding in the face of abuse and capitalist arbitrariness. The present investigation assumes a theoretical-philosophical position; however, it recognizes the confluence in the political, cultural and ecological impact. Scenarios that have concentrated problems that lead to the destruction of the diversity of peoples in the region, disrupting the value and human dignity by pursuing a dominant culture, the assimilation of other vulnerable ones through the imposition of knowledge, beliefs and ways of life different from yours. For this reason, the importance of an economic model reoriented to the multidimensional compression of its impact on the environment is recognized, creating a horizontal coexistence with relegated and marginalized cultures in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Performance Audits are among the competences of many Supreme Audit Institutions (sais), both in developed and developing countries. However, the level of real implementation of this technique in Latin America is underexplored. This paper aims to contribute to the analysis of the implementation of performance audits in Latin-American countries. This paper analyzed the situation of performance auditing in Latin America through a comparative study based on the evidence obtained from the websites of the sais and on a questionnaire sent to them. Results show a common rhetoric with respect to the importance of this technique but variations in practice. These variations can be explained by three reasons: rhetorical implementation, lack of fit between this technique and the problems facing Latin American countries and different levels of political and economic development. Access to information is quite difficult, fears to answer the questionnaire and lack of accessibility to the reports makes having a full picture a daunting task. Latin American sais should reevaluate the type of performance audit that suits their aims and adapt rather than adopt the tools developed in countries with different problems in public management. This paper offers a broad view of performance audit in Latin America. It reflects the effort of international organization and the limitations that performance audits confront in certain settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the relationship between regional integration and industrialization in Latin America over the past seventy years. To this end, it shows how ECLAC's structuralist thought and integrationist dynamics have influenced each other in practice. It outlines the positions on regional industrialization found in old regionalism, open regionalism and in 21st century regionalisms, and how such positions were shaped by conflicts between social groups. Specifically, it introduces the Andean Pact, MERCOSUR and ALBA as examples. This paper's contribution consists in reflecting critically on Latin American experiences of drafting and implementing common industrial policy in diverse contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Latin America, political parties are a fundamental barrier to achieving more equal representation. This paper focuses on Ecuador, which has become a regional pioneer in the legal aspects of political equality, but whose parties nevertheless show notable resistance to implementing these regulations. The main objective is to identify the extent to which Ecuador's political parties and movements promote or impede women's participation and political representation. To this end, the work forms part of an empirical-descriptive approach that seeks to construct an index for comparing the modalities and strategies political parties implement to promote equality between men and women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper explores the perceptions of the parliamentary elites in 17 Latin American countries on moral and gender issues through surveys conducted between 2012 and 2019. In particular, it analyses opinions on inequality between men and women, public policies to reduce it, the possibility of building a career within the party, and abortion and same-sex marriage. The analysis shows the differences between countries and whether gender, party ideology and age variables help explain the answers. The findings suggest that in many countries gender is a factor in explaining the differing opinions on the inequality between men and women and, to a lesser extent, same-sex marriage. Ideology is the variable that influences the perception of the other three issues. The conclusions reflect on programmatic and descriptive representation for each topic and country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper evaluates the results of the policies applied in Latin America and the Caribbean, based on the study of various economic and social indicators in two groups of countries, one of which is made up of those that formed part of the so-called "progressive wave" of the 21st century (Group 1) and the other of those whose governments responded to liberal orthodoxy by maintaining a neo-liberal economic model (Group D). The structural changes that occurred and their subsequent development are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenges of what to do in the contemporary communication, especially in the learning process associated with the university education, are unveiled with a complexity and deeper meaning that is precise approach with new perspectives, tools, strategic theories and methods. In this sense, and particularly in the academic field of the Communication, it would be appropriate the search for new focuses and theoretical models, including classic and recent ones, which evidence the art state of the knowledge and practice refer to as Communication theories, their models, and the research focuses. The present working paper propose re-interpret, re-discuss and re-articulate some theories and their central concepts, which give sense and action setting in the Communications studies with the purpose of verify its trans disciplinary, eclectic, transversal and heterodox character in the presence of others disciplines own theories in the Latin-American Communication thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyse the role of supreme courts of justice in some of the recent removals from office of progressive "pink tide" Latin American presidents and governments where so-called "new right" governments have taken power. It shows the composition of the supreme courts to be a decisive factor in removing these governments from power. The core hypothesis is that the judiciary may have served as a body for legitimating interruption and dismissal processes led by the legislature in contexts of institutional paralysis (or conflict with the executive branch). To demonstrate this, the case of Brazil is analysed and specifically the role played by the Federal Supreme Court (STF) in the dismissals of Luis Inácio Lula da Silva and Dilma Rousseff. