Greater Buenos Aires Research Articles

Invisibilized creativity: Sociogenesis of an “innovation” process developed by cartoneros for post-consumption waste recycling

Unlike the private companies that runs the waste collection system, the recovery and classification of waste carried out by cartoneros (waste pickers) in Buenos Aires metropolis has not yet been acknowledged as a “public service” (one of the main demands of cartonero organizations). Their work is based on the commercialization of recovered materials for the local and global recycling industry in a market defined by high levels of intermediation and incidence of monopolies in price formation. Consequently, levels of profitability attained in this first link of the chain are extremely meager, hence the importance of achieve value-adding issues becomes key for strengthen the economies of their organizations. Moreover, some public policy actions were oriented to address this goal by a so called process of "technification" of their working process. However, the results obtained so far, were not encouraging at all. Over more than a decade of the emergence of the cartonero phenomenon in Argentina, the technological features of their job have not shown significant changes. Most of them still focus on collecting and sorting as main activities, using very analyzes an “innovation” process developed by members of a cartonero cooperative in the Greater Buenos Aires. The project involves the recycling of industrial cellulose waste for manufacturing bricks and plates for housing construction. The core of my argument can be synthesized in the following question: what happens when an “innovation” process does not come from the contribution of specialized “technicians”, but responds to an experimental practice developed by the cartoneros themselves?.
 This shift at the level of the socially legitimate locus to produce “innovation” is analytically revealing for examining the contradictory dynamics in the construction of social relations deployed in this experience, focusing mainly on the tensions present in the institutionalization of the ongoing creative process.rudimentary tools and machines and obtaining a small profit if we consider the hard work they make on a daily basis. Departing from an ethnographic approach this article reconstructs and

Invisibilized creativity: Sociogenesis of an “innovation” process developed by cartoneros for post-consumption waste recycling

Unlike the private companies that runs the waste collection system, the recovery and classification of waste carried out by cartoneros (waste pickers) in Buenos Aires metropolis has not yet been acknowledged as a “public service” (one of the main demands of cartonero organizations). Their work is based on the commercialization of recovered materials for the local and global recycling industry in a market defined by high levels of intermediation and incidence of monopolies in price formation. Consequently, levels of profitability attained in this first link of the chain are extremely meager, hence the importance of achieve value-adding issues becomes key for strengthen the economies of their organizations. Moreover, some public policy actions were oriented to address this goal by a so called process of "technification" of their working process. However, the results obtained so far, were not encouraging at all. Over more than a decade of the emergence of the cartonero phenomenon in Argentina, the technological features of their job have not shown significant changes. Most of them still focus on collecting and sorting as main activities, using very analyzes an “innovation” process developed by members of a cartonero cooperative in the Greater Buenos Aires. The project involves the recycling of industrial cellulose waste for manufacturing bricks and plates for housing construction. The core of my argument can be synthesized in the following question: what happens when an “innovation” process does not come from the contribution of specialized “technicians”, but responds to an experimental practice developed by the cartoneros themselves?.
 This shift at the level of the socially legitimate locus to produce “innovation” is analytically revealing for examining the contradictory dynamics in the construction of social relations deployed in this experience, focusing mainly on the tensions present in the institutionalization of the ongoing creative process.rudimentary tools and machines and obtaining a small profit if we consider the hard work they make on a daily basis. Departing from an ethnographic approach this article reconstructs and

Centros Comerciales a Cielo Abierto como política de renovación de las centralidades tradicionales en el Conurbano Bonaerense

El presente trabajo propone un análisis comparativo de diversas iniciativas de renovación de las centralidades tradicionales en el Conurbano Bonaerense bajo el modelo de Centros Comerciales a Cielo Abierto. Se parte del origen del concepto y de las primeras experiencias en Estados Unidos y Europa entre los años setenta y ochenta, para luego relacionarlas con la circulación de ideas hacia Latinoamérica una década más tarde y, en especial, con su reinterpretación y aplicación en la región metropolitana de Buenos Aires desde inicios de los 2000. Se estudia el patrón de distribución territorial de estas políticas, el tamaño y tipo de operaciones, el grado de realización, los actores involucrados y la articulación con otras políticas públicas locales. Con base en este análisis, se reflexiona, finalmente, acerca de la imagen urbana, del perfil comercial y de las prácticas sociales promovidas, así como de sus alcances y limitaciones frente a las diferentes formas y procesos de la centralidad metropolitana, y la capacidad de vinculación con otras políticas urbanas de escala territorial.

