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Soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections are a global health issue affecting nearly one-third of the world's population. As most endemic areas of STH are impoverished countries or regions with limited healthcare resources, the accurate diagnosis of STH requires analytical tools that are not only quantitative, but also portable, inexpensive, and with no or minimal demand for external instrument. Herein, we introduce a novel paper-based diagnostic device, termed quantitative paper-based DNA reader (qPDR), capable of quantifying STH at the molecular level by measuring distance as readout, thus eliminating the need for external readers. On the basis of the unique interfacial interaction of a DNA intercalating dye, SYBR Green I, with native cellulose on a chromatographic paper, qPDR allows the distance-based quantification of minute amounts of double-stranded DNA as short as 6 min. By integrating qPDR with polymerase chain reactions that were performed using a smartphone-controlled portable thermal cycler, we were able to quantify minute amount of genetic markers from adult worms of an STH (Trichuris trichiura) that were expelled post-treatment by infected children living in the rural areas of Honduras.

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Latin American & Caribbean Studies (Canadian Association of Latin American & Caribbean Studies (CALACS)) is the property of Canadian Association of Latin American & Caribbean Studies (CALACS) 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.)

In many countries, rental housing is associated with insecure occupant rights and limited control for residents and homeownership is linked with ontological security. In the literature on homemaking, ontological security comprises a set of attributes, i.e., secure occupancy, autonomy and control, but these are often bundled, or treated jointly. In this paper we draw on the lived experiences of residents in Rental Housing Cooperatives (RHC) in Honduras and Australia, and ask how the experience of ontological security in RHC is shaped by its distinct characteristics? We argue that, if the experience of ontological security can be 'unbundled', wellbeing in rental housing, particularly for population groups increasingly locked out of homeownerships, can be advanced through housing policy innovation that enhances these, or specific, attributes of ontological security. Methodologically the paper draws on relational thinking, interview data (n = 15) and qualitative analysis of homemaking practices within RHC in Honduras and Australia. The paper utilises a four-quadrant qualitative assessment framework for evaluating occupants' sense of security and autonomy/control, relative to their sense of home and simply being housed. Our results suggest that secure occupancy more fundamentally underpins a sense of home, than autonomy/control. Implications for rental policy and research are considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to explore the relationship between gender occupational intensity and wages in the Northern Triangle of Central America using national surveys carried out in 2014. Design/methodology/approach: A harmonized occupational classification at the -digit level is built with the objective of analyzing the occupational distribution across countries. Then, quantile regressions (QRs) are estimated to explore in detail which factors are affecting the wages of both females and males; in particular, this paper pays special attention to female occupational intensity (the share of females within each occupation). Findings: The comparative analysis suggests that women are overrepresented in certain occupations, and they are much more likely to be working in part-time jobs than men in all countries. Furthermore, findings reveal that working in female-dominated occupations has a negative effect on wages along the distribution across countries. However, the effect of this variable is higher at the lower quantile of the distribution for women, especially in El Salvador and Honduras. Originality/value: This paper first proposes a new typology of occupations, which allows a consistent and comparable analysis of the occupational structure. The results then provide a picture to address gender occupational intensity and its links with wages. Further, the characteristics of the labor market and differences in trends across these countries suggest that this topic requires challenging research for the region. Peer review: The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-03-2021-0165 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the plight of the 'Guapinol Eight,' a group of men who were arrested, detained, and convicted by a Honduran court after defending their right to access clean water. Our analysis is situated within a broader doctrinal conversation on the gaps in the conceptual and theoretical underpinnings of human rights defenders. In particular, we highlight the (lack of) effectiveness of protection mechanisms, the complex connections between activism, repression of activism and risk taking, and the usage of legal and administrative mechanisms for repression of human rights defenders. We find that the Honduran criminal justice system largely fails to protect those who speak up against unfair criminal charges, detention, and convictions, while at the same time fails to condemn private companies or individuals who retaliate against the work of human rights defenders with lawsuits, violence, or murder. In the conclusion of this paper, recommendations are made as to steps the Honduran government can take to redress past wrongs and introduce standards that comply with domestic and international law before a chilling effect ameliorates the voice of human rights in Honduras in the years to come. