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At a rhetorical level, the SDGs provide a unified global agenda, and their targets and indicators are believed to drive action for social and environmental transformation. However, what if the SDGs (and their specific goals and indicators) are more of a problem than a solution? What if they create the illusion of action through a depoliticised and technical approach that fails to address fundamental dilemmas of politics and power? What if this illusion continues to reproduce poverty, inequality, and environmental degradation? This paper addresses these questions through a focus on SDG 6.5.1 – the implementation of integrated water resources management (IWRM), measured on a 0-100 scale through a composite indicator. The paper presents an empirical analysis of SDG 6.5.1 reporting in Colombia, Ethiopia, India, Malaysia, and the UK, drawing on research from the Water Security and Sustainable Development Hub. An evidence review and series of expert interviews are used to interrogate the local politics of IWRM measurement, specifically three dilemmas of global composite indicator construction: (1) reductive quantification of normative and contested processes; (2) weak analysis of actually existing institutional capability, politics, and power; and (3) distracting performativity dynamics in reporting. The paper concludes that SDG 6.5.1 is an example of a 'fantasy artefact', and that in all countries in this study, IWRM institutions are failing to address fundamental and 'wicked' problems in water resources management. We find little evidence that these numbers, or the survey that gives rise to them, drive meaningful reflection on the aims or outcomes of IWRM. Instead, they tend to hide the actually-existing political and institutional dynamics that sit behind the complexity of the global water crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Latino-Latin American Studies (JOLLAS) is the property of Journal of Latino-Latin American Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Q methodology was created as a means to explore and map subjective viewpoints in a systematic, relational and holistic manner. In this paper, we discuss Q methodology as a promising hybrid approach and present methodological takeaways from an online Q study on the meanings of reconciliation in Colombia, based on data obtained in 2021. Q is a method of capturing subjectivity that conveys an aura of objectivity, because researchers seldom explicitly engage subjectivity We provide a brief overview of our research project, showcase some results, and offer a lens through which to reflect on the entanglement of qualitative and quantitative moments in Q methodology. We spell out its interpretive layers, highlighting the role of subjectivity in two key phases of the research: the design of the study (image-based Q items) and the interpretive process (factor analysis). Although the quantitative moments of Q are seductive in their promise of objective factor analytical measurement, we argue that Q requires researchers to practice reflexivity and to explicitly engage with their subjectivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Economic History Research / Investigaciones de Historia Económica is the property of Asociacion Espanola de Historia Economica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Academia: Revista Latinoamericana de Administración is the property of Emerald Publishing Limited and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Drawing on the recent experience of community water finance in Colombia, this paper contributes to a diversification of the literature on the financialisation of water and the commons governance by focusing on the perspective of grassroots organisations. It highlights the inclusion and exclusion mechanisms of water access in the rural Colombian context. As water communities continue to seek autonomy from state agencies and private providers and to affirm their own management model, the paper examines the ambivalent effects of finance and the use of the credit as a political instrument. In a context of public policies that pressurise communities to adopt water management and financing strategies based on profitability and efficiency, the paper considers how access to credit from local financial institutions contributes to this quest for autonomy. It highlights how the effects of these new financial practices are starting to bring about social change within communities, such as the redefinition of leaders' roles, or the transformation of relations with the state. The paper concludes by demonstrating how, in adopting entrepreneurial forms of management, the community water organisations assume the risks associated with the market-based model and thus expose themselves to significant change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The materiality of land also entails multiple temporalities. • Land can be as dynamic and shifting as water. • Hydrological changes shape and are shaped by local practices of land appropriation and ownership. • The materiality of property is as important as the social relations woven around it. • Floodplains might be better seen as human-water-land systems. Unlike water, land is usually conceived of as motionless and fixed in place. Because of these characteristics, land lends itself to the delineation of boundaries and spatial determinations of property relations. But what happens to those boundaries and relations when land is mobile, pliable, unfixed, and when its contours are transformed by the fluctuations of other elements such as water? How does an analysis of property relations under those changing material conditions shape our understanding of land as an object of ownership? This paper addresses these questions by analyzing how the socio-ecological dynamics of flooding environments destabilize static notions of property and land. Specifically, this