Performance In Spain Research Articles

Adaptación del protocolo de Estambul a los procesos de evaluación de detenidos en los Institutos de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses

In 2017, the Technical Scientific Committee of the Forensic Medical Council drafted the “Work guide for medical-forensic assistance to people in prison,” whose objective was to serve as the basis for the development of a new national Protocol of recognition of detainees, in order to update the existing one published in 1997. In 2022, the publication of the new Istanbul protocol for effective investigation and documentation of torture and cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and punishment made it advisable to review the protocols for forensic medical performance in Spain. The Technical Scientific Committee has developed a new protocol of action in the Institutes of legal medicine and forensic sciences of Spain with detainees in accordance with the most recent recommendations that will be published throughout the year 2023.

Drivers of technological export performance in Spain: A regional approach, 2000-2016

Drivers of technological export performance in Spain: A regional approach, 2000-2016

Internet use and academic performance: An interval approach

As children spend more and more time on electronic devices and social networks, there is a growing concern about the influence that these activities may have on their development and social well-being. In this context, the present research is aimed at analysing the influence that Internet use may have on 6th grade primary school students’ academic performance in Spain. In order to do so, we have employed a methodological approach that combines econometric and interval multiobjective programming techniques, which has let us identify the traits and Internet use patterns that allow students to maximise their academic performance in terms of scores in four competences. Our results show that, while daily use of the Internet to listen to music or search for information about other topics of interest can favor the maximization of educational outcomes, the use of social networks should be limited as much as possible to avoid hindering the educational process.

Bandín, Elena, Laura Campillo, Juan F. Cerdá, Keith Gregor, Jesús Tronch, and Noemí Vera, project leads. Shakrep: Shakespearean Performance in Spain. Archive.

Bandín, Elena, Laura Campillo, Juan F. Cerdá, Keith Gregor, Jesús Tronch, and Noemí Vera, project leads. Shakrep: Shakespearean Performance in Spain. Archive.

Government public infrastructure investment and economic performance in Spain (1980–2016)

PurposeThe authors estimate the multiplier effect of government public infrastructure investment in Spain. This paper aims to use annual data of the 17 Spanish autonomous communities for the 1980–2016 period.Design/methodology/approachThe authors use dynamic acyclic graphs and the heterogeneous panel structural vector autoregressive (P-SVAR) method of Pedroni (2013). This method is robust to cross-sectional heterogeneity and dependence, which are present in the data.FindingsThe findings suggest that an increase in the level of government public infrastructure investment generates a positive and persistent effect on the level of output. Five years after the fiscal expansion, the multiplier effects of government public infrastructure investment reach values above one. This confirms that government public infrastructure investment expansions have Keynesian effects. The authors also find that the multiplier effects differ between autonomous communities with above-average and below-average GDP per capita.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, no research uses dynamic acyclic graphs and heterogeneous P-SVAR techniques to estimate fiscal multipliers of government public investment in Spain by using subnational data.

Environmental assets, industry 4.0 technologies and firm performance in Spain: A dynamic capabilities path to reward sustainability

The consolidation of industry 4.0 (I4.0) as a new innovative ecosystem has generated high expectations about its economic and environmental effects. In this study, we investigate whether I4.0 technologies can reinforce environmental assets management in achieving firm results. We intend to contrast the existence of reward mechanisms for being green. Using a panel of 1028 Spanish industrial firms in 2009–2016 period, the research has obtained three main results. First, environmental assets, the use of robots and the adoption of flexible production technologies generate individual and two-complementarity marginal effects in the explanation of sales, exports and labour productivity. Second, environmental assets and I4.0 technologies do not generate any individual or complementarity marginal effect that positively explains gross operating margins. And, third, however, we have found a business model that generates significant total effects on the four firm results, especially on profitability, through the combination of environmental assets, I4.0 technologies, R&D expenditure, production flexibility and human capital management. Implications for the circular economy and ethical business models are also discussed.