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While much literature has been produced on globalization, privatization, and the State individually, it has not been common to treat them together, at least not in the field of comparative and international education. There is excellent work that has documented the ways in which globalization and privatization have influenced education reform, but extant scholarship typically has not engaged with theories of the State. In this paper, through the case of Honduras, we explore the aforementioned issues. First, we draw on the approach of Critical International Political Economy (CIPE) to understand the ways that (political-economic) globalization and privatization have affected and manifested in both policymaking and the provision of education. The second half of the paper then turns the gaze back on the Honduran State and draws on State theory literature to consider why globalization and privatization have been able to be so influential in the first place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrating political ecology and archaeology has resulted in innovative approaches for reconstructing past human-environment interactions and understanding the legacies that shape environmental degradation and resource struggles today. This paper contributes to this emerging interdisciplinarity by proposing a political ecological approach to investigate how archaeological remains are assigned value as resources, drawing on interpretive theories in both archaeology and political ecology. This article applies this approach to examine the archaeological imagination driving expeditions in eastern Honduras that aimed to find the remains of a site of monumental importance associated with the legend of the White City. Through a political ecological lens, it becomes clear that the interpretation of the region's archaeological heritage within the context of a legend is the result of displacement and resource control dynamics. Although archaeologists reject the legend as a credible source, actors continue to exploit its symbolism for prestige and profit. This approach highlights the disjuncture between profit-driven narratives of archaeological heritage and the socio-natures that underpin our imagination of such sites. The paper suggests that engaging with the socio-nature of archaeological sites may lead to more inclusive and nuanced interpretations of the past, showing how political ecology can contribute to public archaeology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Disasters is the property of Wiley-Blackwell 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.)

Reflection has been identified as a key component of service-learning. To add to the body of knowledge on pedagogical reflective practices, this paper examines how reflection was incorporated in an international service-learning project with Global Brigades in rural Honduras through the lens of three students from Atlantic Canada, one of whom engaged in the project through an optional course and two of whom had a co-curricular experience. The reflections incorporated throughout the project differed by group size, organization, structure, timing, setting, and tone. At a high level, combining different methods of reflection and understanding of gray areas in morality and engineering were explored. Recommendations for reflection in service-learning education are offered in preparing for the experience, during the international project, and after the experience to integrate learning with course content. This article utilizes a retrospective lens to examine the ways in which reflection was incorporated in a curricular and co-curricular international service-learning experience and offers insights from three students who participated in the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Central Americans living in Mexico remain a small group (100 thousand) relative to the size of the Mexican population. However, they experienced accelerated growth between 2000 and 2020, with Guatemalans as the largest group and Hondurans as the most dynamic one. The previous literature has found a positive and significant, albeit decreasing, income advantage of Central American workers in Mexico. Meanwhile, the percentage of migrant women reported as spouses has gone down and the female labor force has increased. The paper uses information from the 2000, 2010, and 2020 Mexican censuses as well as the 2015 Intercensal Survey to compare access to the labor market for men and women from Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras residing in Mexico. We compare marital status, female labor force participation, main economic sectors, human capital, and income levels of the men and women of each of the three nationalities considered, seeking to identify from a gender perspective the differentiated labor performance of each nationality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dengue, Chikungunya, and Zika are co-endemic in Honduras and are often misdiagnosed due to similar clinical and epidemiological behavior. Most arboviral infections reported in primary care are based on clinical diagnoses without laboratory confirmation. Therefore, the accuracy of physicians' diagnoses and the factors that affect them needs to be evaluated. Methods: A cross-sectional study with convenience sampling at primary healthcare centers was conducted from June to September 2016 and 2017. Clinical data and dried blood spots on Whatman 903 filter paper from 415 arboviral cases and 248 non-arboviral febrile cases were collected. Viral RNA was extracted from a 6-mm DBS paper disc and confirmed by RT-qPCR and sequencing. Results: Only 30.84% of diagnostic accuracy was observed in physicians in primary care when comparing arboviral clinical diagnosis with RT-qPCR detection. Moreover, in Dengue and Zika clinical cases, only 8.23% and 27.08% were RT-qPCR