Aspectos de la profesionalización de la psiquiatría en Chile, siglos XIX y XX

This article seeks to investigate the labor dynamics of migrants in the labor market in Greater Buenos Aires between 2004 and 2012 in Argentina. It describes the ways in which migrants insert themselves into particular sectors and occupations, and examines similarities and divergences in relation to the labor dynamics of the local (national) workers in Greater Buenos Aires. In this sense, this article focuses on the processes of differentiation of labor market segmentation and labor precarity, noting the migratory backgrounds of the labor force. Methodologically, the article employs a labor market approach, and considers the occupational structure and characteristics of the employment supply according to population aggregates. The information used is taken from the microdata bases of the Permanent Household Survey.

Dinámicas socio-laborales de los migrantes en el Gran Buenos Aires entre el 2004 al 2012. Inserción sectorial y segmentación del mercado de trabajo.

The following work proposal seeks to investigate the labor dynamics of migrants in the labor market in Greater Buenos Aires between 2004 and 2012 in Argentina. It will describe the forms of sectoral and occupational insertion of the migrants, registering similarities and divergences in relation to the labor dynamics of the natives of the GBA. In this sense, the work will focus on the differential incidence of processes of labor market segmentation and labor precariousness, noting the migratory origin of the labor force. Based on the above, a labor market approach, the occupational structure and the characteristics of the employment supply that considers these phenomena are used for the large population aggregates encompassed by the universe of analysis. Therefore, the information used comes from the micro-data bases of the Permanent Household Survey.

Urbaser S.A. and Consorcio de Aguas Bilbao Bizkaia, Bilbao Biskaia Ur Partzuergoa v. The Argentine Republic

On 8 December 2016, an International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) tribunal chaired by Professor Andreas Bucher, with co-arbitrators Professor Pedro J. Martinez-Fraga (Claimants' appointee) and Professor Campbell McLachlan QC (Respondent's appointee), issued its award in Urbaser and CAAB v. Argentina (Award). The dispute related to a Concession Contract granted to Aguas Del Gran Buenos Aires S.A. (AGBA), a company in which Claimants were shareholders, for the provision of water and sewerage services in the Province of Greater Buenos Aires (Province). Claimants alleged that they had faced numerous obstacles created by the Province's authorities, which precluded the efficient and profitable operation of their Concession. Respondent counterclaimed that Claimants had failed to make the necessary investment in the Concession, thereby violating their obligation under international law based on the human right to water.

Los jóvenes en el mercado laboral argentino bajo regímenes macroeconómicos diferentes: neoliberalismo y neodesarrollismo (1992-2014)

Se presentan los primObjetivo: el objetivo del artículo es analizar la evolución de la composición de los empleos de la fuerza de trabajo joven bajo distintos regímenes macroeconómicos en Argentina: el neoliberalismo (1992-1998) y el neodesarrollismo (2004-2014), tomando en consideración el periodo de crisis socioeconómica que los separa (2001-2003). Método: con este propósito, se avanzó sobre una estrategia metodológica cuantitativa a partir del procesamiento de los datos provenientes de la Encuesta Permanente de Hogares del Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censo (INDEC), correspondientes a los aglomerados del Gran Buenos Aires para el grupo etario de jóvenes trabajadores de 18 a 29 años. Resultados y conclusión: se presentan los primeros avances de un estudio que aborda la problemática de la inserción laboral de los jóvenes argentinos a partir de analizar el comportamiento de las formas sectoriales del empleo, de la segmentación del mercado de trabajo, y de la determinación de los ingresos laborales durante las últimas dos décadas. Se concluye que en términos laborales los jóvenes se encuentran en una posición desfavorecida, accediendo a empleos de menor calidad y con mayores dificultades para mantenerlos, pese a los cambios macroeconómicos progresivos que pudieron haber atravesado durante los últimos años. © Universidad Católica Luis Amigó - Revista Colombiana de Ciencias Sociales.