El papel del sexo en comprensión lectora. Evidencias desde PISA y PIRLS

Existe evidencia empírica sobre la influencia del sexo en el proceso de adquisición y consolidación de la comprensión lectora a nivel internacional. El presente trabajo analiza si dicho fenómeno se reproduce también en el caso español. Para ello, se valora la existencia y evolución de una brecha de género en el rendimiento en comprensión lectora en España, basándose en los resultados de todas las ediciones PISA y PIRLS en las que España ha participado. Se examina también el rendimiento en comprensión lectora del alumnado español en dichas evaluaciones. La metodología mixta utilizada en el presente estudio se basa en una revisión bibliográfica de los últimos 25 años y en un análisis multisectorial de los datos proporcionados por los informes PISA y PIRLS. Los resultados de nuestro trabajo indican una mejor comprensión lectora en alumnas que en alumnos observable en todas las ediciones de PISA y PIRLS. Según la evolución de los resultados en PISA, la brecha de género se habría reducido en las últimas ediciones, algo no corroborado por PIRLS. Por otra parte, ambas evaluaciones relatan una mejora en el resultado global del alumnado español en comprensión lectora en las últimas ediciones.

GEOGRAPHY OF TALENT FOR UNDERSTANDING REGIONAL DISPARITIES IN SPAIN

Tentative empirical evidence suggests that the agglomeration of talent contributes to regional development. However, given that talented people are not evenly distributed across regions, this paper seeks to determine the role of talent for furthering our understanding of regional disparities in Spain. Here, we empirically evaluate the effects of the distribution of talent on regional differences by means of a detailed analysis of the 17 Autonomous Communities of Spain between 1996 and 2004. The static and non-spatial panel data models are constructed. The unit of analysis is NUTS2. Our findings confirm that the economic performance indicators point to the significant positive impact of talent on regional economic activity. The concentration of talent plays a crucial role in accounting for regional differences. Based on a preliminary analysis of the dispersion in employment and production figures among the Autonomous Communities, the performance of Spain’s outperformers and underperformers is clearly not uniform.

Physical activity in and out-of-school and academic performance in Spain

Background: Academic performance in school stems from an interaction of factors associated with students, families and schools. Among these factors, physical activity could play a very relevant role. Objective: The goal of this study was to determine whether students’ physical activities in and outside school were related to their academic performance. Design, setting and method: We used the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2015 database for Spain using ordinary least squares (OLS) regression models to answer our research questions. Results: Results suggest a positive association between the number of days per week doing moderate physical activities and academic performance in science, reading and mathematics. However, a higher number of days per week doing vigorous physical activities was associated with lower scores in reading and science. We also find a negative association between exercising or practising sports before going to school and the scores achieved in the three competences evaluated. Conclusions: Our results show that physical activity can play an important role in academic performance and that the effects of physical activity on children and teenagers should be further investigated.

A Multi-Criteria Reference Point Based Approach for Assessing Regional Innovation Performance in Spain

The evaluation of regional innovation performance through composite innovation indices can serve as a valuable tool for policy-making. While discussion on the best methodology to construct composite innovation indices continues, we are interested in deepening the use of reference levels and the aggregation issue. So far, additive aggregation methods are, largely, the most widespread aggregation rule, thus allowing for full compensability among single indicators. In this paper, we present an integrated assessment methodology to evaluate regional innovation performance using the Multi-Reference Point based Weak and Strong Composite Indicator (MRP-WSCI) approach, which allows defining reference levels and different degrees of compensability. As an example of application to the Regional Innovation Scoreboard, the proposed technique is developed to measure the innovation performance of Spain’s regions taking into account Spanish and European reference levels. The main features of the proposed approach are: (i) absolute or relative reference levels could be previously defined by the decision maker; (ii) by establishing the reference levels, the resulting composite innovation index is an easy-to-interpret measure; and (iii) the non-compensatory strong composite indicator provides an additional layer of information for policy-making (iv) a visualization tool called Light-Diagram is proposed to track the specific strengths and weaknesses of the regions’ innovation performance.

Diversity in the board of directors and good governance practices

Motivated by the debate on the adequacy of the composition of boards of directors, we examine the effect that board diversity has on corporate governance performance in Spain, analysing gender diversity, diversity of director types and tenure diversity. The findings reveal that diverse boards of directors have a positive influence on good governance practices,improving the efficiency of corporate governance mechanisms. These results could be interesting for practitioners and regulators.

