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We aim to provide a critical appraisal of basic concepts underlying signal recording and processing technologies applied for (i) atrial fibrillation (AF) mapping to unravel AF mechanisms and/or identifying target sites for AF therapy and (ii) AF detection, to optimize usage of technologies, stimulate research aimed at closing knowledge gaps, and developing ideal AF recording and processing technologies. Recording and processing techniques for assessment of electrical activity during AF essential for diagnosis and guiding ablative therapy including body surface electrocardiograms (ECG) and endo- or epicardial electrograms (EGM) are evaluated. Discussion of (i) differences in uni-, bi-, and multi-polar (omnipolar/Laplacian) recording modes, (ii) impact of recording technologies on EGM morphology, (iii) global or local mapping using various types of EGM involving signal processing techniques including isochronal-, voltage- fractionation-, dipole density-, and rotor mapping, enabling derivation of parameters like atrial rate, entropy, conduction velocity/direction, (iv) value of epicardial and optical mapping, (v) AF detection by cardiac implantable electronic devices containing various detection algorithms applicable to stored EGMs, (vi) contribution of machine learning (ML) to further improvement of signals processing technologies. Recording and processing of EGM (or ECG) are the cornerstones of (body surface) mapping of AF. Currently available AF recording and processing technologies are mainly restricted to specific applications or have technological limitations. Improvements in AF mapping by obtaining highest fidelity source signals (e.g. catheter-electrode combinations) for signal processing (e.g. filtering, digitization, and noise elimination) is of utmost importance. Novel acquisition instruments (multi-polar catheters combined with improved physical modelling and ML techniques) will enable enhanced and automated interpretation of EGM recordings in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The purpose of this study was to determine the international commitment to alcohol-related research relative to its global burden of disease, which is 4% of disability adjusted life years (DALYs). Methods: The worldwide literature indexed in the Science Citation Index® and the Social Sciences Citation Index® during 1992-2003 was analysed using advanced bibliometric techniques. Results: Biomedical research and the global disease burden due to alcohol both increased during 1992-2003, whilst the number of papers from alcohol-related research remained static and declined to <0.7% of all biomedical research literature. Nearly 58% of all alcohol-related research papers were from Canada and the United States, 30% from Western Europe, and 10% from Australia, New Zealand, or Japan. However, these regions suffer only 13% of the global burden of disease due to alcohol; meanwhile, the rest of the world contributed only 8% of the total research whilst suffering from 87% of the disease burden. The estimated annual expenditure on alcohol-related research in 2001 was $730 million, or about $12 per DALY due to alcohol. Conclusions: The global commitment to alcohol-related research is only one-sixth of that warranted by the burden of disease due to alcohol. Most such research is conducted in the developed world but is still less than that appropriate to the regional burden of disease. There is a need for more interest in alcohol-related research in the developing world, particularly in Latin America and Eastern Europe in view of their high burden of disease due to alcohol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many international relations (IR) theory and international political economy textbooks consistently reference dependency theory, it is commonly considered a passé , outdated, or defunct theoretical approach. This paper challenges conventional wisdom, stressing the continued relevance of dependency as an analytical approach. Overall, it argues that Dependency theory represents a successful effort at decentering IR. To do so, it first discusses decentering as an effort to challenge and engage core concepts in IR to transform the "universal" understandings of global politics. In this sense, Dependency theory decentered IR by introducing an understanding of the world in which Western and non-Western spaces are mutually constitutive, highlighting the role of non-core contexts in creating and maintaining the status quo of the universal. Second, the paper analyzes the influence of Dependency theory in modern discourses of political economy like the resource curse, globalization, Post-Colonialism, and Post-Developmentalism. These parallelisms show Dependency's effectiveness at decentering IR and transforming the way the discipline studies non-core spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cystic fibrosis (CF), an autosomal recessive disease, is caused by variants in both alleles of the CF transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene. A new assay based on allele-specific polymerase chain reaction and high-resolution melting analysis was developed for the detection of 18 CF-causing CFTR variants previously identified in Cuba and Latin America. The assay is also useful for zygosity determination of mutated alleles and includes internal controls. The reaction mixtures were normalized and evaluated using blood samples collected on filter paper. The evaluation of analytical parameters demonstrated the specificity and sensitivity of the method to detect the included CFTR variants. Internal and external validations yielded a 100% agreement between the new assay and the used reference tests. This assay can complement CF newborn screening not only in Cuba but also in Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Condor: Ornithological Applications is the property of Oxford University Press / USA 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 existing literature suggests that partisanship in Latin America is relatively weak. However, these findings have been based largely on a survey methodology that systematically underestimates partisanship. This study provides caution about measuring party identification when it is framed in a short-term time horizon and includes a filter question—as most comparative surveys do—since this tends to result in an underestimation of levels of partisanship in the region. In turn, surveys that rely on a question wording that is more consistent with early theories of voting behavior show that the proportion of voters who self-identify with a political party is larger than the literature assumed. The findings of this paper have broader implications for studies in comparative politics. They suggest that the existing literature on parties and party systems has underestimated the ability of political parties in Latin America to recruit and create strong linkages with the electorate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sin or public health taxes are