paper criticizes widely accepted ideas that assume that land, as a material element, is temporarily and spatially static, and that property is a social relation between people with regard to an object, not to the object itself. This paper develops this discussion through the analysis of a conflict among peasants, landowners, and the state for the appropriation of newly emerged fluvial land and the definition of its boundaries in the floodplains of northern Colombia. This paper shows how the intricate and shifting connections between water and land make property a highly dynamic relationship. Furthermore, it emphasizes the property and land embed multiple temporalities associated with the socio-ecologies of flooding environments. This paper concludes with a reflection on the implications of this case study for broader discussions on the water-land nexus and for the conceptualization of floodplains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes collaborative research with Wiwa and Arhuaco women concerning local reparations with an intersectional perspective on the Colombian post-conflict agreement. Our central argument is that indigenous women's processes, experiences, and expectations of reparation reflect a wish to engage in a dialogue with the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (JEP) through its Works, Projects or Activities (TOAR) so that their perspectives on and complex conceptions of harm and reparation, as well as their relationship with social orders, bodies, and territory, can be recognized and considered in managing the risks of the revitalization of patriarchy during the post-accord period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de la Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales is the property of Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

• Instability is a condition for capital accumulation in conflict zones in the Corporate Food Regime. • Violence undermines campesino agriculture, facilitating new market frontiers and dependencies on corporate technologies. • The Corporate Food Regime profits from conflict and drives it, both directly and indirectly. Conflict is the number one driver of hunger globally but few studies reflect on the role of global agribusiness in the proliferation of conflictive dynamics. This article explores the Corporate Food Regime in a local conflict setting in Colombia, arguing that instability is a condition for capital accumulation in conflict zones. It offers a novel methodological and conceptual approach to traditional food regime studies that are global historical and based on periods of stable capital accumulation, with tensions pushing for regime change. Contrarily, in the Zona de Reserva Campesina-Valle del Río Cimitarra (ZRC-VRC) case study, violence and instability are central mechanisms for undermining campesino (peasant) agriculture and opening new market frontiers, therefore, central to solidifying the Corporate Food Regime. Here, corporations are both directly (through land purchase and cultivation of cash crops) and indirectly (through the intensive production model used in both illicit and licit crops by campesinos and the eradication of coca by the military) involved in violent dynamics, which ultimately supports corporate profiteering. The Corporate Food Regime not only profits from conflict but drives it, as wider macro-economic policies undermine campesino farming, incentivise coca cultivation and violent socio-ecological dynamics. This paper uses a data set of 47 semi-structured interviews, observation, and field notes from the ZRC-VRC, to underline the different routes through which corporate power is articulated at a local level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The academic debate on the “resource curse“ frequently presents social conflicts as one of many negative consequences of a resource-based development model. By contrast, critics argue that it is the institutional framework within a state that causes these problems. With this assumption as a starting point, I show in this paper how different institutional settings in structurally similar countries cause different types of conflicts using the examples of mining policies in Peru and Colombia. I argue that social conflicts in the context of resource extraction must be understood as multi-dimensional socio-environmental conflicts. I thereby criticize common approaches that perceive natural resources and rent-seeking behavior as given objectivities. I conclude that even though armed non-state actors impede the orderly function of Colombia’s institutions, these institutions provide more effective conflict management tools than those in neighboring Peru. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The article examines the effect of prestige on cooperation in social dilemma. • Actors cooperate in order to gain prestige by cooperating with prestigious others. • The paper analyses cooperation among art organizations in Bogotá (2011–2015). • The networks are modeled with a temporal exponential random graph model (tergm). • Prestige affects cooperation in social dilemmas, but depends on cooperation forms. What brings about cooperation in social dilemmas? The literature has proposed motivational and strategic solutions to social dilemmas. In motivational solutions, actors cooperate because they care about fairness. In strategic solutions actors cooperate because their chances to exploit others are reduced. This paper argues that actors also cooperate in order to gain prestige. The effect of prestige on cooperation is examined relying on a unique set of network and covariate data on art organizations (museums, independent art spaces, galleries and art foundations) in Bogotá, the capital of Colombia. Bogotá is a not a very likely environment for cooperation, since distrust is still widespread after a long civil war. The temporal exponential random graph models predict dyadic cooperation (i.e., between two actors) based on past and present cooperation in the network as well as of the organizations' characteristics. The analysis thus controls for the effect of actors' past and present interaction on the present cooperation dilemma. The paper shows that prestige affects cooperation in social dilemmas independent of past and present interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the 'war on drugs' in Colombia as its case study, this paper reflects on the recent findings and recommendations of Colombia's Truth Commission to make a case for a transformative approach to end ongoing cycles of drugs-related violence. In Colombia, the armed conflict and repressive prohibitionist drug policies are deeply entangled, and violence is ongoing. A peaceful future, we contend, requires thinking about a world in which we can live well with drugs. This would be a clear break from the goal of a 'drug free' world that has prevailed under the repressive prohibitionist regime. Legal regulation of drug markets is proposed here as a form of long-overdue reparations for victim groups in Colombia, which could address and repair past inequality and harms engendered by prohibition, and improve the living conditions of people involved in, and impacted by, illegal drug markets. Colombia, with its unique historical trajectory, has much to contribute towards future projections on the global legal regulation of drug markets. By positioning legal regulation of drug markets as reparation, this paper contributes to debates on drug policy reform and reparative justice, arguing that the two are very much connected. • The Colombian truth commission (CEV) concluded that the county's conflict has been transformed by the 'war on drugs'. • This chapter analyses the CEV's recommendation to transition towards a legally regulated drug market to end violence in Colombia. • Drug policy reform is not an end in itself; it should help to create a fairer and more inclusive world. • This chapter makes an important contribution from the Global South to debates about drug legalisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Investigación Económica is the property of Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Facultad de Economia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Two Homelands / Dve Domovini is the property of Scientific Research Centre of Slovenian Academy of Sciences & Arts and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Economic History Research / Investigaciones de Historia Económica is the property of Asociacion Espanola de Historia Economica and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Emerging scholarship on urban land grabbing has urged researchers to take more nuanced perspectives on land appropriation. There is the need to understand the actions of and interactions amongst a multiplicity of local actors—beyond large-scale investors and global cities—when considering land grabs in the spaces of urban development. Therefore, this paper analyses what we conceptualise as the more 'gradual' and 'ordinary' dynamics of land dispossession in the peri-urban spaces of the small-scale city of Sogamoso, Colombia. Based on 38 semi-structured key-informant interviews, we explore everyday actions, actors and power relations involved in urban expansionism, mining, farming and ecosystems conservation as these activities seek to coexist and compete for the same, relatively sparse amount of peri-urban space. We find that land appropriation is facilitated by multi-level policy incoherence and the failures of municipal governance. Policy incoherence results in normative uncertainty and weak environmental governance, while a lack of coordinated municipal governance in peri-urban spaces leads to further small scale, 'ordinary' and therefore 'invisible' conflicts, to the detriment of citizens' livelihoods. This paper contributes to understanding spatially differentiated urban land appropriation, and its articulation with local, gradual, subtle and more hidden land use conflicts, governance regimes and power relations at the scales of the everyday. Our findings suggest the need to theorize urban land grab also as a result of ordinary, place-based, quotidian dynamics that emerge from governance problematics, including policy incoherence, and land use conflicts, and from the intersection of a more diverse set of drivers, mechanisms and actors than discussed in the extant literature with focus on large urban centres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationship between accessibility and agricultural production through a strategic freight transport model based on product analysis. Like most freight demand models applied in practice, we use an aggregate modeling approach. Zoning, infrastructure networks, and socioeconomic and nationwide agricultural data were adapted from the Colombian Strategic Freight Transportation model and the National Agricultural Survey. Data was stored, displayed, managed, and analyzed using a Geographic Information System. Three accessibility indicators entering the freight generation model are tested. The temporal accessibility index is the best-performing accessibility measure for the case study conducted in Colombia. The models exhibit that accessibility positively affects freight generation, proving a solid link between temporal accessibility and agricultural production. When using the models to predict the impact of new transport infrastructure projects, changes in agricultural production were not highly significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the emerging concept of buen vivir – interpreted as integrative and collective well-being – as it is being envisioned and practiced by a network of sustainability initiatives in Colombia. As an example of a transition narrative currently taking place in Latin America and beyond, buen vivir represents a turn towards a more biocentric, relational and collective