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The decision to establish direct elections to the European Parliament was intended by many to establish a direct link between the individual citizen and decision making at the European level. Elections were meant to help to establish a common identity among the peoples of Europe, to legitimise policy through the normal electoral processes and provide a public space within which Europeans could exert a more direct control over their collective future. Critics disagreed, arguing that direct elections to the European Parliament would further undermine the sovereignty of member states, and may not deliver on the promise that so many were making on behalf of that process. In particular, some wondered whether elections alone could mobilise European publics to take a much greater interest in European matters, with the possibility of European elections being contested simply on national matters. Evaluating these divergent views, the subject of this article is to review the literature on direct elections to the European Parliament in the context of the role these elections play in governance of the European Union. The seminal work by Reif and Schmitt serves as the starting point of our review. These authors were the frst to discuss elections to the European Parliament as second-order national elections. Results of second-order elections are infuenced not only by second-order factors, but also by the situation in the frst-order arena at the time of the second-order election. In the 30 years and six more sets of European Parliament elections since the publication of their work, the concept has become the dominant one in any academic discussion of European elections. In this article we review that work in order to assess the continuing value of the second-order national election concept today, and to consider some of the more fruitful areas for research which might build on the advance made by Reif and Schmitt. While the concept has proven useful in studies of a range of elections beyond just those for the European Parliament, including those for regional and local assemblies as well as referendums, this review will concentrate solely on EP elections. Concluding that Reif and Schmitt's characterisation remains broadly valid today, the article allows that while this does not mean there is necessarily a democratic defcit within the EU, there may be changes that could be made to encourage a more efective electoral process.

The water service in Tunisia has been managed for more than forty years by a public company. A social policy, based on a progressive charging system and a national cross-subsidization had accompanied the service development throughout this period. The sector shows currently good performances with access of the entire urban population and about 92% of the rural population to safe water drinking according to 2007 data. It enters thus in a new phase of development. The aim to increase the supply capacity has been replaced by the target to improve the quality of the service : lowering the upper limit of the supplied water salinity, linking scattered rural populations with individual connections. At the same time, the supply costs keep increasing. In this new context, mechanisms in contradiction with the initial objectives of the cross-subsidization system may occur. This thesis will first present a new interpretation of the equity requirements that must guide social policies of a water servicewhen the population access to water is accomplished. Then, it consists on incorporating the compensation mechanisms into an economic regulation disposal that includes both the design of the tariff structure and the institutions in charge of its implementation. ; Le service de l'eau potable en Tunisie est géré depuis plus de quarante ans par une entreprise publique. Une politique sociale, basée sur un système de tarification progressif et une péréquation nationale, avait accompagné le développement du service pendant toute cette période. Le secteur affiche aujourd'hui de bonnes performances avec un accès de la totalité de la population urbaine et environ 92 % de la population rurale à l'eau potable, selon les données de l'année 2007. Il entre ainsi dans une nouvelle phase de développement. Les objectifs d'augmentation quantitative de la desserte cèdent la place à la logique d'amélioration qualitative : rabaissement du seuil maximal de salinité de l'eau distribuée, raccordement en branchement individuel de la population rurale dispersée. En face, le coût d'approvisionnement du service ne cesse de croître. Dans cette nouvelle situation, des mécanismes en contradiction avec les objectifs initiaux du système de péréquation risquent de se produire. Cette thèse se propose de présenter d'abord une vision renouvelée des impératifs d'équité qui doivent guider les politiques sociales d'un service de l'eau potable, et ceci dans le cas où l'accès à l'eau potable de la population est généralisé. Il s'agit d'insérer ensuite les mécanismes de compensation construits dans un dispositif de régulation économique qui englobe à la fois la conception de la structure tarifaire et les institutions en charge de sa mise en oeuvre.