confirmed, respectively. No Chikungunya cases were confirmed. In 2017, 20.96% of febrile cases were RT-qPCR confirmed arboviral infections. The symptoms of 45.5% of arboviral cases can fit more than one case definition for arboviruses. The "symptom compliance" and "patient with suspected close contact" were the criteria most utilized by physicians for arboviral diagnosis. The pattern of the epidemiological curves of the arboviral clinical cases didn't match the one of the RT-qPCR confirmed cases. Conclusions: Low diagnostic accuracy for overall and individual arboviral infections was observed in physicians. Unspecific symptomatology, overlapping case definitions, and reported close contact to an arboviral patient might contribute to misdiagnosis. Without laboratory confirmation, surveillance data may not reflect the real behavior of these diseases and could impact health interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

International service-learning programs have been increasingly used within the curriculums of engineering degrees as they allow for the opportunity to incorporate social and humanitarian training through hands-on experiences while simultaneously benefitting communities. First-through fourth-year engineering students at the University of Prince Edward Island have recently participated in a student-led, short-term, international servicelearning project to design a water system for a rural community in Honduras with Global Brigades. Using the lens of the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board graduate attributes, this paper documents 39 impacts that were gained during the short-term international service-learning project. The impacts are then classified at the introductory, development, and application levels defined in accreditation procedures. The study determined that more than half of the 39 impacts that were mapped to the 12 CEAB graduate attributes were at the application level, confirming the benefits of hands-on service-learning. We offer five recommendations for educators and students to better prepare for similar experiences. Lastly, we discuss the ethical implications of short-term, international, servicelearning trips. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Economics / Economia Internazionale is the property of Camera di Commercio di Genova 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 Revista Latinoamericana de Opinión Pública is the property of Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca 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.)

While it may be more common to think of a disaster volunteer as someone from outside the community who comes to assist during times of need, it is important not to forget those members of the community who are well poised to build grassroots resilience when provided with the necessary training and tools. This paper examines the state of disaster volunteerism in Latin America and Spanish-speaking communities in the USA who have been exposed to the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) programme, with an emphasis on the perceptions of and motivations for grassroots volunteerism from the perspective of both local emergency managers and CERT volunteers. The research team developed an online survey and shared it with active Spanish-speaking emergency management groups throughout the USA, Mexico, Central and South America. Conducted over nine days in October 2022, the survey collected 40 responses from the target demographic. The results show that enthusiasm for disaster volunteerism is high throughout the communities surveyed. Established disaster volunteer training programmes like CERT and LISTOS have already been successfully exported from the USA to Chile, Honduras and Mexico. An international community of emergency managers should consider how else to support grassroots preparedness activities in Latin America to ensure that local communities are empowered to direct their own resilience-building initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non-government organisations (NGOs) have emerged in Mexico to support migrants while also cooperating with governmental institutions. Based on nine months of fieldwork, this paper explores the ambivalences within humanitarian organisations that aid migrants from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. First, this article suggests that organisations engage in practices of mistrust and policing of migrants that do not align with their intention to safeguard them. Second, it argues that NGOs facilitate instances of paternalism to control migrants in their shelters and further subordinate them. Finally, it addresses how local organisations and shelters resolved the duality of care and control by punishing migrants. NGOs are drawn to reinforce the power structures that govern global migration. This is often in contradiction to their caring and supportive roles. As a result, NGOs replicate entrenched racialising discourse, power inequalities and control over mobile subjects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper identifies and discusses seventeen grammatical morphemes and a number of basic lexical roots that correspond in Chibchan and Macro-Jê languages. Chibchan languages are spoken across a region stretching from Honduras in the west to Venezuela in the east. Macro-Jê is one of the major phylogenetic units of Lowland South America, where the modern languages are all spoken south of the Amazon. The Chibchan and Macro-Jê forms discussed here reflect regular sound correspondences and, additionally, include shared idiosyncrasies, such as corresponding suppletion. This suggests the existence of a genealogical relationship between both language groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a period of accelerated urban transformation, there are certain types of heritage that are currently vulnerable