means of understanding and being in the world. Yet despite the many discourses into buen vivir (many of which tout it as an alternative to neoliberal models of development), there is a general lack of research into its varied forms of application, especially in terms of lived experiences. Drawing on the new ruralities literature, this paper explores the extent to which buen vivir visions and practices represent radical new ruralities – so-called alternatives to development. Data were collected from individuals and ecological communities in predominantly rural areas who are members of the Council of Sustainable Settlements of the Americas (CASA), a network which promotes many of the principles of buen vivir . Through participatory methods, results demonstrate that CASA visions are based on constructing territorial relations through intercultural knowledge exchange and experimentation into alternative lifestyles. Despite the substantial challenges and contradictions of putting these visions into practice, we argue that lived experiences promote processes of self-reflection on what buen vivir really is or could be. We hold that the inclusive nature of buen vivir offers opportunities for diverse peoples to cohere around shared meanings of the 'good life,' while providing the freedom to live variations depending on social and ecological context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Usual economic analyses skip the web of social relations rooted across global chains. • Social brokerage follows varied stances: as social broker, researcher or scientist. • An ethnographic approach proposes a relational pathway for social brokerage. • Material quality shall not be the only guiding knowledge and coordination constructs. • Collaborative approaches yield a sense of fairness and humanity across global chains. The usual economic analyses skip the web of social relations where economic but also social influences are equally relevant. Reinecke et al. (2018) offer a conceptual perspective to study social brokerage (the 'social turn') across global value chains. This paper aims: 1) to reveal how Colombian producers and Austrian roasters start social ties (i.e. through social brokerage) and eventually become business partners with the illustrative example of specialty coffee chains, 2) to propose a research-based relational pathway for social brokerage, and 3) to unpack how encounters between producers and roasters originated and developed as well as to identify the required knowledge and coordination devices used. The encounters follow an ethnographic approach relying on participant observation (e.g. in Vienna, Austria and in selected Colombian coffee regions). Coffee is one of the many commodities suitable to analyze social interactions across global chains. Colonial patterns are still embedded in the economic geography of global value chains. The involvement of researchers (including non-Europeans) was key to enhance social brokerage (e.g. structural holes, boundary work) and in that way allowed disadvantaged chain actors to uninhibitedly voice whatever discomfort resulted from those interactions. Although material quality is paramount in the trade of specialty coffee, it shall not be the only guiding coordination device and knowledge construct to be followed by chain actors. Building collaborative relationships is not an easy or static task. Nonetheless, it is key to encourage knowledge sharing, to yield a sense of fairness and humanity across global chains and to cope with opportunistic gatekeepers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The objective of this article is to evaluate the quality of tourism services in the city of Cartagena de Indias, Colombia, from the perspective of foreign tourists arriving there, and to identify the elements that have the greatest influence on satisfaction and future behaviour, the latter expressed in the desire to return to enjoy the destination and/or recommend the city to third parties. Design – The paper proposes a Formative Type Model, where observable variables affect latent or structural variables. Five factors have been considered in this valuation: Tangibility, Reliability, Responsiveness, Security and Empathy. Methodology – The multivariate Partial Least Squares Regression technique is used, belonging to the set of methods of Structural Equation Systems. 390 surveys were applied to Spanish, English, and Italian-speaking international tourists, with a confidence level of 95% and a margin of error of 5%, assuming an infinite population. Findings – The results show that international tourists intend to return to the destination and overall satisfaction was positive. Originality – The results of this study contribute to the scientific literature on new methods for evaluating the quality of tourism services, using analysis techniques that place the customer at the center of decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios Educativos is the property of Centro de Estudios Educativos, A.C. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The paper examines conditions under which communities threatened by armed groups amid the Colombian civil war are most likely to resist displacement. Using a game-theoretic framework and quantitative data, the paper shows that the threatened communities which expect rescue from an armed actor are more likely to resist displacement than those communities which expect no help. Community cohesion has a dual effect on displacement. The amount of peer support among community members reduces their chances to resist displacement, but the extent to which community members are involved in collective decision-making processes makes them less likely to displace. These findings reveal that both displaced communities and those that resisted displacement possess crucial social resources for their post-conflict recovery and development, such as cohesion and strong bonds of solidarity. The