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Copyright of Foro Internacional is the property of El Colegio de Mexico AC 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 Foro Internacional is the property of El Colegio de Mexico AC 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 increasingly evident deterioration of public health due to atmospheric pollution has forced governments to design and implement diverse policies for the control of air pollutants. Relying on quantitative methods, we investigate the effectiveness of intergovernmental policies for the abatement of air pollution in four metropolitan areas (Guadalajara, Monterrey, Valle de Mexico, and Valle de Toluca) over a ten year period. Our statistical analysis shows that, when observed concurrently, the efforts of these governments to reduce the concentrations of sulphur and nitrogen dioxids have been effective only partially. In the cases of Guadalajara and Monterrey, our qualitative analysis reveals that specific characteristics of these policies (the degree of participation of industries and municipal governments) and the existence of international commercial liaisons (export-oriented industries tend to adopt environmental-friendly policies) explain, to a large extent, the evolution of the concentration of pollutants in each city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present the background, methodology and initial findings of the Basic Municipal Development Index (MDIb), which measures the level and sustainability of development of Mexican municipalities. The index is based on the theoretical and conceptual frameworks of human development (Sen, 1999) and of endogenous development (Beccatini, 1975): the central focus of development is the bettering of the conditions of life of the population and the involvement of the community is crucial to promote it, especially, at the local level. The central innovation of the MDIb is that it includes, in addition to the socio-economic variables that are traditionally considered to be a measure of development, environmental and institutional variables. In the article, we discuss the dimensions of development that the index utilizes (economic, environmental, institutional and social), and present the results for a sample of 21 municipalities. Finally, in order to emphasize the relevance of this indicator, we compare its results with those of other indexes frequently employed in Mexico: the Human Development Index (UNDP) and the Marginality Index (Conapo). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

El artículo discurre sobre la mutilación genital femenina (MGF) en relación con el número de solicitantes de asilo en Europa. La autora comenta sobre los servicios ofrecidos a esta población vulnerable en la Unión Europea y los intentos de los gobiernos para establecer mejores sistemas para los solicitantes de asilo.

Political scientists have largely overlooked the consequences of democratization on the operation of federations. This article analyzes whether the emergence of party competition has transformed intergovernmental relations in Mexico. It explores whether competitive elections and vertically divided government, as elements of democratization, have changed fiscal relations between the states and the federal government. The article uses fixed-effects time-series cross-section models with panel corrected standard errors to estimate the effects of these variables on the allocation of federal unconditional transfers (participaciones) and conditional grants (transferencias or aportaciones) to Mexican states during the nineties. The article provides evidence supporting the hypothesis that democratization had an impact on the allocation of financial resources to the states. The statistical results suggest that states governed by political parties other than the party of the president (PRI) and those electorally competitive received larger increases in conditional and unconditional transfers than PRI-dominated states or those less competitive. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yamaguchi syndrome or isolated apical hipertrophy cardiomyopathy, is a genetic disorder of cardiomyocites and a rare form of hipertrophyc. A 66 year-old male with atipic chest pain and palpitations. We explain the role of the multi-imaging assessment in diagnosis and integral follow-up of this entity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]