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2008 crisis marked the end of globalisation as a historical phase and hegemonic order. The end of the commodities cycle, an expression of that change in Latin America, is the context for the rise of new neo-patriotic far-right forces - nationalist, sovereigntist movements deploying distinctly anti-globalist rhetoric. Global and national structural and agency factors are examined and the paper begins with the rise of Latin American neo-patriotic right-wing movements. Analysing their foreign policy and international integration matrices shows that common elements include alignment with the United States and the contestation of multilateralism and regional institutions and norms. Finally, consideration is given to the extent to which the rise of new Latin American rightwing movements form part of a global trend or cycle of contesting the liberal international order and globalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Latin America, the first two decades of the 21st century have been a time of growth for women's political leadership. However, this has not been reflected in recent scientific research at regional level, which remains relatively scarce on the subject, especially when it comes to right-wing parties and movements. Based on a study of journalistic sources and the discourses of leading women on the right, this paper seeks to fill this gap by examining the trajectories of these women and the gender views expressed in their political discourses and agendas. To do this, it studies a group of Latin American women linked to or aspiring to the highest positions in executive power: Mireya Moscoso (Panama), Laura Chinchilla (Costa Rica), Gabriela Michetti (Argentina), Marta Lucía Ramírez (Colombia), Keiko Fujimori (Peru) and Evelyn Martínez Fornet (Chile). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An analysis of who owns large companies and how they are organised is overdue in the study of Latin American elites, especially at transnational level. It is a limitation that has hampered debates on the emergence of transnational business elites in the region. This paper identifies the owners of the largest companies in Latin America and analyses the networks they form. The results reveal the formation of an interlocking ownership network between a small number of transnational owners, most of whom are financial corporations in the United States and Europe. These findings allow us to discuss regional integration and the dominance of economic models imported from those territories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective/Context: This text sets out a succinct overview of the sweep of the history of emotions and sentiments, from the decisive steps taken by Peter N. Stearns and Carol Z. Stearns in the 1980s up to some of the essential contributions made to the field by numerous academics from Latin America in subsequent moments. The fundamental goal of this exercise is to provide context for the contributions of the articles included in the current issue of Historia Crítica. Methodology: I will point out the main methods and approaches of numerous papers about the history of emotions and sentiments produced in North America and Europe. At the same time, I will inquire about the attention this field has received in Latin American historiography and present the articles of the dossier. Originality: The text condenses and compares a substantial set of historical viewpoints about emotions and sentiments, the pathways it opens to widening historical explanations and invites exploring them from Latinamerican historiography. Conclusions: The articles collected in this issue suggest the importance of continuing to move forward in the study of the history of emotions and sentiments in Latin America, given the authors of these texts prove that the weight of regimes and the signification of emotional experiences matter in the spectrum of causalities, in the decisions, and the agency of individuals and groups, in the formation of political loyalties, in power contests, in revolutions, and wars, in the representations of order and the manners in which to subvert it, but also in the elucidation of the deepest creases of the lives, feelings, and words of the societies of the past. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this text is to contextualise and present a small monographic on recent studies that address the migratory relations between Spain and Latin America in a double sense: Latin Americans who emigrate to Spain and, conversely, Spaniards who emigrate to Latin America. The historical context is the past decade, with the background of the economic crisis that began in 2008. A brief review has been made of the data shown by the Statistics on Migrations of the National Statistics Institute with regard to the evolution of migratory flows during the period 2008-2019, which serves as a basis for the presentation of each of the selected articles. That papers address the evolution of the migratory flows between Latin America and Spain, research about the processes of rooting and the emigration of Spaniards to Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of money demand enables us to understand the macroeconomic effects of monetary