?Trotz zwanzig Jahren aktiver Gleichstellungspolitik hat sich nicht viel verändert: Frauen sind auf Chefetagen eine seltene und bestaunte Ausnahme? (Dienel 2002: 17). Egal ob in der Wirtschaft, im öffentlichen Dienst, in der Politik oder in der Wissenschaft, der Frauenanteil liegt nahezu in all diesen Bereichen bei unter zehn Prozent. Frauen kommen nach wie vor nur bis zur mittleren Managementebene, wie durch eine ?gläserne Decke? bleibt ihnen der weitere Weg nach oben verwehrt. In unserer Masterarbeit legen wir den Fokus auf Personen in Führungspositionen und den Organisationen, in denen diese tätig sind. Wir haben mittels qualitativer ExpertInneninterviews mit diskursiven Elementen Frauen und Männer in Führungspositionen befragt, um herauszufinden wie der Aufstieg in diese Positionen verlaufen ist und wie sich ihr Arbeitsalltag gestaltet. Ebenso befassten wir uns mit den persönlichen Ansichten und Einstellungen der Führungskräfte in Bezug darauf, was diese als wichtig erachten um in eine Führungsposition zu gelangen, und diese auch erfolgreich ausüben zu können. Ziel unserer Arbeit ist es, Unterschiede und Gemeinsamkeiten der Führungskräfte in zwei Organisationen in Bezug auf Einstiegs- und Aufstiegswege und den Arbeitsalltag darzustellen. Die Analyse des Formalisierungsgrades der Organisationen und der Deutungsmuster in den Aussagen der Führungskräfte nehmen dabei einen zentralen Stellenwert ein. ?Bei uns sind alle gleich?, mit diesem Satz wurden wir häufig im Laufe der Interviews konfrontiert. Ob dies tatsächlich der Fall ist und alle Personen in den Organisationen dieselben Möglichkeiten haben eine Führungsposition zu erreichen, dies ist der Inhalt unserer Masterarbeit. ; Despite two decades of active gender policy not much has changed: women at executive levels are rare and marvelled at exception (Dienel 2002: 17). Whether in business, public service, politics or science, the proportion of women is less than ten per cent in all these areas. Still women only reach middle management level, the invisible "glass ceiling" hinders further promotion. In our thesis, we lay the focus on people in leadership positions and the organizations in which they operate. Using qualitative expert interviews with discursive elements, we interviewed both women and men in leadership positions to identify how they managed to climb the career ladder and how their day-to-day working lives were affected. Furthermore, we examined the degree of formalization of the organizations in order to detect possible links between formalization and the career of the interviewed executives. In addition, we asked about their personal views and attitudes regarding what they deem to be important in order to reach and maintain a leadership position.The aim of our work is to compare and contrast how the heads of two organizations entered the organization, how their career evolved and how their working environment looks like. The analysis of the level of formalization of the organization and of the patterns of interpretation of executives takes on a central role in our thesis."We are all the same," in the course of the interviews we were often confronted with this sentence. Wether all people in the organizations indeed have the same opportunities to achieve leadership positions, is the subject matter of our master's thesis. ; Jenny Maria Käfer & Susanne Kink ; Abweichender Titel laut Übersetzung der Verfasserin/des Verfassers ; Zsfassung in engl. Sprache ; Graz, Univ., Masterarb., 2009 ; (VLID)245713

In order to be simultaneously effective and liberal, governments must normally be able to count on voluntary compliance - which, in turn, depends on the support of socially shared legitimacy beliefs. In Western constitutional democracies, such beliefs are derived from the distinct but coexistent traditions of 'republican' and 'liberal' political philosophy. When judged by these criteria, the European Union - if considered by itself - appears as a thoroughly liberal polity which, however, lacks all republican credentials. But this view (which seems to structure the debates about the 'European democratic deficit') ignores the multilevel nature of the European polity, where the compliance of citizens is requested, and needs to be legitimated by member states - whereas the Union appears as a 'government of governments' which is entirely dependent on the voluntary compliance of its member states. What matters primarily, therefore, is the compliance-legitimacy relationship between the Union and its member states - which, however, is normatively constrained by the basic compliance-legitimacy relationship between member governments and their constituents. Given the high consensus requirements of European legislation, member governments could and should be able to assume political responsibility for European policies in which they had a voice, and to justify them in 'communicative discourses' in the national public space. This is not necessarily true of 'non-political' policy choices imposed by the European Court of Justice. By enforcing its 'liberal' program of liberalization and deregulation, the ECJ may