excise taxes imposed on the consumption of potentially harmful goods for health [sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), tobacco, alcohol, among others], aiming to reduce consumption, raise additional revenue and/or improve population health. This paper assesses the extent to which sin taxes (a) can reduce consumption of potentially harmful goods, (b) raise revenue for national health systems and (c) contribute to population health in Latin America. A systematic literature review was conducted on peer-reviewed and grey literature; endpoints included: impact of raising sin taxes on consumption, ability to raise revenue for health and the possibility of population health improvements. Risk of bias for each study was assessed. The synthesis of the literature on sin tax implementation showed improvements in all three endpoints across the study countries. Following the introduction of sin taxes or by simulating their potential impact, nearly all studies explicitly reported that consumption of potentially harmful goods (mainly SSBs and tobacco) declined; revenue was found to have increased in almost all countries, suggesting that there may be additional scope for further tax increase. Simulated improvements in population health have also been shown, by demonstrating a relationship between sin tax increases and reduction in prevalence of diabetes, stroke, heart attacks and associated deaths. However, sin tax effects on health would be better quantified over the long-term. Data quality and availability challenges did place some limitations on sin tax impact assessment. Sin taxes can be effective in reducing consumption of potentially harmful goods, improve population health and generate additional revenue. Promoting further research on this topic should be a priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on relevance of poverty and inequality as factors affecting the spread and mortality of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America. Topics include Peruvians lacking mass diagnostic testing due to the limitations intrinsic to the health system and socioeconomic inequalities; and COVID-19 vaccine strategy against vaccine hesitancy ending the pandemic and achieving sustainable recovery.

Preferential trade agreements ( PTAs) have rapidly proliferated in Latin America since the 2000s; this paper examines the factors which have facilitated or hampered their diffusion. The paper argues that the diffusion of PTAs, and resistance against them, has resulted in two alternative trade-integration models. On one hand, there is diffusion of US-led neoliberal North-South PTAs in Central American and Latin American countries ( LACs) on the Pacific Basin. On the other hand, the reinforcement of post-liberal regionalism led by Brazil and MERCOSUR countries has acted as a firewall of resistance to the diffusion of US-led PTAs and their neoliberal policies. This paper first discusses how the competitive diffusion of US-led PTAs started in Latin America. It then analyzes two intertwined dynamics (international-regional and institutional-domestic) that explain why US-led PTAs have proliferated in the region. The third section explores MERCOSUR's reactions to the US competitive PTA diffusion and also how Brazilian leadership has evolved in the South American subregion to encircle US diffusion of PTAs, leading to an outcome of two different patterns of integration in Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovative strategies are needed to improve the delivery of evidence-informed health interventions. Embedded implementation research (EIR) seeks to enhance the generation and use of evidence for programme improvement through four core features: (1) central involvement of programme/policy decision-makers in the research cycle; (2) collaborative research partnerships; (3) positioning research within programme processes and (4) research focused on implementation. This paper examines how these features influence evidence-to-action processes and explores how they are operationalized, their effects and supporting conditions needed. We used a qualitative, comparative case study approach, drawing on document analysis and semi-structured interviews across multiple informant groups, to examine three EIR projects in Bolivia, Colombia and the Dominican Republic. Our findings are presented according to the four core EIR features. The central involvement of decision-makers in EIR was enhanced by decision-maker authority over the programme studied, professional networks and critical reflection. Strong research-practice partnerships were facilitated by commitment, a clear and shared purpose and representation of diverse perspectives. Evidence around positioning research within programme processes was less conclusive; however, as all three cases made significant advances in research use and programme improvement, this feature of EIR may be less critical than others, depending on specific circumstances. Finally, a research focus on implementation demanded proactive engagement by decision-makers in conceptualizing the research and identifying opportunities for direct action by decision-makers. As the EIR approach is a novel approach in these low-resource settings, key supports are needed to build capacity of health sector stakeholders and create an enabling environment through system-level strategies. Key implications for such supports include: promoting EIR and creating incentives for decision-makers to engage in it, establishing structures or mechanisms to facilitate decision-maker involvement, allocating funds for EIR, and developing guidance for EIR practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much emphasis has been placed on designing development projects to include community participation (CP), which is normally seen as a way of ensuring project effectiveness, but less attention has been directed to identifying households that exclude themselves and their reasons for doing so. This paper uses household-level survey data from twenty-nine African and Latin American communities to show the extent to which some socioeconomic characteristics of a household influence the members' willingness to participate in community development (CD). It provides answers to the question, ‘in what ways do income, education, security of tenure, household type and household size correlate with variables that are measures of CP and management?’ From the findings, the paper concludes that income levels and housing status have positive correlation with factors influencing CP and management. On the other hand, educational level, household size and family type have no significant correlation with CP and management. Two lessons are drawn from the study. First, efforts to promote CP as a useful approach to CD require a sociological study of household characteristics. Prior information about a community's household set-up can help project organizers and outsiders to develop realistic expectations about CP. Second, the findings that certain groups of households do not participate while others are more likely to play a leading role have implications in terms of the distribution of the benefits of community intervention programmes. Those who play leading roles will not only capture the benefits but will also translate their dominance into unequal power relations at the community level. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Ornithological Applications is the property of Oxford University Press / USA 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 discusses why Latin America failed to achieve sustainable convergence with the developed world since 1960 and analyses different phases of convergence and divergence using a structuralist-Keynesian approach. First, it is argued that there are critical differences between Latin America, the developed economies and the Asian economies as regards the evolution of the income elasticity of the demand for imports (π), the rate of growth of exports and the balance-of-payments-constrained rate of growth. The income elasticity of the demand for imports in Latin America showed an upward trend, particularly after the mid-1970s, which was not matched by a similar increase in exports—a pattern in sharp contrast with that of the East Asian countries. The evolution of π and exports are used to set forth a typology of Latin American economic growth since 1960. In addition, the paper relates elasticities and the less favourable Latin American performance to the intensity and direction of structural change. Using a broad sample of developed and developing economies, it is shown that the developing countries that succeed in reducing the income gap are those that transformed their economic structures in favour of sectors with higher Schumpeterian and Keynesian efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It is easy to presume that age's legal value rests in the autonomy and rights that accrue to the liberal (male, propertied) citizen who has reached the age of majority. But this is not universally so. In Spain's American colonies, legal age talk involved multiplying privileges rather than exclusionary subtraction. Few indigenous peoples, enslaved people of African descent, or members of the free casta poor tallied the years they had lived in a manner that meets modern standards of precision. Instead, the ages that Spanish American officials set down on paper in criminal trials, censuses, and freedom suits derived from complicated cultural equations, including reconciling local ethno-numeracies with European counting systems. For all its seeming imprecision, age was of critical importance to colonial Spanish Americans, since rather than guaranteeing access to rights, age was a language that colonial subjects used to turn legal incapacities into beneficial protections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Debates about Britain s 'informal empire' range from how it ought to be defined to whether it even really existed. But for all the heat these arguments have generated, we still know very little about what the people at the heart of British-owned enterprises thought they were doing in regions outside formal imperial control but where British capital and markets proved crucial. Drawing upon a recent deposit in Argentina of a substantial set of Anglo‐Argentine familial and business records, this article investigates British capitalism on the periphery. Anglo‐Argentines, even those whose families made their living from the cross-Atlantic trade for a century or more, did not think about their enterprises as building territory or extending Britain's influence in the world. Money-making was their aim and their loyalties did not extend much beyond their own front door. There is a crucial — but often overlooked — distinction to be made here between national identity and economic interest. Just as Britain's greater glory took a back seat to commercial success, so too did meeting the material and emotional needs of family members take precedence over money‐making. They prioritized family harmony over profits and stability over the possibility of expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The policies for restructuring health systems in Latin America during the 1990s have included an emphasis on changing in the model of health care delivery to one that incorporates prevention and promotion activities. At the same time, health systems have been decentralized in their management, allowing room for greater variation in local interpretation and implementation of policy directives. Despite rhetoric and policy debate, there is no documentation or evaluation of actual experiences of prevention and promotion within decentralized health systems in Latin America. This paper explores the ways in which the national structure of a health system influences the implementation of activities for prevention and promotion through a comparison of the experiences in four local health systems in each of Brazil and Chile. These experiences in Brazil and Chile are presented by key themes of national health system structure, local health system structure, partnership and intersectorality, human resources and introducing a family health approach. Five clear factors emerge as operating at the national level that influence prevention and promotion activities in local health systems: vertical (Chile) versus horizontal (Brazil) structure of health system; greater awareness of prevention and promotion issues in Chile; greater urban bias in Chile compared with Brazil; strategies to attract human resources to primary care and rural areas; importance of local capacity building especially in rural areas. This account of case study experiences in Brazil and Chile provides a series of examples of arrangements and strategies that can facilitate implementation and usefully highlights a number of issues that policy-makers and health system managers need explicitly to consider. As such, the paper hopes to provoke debate about the structures and strategies for supporting the implementation of prevention and promotion programmes in Latin America and further health systems research in this field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the evolution of the cyclicality of real wages and employment in four Latin American economies, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, and Mexico, during the period 1980–2010. Wages were highly procyclical during the 1980s and early 1990s, a period characterized by high inflation. As inflation declined wages became less procyclical, a feature that is consistent with emerging downward wage rigidities in a low inflation environment. Compositional effects associated with changes in labor participation along the business cycle appear to matter less for estimates of wage cyclicality than in developed economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper undertakes a critical analysis of the strategies for fighting social exclusion currently applied in Latin America, with regard to science and technology (S&T) policy and the local production of technologies oriented