policy. In this paper, we estimate the money demand for 15 Latin American countries from 1996 to 2016, using panel cointegra-tion and FMOLS estimation methods. We also estimate a model of dynamic common factors to test for the existence of common trends between countries. The results show a long run relationship between money demand, income, and interest rates. However, there is no evidence of common factors between countries, which is consistent with the heterogeneity observed in the estimated elasticities. Contrary to what we expected, in several cases, the estimated income elasticity is greater than one, which could be associated with agents' higher risk perceptions which affect their liquidity preferences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper will review the different existing literature on studies of international relations in Latin America, specifically in Colombia will be reviewed. As a subject little explored by the scholars, this effort is a great contribution to the development of future research to account for the development of the discipline of international relations. Also, through this historic journey will be known about the background that led to the emergence and evolution of international studies in the region, finding that there are few studies that from the sociology of science have approached the international field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Starting from the fact that the questioning of the capitalist system constitutes the backbone of Marxism, this paper analyzes the context facing critical thinking in Latin America and the Caribbean, characterized by a broad conservative offensive that strongly defends neoliberal capitalism in the ambit of the strategic interests of the United States. The role played by critical thinking in the face of the ongoing ecosocial collapse is also valued, in which environmental destruction is highlighted from the accelerated rates of the capitalist production and the levels of consumerism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines China-Latin America relations through the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) in the 2011-2018 period. In this context, the main perspectives on integration and regionalism are discussed, and CELAC is shown to possess the characteristics of a regional body. It is proposed that the relationship China seeks through this body can be explained by its interest in institutionalising a mechanism for rapprochement with Latin America and the Caribbean. It is noted that CELAC is seen by China as a strategic vehicle that allows it to engage bilaterally with various countries and develop an economic strategy under structurally asymmetric conditions. However, its institutional nature has prevented it from serving these interests. As per the methodology, documentary and qualitative data analysis is made using the systematisation of an unpublished database. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes to analyse the processes of integration in science and technology policies that were promoted by different regional organizations in Latin America within the framework of the political processes that take place from the mid-1960s to the present. This publication focuses on three different moments. First, the discussions opened during 1967, at the Summit of Presidents of Punta del Este of the Organization of American States (OAS), in the framework of the Cold War and the interest of the United States in the region. A second moment, within the framework of the recovery of democracies in Latin America during the 1980s, based on the actions carried out by the "Grupo de Río". Thirdly, the debate about the discussion spaces on science, technology and innovation of the Common Market of the South (MERCOSUR), and in the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR), in the direction of the left turn of the región. Finally, from the perspective of historical sociology, a balance is made that attempts to account for points of understanding of current science and technology policies in Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to do a self-critical retrospection exercise about what Organizational Studies (OS) are within the Latin American context. Their development and incidence in the region have increased and consolidated --although not in all countries at the same level and extent --as a critical field of knowledge to study organizations. However, there are some unresolved matters that need to be addressed and discussed; that is why Wittgenstein's (1986) expression is retaken to formulate some fundamental questions regarding the OS identity and projection in the region, in search of a "friction" that gives continuity to that path of growth. In addition, some constitutive aspects of OS are discussed. Reflections will allow organization experts and researchers not only to delve into this field of knowledge, but also to build a stance of their own on OS in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the framework of Latin American post-war structuralism, the global economy was the grounds of antagonism between a central (industrialized) pole and the periphery (providers of primary goods). This paper argues that addressing the specific way this antagonism is reproduced in the historical conditions of new capitalism requires considering the emergence of a chain-shaped structural logic, which differentiates activities of knowledge creation from those of knowledge reproduction within distinct productive sectors. This chain logic does not challenge the concept of structure, in terms of a sectoral differentiation in post-war capitalist production, but rather imposes it as a dominant norm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis of the existing literature on social networks in Ibero-America, with the objective of organizing the main topics covered, highlighting findings, and proposing future research paths. The four thematic areas that stand out are political communication and electronic government; journalism and traditional media; social groups (including