“Argentina is cumbia”

This article analyses the sociocultural trajectories of a group of young men with a low socioeconomic status, all cumbia musicians and producers. The cumbia is one of Argentina’s most popular music genres due to its mass dissemination and the social class of the people who have historically enjoyed it. The tension between agency and structure and the relationship between class and culture will be the main themes explored in this article. By focusing on the family, education and work trajectories of these youths, I examine their relationship to cumbia music. Who chooses to become a cumbia musician, and why? I also examine the meanings of “good” versus “bad” music” and the aesthetic and moral parameters used for its definition. This brings me to class belonging and how it shapes musical choices and facilitates disruptive trajectories. The article is based on biographical interviews conducted between 2012 and 2014, combined with participant observation at cumbia dance clubs in Greater Buenos Aires.

Social policy and inequality in the Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1992-2012

Fil: Salvia, Hector Agustin. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales. Instituto de Investigaciones Gino Germani; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas; Argentina

Visibilización y valorización de la agricultura familiar periurbana. Intervenciones de políticas públicas en el partido de La Matanza

Analizamos intervenciones sociales para agricultores familiares periurbanos de La Matanza y articulaciones entre instituciones que implementan políticas públicas para visibilizar estas producciones. Se utilizó metodología cualitativa realizando trabajo de campo etnográfico y relevamiento de información secundaria. Intentamos demostrar que las articulaciones entre distintas instituciones y actores en la implementación de políticas para el sector son aún incipientes y no visibilizan ni valorizan sus potencialidades reales existentes. Descubrimos interfaces1 entre distintos actores: productores, extensionistas e implementadores, así como intervenciones para incorporación de tecnologías apropiadas. Concluimos que las intervenciones operan en una arena de conflicto y disputa en la implementación de políticas y programas de desarrollo.

Políticas institucionales para favorecer el acceso y la permanencia en universidades argentinas: un análisis de cuatro instituciones del conurbano bonaerense

El objetivo de este artículo es analizar las políticas que instrumentan cuatro universidades argentinas, situadas en el conurbano bonaerense, para favorecer el acceso y la permanencia durante el proceso de ingreso y en el primer año de los estudios de grado. Se parte del supuesto de que los factores institucionales —que incluyen la manera en que se organizan los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje, el currículo y las estrategias de apoyo a los alumnos— pueden jugar un rol fundamental en la retención estudiantil. El análisis se realiza con base en fuentes secundarias, así como documentos recopilados y entrevistas realizadas a autoridades y coordinadores de los cursos de ingreso de las cuatro instituciones. Los logros y las limitaciones de las políticas —frente al enorme desafío de mejorar en términos de calidad, pertinencia e inclusión— plantean la necesidad de combinar las actuales medidas de apoyo material y pedagógico con un foco más claro en la enseñanza y el currículo, a través de mayores recursos y de un trabajo más estrecho con los docentes en el re-diseño de las estrategias institucionales.

Hematological and epidemiological characterization of Hepatozoon canis infection in dogs from Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Canine hepatozoonosis caused by Hepatozoon canis is widespread in America. In Argentina, since the first finding of the disease in Buenos Aires in 1999, several isolated cases were reported in other six provinces. However, there is no information regarding hematological and epidemiological characterization of the disease in the country. A total of 100,123 canine blood samples obtained during the period 2002-2013 from Southern Greater Buenos Aires were examined by light microscopy. Overall prevalence was 2.3%, with high parasitemia levels (>800gamonts/μl) in 680 samples, mild (100-800) in 1088, and low (<100) in 433 patients. Among parasitemic dogs, anemia (mostly non-regenerative) was present in 56.9%. Inflammatory leukogram, defined as neutrophilia with or without leukocytosis, with or without left shift and left shift with or without neutrophilia, was the main hematological abnormality and was present in 74.1% of positively tested dogs. A clear seasonal tendency was observed, with maximum values in summer and minimal in winter, and an increasing prevalence was recorded during the study decade. Young, male and mixed breed dogs showed higher prevalence values. Our findings strongly suggest that canine hepatozoonosis is endemic and expanding in the region.