paper stresses the importance of local-level organisation coordinating collective decision-making to guarantee the most efficient use of these resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast to the current discussion on Capacity Development (CD) which is mostly made from donors' aid-effectiveness point of view, this paper attempts to explore what foreign donors can learn about CD by tracing the endogenous and long-running CD process from insiders' perspectives. As a case study, an urban redevelopment project called MIB of the Medellin City of Colombia is examined. After clarifying the initial context of urban poverty in Colombia, the paper traces the six phases of the MIB project: institutional preparation and awareness enhancement, conception of the inclusive-urbanism idea, planning of the MIB, construction/reconstruction of the residences, resettlement of residents, and the scaling-up. Then the paper makes in-depth analysis of the whole process, focusing on five key CD factors identified by Hosono et al (2011): stakeholder ownership, mutual learning, specific drivers, scaling up, and roles of external actors. From the analysis, the paper draws four major lessons on CD research and practice in the future. First, we need to change our time frame by which we look at the CD process. The MIB experience shows that the process can be by far longer than what has been assumed to be by donors and researchers. Second, the current project-centered periodization of development assistance and the overwhelming focus on the project period should be reconsidered. In the MIB, the project implementation phase took only five years among the total process of 30 years. Third, the MIB case shows that documentation of previous projects and seminars which occur in the pre-project phase under donors' auspices can greatly help local specialists conceive new ideas. Fourth, the post-project phase also merits a greater attention to identify constraints to sustainability and replicability of the project concerned and to explore what external actors can do to overcome the constraints. The paper concludes by pointing out the necessity of accumulating the similar kind of case studies on the CD process made from insiders' perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to examine vacationers' perceived stress in Colombia. Based on the literature review, the following dimensions are examined: (1) transportation at the destination --including the variables lack of control, insecurity, cleanness, noise, temperature and space; (2) the conditions of the accommodation --including the variables lack of sleep, insecurity, distance to sightseeing, cleanness and the perceived quality of the room, the services and the food; and (3) the behavior and culture of the locals at the destination --including the variables language proximity, insecurity, the way the locals prepare the good, litter and noise. A quantitative research was performed, based on 651 foreign travelers in the capital of Colombia. The results show that a second-order model, which includes nine factors and three dimensions, presents the highest goodness-of-fi t indices. As a part of the conclusions, this paper presents the theoretical and managerial implications of the model obtained in this research to measure tourists' stress in Colombia [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents research data about features of discourses held on Twitter regarding the last presidential campaign in Colombia (2018) based on the agenda-setting theory. This case study had a quantitative research approach. The sample includes 62 Trending Topics and 620 tweets that were selected according to criteria of relevance and influence. A method of systematic content analysis was applied to gather data on sources and contents of messages using SPSS software statistical analysis. Five important findings are highlighted: 1. Traditional mass media were mainly responsible for defining the agenda on Twitter. 2. Within the context of the agenda outlined by the media, it was citizens who monopolised the discussion, thereby playing a key role in topic dissemination, candidates' visibility, framings, and assessments. 3. The main topic of discussion was the campaign debate itself rather than programmatic measures. 4. No correlation between the positioning and visibility of the candidates in Twitter and the electoral results could be observed. 5. Positive/non-aggressive tones prevailed over negative/aggressive ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Between 1993 and 2015 the land planted to oil palm in Colombia increased fourfold, from 119,000ha to 484,000ha. This rapid growth coincided with a period of extreme armed conflict and displacement, with inequality in land distribution reaching the highest levels in Latin America (Oxfam, 2017). These occurrences spurred this inquiry into conditions on the ground in the palm growing zones and the political and economic forces promoting the crop. The theoretical underpinnings are derived from the literature on land grabbing, land control, land concentration and exclusion. Oil palm has been favoured by rural elites, conservative governments and right-wing paramilitaries in an attempted 'modernising' of the countryside through agro-industry. Neo-liberal ideas emphasising capital accumulation through the 'market' have minimised land reform efforts and impeded post-conflict land restitution. The paper is organised in three main parts. Part 1 introduces the crop and its importance, linked to oil palm's culture of continuous expansion. Relevant theoretical concepts are discussed, together with the background to land and violence in Colombia. Part 2 begins the more detailed analysis of the palm oil industry. A descriptive survey of historical beginnings, modern data availability and distribution of holdings is followed by a more nuanced analysis of industry-induced 'myths' and political 'enablers' through the