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Worldwide, it is widely recognized that violent conflicts constrain economic growth and development. Thus, it is necessary to research and analyse the main causes of violence and their relationship with development. This paper analyses how violence has affected economic development in the Mexican context during the 2000–2015 period. It takes into account that in the last decade, this country has had increased levels of violence, especially since the 'war on drugs' against drug trafficking was promulgated in 2006. This study uses different econometric models that apply the assessments of the panel unit root and cointegration tests and panel cointegration estimation. The results indicate that the tests used to validate the data allow the panel data cointegration relationships to be calculated. They demonstrate the existence of a long-run relationship between violence and economic development. Specifically, the results take into account that gross domestic product per capita and public investments have inverse relationships with the homicide rate, whereas poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and the Gini index have direct relationships with the homicide rate. Moreover, violence is strongly related to the deterrence variables. The findings of this study demonstrate that drug trafficking explains the increased violence in Mexico. Thus, it is important to develop and formulate adequate policies to control this situation, take measures to control violence starting with its root causes and promote social and economic development with a strategy to strengthen legal activities in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper develops an index to evaluate the level of effectiveness of the control of violence based on the data envelopment analysis approach. The index is used to examine the grade of effectiveness of the control of violence at the level of Colombian departments between 1993 and 2007. Comparing the results across Colombian departments, we find that the majority of departments show improvement in their scores of effectiveness. A second stage of the regression model reveals that departments with a higher gross domestic product and higher education and employment are more effective in the control of violence, whereas departments with higher political violence, unemployment rates, unsatisfied basic needs, a displaced population, and hectares cultivated with coca show lower effectiveness in the control of violence. All these findings are of particular interest in the formulation and development of policies against violence, taking into account that organised forms of violence, such as drug trafficking, impede the adequate effectiveness of its control. Moreover, violence decreases social investments, generating alterations in social services that produce long-run deterioration in faith in the government' ability to govern, which should become an incentive to further violence. (Contains 5 tables, 2 figures and 6 footnotes.)

This research has as objective to analyze the determinants of violence that have an impact on the economic development of the municipalities of the Sugamuxi province between 2000 and 2010. The methodology used was based in the construction of a datummodel dynamic panel, with different estimates that capture the effects and evolution of human capital, the production influence per capita, the violence variables, the poverty and its different effects over the economic development of the municipalities. It was found that the different estimated models confirm the hypothesis that violence has a negative influence on the economic development of the municipalities of the Sugamuxi province, which corroborate the evidence and the effects of violence over development. The results suggest that the different ways of violence have perverse effects on the development; meanwhile the different levels of education have a positive impact on the economic development of the municipalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For the past thirty years, the behavior of production in Colombia has been analyzed using a model that establishes relations among the physical capital, the stock of human capital - broken down into skilled labor and non-skilled labor -, and the employment index. The results of this study distinguish two important effects of human capital on economic growth. The first has to do with the human capital itself; it refers to the greater productivity or efficiency acquired through greater levels of education or training. The second is the benefit generated by a greater percentage of the society being educated or through freely disseminated technological innovations; it is a social effect, not an individual one, which indicates that economies with more trained human capital are more productive than others. They both result in greater productivity for the society at large and in higher economic growth rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open science can provide researchers diverse opportunities to collaborate, disseminate their research results, generate important impacts in the scientific community, and engage in effective and efficient science for the benefit of society. This study seeks to analyse and evaluate researchers' knowledge of open science in Colombia using a survey to determine adequate instruments with which to improve research in the framework of open science. The aim of the study is to determine researchers' current awareness of open science by considering demographic characteristics to analyse their attitudes, values, and information habits as well as the levels of institutionalism and social appropriation of open science. A representative sample of Colombian researchers was selected from the National Research System. An anonymous online survey consisting of 34 questions was sent to all professors and researchers at Colombian universities and research institutes. Sampling was random and stratified, which allowed for a representative sample of different categories of researchers, and principal component analysis (PCA) was used for the sample design. A total of 1042 responses were received, with a 95% confidence level and a margin of error of 3%. The majority of respondents knew about open science, especially in relation to open science tools (software, repositories, and networks) and open data. Researchers consider open science to be positively impacted by factors such as the rise of digital technologies, the search for new forms of collaboration, the greater availability of open data and information, and public demand for better and more effective science. In contrast, a lack of resources to develop research activities within the open science approach and the limited integration between traditional and open science are identified as the most important barriers to its use in research. These results are important for building adequate open science policy in Colombia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The lack of household income, along with other socio-economic and financial variables, is the main obstacle for the population to access homeownership. This study's main purpose is to analyze the various elements that influence the probability that those low-income households in Colombia to have housing. Specifically, it seeks to establish the effects and impact of the variables associated with economic, demographic, social and financial factors. The analysis is done by applying discrete choice models logit and probit. The results of the estimated probabilistic models show that households with adequate income and savings levels are more likely to access housing priority interest, while households with more members, elderly and high payments on the lease, is less likely to obtain housing. The main findings show the importance of design strategies and public policies that promote equality in income distribution and poverty reduction, key factors driving growth and economic development. As recommended by housing policy aims to improve consulting encouraging savings for housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]