presently be undermining the 'republican' bases of member-state legitimacy. Where this is the case, open non-compliance is a present danger, and political controls of judicial legislation may be called for. ; Um gleichzeitig effektiv und liberal sein zu können, ist staatliche Herrschaft auf freiwillige Folgebereitschaft angewiesen - die ihrerseits der Unterstützung durch sozial geteilte Legitimitätsüberzeugungen bedarf. In den demokratischen Verfassungsstaaten des Westens werden solche Überzeugungen aus den unterschiedlichen, aber komplementär zusammenwirkenden Traditionen der 'republikanischen' und der 'liberalen' politischen Philosophie hergeleitet. An diesen Kriterien gemessen erscheint die Europäische Union - wenn man sie für sich betrachtet - als eine 'liberale' politische Ordnung, der jedoch alle 'republikanischen' Legitimitätsmerkmale fehlen. Aber eine solche Sichtweise, die auch die derzeitige Diskussion über ein 'europäisches Demokratiedefizit' bestimmt, verkennt den Mehrebenencharakter des europäischen Gemeinwesens. In ihm sind es die Mitgliedstaaten, die Entscheidungen der Union gegenüber den eigenen Bürgern durchsetzen und auch legitimieren müssen, während es für die Union ihrerseits auf die freiwillige Folgebereitschaft ihrer Mitgliedstaaten ankommt. Dabei werden diese jedoch durch die normativen Grundlagen ihrer eigenen Legitimität begrenzt. Politische Entscheidungen auf europäischer Ebene setzen breiten Konsens voraus, und die Regierungen sollten sie deshalb auch gegenüber den eigenen Bürgern in 'kommunikativen Diskursen' vertreten und dafür die politische Verantwortung übernehmen können. Dies gilt jedoch nicht notwendigerweise auch für Entscheidungen der europäischen Politik, die im nichtpolitischen Modus ohne Beteiligung des Rates und des Parlaments vom Europäischen Gerichtshof bestimmt werden. Mit der gegenwärtigen Radikalisierung seines 'liberalen' Programms der Liberalisierung und Deregulierung des nationalen Rechts könnte der Gerichtshof in der Tat die 'republikanischen' Grundlagen der mitgliedstaatlichen Legitimität unterminieren. In diesem Falle könnte die Union sich nicht länger auf die Folgebereitschaft ihrer Mitgliedstaaten verlassen. Um diese Gefahr für die europäische Integration zu vermeiden, sollte eine stärkere politische Kontrolle der richterlichen Rechtsetzung erwogen werden.

57p.: (pdf); il; tablas; anexos ; Hoy en día, las comunicaciones juegan un papel importante y decisorio dentro de las organizaciones que pretenden crear parámetros, y dejar claro las diferentes funciones de los individuos que hacen parte de ella y sus respectivas áreas de trabajo. El fin esencial, es crear acciones que sirvan en el cumplimento de esos objetivos que se ha fijado, para no cometer errores a la hora de relacionarse con los diferentes públicos, de esta manera la política servirá como sustento ético en la consecución de la misión, visión, principios y valores ya establecidos. La Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana Seccional Bucaramanga, en su proyecto institucional maneja unas directrices y unas políticas, dentro de las cuales la comunicación y las relaciones públicas juegan un papel importante, ya que son el soporte de los procesos y objetivos institucionales. Es evidente que la Universidad no tiene definida de una manera clara una política de comunicaciones, a pesar de entender el valor de la comunicación; es ahí cuando surge la propuesta de realizar una indagación en los diferentes documentos de la UPB, que sirvieran como referente a la hora de crear y proponer una política clara de Comunicaciones, la cual va a permitir una mejora en la imagen institucional, además de poner al conocimiento de los diversos públicos, el papel de la comunicación en la Institución. El siguiente documento, dará cuerpo a una política para la Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana Seccional Bucaramanga, partiendo de una documentación previa del quehacer Bolivariano, que permitirá validar las diversas competencias comunicativas relacionadas con el talento humano imperante en la Institución. ; Today, communications plays an important role and decision making within organizations seeking to establish parameters and make clear the different roles of individuals who are part of it and their respective work areas. The main aim is to create actions that serve to fulfill these objectives it has set to avoid mistakes when it comes to connecting with different audiences, thus creating a communications policy, serve as ethical substance in achieving of the mission, vision, principles and values already established. Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana Bucaramanga branch in your project manages institutional guidelines and policies, within which communication and public relations play an important role as they support the processes and objectives. The following document will give a political body for the UPB Bucaramanga branch from a pre Bolivariano of endeavor, which help validate the various communication skills related to the prevailing human talent at the university, in addition to improving the climate and the image.