Uribe years (2002–10) and the Santos era (2010–2018). In Part 3 the evidence for 'stolen land' is examined in representative oil palm locations. The findings are summarised in the conclusion. • Colombia's oil palm area quadrupled in a period of armed conflict and displacement. • The increase was officially attributed to state assistance and new lands from 'alliances'. • Peasant displacement and 'cleaning' of titles consolidated land control. • Despite patchy evidence, case studies have supported findings of 'stolen land'. • The rural lowlands are modernising but land access remains highly inequitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United State Ship (U.S.S.) Kearsarge, a Sloop of War, is considering the most famous and glorious ship of the American Civil War after sinking the Confederate State Ship (C.S.S.) Alabama, in 1864 in France. It also represented technological innovations in the second half of the 19th century, combining steam power and sails. After shipwreck on Roncador Cay, Colombia, in 1894, it was abandoned with the armament onboard (seven guns). This paper aims to analyze the causes of the U.S.S. Kearsarge marine accident from the sociocultural factors and environmental conditions, examining the court-martial records, logbook, testimonies, nautical material, and geography in this part of the Caribbean Sea. The article will explore an episode in the United States naval history from a shipwreck that left a mark in the United States (U.S.) Navy and American society from geopolitical and technological context. A court-martial declared guilty of negligence the two officers with the highest rank on board the same year of the accident. The court determined human error from the Commander and lack of support from the navigation officer during the loss of the U.S.S. Kearsarge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to establish the variables that explain the behavior of trademark applications in Colombia between 2012 and 2016. For the analysis, a fixed effects model with robust panel errors was used, for which a determination coefficient of 99% was obtained. From these, it was possible to establish that the number of patent applications, the number of industrial design applications, the number of establishments, professional technical and technological salaries of permanent production or indefinite term contracts, departmental GDP, national investment in administration and other support activities, sales of companies in the country and advertising expenditures are significant to explain the number of trademark applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is based on a more detailed study which examines the role of three national parks and their associated buffer zones in the southern Meta region of Colombia during a period that involves attempts at peace consolidation. A conflict- and actor-oriented analysis of the public debate on the role of national parks in southern Meta in the post-acuerdo offers an insight into multilateral areas of conflict. It shows that the current national park territories do not provide all-encompassing answers to the complex social and historically-constructed real spatial interdependencies in the region. That is why in many places the national parks become "paper parks." In the context of global phenomena, this work underlines the diverging views and demands on environmental protected areas in post-FARC zones at different scales and levels. This site-specific consideration, which is based on an analysis of a nationwide debate, thereby contributes to further critical interpretations of global and Western-influenced environmental protection instruments. The knowledge about the symbolic power of national parks at the international level also demonstrates the opportunities offered by the national park concept. The following considerations of the various roles of the national park in post-acuerdo times in post-FARC regions provide a valuable basis for further in-depth studies on the resolution of socio-ecological conflicts between environmental protection and local populations in Meta, Colombia and around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Environmental Education is the property of Canadian Journal of Environmental Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This paper examines Colombia as a practical case of branding and marketing within the context of conflict-ridden destinations. It will examine the history and development of the country brand from the tourism development point of view, relating it to the terrorism that has hit the country for the last half a century. This enormously diminished Colombia's reputation in many ways, substantially lowering tourism arrivals. This paper presents an account of how Colombia has reacted to this situation: it will show the efforts put into brand building and tourism promotion that has succeeded, inter alia, in attracting more tourists to the country in recent years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper analyses the relationship between state capacity and political violence with reference to the Colombian civil war. It disaggregates the concept of state capacity into three components: non-violent, routine violent, and extra-ordinary violent ones. Theoretically speaking, each of them may have a different effect on insecurity. The standard argument in political conflict literature proposes that violence in civil war increases with the weakness of the state. Such a claim implies that an increase in state capacity should reduce conflict-related insecurity. Econometric analyses of municipal-level data from Colombia show that this conjuncture need not be true. The paper demonstrates that the rapid increase in the extra-ordinary violent capacity of the state on the Colombian Pacific Coast nearly doubled the amount of non-state political violence in the region between 2003 and 2009. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Biomédica: Revista del Instituto Nacional de Salud is the property of Instituto Nacional de Salud of Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