due to the social strata or historical period they represent. Many of the buildings that make up the Historic Centre of the Central District of Honduras (HCCD) face this threat. This paper aims to identify and characterise the HCCD built heritage from a broader perspective considering emerging heritage that is linked to modernity and everyday life. To this end, a review was carried out of the heritage protection registers in the Honduran Inventory of Immovable Cultural Assets (PIBICH) and other available tools such as the Catalogue of the Master Plan (CMP) and citizen perceptions. The methodology characterises heritage assets in a new format by historical era and by type. Data related to citizen perceptions, an asset's conservation and ownership status were then analysed before a final comparison was carried out between the PIBICH and the CMP. The results generate a constructive and clarifying reflection on the policy documents. The CMP generates a more inclusive, innovative and sustainable vision of heritage and reveals the need for new heritage protection with broader historical and conceptual perspectives, as well as the participation of wider range of stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeological buried structures have received less attention than aboveground historical structures, which seems evident given the visual impact of the latter. Archaeological structures present specific issues related to stability during excavation and after being exposed. This paper addresses a UNESCO world heritage site in Honduras (Copan), which has about 4 km of tunnels in a complex organization that were dug, in the last 100 years, for the purpose of investigation of buried structures under a temple complex. The objective of this work is to assess the safety of the tunnels, helping on the decision of back-filling the tunnels, adding new masonry linings and allowing access in current conditions (possibly with measures to avoid water infiltration). First, the long network of tunnels was categorized into different sections either in an earthen fill only or in presence of a masonry lining. Then, the stability of these sections was discussed as a function of the increase of soil saturation. It was found that unlined tunnels safety is likely to be compromised for a saturation higher than 70%, whereas lined tunnels do not fail when the soil becomes fully saturated, as far as drainage is ensured. Finally, this work allowed to issue recommendations on actions related to the site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research at multiple sites and "talking across worlds" have generally been important in feminist and geographic scholarship. Some studies have examined methodological dilemmas endemic to research involving multiple locations. Other studies have drawn on multi‐sited research including perspectives of participants and researchers beyond a single site. Most of these studies have explored how groups, individuals and discourses move between local and transnational spaces. However, evidence on how such methodologies improve our understanding of transnational concepts is still scarce. This paper draws on two research projects on women's human rights activism in Honduras and South Africa and explores how multi‐sited research improved the understanding of "women human rights defenders." In Honduras, activists in various women's groups have identified themselves as women human rights defenders since the coup d'état in 2009. This identity enabled them to integrate women's rights into a broader international human rights agenda. In South Africa, activists mostly use the term to influence decision‐making at international organisations and to build alliances with activists globally. This multi‐sited research reveals that women's human rights concepts are not "given." Rather, activists' lived experiences on multiple scales shape the way they understand and "translate" such concepts. This paper draws on two research projects on women's human rights activism in Honduras and South Africa and shows how multi‐sited research methodologies can improve our understanding of transnational concepts. It reveals that women's human rights concepts are not "given." Rather, activists' lived experiences on multiple scales shape the way they understand and "translate" such concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While climate services for small-scale farmers are gaining recognition for contributing to adaptation and resilience to climate variability and change, their provision in developing countries remains a critical challenge. Effective climate services consider why and how farmers of varied socioeconomic background make relevant decisions avoiding the traditional prescriptive forms of transfer that merely focus on delivering climate information. Evidence from sub-Saharan Africa shows that climate services for agriculture generates transformations in how farmers access and use climate information, as well as changes in farmer decision-making. In this paper, we address the question of whether the same effect is also seen in Latin America, where farming systems, farming decisions, socioeconomic contexts and non-climate constraints are very different to those of Africa. A group of 209 farmers in the dry corridor in Honduras was studied. We find that 98% of the trained farmers did uptake and use the climate information, and some 73% expressed that the agroclimatic information was key to the success of their harvest despite the challenging 2019 season. Some 43% of the farmers made changes in farming practices. In particular, farmers changed the crop they grew, the crop and land management, the planting dates, inputs and crop varieties. These changes reportedly had positive effects on their food security, and income. These findings support the hypothesis that Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) plays