Over the past decades several shifts can be identified in the field of environmental health risk reduction policies in the Netherlands. In response to the shortcomings of traditional sector-based (environmental) policy, the government has proposed a new approach to deal with health risks that encourages an integrated as well as differentiated approach. This implies an increased desire to enhance cross-sectoral and stakeholder negotiations and achieve greater transparency, take levels of attainability and area -based factors into consideration, and assess the cumulative impact of risks. There is also a strong drive to incorporate cost-benefit assessment and public perception as part of the 'concern' assessment in decision-making practices alongside quantitative risk estimates of physical effects. Although some progress has been made in moving towards this new 'rational' mentality, it appears that there are still several obstacles in governmental decision -making that need to be overcome (e.g. relating to risk appraisal and the assessment of stakeholder opinions). In the light of recent trends observed in the Dutch context – and the associated problems experienced – it was chosen to conduct an international evaluation of various national approaches to environmental health risk reduction policies, in order to assess whether similar trends (and possible solutions) can be seen elsewhere. The 12 countries included (the United States, Australia and ten nations in different parts of Europe) were evaluated on the basis of a set of indicators that can be used to measure integration and differentiation. In general, this study demonstrates that countries are indeed showing similar shifts in integrated and differentiated risk assessment and risk governance to those witnessed in the Netherlands, although several of these changes are still in the initial phases and could therefore be developed further. A lack of scientific and other data, difficulties in weighing diverging sectoral ambitions, the quantification of health risks, budgetary constraints and insufficient communication (between risk assessors and risk managers; amongst different sectors, and with stakeholders) were mentioned as the primary barriers for implementation of more targeted and differentiated health risk reduction strategies. Most countries also expressed a desire for a more coherent and standardised approach to tackling environmental health risk. This paper therefore outlines the main trends in environmental health risk reduction at the international level, brings forward several elements that could form part of a new approach to risk, and gives some advice for future research. The study should be seen as a quick-scan and should therefore not be considered comprehensive as such.

THE EXPERIENCE OF OBESITY AMONG ADOLESCENT GIRLS:A PHENOMENOLOGICAL STUDYMarcia S. WertzABSTRACTThe increased prevalence of childhood obesity in the U.S. has been recognized as a complex and multi-factorial issue that requires a comprehensive and multi-pronged approach to deal with it. Obesity is generally considered a problem of errant lifestyle behaviors around eating and exercise. Current approaches address adolescent obesity by aiming to change lifestyle behaviors at the individual level, in the school, and in the larger community. The objective of this study was to understand the experience of overweight adolescent girls who are at the center of these changes.This interpretive phenomenological study was conducted over a 2-year period. It included participant observation in a San Francisco pediatric obesity clinic, in-depth interviews with 15 obese adolescent girls, home visits and in-depth interviews with 3 mothers of girls in the study, a review of adolescent participants' medical records, a review of San Francisco Unified School District's (SFUSD) board meeting and committee meeting minutes since 2001, and participant observation in the SFUSD student nutrition and physical activity committee.The findings have been grouped under three main themes that were present in the data: the adolescent world, how food is understood, and uncovering "the Look." Within each theme the girl's own closest domestic environment and the public we-world intersect in the experience of the adolescent who is faced with changing her eating behaviors.In being identified as the nexus of the problem of obesity, teenage girls adopt different stances, appropriate to their way of being, to respond to those who want to help them control their weight. "Stance" is the stand a person takes on herself. It is not a conscious, mental or emotional stance, rather it is a non-deliberate, non-contemplated effortless way of being. Stance influences every interaction a person has, including those with the clinic, with school, with peers, and with family. Four prominent stances emerged from the data, and are highlighted for comparison and contrast: oppositional, resistant/bargaining, resigned or accepting, and engaged.Understanding the stance a girl takes may play an important role in the ability to modify her lifestyle behaviors. This is significant for clinicians, who may need to tailor their practice to the stance of their obese patient in order to be effective. This is relevant for policy-makers, as the implication is that social messages, and legislating toward change, must appeal to every stance if they are to be successful in stemming the epidemic of childhood obesity.