• A process safety education approach for undergraduate engineer students is exposed. • The approach use required skills for engineers in process safety by ABET-SAChE. • The results of the first semester of implementation are presented and evaluated. One of the biggest challenges in modern engineering education is to raise awareness about the basic principles of process safety. Although several organizations such as AIChE—through CCPS and SAChE—, IChemE and ABET are trying to seek suitable learning environments, there is still lack of courses or programs aimed at making students conscious about accident causes and prevention. This paper presents a strategy to raise awareness in undergraduate engineering students about this topic. Our strategy consists of four educating modules that can be taught as part of core courses. We have implemented our strategy in 14 Colombian universities in five undergraduate engineering programs: Chemical, Industrial, Mechanical, Environmental, and Process Engineering. This pedagogical material was validated by experts in process safety from the Colombian Oil Company (ECOPETROL), faculty from various universities, and the Process Design group at Los Andes University. This proposed open education approach, which is a shared initiative between industry-academia, has been well received by all stakeholders. During 2016, it has incorporated 28 faculty and the enrollment of more than 1732 students. This process needs long-term sustainability to fulfill the primary purpose of including process safety in the engineer's education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the area of development, one of the defining characteristics of the Latin American and Caribbean Region is the persistent inequality that can be observed between many of its territories. This inequality is particularly evident in Colombia, a country that has been strongly affected both socially and politically by the internal armed conflict that was going on for over 50 years. Moreover, the effects of this conflict have increased territorial imbalances between departments and municipalities in the country. Therefore, in the postconflict context that Colombia finds itself in, it is relevant to pursue research that addresses the current challenges faced by its territories in terms of cohesion. Thus, this paper analyzes territorial cohesion in the municipalities that make up the Caldas Department, which possesses several characteristics that make it an ideal location for carrying out this type of analysis. To this end, a methodological proposal has been designed to allow for an empirical study, from a multidimensional and dynamic perspective, the measurement of territorial cohesion, and the identification of different factors associated with this process. The results obtained will be useful for the design and implementation of public policies aimed at achieving harmonious and balanced development of the concerned territories. • Colombia is one of the countries with the highest levels of inequality in Latin America. • The armed conflict in Colombia has led to profound territorial imbalances. • The achievement of a stable and lasting peace agreement must be interpreted and addressed from a territorial perspective. • In a context of territorial disparities, it is relevant to consider the concept of territorial cohesion. • Economic, institutional, and digital infrastructure factors are related to high levels of territorial cohesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The informal economy plays a significant role in the job market in Colombia. Cali, the third largest city in Colombia, is characterized by a high percentage of socially and economically vulnerable population groups who take part in the urban informal economy, with street vending as their primary source of income. This paper studies the socioeconomic dimensions of street vendors in Cali. In particular, it examines why they are unable to escape poverty and capitalize on their comparatively high earnings, despite a minimal tax burden due to the unregulated nature of their work and benefits from government welfare. The analysis is based on two surveys with 637 participants and 300 participants respectively. The study shows that most of the street vendors do not have access to formal banking systems. Consequently, they usually depend on payday loans with much higher interest rates which absorb a large share of their income and perpetuate their indebtedness, preventing them from improving their living conditions. However, the daily cash flow of street vending masks the high opportunity cost of loans and long-term deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the experience of the Peace Community of San José de Apartadó, Colombia. Building upon different academic works about this experience, I explore the Community’s usage of the category of victim. As a category coming from the discourse of international human rights, victims - and particularly victims of mass atrocity - are usually portrayed as defenceless and passive subjects. Instead, the Community embodies a group of victims full of contradictions, at the same time suffering, empowered, stubborn, and inflexible. To understand this, it is necessary to look past the mere use of international law and to consider the Community as a collective process. Here, a sense of communal identity has emerged through the struggles of war. This communal identity partly gives a content to their complex victimhood. Moreover, the new political context in Colombia brings important challenges but, it is argued, the category of victim can still be useful for the Community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Biomédica: Revista del Instituto Nacional de Salud is the property of Instituto Nacional