FDI and Technology as Levering Factors of Competitiveness in Developing Countries

Technology creation and absorption are two relevant processes that affect the role that multinational enterprises (MNE) may play in the competitiveness improvement of the developing economies. The importance of internal factors in local contexts, the increasing integration in the industrial international value chain and the access of firms from these countries to diverse external learning sources, constitute a suitable framework for the analysis of competitiveness shift. In this paper, we study how the integration of firms from developing countries in sophisticated high-tech markets can be defined by the combined action of MNE and the ability for technology absorption and creation. Our empirical analysis with panel data shows how the different dimensions of internal and external factors affect international competitiveness in high-tech industries.     

Parental leave policies,intra-household time allocations and children’s human capital

This paper uses a general equilibrium model of marriage and divorce to assess how public policies on parental leave and leave benefits affect intra-household decision making, family structure, intergenerational mobility, and the distribution of income. The benchmark economy is calibrated to US data to replicate some characteristics relevant to the interaction between the marriage and labor markets. The effects of unpaid leave, paid leave benefits, and mandated leave on human capital investment, distribution of income, and welfare are then analyzed.      

Women’s Political Firsts and Symbolic Representation

ABSTRACT

The extent to which politics is still a “man’s game” is made evident every time a top political office has a female holder for the first time. These incredibly revealing moments may give a new social meaning to women in politics—women’s political presence—and women and politics—gendered social constructions about women’s capacity to rule. This article explores the types of gendered mediation underpinning the representation of first-ever women serving in historically male-dominated political offices in Spain. It shows that gender media frames are pervasive, which may lead to an effective annihilation of women’s symbolic representation.     

African American Adults' Perceptions of the Effects of Parental Loss During Adolescence

The purpose of this study was to examine twenty African American adults' perceptions of the effects of parental loss during their adolescence, examine their grief reactions at the time, and identify how they were assisted through the grieving process. The study results indicated that males experienced significantly more delinquent behavior than females following the loss of the parent. Respondents who had grief reactions for more than a year experienced multiple problem and behavioral reactions. The study found that most participants did not receive professional help but relied on informal help for their grief. Implications of the results are discussed.     

Impact of students’ behavior on continuous assessment in Higher Education

The aim of this study is to analyze students’ academic results following the introduction of a continuous assessment system in Higher Education. This study examines a large sample that consists of third-year students’ grades across nine subjects in the Bachelor of Business Administration program at the University of Castilla-La Mancha (Spain). Specifically, this paper studies the relations among three types of grades (i.e. final exam grades (FEGs), continuous assessment activities grades (excluding the final exam) and GAGs, which are calculated as the weighted averages of the FEGs and the continuous assessment activities grades) and the influence of the number of students who actively participate in a subject and the date of the final exam on students’ grades. Generally, this study reveals a positive effect of continuous assessment activities on students’ academic success. Furthermore, there is a statistically significant positive relation between the number of students who actively follow a subject and their GAGs. Finally, the earlier the students completed the final exam, the higher their grades were on this exam.     

社会学与南方——拉丁美洲的经验

自20世纪中叶以来,拉丁美洲的社会学经历了重大的变革.然而,最新的观点却提到了迄今人们所能想到的更为极端的变化之一:不再认为这个区域"对立于"美国帝国,而认为它属于一个更大的区域,即作为南美洲为全球所知.在这个转变中,起决定性作用的是对时间、空间、地域、历史、认识以及社会主体,还有其他重要范畴的重新界定.一个新视域已经向社会科学开放,这似乎表明,创造性的新源泉(new sources for creativity)已经开始显现.     

Cognitive Factors and Male Genital Pain: A Preliminary Study

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate how pain catastrophizing and sexually related thoughts help explain pain intensity in men with genital pain. Methods: Fifty men with genital pain completed an online survey. Results: Sexually related thoughts explained an additional 11.5% of variance of pain intensity, above and beyond the influence of pain catastrophizing and medical conditions. Conclusions: Overall, findings showed that cognitions during sexual activity also contribute to explain pain intensity in men with genital pain. Besides the severity of organic factors and pain catastrophizing, sexually-related thoughts should also be included in clinical evaluation and treatment of male genital pain.