A municipality has an obligation to its citizens to manage and carry out political decisions. The challenge is often not only to conduct a successful project in terms of productivity and efficiency and thus not exceed a budget appropriation, but also to follow the policy and improve stakeholder values in the built environment. The purpose of this paper is to study how client's intentions have been achieved and what kind of stakeholder values have been created in a public cultural construction project. A literature review has been accomplished discussing the briefing process and how stakeholder values can be identified and analysed. Two perspectives have been discussed, economic value in terms of efficiency and effectiveness and social value in terms of building performance. From a case study of a construction project, the House of Culture, the clients' development and formulation of requirements, needs and desires in the briefing process have been analyzed. Data have been collected by interviews with stakeholders and by using secondary data (primarily the written brief). The results from the study show that the client's intention of creating a meeting place and a cultural house with different cultural activities such as a library, concert halls and an art hall for all kinds of people living in the community have been achieved based on the client's ability to develop a solution of how to combined different cultural activities; manage political rules; develop real and viable project goals and develop a written strategic brief with an overall vision and goals for the building and the building's performance. Shared goals regarding costs and time have led to a successful project and trust has been built between the client, designer and contractor in the project. End-users' values have been created when estimating building performance, such as social change, job opportunities, development of organisational and business activities, multitude of cultural activities in one building and social values related to form (easily accessible, beautiful, comfortable, safe) and place (for everybody). However, there are still questions to be answered about the client's intentions for the building. End-users' estimation of functionality and technical solutions and how these activities have been developed, the evaluation of cultural and building assets, and if the building and its performance can be valued as a symbol for the city and cultural hub for the region, are issues for further research. ; Godkänd; 2009; 20090629 (krilau) ; Samhällsnyttan av att bygga kulturhus/Value Creation in Cultural Construction

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Die Elektrizitätswirtschaft beschäftigt sich als Teilgebiet der Energiewirtschaft mit der Herausforderung den Bedarf an elektrischer Energie für Konsumenten, öffentliche Infrastruktur, Gewerbe und Industrie zu decken. Das Funktionieren der Elektrizitätsmärkte hängt dabei von den verschiedensten Elementen und deren Beziehungen zueinander ab. Aufgrund unterschiedlichster Einflussgrößen ist die Entwicklung dieser Märkte schwer vorhersehbar. Nicht zuletzt durch den Nationalen Allokationsplan 2008-2012 der Europäischen Union und dem damit einhergehenden Handel mit Emissionszertifikaten tritt für Betreiber thermischer Kraftwerke eine Verschärfung der Wettbewerbssituation am Elektrizitätsmarkt ein. Vor allem Polen, mit einem Anteil von ungefähr 90 % Kraftwerkskapazität aus Kohle muss seinen Ausstoß beträchtlich senken um die Reduktionsvorgaben erfüllen zu können. Die Antwort der polnischen Regierung darauf war, einzelne Stromerzeuger zu konsolidieren und damit international wettbewerbsfähige Konzerne zu schaffen. Die vorliegende Masterarbeit beschäftigt sich unter anderem mit diesen Unternehmen sowohl nach technischen als auch nach wirtschaftlichem Gesichtspunkten. Neben diesen Unternehmen ist auch noch die Beschreibung der restlichen Marktteilnehmer wie Regulierungsbehörde oder die Börse ein Teil der Arbeit. Nachdem die erforderlichen Rahmenbedingungen des europäischen Elektrizitätsmarktes erklärt werden, gibt diese Arbeit weiters Einblick in Marktstrukturen und die rechtliche Entwicklung der polnischen Energiepolitik. Die Ergebnisse der Recherchearbeit fließen in eine Unternehmenssimulation. Hier wird anhand der ermittelten Daten und eines Strategiepapieres für Investitionsprojekte eines polnischen Stromerzeugers eine Simulation möglicher zukünftiger Entwicklungen des Unternehmens dargestellt. ; The electricity economics as part of the energy economics deals with the challenge to cover the demand of electrical