adolescents and young people, those marginalized, women, entrepreneurs and influencers, students, and older adults) and areas of use (including commerce, tourism, education, health, professional communication); and political and civic participation. In addition, we review the literature from the perspective of the platforms (Twitter, Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat) and from the geographical regions and countries that make up Ibero-America, to observe similarities and differences. We conclude with the mention and analysis of the two most outstanding patterns of the studies examined: 1) a tendency to expect from the networks a transformative potential that is not necessarily proven, especially in the case of political communication and journalism; 2) transformative capacity of networks in the areas of tourism, education and health, in which traditional media have not been characterized by having a prominent role. Finally, we propose some paths for future studies, among them the pursuit of comparative works, the incorporation of relational perspectives in the treatment of networks, the addition of mixed, experimental and computational methodologies, and the consideration, from the research design standpoint, of the acceleration of technological change and the need to generate questions and conceptualizations capable of surviving the passage of time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

My aim, in this paper, is to think about an emergent tradition of literary biographies in Latin America: biographies written by contemporary writers (1985 - 2016) about other writers' lives (the biographical production of seven novelists: Osvaldo Baigorria, Ricardo Strafacce, Fernando Vallejo, Carlos María Domínguez, Jorge Edwards, Santiago Roncagliolo y Rafael Gumucio). Specifically, this essay proposes to analyze the construction process of this tradition in regard to the emotional bonds that link certain writers with others and provide reasons to tell the life of others. The relationship between biographer and biographed shows a contiguity line founded in literary respect whose effects are contamination, transference and infection. Two lives are tensioned in the writing and formulate an imaginary and loving space where practices and mechanisms are put into place in order to appropriate someone else's memories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has three main purposes. Firstly, the paper shows from a Latin American point of view that the western civilization is ambiguous because at the same time it is generating a new barbarity in our world. Secondly, the paper presents the intercultural dialogue as a perspective to criticize the globalization of the western civilization and as an alternative to come up to reorganization of the relationship be- tween the cultures. Thirdly, the paper intends to point out some philosophical presuppositions of the intercultural dialogue: the conception of human being as a "sin gular universal", critical reflection, freedom, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sectarian readings explain the conflicts in the Middle East through religious variables. This paper criticises their reproduction in Latin American international relations, which draw on the epistemological and ontological assumptions of hegemonic/Western approaches to international relations. This is not inconsequential, as it constitutes an identity politics that simultaneously constructs Western identity and reaffirms and perpetuates prejudices that "other" the Middle East. From Latin America, such readings form part of peripheral Orientalism and produce subjectivity effects that distance the Latin American region from the Global South, as well as consolidating their marginal position in global power relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the convergence hypothesis and the impact of social policy on the economic growth of the six largest countries in Latin America between 1980 and 2010. Results suggest that social public policies have positively influenced growth in these economies. Particularly, there are non-observed variables (fixed effects) that positively affect the economic growth in Venezuela and Chile; however, there are other non-observed variables that may be negatively affecting growth in Brazil and Mexico. Regarding the convergence hypothesis, results reveal that the speed of convergence diminishes as real income rises, implying that these countries might be converging to their stable states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature maintains that not all populisms are equal. Some are seen as projects of regeneration or democratisation because they would incorporate an excluded people; others are movements that would weaken democracy by promoting exclusion (xenophobia and racism). The former is "left-wing populism" while the latter is "right-wing populism". This paper shows that what is central to populism is its model of democracy, not whether it is situated on the right or the left. To do this, an evaluation is made of the democratic balance of populisms in three countries in Europe (Austria, France and Hungary) and three in Latin America (Bolivia, Ecuador and Venezuela). As will be shown, those of the right have no more contributed to the destruction of democracy than those on the left may be presented as democratising successes; but all represent a profound challenge to liberal democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops a model that assumes politicians' rationality when fixing tax rates applied on revenue and consumption of each taxpayer. The paper also suggests some factors to consider are political mobility of voters and economic expectations, which can explain regressive tax reforms adopted in Latin America since the economic crises of the 80s. Additionally, it contrasts the model with an unbalanced data panel (18 countries from 1980 to 2010). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper has two objectives. Firstly, it proposes rethinking the relationship between populism and democracy, by challenging the positions which create a radical antagonism between these two political dynamics. In order to do this, the paper refers to guidelines put forward by Ernesto Laclau, relating to the rupture and reconstruction of populism understood as political logic. This idea is complemented by contributions from Jacques Ranciére, in order to explore the democratizing dimension of populist movements. Secondly, the article analyzes two examples of contemporary governments - that of Nestor Kirchner in Argentina, and of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in Brazil - to show how they invite us to re-examine the theoretical-political debate on the concept of democracy as it is currently understood. Re-establishing the debate on the tension between the formal and the substantive dimension of democracy will allow us to rethink the various ways in which a populist logic might lead to a democratizing logic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past democratic presidents were removed by military coups. Since the return of democracy in Latin America there were numerous presidential interruptions, but these took place via constitutional mechanisms. Governments fell, but the democratic regime remained. Over the last three decades, the experiences of presidential dropouts have led to the development of a theory about presidential interruptions, which attempts to explain the phenomenon of new presidential instability in Latin America. This paper touches on seven distinct issues, in order to add insights to the theoretical debate on presidential interruptions. These issues are: 1) presidential interruption's connection with the theory of constitutional succession; 2) the alleged breach of the fixed term and independence of powers; 3) the reconsideration of the alleged new flexibility of the presidential system; 4) timing and rules of the presidential fall and the timing and rules of the president's replacement; 5) the situation of "ruling gaps", both in relation to the presidential interruption, and the president's replacement; 6) the so-called "thin line" between the parliamentary coup and impeachment; 7) expectations and cycles of presidential strength and weakness that show a certain structural vulnerability of the system. These issues add to the debate by introducing new approaches to studying the phenomenon of presidential interruptions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze the researches conducted in Latin America on education for health during the last ten years, identifying the different conceptual developments proposed about this theme and the criticism made about it. Methods: This is a qualitative research describing the state of the art; forty articles from Brazil, Colombia, Cuba and Mexico, and retrieved from searches in Pubmed, Lilacs, Redalyc, Scielo, Ovid, Science Direct, Oxford Journals, and Dialnet were examined. Results: The education for health is a multifocal and polysemic field with different purposes and theoretical trends. It was found that most of the authors cared for assuming a stance regarding this field, though few of them undertake the task to conceptualize both education and health. Conclusion: Different visions about education for health were perceived; however, this work criticizes the poor articulation observed in the papers between theory and practice on this regard. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the universe of literature on franchises, several studies have examined the impact of franchising on economic growth, tending to focus on growth rather than development, although the empirical research has already concluded that franchising does have an influence on economic growth. Likewise, some articles have underscored the importance and influence of franchising on development, but have failed to provide empirical proof of its true sway. With that in mind, this paper provides empirical evidence demonstrating the relationship between franchising and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Against the backdrop of trade liberalization, economies in Latin America have endeavored to capitalize on their comparative advantages and join global production processes; despite the fact that industrial exports have grown, however, they have had only a modest impact in terms of boosting the product in Latin American economies. The objective of this paper is to determine the influence of industrial exports on the product in six Latin American countries, using the input-output model and the network theory. The hypothesis sets out to prove that out of an economy's total transactions, the spillover effects from the industrial sector exports in each country are more diversified the more the country trades with the United States, even if these effects are weak, due to the low structural articulation in each of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the explaining factors of the presence of the middle income trap (and slow economic growth trap). It also incorporates the criteria to measure whether any economy falls within those categories. Additionally, it evaluate a sample of 18 Latin American economies and the regional average between 1870 and 2014 under different methodologies for incorporated these in the tipology. It is concluded that most of the economies of the region and the whole are in the middle income trap or slow economic growth conditions and that the probability of reaching the status of high-income economy would be very reduced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this paper is to make a brief theoretical synthesis that allows us to understand some philosophical assumptions of modernity and postmodernity, in such a way that the critical scenarios of this cultural and historical phenomenon of rationality in its paradigmatic crisis are highlighted. The context of this analysis tends to generate a critical hermeneutics about the instituted sense that Higher Education carries out in the face of the challenges of globalization, especially as it is received in Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]