Mundane and Everyday Politics for and from the Neighborhood

Social movement scholars and activists have recognized the difficulties of mobilizing people for the long haul, moving from the exuberance of the protest to the dull and ordinary work necessary to produce sustainable change. Drawing on ethnographic work in La Juanita, in Greater Buenos Aires, we look at local actions for and from the neighborhood in order to resist political domination, taken by people who have been unemployed for long periods of time. We identified concrete and local practices and interventions—which we call mundane and everyday politics – that are embedded in a territory and go beyond the typical practices of social movements and the expected infrapolitical activity in allowing the disfranchised to engage in the political process.

Evaluación de la mortalidad neonatal en la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires según la residencia de la población y la pertenencia al subsistema de salud

Neonatal mortality is the most important component of infant mortality. Analyzing neonatal mortality is complex and does not depend exclusively on the health system. In Buenos Aires City (CABA), between2000 and 2012, neonatal mortality rate was lower than the national mean rate but no changes were recorded. Besides, the difference is narrowing: in 2000, it was 46% lower but in 2012, it was 21% lower. To assess the relationship among the place of maternal residence, the use of a health system subsector, and mortality rate among newborn infants younger than 28 days old in CABA. Cross-sectional, population-based study conducted in 2011 and 2012 using data from the Office of Vital Records and the Department of Statistics and Surveys of CABA. A total of 164 837 births were recorded. The ratio of births in public and private facilities has remained stable; the private subsector accounts for 57% ofbirths. The ratiobetweenbothsubsectors was also similar in terms of gender, birthweight, and average gestational age. Neonatal mortalitywas higher among mothers who lived outside CABA (6.55%o versus 5.42%, odds ratio: 1.21, 95% confidence interval: 1.07-1.37, p 0.0039). Among mothers living in CABA, neonatal mortality was higher in the public health subsector (7.8% versus 4.4%, odds ratio: 1.77, 95% confidence interval: 1.48-2.11, p < 0.001). Unlike any other district in Argentina, CABA has a very high rate of births and deaths from other jurisdictions, especially from Greater Buenos Aires, which is not reflected in official statistics that only consider the place of parental residence.

Odonata Diversity and Synanthropy in Urban Areas: A Case Study in Avellaneda City, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The increase of human population, especially in urban areas, correlates with an alarming destruction of green spaces. Therefore, understanding the mechanisms by which urbanization processes affect biodiversity is crucial in integrating the environment in a proper urban planning. The main urban center of Argentina is known as the Greater Buenos Aires (GBA), and it includes the autonomous city of Buenos Aires and 24 surrounding districts. Avellaneda, one of the districts of the GBA, is an important urban and industrial center with green areas and low level of urbanization on the coastal area of the Río de la Plata. This paper provides the first Odonata inventory for Avellaneda, determines the species' level of synanthropy with the Nuorteva index, and assess the Odonata species replacement along a latitudinal gradient on the occidental margin of the Río de la Plata.

Articulating experiences of reciclying associative work in Great Buenos Aires (2004-2014)

This paper addresses the implications of the theoretical approach we choose to analyze the discourses of stakeholders in qualitative fieldwork. As part of this reflection I tackled the theoretical assumptions behind “action” versus “experience articulation” analytical traditions. The evidence presented was collected from 2004 to 2014 while accompanying the design, construction and management of a “social plant” for residues classification placed on “Reconquista Area”, in northeast of Great Buenos Aires. Along this decade I combined traditional qualitative approach with action research, which permitted to register the changes and transformations in the discourses about the “social plant”. My hypothesis is that these variations can be explained not only by context´s fluctuations but transformations in social actor’s subjectivities, which are reflected both in their positions among themselves and the narratives about their own stories.