energy of private consumers, public infrastructure, business and industry. The functioning of the electricity markets depends on various elements and their relation to another. Due to various factors, the development of these markets is almost unpredictable. The emissions trading system brought reinforcement in the competition in the electricity markets. Especially Poland, with a high level from coal power generation needs to meet its emissions reduction targets. The reply of the Polish government was to consolidate individual generators and to create internationally competitive corporations. This diploma thesis deals with these companies and gives also a detailed analysis and description of the electricity market in Poland and an outlook of the current situation. After explaining the necessary framework of the European electricity market, this work gives further insight into market structures and the legal development of the Polish energy policy. This part includes also a detailed describtion about the market player on the polish electricity market. The main market player is the Transmission System Operator, which was installed under the EU directives. In the future, Poland will support the electricity on nuclear energy. And so it is important to have information about the future development of the electricity market. Such questions will be discussed in the 6th chapter. The final chapter describes a scenario analysis of possible developments of a selected company from the period 2006 - 2006. The results will be shown and discussed concerning the consequences for the company and the polish electricity market. ; Franz Josef Wimmer ; Abweichender Titel laut Übersetzung der Verfasserin/des Verfassers ; Zsfassung in engl. Sprache ; Graz, Univ., Masterarb., 2009 ; (VLID)245907

Esse artigo explora, numa perspectiva etnográfica, o alcance do conceito de gentrification com relação às mudanças (e também permanências) sociais e urbanas em curso no bairro da Luz, localizado na área central da cidade de São Paulo, situado numa confluência entre processos de preservação patrimonial de instituições culturais, intervenções urbanísticas e um uso histórico por parte de vários grupos provenientes das classes populares. Tais questões serão tratadas com atenção aos seguintes tópicos: políticas locais de intervenção em áreas marcadas pela estigmatização, quando ocupadas predominantemente pelas classes populares; a revisão da oposição "práticas de intervenção" vs. "resistência dos grupos atingidos" (marcadas por certas divisões do ponto de vista analítico); por fim, a busca de definições mais precisas dos termos de comparação com outros casos emblemáticos (evitando perspectivas apriorísticas). ; This paper will explore, from an anthropological perspective, the extent to which the concept of gentrification can be applied to current urban interventions in the district of Luz, situated in the inner city of São Paulo (population 11 million), and caught between the conflicting interests of the preservation of historical patrimony, the promotion of cultural consumption and the historical use of the area's public spaces by the working class. This question will be approached with emphasis on the following issues: local government policy on urban improvement and the stigmatization of areas occupied predominantly by the working class; the rethinking of tradition al dichotomies, such as the (analytically divisive) polarity "politics of urban intervention" vs. "resistance of affected groups"; the multiple meanings attributed to the notion of bairro ('district' or 'neighborhood') and the definition of terms of comparison with other cases (avoiding a priori perspectives). ; Esse artigo explora, numa perspectiva etnográfica, o alcance do conceito de gentrification com relação às mudanças (e também permanências) sociais e urbanas em curso no bairro da Luz, localizado na área central da cidade de São Paulo, situado numa confluência entre processos de preservação patrimonial de instituições culturais, intervenções urbanísticas e um uso histórico por parte de vários grupos provenientes das classes populares. Tais questões serão tratadas com atenção aos seguintes tópicos: políticas locais de intervenção em áreas marcadas pela estigmatização, quando ocupadas predominantemente pelas classes populares; a revisão da oposição "práticas de intervenção" vs. "resistência dos grupos atingidos" (marcadas por certas divisões do ponto de vista analítico); por fim, a busca de definições mais precisas dos termos de comparação com outros casos emblemáticos (evitando perspectivas apriorísticas).