a positive role in providing effective climate services in Central America, improving decision-making, and enabling farmers to make their own decisions based on the analysis of information and their demands regardless of their level of literacy. We pose that participatory climate services in agriculture can catalyse processes of long-term transformation in farming systems, notably through lifting farmers out of poverty and food insecurity and providing an integrated approach to make informed decisions in the face of climatic variation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More is known about how 'push factors' motivate emigration and how immigrants adapt to their new environment than about psychological factors associated with migration intentions for those experiencing adversity in their country of origin. This paper explores the association between multisystem resilience and migration intentions among youth in Honduras. In this context of high economic need and contextual violence, higher levels of resilience are associated with higher levels of migration intentions among those who have a job and thus the ability to navigate or negotiate access to resources – economic, social and psychological – that make it possible to consider migration. Among those who have not been victims of violence and consequently may not have that motivation to migrate, higher levels of resilience are associated with lower migration intentions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1849 the German Moravian Church began a protestant Christian mission in Nicaragua. They built churches along the Mosquito Coast extending from southern Honduras through the eastern coastline of Nicaragua. The missionaries' goal was to convert the native populations to Protestant Christianity and colonize the region. The Moravian missionaries established infrastructure and civic support that significantly affected the ethnic groups of the coast and altered the material culture endemic to the communities including dress. One of the methods to spread the news of their work was photography. At the turn of the twentieth century, the Moravians, European and German immigrants in Nicaragua took ethnographic-style pictures of Moravian occupied Afro-descendant and indigenous communities. Many of the photographs were published and circulated as postcards for tourists entitled "Recuerdos de Nicaragua." In these images indigenous people are shown in both indigenous dress and in European-style garments, which included garments made of tuno bark cloth. In contrast, Afro-descendant Creoles were photographed solely wearing European-style ensembles. As of yet, the dress of the indigenous and Creole communities and the impact of the Moravian missions on their dress culture has not been fully researched. In this paper, I analyze the German produced ethnographic photographs from 1900-1940 and focus on the Miskitu, Mayangna (Sumo) and Creole populations to explain how the dress and visual identity of the indigenous and Creole populations functioned and changed due to the presence of the Moravian missions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Tropical Lepidoptera Research is the property of Association for Tropical Lepidoptera 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.)

Archaeologists are interested in better understanding matters of our human past based on material culture. The tools we use to approach archaeological research questions range from the trowel and brush to, more recently, even those of artificial intelligence. As access to computing technology has increased over time, the breadth of computer-assisted methods in archaeology has also increased. This proliferation has provided us a considerable toolset towards engaging both new and long-standing questions, especially as interdisciplinary collaboration between archaeologists, computer scientists, and engineers continues to grow. As an example of an archaeological project engaging in computer-based approaches, the Guadalupe/Colón Archaeological Project is presented as a case study. Project applications and methodologies range from the regional-scale identification of sites using a geographic information system (GIS) or light detection and ranging (LiDAR) down to the microscopic scale of classifying ceramic materials with convolutional neural networks. Methods relating to the 3D modeling of sites, features, and artifacts and the benefits therein are also explored. In this paper, an overview of the methods used by the project is covered, which includes 1) predictive modeling using a GIS slope analysis for the identification of possible site locations, 2) structure from motion (SfM) drone imagery for site mapping and characterization, 3) airborne LiDAR for site identification, mapping, and characterization, 4) 3D modeling of stone features for improved visualization, 5) 3D modeling of ceramic artifacts for more efficient documentation, and 6) the application of deep learning for automated classification of ceramic materials in thin section. These approaches are discussed and critically considered with the understanding that interdisciplinary cooperation between domain experts in engineering, computer science, and archaeology is an important means of improving and expanding upon digital methodologies in archaeology as a whole. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While there are heated debates about how digitalization affects production, management and consumption in the context of global value chains, less attention is paid to how workers use digital technologies to organize and formulate demands and hence exercise power. This paper explores how workers in supplier factories in global value chains use different digital tools to exercise and enhance their power resources to improve working conditions. Combining the global value chain framework and concepts from labour sociology on worker power, the paper uses examples from the garment industry in Honduras and the footwear industry in China to show how workers used old and new digital tools to create and enhance associational and networked powers. Digital tools were used by workers and their allies in the global value chain to lower costs of communication, increase information exchange and participate in transnational campaigns during labour struggles vis-à-vis firms and governments in structurally and politically repressive environments. The paper contributes to our understanding of how workers use of digital technologies to exercise and combine different resources of power in online and offline actions in global value chains, as well as how they are confronted by new dimensions of constrains which include digital surveillance and control by the state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent empirical evidence shows that conditional cash transfer (CCT) programmes do not have an aggregate effect on the adult labour supply. However, little attention has been paid to the role of other intrahousehold dynamics. This paper examines how the parental labour supply response to CCT programmes varies with the bargaining power structure of households. We analyse a randomized experimental CCT design from rural areas of Honduras (PRAF) and found that women with more bargaining power in the household are four percentage points less likely to be employed than other women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the illustrations used in the 19th-century U.S. newspaper "The Colored American". According to the author, the images provided by the paper's printer, Robert Sears, exemplified its vision of black American national identity. It is suggested that this identity distinguished itself from some actions and attitudes of the U.S. government, yet remained distinctly American. Details related to illustrations depicting the Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the Temple of the Sun at Nineveh, Assyria, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania founder William Penn's treaty with the region's Native American population are presented. Other topics include the Seminole Wars of 1816-1858, the relationship between U.S. and Biblical History, and an archaeological site in Copan, Honduras.

This paper examines the relationship between the perceived presence of state forces and non-state actors and the levels of criminal violence affecting Central America. It contends that state presence in some communities does not necessarily lead to lower crime levels than communities where state institutions are absent. The data of this study come from three nationally representative surveys conducted in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. The findings suggest that state forces, such as the police and the military, have a limited role in reducing criminal violence rates. In contrast, non-state armed actors, such as vigilantes and community groups, may have a more significant role in reducing violence in some circumstances. We analyze these findings as evidence of the complex relationships between state actors, non-state actors, and criminal violence in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I explore travel imaginaries in the recruitment of participants to short-term medical brigades in El Salvador and Honduras. I look in particular at how trip leaders and organization website frame the volunteer tourist experience, drawing on familiar, shared imaginaries of poor, backward international settings, and related performative interventions that echo white colonial relationships. Recruitment messaging offers little specific or informed sense of place, ignoring the national histories and socio-economic circumstances of the receiving countries. As a consequence, the health profiles and capacities of El Salvador and Honduras are finally obscured in favor of the valorized performance of visitors and externally-driven protocols and care. The efforts of some brigade sponsors and related organizations to improve health-care delivery to local communities, in particular fundraising among brigade participants and other donors, would seem to separate the link between travel and volunteerism. They continue, however, to reinforce broadly-held imaginaries of international poverty and economic backwardness and related rescue by the Global North. A more realistic understanding of Honduran and Salvadoran economies and politics remains elusive and requires a reorientation of voluntary engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper conducts a pre-registered study aimed to compare binary and continuous set of responses in survey questionnaires. Binary responses consist of two possible opposing response options (Yes/No). Continuous responses are numerical, where respondents can indicate an option on a 0–10 horizontal blind line. We study whether feasible sets of binary and continuous responses yield the same outcome (distribution) and have the same cost (duration in minutes). We collect data from 360 households in Honduras that were randomly assigned to Yes/No questions or given a slider (0–10 visual scale) to mark their responses, therefore, we provide causal evidence. We find that respondents are 13% more likely to respond "Yes" and spend 2.1 min less in the binary setting. Additionally, the results suggest that the type of question matters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of A&C - Administrative & Constitutional Law Review - Revista de Direito Administrativo e Constitucional is the property of A&C - Revista de Direito Administrativo & Constitucional (Instituto Bacellar) 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 Cartographica is the property of University of Toronto Press 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.)