Violence in social networks: an exploration of the online expressions of teens from marginalized areas of Greater Buenos Aires

This paper explores the online expressions of violence perpetrated or experienced by adolescents from marginalized areas of Greater Buenos Aires, Argentina. Using a qualitative methodology, four specific events were examined: threats, "bondis" [fights], cyberbullying and displays of mourning. To do so, 20 in-depth interviews and 3,000 virtual observations of profiles in the social network Facebook were carried out. Among the main results, it was seen that most expressions of violence are part of an offline-online dynamic. Empirical evidence is also offered based upon which it can be affirmed that the expressions of violence of these teenagers are developed around the culture of "aguante" [fierce loyalty]. The article ponders the extent to which, in the iconic platform of the option "like," these expressions are implicitly functional to the social network or, to the contrary, or whether they allow displacements and significant reappropriations on the part of users. New questions arise about the use of these tools by adolescents from marginalized areas and the need for more complex approaches to examine these phenomena.

Soccer clubs and civic associations in the political world of Buenos Aires prior to 1943

The article examines how in the years from 1912 to 1943 emerging football clubs and other civic associations in Greater Buenos Aires were part of a movement by the city’s inhabitants to create their own institutions to fulfil needs that they perceived the larger society did not satisfying (in the case of football, opportunities for recreation). It also examines how the political system pushed successful organizations to look to politicians to enable long-term success. In examining football clubs and other civic associations, it becomes clear that the theories developed by Robert Putnam, among others, based on the writings of Alexis De Tocqueville, simply do not work for Argentina. They cannot be considered the schools for democracy that some writers have envisioned. Rather they became part of a clientelistic- and patronage-oriented political world. The average citizen could not obtain aid from the government without dependence on the powerful.

La huella Adriana. Olivetti: conexiones urbanas, sociales y culturales entre Ivrea y Merlo

Resumen La cuestión acerca de las prácticas de trabajo en relación a una renovada forma de vida en comunidad ha dado lugar a múltiples propuestas utópicas y sólo algunas concreciones. En Ivrea las motivaciones de un hombre fascinado por la técnica al servicio del espíritu humano continúa hoy como referente indiscutido identificando una ciudad con una marca: Olivetti. Su sede extramuros de Buenos Aires, instalada en la localidad de Merlo e inaugurada en 1960, abastecería a un mercado en crecimiento que aprovechaba coyunturas latinoamericanas. Se investigará el rol que este emprendimiento significó para la sociedad, analizando aquellos mecanismos de acción mediante los cuales se proyectó, ejecutó y comunicó una doctrina social sobre la producción industrial vinculada estrechamente a una comunidad.

Patients’ choice of providers as a signal of quality of care. Evidence of twelve public hospitals in the province of buenos aires, argentina

Examine the operative capacity of health networks in seven districts of the Great Buenos Aires to provide effective access to care to poor, non-formal coverage population groups, and provide insights about how patients select their main sources of care, and how those decisions relate to objective measures of quality. Identification of key prioritized interventions: breast, colon and lung cancer, normal and high risk deliveries, rehabilitation and mental health, cronic kidney diseases, vascular illness and main risk factors. Mutiple choice interviews with a sample of 296 hospital patients, about motives of consultation, choice of institution to seek care, quality perception, waiting times, perception of health network organization, and 308 hospital physicians and nurses, about health network organization, flow of patients clinical history, motives of referrals from health care centers, and on-the-job satisfaction. In-depth interviews with 15 Provincial and Municipal Hospital Directors, about outputs, human resources, equipments, procesess and resolution capacity. The data collected allowed to design a set of tables of descriptive statistics and correlation coefficients on users’ behavior and staff’s perceptions. The actual operation of health care networks show patients attending directly to hospitals’ emergency rooms instead of looking for care mainly at primary health care facilities. This conduct creates underutilization of health posts and over-demand of services at crowded hospitals, even when low-risk related care is required. In high-risk related care, formal norms and protocols are scarce and informal referrals based on contacts among professionals across services are frequently identified. A solid health care network requires listening people’s decisions, translated in the way of choosing their sources of care. They provide relevant insights about what procedures, technologies and patterns of care should be prioritize in order to build a sound structure of attention.