to social inclusion. It considers two of the most significant countries (Brazil and Argentina) in terms of: economic growth, increase in R&D investments, and poverty-reduction programs during the last decade. However, this scenario contrasts with the persisting inequality in income distribution, as well as with persisting structural shortcomings. After a review of the economic growth and S&T policy trends (and the unresolved problem of structural exclusion) the paper examines the inadequacy of local S&T agendas concerning population needs and the problems involved in the performance of currently available technologies for social inclusion. The paper ends with an analytical-normative section related to strategic aspects of potential solutions to development and ex/inclusion issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background This article analyses the epidemiological research developments in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). It integrates the series commissioned by the International Epidemiological Association to all WHO Regions to identify global opportunities to promote the development of epidemiology.Methods Health situations of the regions were analysed based on published data on selected mortality, morbidity and risk factors. Epidemiological publication output by country was estimated by Medline bibliometrics. Internet and literature searches and data provided by key informants were used to describe perspectives on epidemiological training, research and funding.Findings Despite important advances in recent decades, LAC remains the world's most unequal region. In 2010, 10% of the LAC's people still lived in conditions of multidimensional poverty, with huge variation among countries. The region has experienced fast and complex epidemiological changes in past decades, combining increasing rates of non-communicable diseases and injuries, and keeping uncontrolled many existing endemic and emerging diseases. Overall, epidemiological publications per year increased from 160 articles between 1961 and 1970 to 2492 between 2001 and 2010. The increase in papers per million inhabitants in the past three decades varied from 57% in Panama to 1339% in Paraguay. Universities are the main epidemiological training providers. There are at least 34 universities and other institutions in the region that offer postgraduate programmes at the master’s and doctoral levels in epidemiology or public health. Most LAC countries rely largely on external funding and donors to initiate and sustain long-term research efforts. Despite the limited resources, the critical mass of LAC researchers has produced significant scientific contributions.Future needs The health research panorama of the region shows enormous regional discrepancies, but great prospects. Improving research and human resources capacity in the region will require establishing research partnerships within and outside the region, between rich and poor countries, promoting collaborations between LAC research institutions and universities to boost postgraduate programmes and aligning research investments and outputs with the current burden of disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1980s, privatization of formerly state-owned firms has been extensively implemented by governments across Latin America. Despite the fact that most evaluations of the process fail to find significant adverse efficiency and welfare effects, there has been a strong surge in public discontent with such policy in the region. This paper performs a systematic empirical analysis of the determinants of such dissatisfaction, using survey data from Latinobarometro covering 17 countries over the period 1998-2008, complemented by country level data on macroeconomic, political, and institutional aspects as well as data on privatization. Dissatisfaction appears to respond to absolute and relative welfare effects, and we find a robust U-shaped effect in term of education and income levels, with individuals in the middle of such distributions being more critical with the outcome of privatizations. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Doubts have been raised about the benefits to an economy with high rates of GDP growth without at the same time accounting for distributional effects. This difference arises from the emphasis by some on the mean income, while others are concerned with the distribution around the mean. This paper assesses the per capita income that would be needed, if income were equally distributed to reach the same level of welfare, which is available from current distribution of the per capita GDP. This approach allows for the combination of both growth and distribution in ranking the success of some Latin American countries in their attempt to raise the living standard of the population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper revisits the structuralist ideas on trade and growth and suggests (based on the Prebisch's principle of implicit reciprocity) that policies for promoting structural change in the periphery may lead to higher global growth and a better income distribution across countries. The paper discusses the inter-relations and complementarities that exist between autonomous expenditure and industrial and technology policies in the long run. With this objective, we develop a structuralist growth model in which the technology gap and the growth rate of the domestic autonomous expenditure are endogenously determined in a two-country (centre and periphery) international economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are both benefits and risks involved in interactions between public research organisations (PROs) and industry. This paper proposes a conceptual framework that associates firms' and PROs' motivations, channels of interaction and benefits. It suggests that each channel triggers predominant types of benefits and claims that policy-making to support PRO-industry (PRO-I) interactions should be selective. Policy design must take into consideration the skill-related characteristics of the actors, and the characteristics of the interaction channels in order to achieve the best possible balance between the benefits and risks of PRO-I interactions. The geographical focus of the discussion is Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the abundant research on liberation theology and religious change in Latin America, there is little agreement regarding how to assess the political orientation of national churches. This paper reviews previous strategies and proposes that any new approach should do three things. First, the strength of liberation theology should be assessed holistically, that is, by focusing on the official statements and organizational practices of bishops, priests, nuns, and laity. Second, liberation theology should be approached as a “family resemblance concept” and not a “classic concept.” Third, while most scholars identify national churches in nominal terms, I argue liberation theology varies along a continuum, from strong to