Esse artigo explora, numa perspectiva etnográfica, o alcance do conceito de gentrification com relação às mudanças (e também permanências) sociais e urbanas em curso no bairro da Luz, localizado na área central da cidade de São Paulo, situado numa confluência entre processos de preservação patrimonial de instituições culturais, intervenções urbanísticas e um uso histórico por parte de vários grupos provenientes das classes populares. Tais questões serão tratadas com atenção aos seguintes tópicos: políticas locais de intervenção em áreas marcadas pela estigmatização, quando ocupadas predominantemente pelas classes populares; a revisão da oposição "práticas de intervenção" vs. "resistência dos grupos atingidos" (marcadas por certas divisões do ponto de vista analítico); por fim, a busca de definições mais precisas dos termos de comparação com outros casos emblemáticos (evitando perspectivas apriorísticas). ; This paper will explore, from an anthropological perspective, the extent to which the concept of gentrification can be applied to current urban interventions in the district of Luz, situated in the inner city of São Paulo (population 11 million), and caught between the conflicting interests of the preservation of historical patrimony, the promotion of cultural consumption and the historical use of the area's public spaces by the working class. This question will be approached with emphasis on the following issues: local government policy on urban improvement and the stigmatization of areas occupied predominantly by the working class; the rethinking of tradition al dichotomies, such as the (analytically divisive) polarity "politics of urban intervention" vs. "resistance of affected groups"; the multiple meanings attributed to the notion of bairro ('district' or 'neighborhood') and the definition of terms of comparison with other cases (avoiding a priori perspectives). ; Esse artigo explora, numa perspectiva etnográfica, o alcance do conceito de gentrification com relação às mudanças (e também permanências) sociais e urbanas em curso no bairro da Luz, localizado na área central da cidade de São Paulo, situado numa confluência entre processos de preservação patrimonial de instituições culturais, intervenções urbanísticas e um uso histórico por parte de vários grupos provenientes das classes populares. Tais questões serão tratadas com atenção aos seguintes tópicos: políticas locais de intervenção em áreas marcadas pela estigmatização, quando ocupadas predominantemente pelas classes populares; a revisão da oposição "práticas de intervenção" vs. "resistência dos grupos atingidos" (marcadas por certas divisões do ponto de vista analítico); por fim, a busca de definições mais precisas dos termos de comparação com outros casos emblemáticos (evitando perspectivas apriorísticas).

Applications of omics technologies in the postgenomics era swiftly expanded from rare monogenic disorders to multifactorial common complex diseases, pharmacogenomics, and personalized medicine. Already, there are signposts indicative of further omics technology investment in nutritional sciences (nutrigenomics), environmental health/ecology (ecogenomics), and agriculture (agrigenomics). Genotype-phenotype association studies are a centerpiece of translational research in omics science. Yet scientific and ethical standards and ways to assess and communicate risk information obtained from association studies have been neglected to date. This is a significant gap because association studies decisively influence which genetic loci become genetic tests in the clinic or products in the genetic test marketplace. A growing challenge concerns the interpretation of large overlap typically observed in distribution of quantitative traits in a genetic association study with a polygenic/multifactorial phenotype. To remedy the shortage of risk assessment and communication tools for association studies, this paper presents the concept of edge effect. That is, the shift in population edges of a multifactorial quantitative phenotype is a more sensitive measure (than population averages) to gauge the population level impact and by extension, policy significance of an omics marker. Empirical application of the edge effect concept is illustrated using an original analysis of warfarin pharmacogenomics and the VKORC1 genetic variation in a Brazilian population sample. These edge effect analyses are examined in relation to regulatory guidance development for association studies. We explain that omics science transcends the conventional laboratory bench space and includes a highly heterogeneous cast of stakeholders in society who have a plurality of interests that are often in conflict. Hence, communication of risk information in diagnostic medicine also demands attention to processes involved in production of knowledge and human values embedded in scientific practice, for example, why, how, by whom, and to what ends association studies are conducted, and standards are developed (or not). To ensure sustainability of omics innovations and forecast their trajectory, we need interventions to bridge the gap between omics laboratory and society. Appreciation of scholarship in history of omics science is one remedy to responsibly learn from the past to ensure a sustainable future in omics fields, both emerging (nutrigenomics, ecogenomics), and those that are more established (pharmacogenomics). Another measure to build public trust and sustainability of omics fields could be legislative initiatives to create a multidisciplinary oversight body, at arm's length from conflict of interests, to carry out independent, impartial, and transparent innovation analyses and prospective technology assessment.