de Salud of Colombia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Over the last 50 years, coastal erosion has become a serious problem, rising in magnitude and dominance along the Caribbean coastline of Colombia. Circa 50% of this important area for the country is undergoing serious erosion problems related to a multiplicity of factors contrasted by their degree of influence and magnitude, e.g. sedimentary imbalances, extreme waves, ecosystems destruction and sea level rise. Coastal protection related with hard structures has been the first, and in some cases, the only management strategy for these erosion problems. At the beginning of 2016, at least 1484 hard structures (both cross and longshore, such as, groins, seawalls, breakwaters, amongst others) have been built along the Colombian Caribbean coast, the highest concentrations being found in tourist cities. A significant percentage (close to 90%) of these hard structures have not been very successful or have failed in their purpose. These hard structures have altered the natural conditions of the study area, producing impacts such as i) coastal armoring, ii) reduced sediment supplies to downdrift areas, iii) intensification of erosion processes, iv) generation of nearby new erosion hot spots, v) deterioration of coastal scenery quality, among others. This paper describes and evaluates the functionality of coastal protection strategies used up to the present and delves into management aspects of coastal protection in the Caribbean coast of Colombia. It also indicates the current and future coastal protection scene for the region and highlights major trends and challenges faced by users, land owners, and coastal managers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food security and the vulnerability among indigenous and peasant populations has become a topic of interest to public health all around the world, leading to the investigation about measurement, classification and factors that determine it. This systematic review aims to describe the situation of food security in indigenous and peasant communities, and the methods used for evaluation. The literature search was performed on the PubMed (5), ScienceDirect 221) and Scopus (377) databases searching for publications between 2004 and 2015, a total of 603 items were located with the search engines. At the end of the screening process and after adding the items found in the gray literature, 25 papers were obtained to write the review. In the 11 years evaluated between 2004 and 2015, scientific activity around the theme was poor with just 4.54% of the publications on this subject, but for 2011 the percentage increased to 13 publications, 63%. Various factors that influence the development of food insecurity are climate change, the diversity of agriculture, globalization and market westernization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The methods of substituting illicit crops in conflict areas have been debated at an international level in various studies. However, not many studies have focused on the effects of substituting illicit crops with regards to the concept of rural prosperity. The paper presents a new methodological focus for substituting illicit crops in conflict areas, based on the “Working with People” (WWP) model. It incorporates expert knowledge relating to planning activities for substituting illicit crops, and links between prosperity and rural development. The study is based on a region of Colombia called La Macarena. The social base consists of 2503 families affected by the historic conflict involving illegal armed groups (FARC) for more than 50 years. We present the different phases and historic milestones that have occurred in relation to Alternative Development policies in Colombia (1964–2016). The empirical evidence presented indicates that WWP model provides process of social learning, and can be effective for substituting illicit crops, to alternative development projects by the public and private sectors. Establishing trust by working with people was the main condition, which facilitated the creation of prosperity and rural development with a sustainability vision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite having allocated and titled 23 million hectares of land over three land reforms, Colombia's current titling program is viewed as a failure and a driver of land inequality. One potential reason for this outcome is the inability of beneficiaries of a title deed—or, in specific cases, a new formal plot—to establish long-term productive projects, leading many to sell. This study estimates the productivity path of beneficiaries after receiving a land title and considers heterogeneities induced by their access to complementary policies. This study uses Generalized Propensity Scores and exploits the randomness of the time between the title's issuance and the realization of a national representative survey on beneficiary households. On average, productivity decreases by almost 50 % 2.5 years after program's implementation. However, it recovers by the beginning of the fifth year. This paper also finds not only that farmers exhibit higher productivity levels when they receive access to credit or technical assistance, but that such support also mitigates and delays the observed drop in productivity after title allocation. Considering the imminent formalization of ten million hectares of public land, these findings call on the Colombian government to revise this titling program and execute the complementary policies already foreseen in this reform. • Productivity dynamics after obtaining a land title are non-linear in Colombia. • Title beneficiaries face a significant shock in productivity at initial stages. • Complementary support programs reduce the magnitude and pace of this distress. • Access to technical assistance leads to increasing productivity after allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]