weak and that its strength varies over time. The cases of Chile, Mexico, and Colombia are presented. The paper closes with a call for future research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper aims to explore the Keynesian idea that aggregate demand matters for economic activity, both in the short and long run. To that extent, it discusses the endogeneity of the natural rate of growth, and presents two empirical exercises: the first one tests for unit roots in output for 12 Latin American countries using panel data. The results suggest that gross domestic product series are non-stationary and therefore shocks (both from supply and demand) have persistent effects in the economy. The second exercise tests the hypothesis of an endogenous natural rate of growth, and suggests that potential output has been influenced by the actual level of economic activity in Latin American countries. This result corroborates the hypothesis that aggregate demand has long-run effects in the economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the conceptual and methodological design and objectives of the Standardized and Unified CV Database of the Argentine Scientific and Technological Human Resources (the CVar database) project. This is a public electronic database of researchers' CVs developed by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation in Argentina. The paper also addresses the main potential uses of this source of information (complementary to more traditional sources of data such as bibliometrics or patent analysis) for research evaluation, understanding the dynamics of career trajectories, policy-making and network studies. The Argentine case has some defining characteristics which make it different from other Latin-American experiences: the political perspective of the national government on the project, the inclusion of the main S&T institutions of the country in its design as a strategy to encourage its further adoption for the academic and scientific community, and the implementation of a specific database design strictly directed to the exploitation of the information and the creation of new indicators (database design used as the 'basic core' of a standardized template of a Latin-American CV, from which it will be possible to integrate information coming from different electronic CV databases in the region). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a unique data set of Latin American paintings auctioned by Sotheby's between 1995 and 2002 to investigate several puzzles from the recent auctions literature. Our results suggest that: (i) the reputation of an artist and the provenance of the artwork, often omitted variables in previous studies, seem to be more important determinants of the sale price of a painting than more standard factors, such as medium and size, (ii) the opinion of art experts seems to be of limited use in predicting whether or not an artwork sells at auction, (iii) there is little supporting evidence for the widespread notion that the best or more expensive artworks tend to generate above average returns (the masterpiece effect), although (iv) there is strong evidence in our data for the declining price anomaly or afternoon effect (that is, when heterogeneous products sold sequentially follow a decreasing pattern of prices.) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the main issues of regulating and supervising banks in emerging markets with a view toward evaluating the long-run options, particularly in Latin America and East Asia. These economies face a severe policy commitment problem that leads to excessive bailouts and potential devaluation of claims of foreign investors. The paper reviews the tradeoffs imposed by external discipline and examines various proposed arrangements.

This article analyzes how Latin American democracies should react to the COVID-19 pandemic. From the perspective of a ius constitutionale commune in Latin America, it argues that the greatest challenge lies in passing the inter-American democratic test, which at the intersection of human rights, democracy and the rule of law can guarantee compliance with inter-American standards. A new rationale derives from the mechanisms adopted by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, in the exercise of the transformative mandate in times of pandemic. It concludes by identifying a "double" democratic test in Latin America that relies on the notion of collective guarantee of human rights standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper generates a framework to understand Latin American foreign relations through the use of Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA) role theory. The use of roles to describe and analyze regional interstate relations has previously been found in the literature on Latin America, but these studies have not taken advantage of the full range of concepts and theoretical implications associated with role theory to analyze the region. The paper develops a typology of states with associated national role conceptions (NRCs) and generates expectations for the sources of those NRCs, as well as elements of the role enactment and role location processes for Latin American states. The paper then illustrates the framework's applicability through a brief analysis of the role location process for Venezuela during the Presidency of Hugo Chávez. The analysis of NRCs selected by the leader of Venezuela, and their reception by role partners and the audience of interested states during the role location process demonstrates the fruitfulness of role theory for understanding Latin American regional relations. The analysis also suggests some modifications for FPA role theory itself as a result of the Venezuelan case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the development of cooperation between Argentina and Brazil from their initial rapprochement of 1979 to the construction of Mercosur in 1991. It presents an account of cooperation that emphasizes the power and organizational interests of the armed forces and that challenges the prevailing emphases on democratization and neoliberalism. In doing so, it addresses a methodological problem for qualitative research in international relations: What can be done if our theories of why cooperation occurs affect our perceptions of when it begins? Conventional explanations of Argentine-Brazilian cooperation may be biased toward what historian Herbert Butterfield called 'Whig history,' which sees in past events associations that exist only in the present. These tendencies can alter our periodization of cases, omit or falsely reject important causal variables, and too readily confirm our preferred hypotheses, but they can also be corrected. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates new directions in the evolution of Latin American welfare regimes by focusing on the extension of early childhood education and care (ECEC) policies in Argentina and Mexico, particularly in the last decade. Both states have paid increased attention to ECEC policies for several reasons: the failure of first-generation structural adjustment reforms to address problems of poverty; women's increased participation in the paid labor force and the adoption of a new investment social paradigm which emphasizes human capital formation. We argue that these factors play out in different ways in the two countries, as a result of different ideologies and political agendas of the governments and their different degrees of openness to the influence of international ideas. When looking at gender dimensions of their welfare regimes, Argentina and Mexico show very similar patterns of gender stratification, and both states display similarities between their policies in the area of early education. In the area of day care, however, Mexico encourages women to work via defamilialization of services, while Argentina reveals preference for low-income mothers to stay at home and work in the informal sector. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Many states in Latin America, Africa, and Asia lack the monopoly of violence, even though this was identified by Max Weber as the foundation of the state, and thus the capacity to govern effectively. In this paper we develop a new perspective on the establishment of the monopoly of violence. We build a model to explain the incentive of central states to eliminate nonstate armed actors (paramilitaries) in a democracy. The model is premised on the idea that paramilitaries may choose to and can influence elections. Since paramilitaries have preferences over policies, this reduces the incentives of the politicians they favor to eliminate them. We then investigate these ideas using data from Colombia between 1991 and 2006. We first present regression and case study evidence supporting our postulate that paramilitary groups can have significant effects on elections for the legislature and the executive. Next, we show that the evidence is also broadly consistent with the implication of the model that paramilitaries tend to persist to the extent that they deliver votes to candidates for the executive whose preferences are close to theirs and that this effect is larger in areas where the presidential candidate would have otherwise not done as well. Finally, we use roll-call votes to illustrate a possible 'quid pro quo' between the executive and paramilitaries in Colombia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can poverty and gender relations be disentangled? Conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs have spread throughout Latin America and beyond based on the claim that they are an effective social policy tool to combat poverty. While changing gender relations is not among CCTs' explicit objectives, gender relations are nonetheless shaped by these policies. Unfortunately, the debate concerning how CCTs shape gender relations has treated gender inequality as a one-dimensional matter. In this paper, we seek to overcome this limitation by offering a multidimensional analysis of programs in Chile, Costa Rica, and El Salvador. On the basis of empirical evidence provided, we argue that patriarchal materialism is still at the core of Latin America's new social policies. At the same time, we recognize the potential for CCTs to transform gender relations should mechanisms allowing childcare facilities and encouraging male participation in domestic labor become an integral part of these programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neotropical seasonally dry forest (NSDF) has climatic constraints that have produced endemic species confined to floristic nuclei throughout those taxa with distribution restricted to this forest. Capparaceae have a pantropical distribution, although traditionally they have been considered mainly to be distributed in dry areas and therefore influenced by climatic constraints. We carried out an analysis of endemicity (NDM/VNDM) using 7602 records of 21 genera and 104 species in order to test whether climatic constraints of NSDF have shaped endemic species and areas of endemism of Capparaceae geographically confined to NSDF floristic nuclei. A total of three genera (monogeneric) and 29 endemic species included in 38 areas of endemism and 14 consensus areas were recovered. From Consensus areas, we proposed five generalized areas of endemism, mainly located in NSDF: Lower Central America, Northern South America, Northwestern South America, Northeastern South America and Central South of South America. However, only one of them (Lower Central America, located in Panama) is not related to NSDF. These outcomes allow us to suggest that the distributional patterns of Capparaceae, represented by the areas of endemism, were mainly affected by the tectonics and climatic fluctuations that shaped the current distribution of NSDF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Private participation in the management of water and sanitation has been firmly promoted and concentrated in a handful of countries and their urban centers. Latin America became one of the main recipients of investment in infrastructure projects involving private participation. However, private participation has accomplished neither the scale nor the benefits anticipated by its promoters. Not only have water and sanitation received only a tiny part of the total investment. These reforms and the theories from which they draw have failed to improve water sustainability and associated social values in urban areas of Latin America. This paper combines a theoretical framework drawing on neoliberalism with evidence from Mexico City and Buenos Aires to explore and reflect on some of the reasons why private participation has neither fulfilled its promoters' expectations nor improved the multiple dimensions of urban water system management. It finds that the main outcomes of the neoliberal water reform were economic (improvements in registered connection and billing). Yet, other dimensions of water such as overexploitation and contamination (environmental value), unequal access to water, and fragmented and weak institutional settings (political dimension) remain. The main lesson from the reform is that the multiple values of water cannot be addressed by merely passing water utilities along with their complex set of social and environmental problems over to private companies or public utilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the Latin American species of the water mite genus Torrenticola are presented and discussed comprehensively for the first time. All 21 previously known species from Central and South America are portrayed in detail, descriptions are given for 36 new species from Costa Rica: Torrenticola adunca, T. alargada, T. alexandra, T. alticola, T. altifontana, T. amalgamada, T. ambigua, T. australis, T. baderi, T. chicacoxalis, T. chirripoensis, T. collina, T. conopalpis, T. corta, T. cortobrazo, T. costaricense, T. cumbrensis, T. delgada, T. dispersa, T. elhachensis, T. esferica, T. esquinada, T. fastigata, T. flexirostris, T. fontinale, T. guanacastensis, T. harpagophora, T. levicoxalis, T. menudopalpis, T. monticola, T. pervagata, T. rapidensis, T. ratoncitoi, T. rubella, T. tilaranensis