Considering water as an economic good consists of, among other requisites, properly assessing the cost incurred by supplying and managing the resource, and the required infrastructure thereof. This paper investigates and assesses the full financial costs of irrigation services in smallholder conditions, and discusses the possible match between farmers' performances and the costs incurred, from a case study in South Africa. The paper first presents the specific conditions and features of smallholder irrigation, with emphasis on South African examples. Several specific issues are identified and discussed, such as the lack of records on infrastructure and initial costs, the multiple purpose and actual uses of certain equipment and infrastructure, the shift in purpose of others over time, the inclusion of certain small, yet indispensable equipment in the calculation, the partial refurbishment works on particular assets, and the lack of a standard basis for calculation under tropical, developing conditions (e.g. on service life, maintenance requirements). Second, after a brief review of current frameworks, concepts and terminology, the paper attempts to evaluate financial costs of irrigation services on a case study in South Africa. The results suggest that the application of existing methodologies proves feasible, provided some adapted data and available information replace the original ones, especially for capital costs. This applies to the discount rate, calculation of the current value, and estimation of the service life of infrastructure and equipment. In particular, several scenarios have been tested in order to estimate a surrogate to the discount rate. The average yield on Negotiable Certificates of Deposit (NCD) is suggested as a surrogate for treasury bills, hence for the discount rate. The case study demonstrates the high costs of irrigation services as compared to the low income derived from irrigation production in smallholder schemes; hence the need for renewed public intervention and subsidization, especially on account of the current context of management transfer, privatization, and liberalization. The case also indicates that under the current production levels and marketing practices, farmers would not be able to achieve the targeted return on assets (ROA) of four percent, as suggested by Government. The paper suggests a shift in underlying policy and societal mindset about water charging system in smallholder irrigation. Cost recovery and water charges should not be considered a further burden or deterring factors for smallholder irrigation, but rather incentives towards increased production and ultimately improved contribution to the country's economy.

Providing a balance sheet of Kirchnerism is not a straightforward task. While clearly far from being the recasting of Argentina's political culture proclaimed by its partisans, neither of Argentina's political culture proclaimed by its partisans, neither was it a mere prolongation of the 1990s dispensation. In what follows, the author will outline Kirchnerism's characteristic features, noting both where it marked a break with the past & the elements of strong continuity. For if Kirchner can point to some genuine economic achievements & certain policy initiatives that qualitatively separate him from earlier administrations, his government otherwise presided over widening income inequalities & an increasing trend towards precarious forms of labor. His political praxis meanwhile, was marked by repeated recourse to tactics of co-option & clientelism, suggesting that the old order supposedly swept aside by the crisis of 2001-02 has clung to life, in altered guise; & that it may yet make a full recovery. The conflict with the countryside had a paradoxical result; on the one hand, it brought onto the political stage different social & economic actors, linked to the agribusiness model, while strengthening the positions of the most conservative & reactionary section. On the other hand, its denouement has imposed political limits on the government which probably signal the end of the 'K Era' -- at least in the configuration that has obtained since 2003, combining appeals for a 'new politics' & hopes of constructing a cross-party centre let force with a heightened concentration of power in the executive branch & the instrumental use of allies, even within the ruling bloc. This style of government, effective in reshaping the political scene during the first years of Kirchner's mandate, is now being questioned by a significant portion of society -- above all the middle classes -- who rejected the authoritarianism of the presidential couple, disbelieving its promises of renewal & demanding that power be further democratized. The Peronist party's election of Nestor Kirchner as its chairman in May 2008 may be a public role, but as a first step towards the reconsolidation of the Partido Justicialista which, thanks to Kirchner's changeling strategies, has ridden out the storms of devaluation more successfully than any other political force in the country. The situation as it stands is likely to mark the end of the K Era & its timid experiments with building a centre left coalition clearing the way for the traditional system of Peronist domination to return with a vengeance. Adapted from the source document.