Modelling of socio-ecological connectivity. The rural-urban network in the surroundings of Madrid (Central Spain)

As most of Europe’s metropolitan landscapes grow, a change is occurring in their surrounding rural environment. The consequences thereof mainly involve losses of traditional land uses and changes in the socioecomic structures of the local population. The lack of coupling ‘urban society-countryside’ can be considered to constitute a driving force of this process. The present paper focuses upon the rural-urban network around the metropolis of Madrid (Central Spain). We developed a quantitative model to explain the socio-ecological rural-urban linkages, taking into account the influence of the metropolis in the network of neighbouring municipalities. The results show a rural landscape gradient ranging from silvo-pastoral to agricultural land uses and maintaining different interactions with the local socioeconomy. Urban-rural polarisation of the territory and accessibility to the metropolis are the main factors influencing the landscape dynamics. Territorial cohesion among municipalities and connectivity with the metropolis are factors determining the socio-ecological structure. The agricultural area presents good social cohesion, but a weak connection with the City. The silvo-pastoral landscape, on the contrary, maintains prominent links with the metropolis, but a non-significant interconnection between the small towns. The model tested constitutes a useful tool for analysing socio-ecological connectivity and for quantifying, designing and promoting territorial cohesion policies.     

Construction of Status and Referential Structures

Beliefs about diverse status characteristics have a common core content of performance capacities and qualities made up of two features: hierarchy (superior/inferior capacities) and role-differentiation (instrumental/expressive qualities). Whatever the status characteristic, its more-valued state tends to be defined as superior and instrumental, and the less-valued state tends to be defined as inferior but expressive. We account for this in terms of the typification of differences in behavioral inequalities and profiles that emerge in task oriented social interaction. Status construction theory argues that new configurations of the states of a nonvalued discriminating characteristic, status values, and status typifications of actors possessing these states arise from a similar process. The theory we present here makes new predictions on the construction and institutionalization of status characteristics and generalized beliefs about the relation of status characteristics to social rewards, called referential structures. This theory, we argue, integrates micro and macro elements in a way that may be applicable to explaining the social construction of cultural objects more generally.     

‘What I Want and What You Want’: Children's Thinking about Competing Personal Preferences

This study examined how children reason about competing personal preferences. Seventy‐two participants (mean ages 5 years 5 months, 10 years 4 months, and 17 years 7 months) considered three hypothetical scenarios in which a protagonist's personal preference was in conflict with her or his friend's personal preference. Scenarios varied in the relative weightiness of each character's desires. Whereas 5‐ and 10‐year‐olds prioritized the friend's preference across scenarios, 17‐year‐olds affirmed the character's prerogative to act according to her or his own preference except when the friend's preference was weightier. Nevertheless, regardless of age, participants generally reasoned about these situations in terms of autonomy and friendship rather than as moral obligations. The findings contribute to our understanding of how children of different ages work out the boundaries of the personal.     

No te dejes pisotear por nadien: Examining Latino Immigrants' Efforts to Resist Discrimination

ABSTRACT

Latino immigrants in the United States face a hostile climate, including policies that reinforce community-level prejudices and acts of discrimination. Discrimination has an impact on the well-being of individuals who are targeted. The purpose of this study was to learn from Latino immigrant parents about responses to incidents with discrimination, including the process by which they determine how to respond. Fifty-four Latino immigrants participated in in-depth interviews. Using constructivist grounded theory methods, a model was developed to reflect participants' responses to discrimination. Findings indicate Latino immigrants' responses to discrimination evolve in a consciousness-raising process, including five phases of awareness: recognizes discrimination; questions discrimination; engages in reflection/dialogue on issues of race and discrimination; acknowledges value in self; and takes action. Moving through these phases, participants are more critically reflective on personal experiences and larger environmental contexts. Participants also engage in assessment of risks and opportunities when deciding how to respond to discrimination. Documentation status, English proficiency, and knowledge of systems of care affected their ability/decision to advocate. This study offers guidance for social service providers to support and collaborate with immigrants to increase their capacity to advocate. Findings suggest that future research is needed to explore the connection between phases of response and well-being.     

移动超市:“比儿子还重要”

正这辆7㎡的破车竟拯救了700万购物难民,月赚1.2亿!9年来,每年的双十一从拂晓时分开始,人们剁手剁掉的就不仅是荷包的容量,还剁死了无数的脑细胞,红包、抢券、预售、满减……要熟练驾驭满减规则比熟练备战数学考试难多了,花点钱都不容易,拼老命了。     

The development of pathological gambling in Sweden

The development and the social, psychological and cultural conditions of pathological gambling reported by 42 interviewed pathological gamblers were compared with data from 63 pathological gamblers identified by case-finding. The two studies gave similar results. Gambling on horse races, roulette and bingo were the only types showing a progressive increase in involvement over time. When gambling heavily 40% of the pathological gamblers regularily experienced a state of altered consciousness. When abstaining from gambling withdrawal-like symptoms were experienced by a third. Fifty-two percent reported at least one family member often gambling. Pathological gambling appears to be a secret behaviour, although there are collective features in its development.     

Revisions in official data and forecasting

This paper deals with the topic of revisions in macroeconomic Italian data with the aim of investigating whether consecutive vintages published by the National Statistical Institute contain useful information for economic analysis and forecasting. The rationality of the revisions process is tested considering the complete history of data and an application to show the usefulness of revisions for improving the precision of forecasts is proposed. The results on Italian GDP show that embedding the revision process in a dynamic factor model helps to reduce the forecast error in the short term.