and T. torpebrazo . The Latin American species of Torrenticola are subdivided in a clear, robust system of ten species groups – five of these are regarded as phylogenetic entities, five as rather artificial groups. An identification key to these species groups is given, as well as keys, measurement tables, figures and detailed descriptions of all species within these groups. The males of T. gennada Cook, 1980 and T. keesdavidsi Cramer, 1992, as well as the female of T. amala Cook, 1980 are described for the first time. Descriptions and figures of the genital skeleton of nine formerly described species are given for the first time. All information available on the habitat preferences (habitat type, stream velocity, altitudinal distribution, choriotope types, temperature and conductivity) and the geographical distribution of the species is presented. Zoogeographical characteristics, endemicity and habitat preferences of the 42 species of Torrenticola found in Costa Rica are analysed. The main object of this study is to facilitate further systematic and ecological work on this important genus and to make it accessible for general limnological surveys. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2007, 150, 443–678. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Exploring the micromotivations (Williams, 1979, 1988; Aguiar, 1991) or internal reasons (Williams, 1979; Lupia, McCubbins, & Popkin, 2000) that mold public preferences for either democracy or authoritarianism, this paper aims to discuss the types of rationality that lie behind people's choices in survey studies in Latin America. From this perspective, we examine the balance between survey respondents' evaluation of democratic government and their views of the efficacy of democracy to solve their country's problems, and their joint impact on the molding of citizens' preferences for a particular type of government. Results show that satisfaction with how democratic government performs stands out as one of the reasons underlying individuals' preferences for democracy. Also the belief that democracy does not solve the problems significantly determines the people's choice. Conclusions favor the hypothesis that, in the region, a utilitarian rationality prevails over an axiological rationality (Weber, 1922; Boudon, 1996) in the way citizens form preferences for or against democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews the legal regime regulating the conferral of refuge status on persons seeking surrogate international protection in Canada. It utilizes as a backdrop, the experiences of victims of civil or internal armed conflicts from geo-political regions of Africa, Asia and Latin America in canvassing for a special consideration of such persons for eligibility to refugee status. The provisions of the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees along with the 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees are used to critique the contemporary Canadian jurisprudence. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The growing popularity of Protestant churches in Latin America is a phenomenon that is believed to have significant social, political and economic implications. It has even been suggested that Protestantism is for Latin America "a vehicle of modernity." This paper studies the process of religious change and its implications in the example of indigenous communities in Oaxaca, Mexico, and explores the alleged link between modernity and Protestantism. It will be argued that although Protestantism in rural Mexico has various social implications, its role as the trigger of social change is often exaggerated and the process of religious fragmentation is not necessarily synonymous with the process of modernization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current wave of global democratization, South Korea (Korea hereinafter) is widely regarded as one of the most successful examples. Unlike new democracies in Latin America and other regions, Korea has fully restored civilian rule by extricating the military from the political process. A remaining question is whether it has also fully oriented and reoriented ordinary citizens toward democratic politics and away from authoritarianism. This paper attempts to address this question in order to ascertain the cultural dimension of democratic consolidation. The analyses of data culled from a recent survey of the Korean electorate reveal that more than a decade of democratic rule has made the mass citizenry highly capable of recognizing democracy as a normative and empirical phenomenon. Nonetheless, it has failed to create a citizenry that is fully detached from authoritarianism and fully attached to democracy. On the basis of this finding, we conclude that the consolidation of democratic rule in Korea is likely to be an intergenerational phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religion in Latin American is Catholic and is becoming universal, ecumenic and global. Since the 16th century, the people of Peru have fought to retain their cultural identity despite Western encroachment. This paper explores three particular issues: (1) the interplay of the local and the global in the recent history of the Catholic church, (2) the emergence of a theological thinking which is grounded in the practical world and in the consciousness of the poor and middle class citizens, (3) the expansion of civil society with the diversification of the elite and the incorporation of the rural and urban masses. Finally, the impact of these internal changes and how they relate to globalization in religion and culture is examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have suggested that socio-economic structural factors offer the main reasons for international variations in homicide levels—where socio-economic conditions are better, lower levels of homicide are observed. In countries in Latin America, social and economic conditions have improved, yet high levels of homicide have remained. In this article, we examine a new line of reasoning, hypothesizing that the effectiveness of institutions (such as government justice agencies and the police) and poor controls for corruption are key factors for explaining the high levels of homicide in Latin America. We apply a random effects panel regression using a sample of 54 countries from Latin America and other parts of the world, and data for a 13-year period (2005–2017). We examine the relationships between homicide, government effectiveness, corruption and several structural variables to determine if the relationships between these variables are more apparent for countries in the Latin American region. We find that structural factors play less of a role in explaining the international variation in homicide levels, and that government effectiveness and corruption are significantly related to the high levels of homicide experienced in the Latin