Despite considerable advances in developing new and more sophisticated impact evaluation methodologies and toolkits, policy research continues to suffer from persistent challenges in achieving the evaluation trifecta: identifying effects, isolating mechanisms, and influencing policy. For example, evaluation studies are routinely hampered by problems of establishing valid counterfactuals due to endogeneity and selection effects with respect to policy reform. Additionally, robust evaluation studies often must contend with heterogeneity in treatment, staggered timing, and variation in uptake. And finally, on practical grounds, researchers frequently struggle to involve policymakers and practitioners throughout the research process in order to engender the type of trust needed for policy influence. While it can be difficult to generalize about appropriate evaluation methodologies across contexts, prominent policy interventions like governance reforms for improving health services delivery nonetheless demand rigorous and comprehensive evaluation strategies that can produce valid results and engage policymakers. Drawing on illustrations from our research on health sector decentralization in Honduras, in this paper we present a quasi-experimental, multi-method, and participatory approach that addresses these persistent challenges to policy evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the relationship between police presence and political legitimacy in countries with limited statehood. Using cross-sectional, national-based survey data in Central America's northern triangle countries, this article measures the impact of the territorial police presence and other security-related groups on attitudes of support for the political system and democracy. The findings show that the perceived police presence at the community level is associated with higher political legitimacy in Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. Such presence is also associated with elevated attitudes of support for democracy in El Salvador and Honduras. However, the results also indicate that other non-state actors can contribute to the support for the political system. The article discusses the implications of these findings in states with limited territorial reach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Copyright of Mexicon is the property of Verlag Anton Saurwein 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 the individual-level building blocks of getting out the vote (GOTV) for electoral parties that represent subaltern sectors in resource scarce environments. Drawing on theories of protest waves, social movement fields, and threat-induced collective action, we examine the likelihood of campaigning in left party electoral mobilization and party identification. The study implements a modified version of the Caught in the Act of Protest: Contextualizing Contestation (CCC) survey protocol and respondent selection design. We use a sympathy pool sample of over 1,200 May Day participants in Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Honduras to explain the micro-foundations of electoral proselytizing of political parties advocating for disadvantaged populations. We found that involvement in left party electoral campaigning was largely driven by resources deposited during anti-neoliberal protest waves, including prior movement-type protest, civic organizational activity, and economic threat perceptions. Campaigning for the anti-neoliberal party was also associated with a higher level of post-election party identification. The findings suggest that left parties may at times partially overcome economic and political resource deficits by mobilizing individuals deeply embedded in the social movement field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the world of social media and online networking has met with the world of international development, leading to rapid changes in development practice and to the emergence of new fields of study. Proponents of this change argue that the Internet provides the tools for global cooperation and participation. However, the reality is less clear, with critics asserting that much of the Information and Communication Technology and networking discourse and practice is rooted in past approaches to development. This reflects a wider debate about whether ICT provides space for alternative views and social movements, or if it represents a new form of networked “information colonialism.” Drawing on ethnographic research with the online development-oriented network projecthonduras.com, this paper reflects on these debates, and on the wider implications of social media in development practice. An early model of peer-to-peer collaboration in development, projecthonduras.com has over a decade of networking experience and has been the catalyst for many connections and encounters, which have, at times, literally saved lives. However, while research with this network highlights some potential for disintermediated and inclusive networking, it also provides an example of a conventional development approach operating within an online space, and illustrates the impact of digital exclusion and homophily. Using the networking concepts of disintermediation, participation and diversity/homophily, this paper explores the structure and discourse of projecthonduras.com and illustrates the paradoxical nature of ICT and social media in development, providing a cautionary note to those who look to social media to provide answers to contemporary development dilemmas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]