America region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background Antimicrobial resistance has worsened in Latin America. There is an urgent need to understand the development of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) and the barriers to implementing effective ASPs in light of limited national action plans or policies to promote ASPs in the region. Methods We performed a descriptive mixed-methods study of ASPs in 5 Latin American countries in March-July 2022. An electronic questionnaire with an associated scoring system (hospital ASP self-assessment) was used, and ASP development was classified based on the scores (inadequate, 0–25; basic, 26–50; intermediate, 51–75; or advanced, 76–100). Interviews among healthcare workers (HCWs) involved in antimicrobial stewardship (AS) inquired about behavioral and organizational factors that influence AS activities. Interview data were coded into themes. Results from the ASP self-assessment and interviews were integrated to create an explanatory framework. Results Twenty hospitals completed the self-assessment, and 46 AS stakeholders from these hospitals were interviewed. ASP development was inadequate/basic in 35% of hospitals, intermediate in 50%, and advanced in 15%. For-profit hospitals had higher scores than not-for-profit hospitals. Interview data validated the self-assessment findings and provided further insight into ASP implementation challenges, which included limited formal hospital leadership support, inadequate staffing and tools to perform AS work more efficiently, limited awareness of AS principles by HCWs, and limited training opportunities. Conclusions We identified several barriers to ASP development in Latin America, suggesting the need to create accurate business cases for ASPs to obtain the necessary funding for their effective implementation and sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the late 1970s, countries in Latin America's Southern Cone initiated attempts to lower domestic inflation rates through the progressive reduction of a preannounced rate of exchange-rate devaluation. The stabilization programs gave rise to massive capital inflows, real exchange-rate appreciation, and current-account deficits. This paper develops a stylized intertemporal framework in which the effects of a credible preannounced disinflation scheme can be studied. It is shown that even when agents have perfect foresight and markets clear continuously, the "capital inflows" phenomenon and the associated real appreciation may result. While unanticipated, permanent inflation changes are neutral in the paper, anticipated inflation is neutral only in exceptional circumstances. A preannounced disinflation operates by altering the path of an expenditure-based real domestic interest rate that depends on expected changes in the prices of liquidity services and nontradable consumption goods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the entangled histories of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America (CEPAL) during the post–World War II era. Born of the same global moment, within two decades of their foundation, these institutions had come to represent two opposing visions of world economic order. Yet their mutual antagonism was not a foregone conclusion, and their identities were not so defined from the start. The binary division between them—as well as the very terms of their debate—emerged not in the realm of abstract ideas but rather in their competition over influence in Latin America. Unlike the history of the UN, the story of the IMF continues to be told as one of projection—of power, ideas, and practices—and reception, of dominance by the North and resistance of the South. By looking at CEPAL and the IMF in tandem, as they converged, diverged, and shaped each other, this article shows the impact of a southern institution and Latin America on the northern institution and the structure of global governance. It contributes to our understanding of global institutional history and economic governance, precisely at a moment when global institutions have lost prestige and leverage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today it is rare to find a political scientist who rejects that "ideas matter"—at least in the abstract. But if ideationally inclined theorists have gained seats at the disciplinary table, their approaches still occupy disadvantaged positions. Ideational theories typically must confront nonideational alternatives to achieve salient publication, but nonideational theorists routinely design and publish research without considering ideational alternatives. This is even true on topics where all scholars seem to agree a priori on the importance of ideas. Erratic attention to ideas appears to be justified by widespread views that even if ideas plausibly "matter," they are too intractable to address in concrete research: too difficult to measure empirically, to relate in explanatory ways to action, or to connect to goals of theoretical generalization. This article first highlights major problems with these views in the abstract, and then illustrates them in the example of early Latin American constitutional design. On this terrain, there are good reasons to think that an ideational account connects in more concrete ways to available evidence than leading nonideational hypotheses about constitutional choice. Political science should move toward better balanced debates between plausible explanations, upgrading the rigor of the discipline overall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we explore the state of the art of public affairs education in Latin America and compare it with the evolution and current character of MPA/MPP education in the United States. In doing so, we are able to identify ways in which there is a Latin American model (or at least identifiable patterns) of public affairs education in sharp contrast to what might be expected in terms of emulation of international programs, particularly from the United States and Europe. As the basis for our analysis, we rely on three main sources of information. We use extensive data gathered from a survey of nearly 50 programs of public affairs in Latin America, which we administered in 2015 in order to identify patterns and trends in public affairs education in the region. Then, we compare our data with two data bases: (1) the Atlas of Public Policy and Management (Carleton University and the University of Toronto), which provides an international profile of programs, and (2) NASPAA's Data Center, which summarizes the characteristics of NASPAA-member programs based on Annual Survey data. This comparison allows us to establish to what degree there is a phenomenon of isomorphism in public affairs education between countries in Latin America and similar programs in North America. We finish this article exploring the implications of such results, for the quality and appropriateness of education in government affairs in Latin American countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]