Fear and Loathing in Spain. Dutch Foreign Fighters in the Spanish Civil War

ABSTRACTDuring the Spanish Civil War, about 700 Dutchmen fought to defend the Spanish Republic against a military uprising they, correctly, deemed the prelude to a Fascist dictatorship. They did so primarily as part of the International Brigades of the Spanish ‘Popular Army’. However, International Brigade command considered the Dutch volunteers’ military performance in Spain quite poor. In Summer 1937 it was therefore decided to create a separate Dutch unit in an effort to boost both morale and combat effectiveness. This article analyses how the Dutch lived and fought in a transnational army, focusing especially on the period before the establishment of the Dutch unit. It suggests that the experience of Dutch volunteers, who were (small) minorities in multinational and multi-ethnic units, form a useful analytical lens to highlight the conflicts and compromises that are inherent in not only the International Brigades, but all foreign fighter forces – including those of the Islamic State. Furthermore, it argues that Dutch behaviours were contrasted unfavourably by the International Brigade command staff with those of the Germans with and under whom they often fought, creating an even more unwelcoming environment for many Dutchmen. The composition of the Dutch volunteer corps, made up mostly of non-communists, served to worsen the failures of intercultural communication. Finally, the author argues that the creation of a (mostly) Dutch unit was, finally, the result of pressure from Dutch volunteers in Spain and Dutch Communist Party fears that the perceived failures of its efforts on behalf of the Spanish Republic would reflect badly on its political position both in the Netherlands and within the Communist International.

European Union regional policy and development in Spain: capital widening and productivity stagnation over 1989–2010

ABSTRACT Total factor productivity (TFP) in Spain over the period 1989–2010 has followed a decreasing trend. This paper explores to what degree the transport infrastructure investments financed with European Union Structural Funds (ERDF) and Cohesion Funds (CF) including the compulsory national cofunding (EUINFP) prevented TFP over this period from falling further. It estimates an augmented Mankiw–Romer–Weil model for the 17 Spanish regions over the period 1989–2010 and finds positive marginal contributions on the TFP growth rate for EUINFP, research and development, and the interdependencies between EUINFP and private capital. These factors partially offset the dismal TFP performance of Spain over this period.

Altos funcionarios del estado y funcionamiento multinivel del Estado español

El presente trabajo pretende analizar y comprender qué posición y visión tiene la alta función pública del Estado de la cooperación y coordinación en un contexto de fuerte descentralización política interna y de gran complejidad externa cual es el español. La selección de la alta función pública como instrumento para conocer el funcionamiento del Estado se justifica por las funciones que desarrolla, su cercanía al proceso decisional y la investigación comparada, que destaca sus funciones adhesivas y lubricantes en sistemas políticos complejos. La investigación ha implicado definir la relación existente entre alta función pública y coordinación y, respecto de esta última, establecer un concepto operativo inspirado en la obra de Metcalfe. Los resultados derivan de un trabajo empírico consistente en confrontar la escala de coordinación con las percepciones de los Administradores Civiles del Estado (cuerpo generalista de élite de la Administración general del Estado en España) y con entrevistas a importantes académicos y miembros de dicho cuerpo. Las conclusiones sugieren, por una parte, que el tejido organizativo e institucional que garantiza la coordinación multinivel en España no es el adecuado para la complejidad territorial del Estado español y, por otra, la posibilidad de replicar el estudio en otros niveles de gobierno interno e incluso a nivel internacional.

Validación psicométrica del POSIT para el cribado del consumo de riesgo de alcohol y otras drogas entre adolescentes

Early detection of alcohol and drug abuse among adolescents is decisive not only for rapid referral and intervention in cases of risk, but also as an indicator for use in the evaluation of prevention programs and public policies to reduce consumption. One of the most widely-used screening instruments in the world is the Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT) (Rahdert, 1991), whose substance use and abuse subscale (POSITUAS) is a brief tool of enormous applied potential. However, there is still no empirical validation study that would ensure its good psychometric performance in Spain. The aim of this paper is to analyse the psychometric properties of POSITUAS among Spanish adolescents. For this purpose, 569 students aged between 12 and 18 years (M = 14.71; SD = 1.79) were personally interviewed. The study sample was selected through two-stage sampling. The results obtained, using the Adolescent Diagnostic Interview (Winters & Henly, 1993) as the gold criterion, allow us to inform that the Spanish version of the POSITUAS has excellent psychometric behaviour, both at the level of internal consistency (a = .82) as well as regards sensitivity (94.3%) and specificity (83.9%), with an area under the ROC curve of .953. Also, the realisation of a Confirmatory Factor Analysis allows for verifying the one-dimensional character of the scale. As a result, POSITUAS is made available to researchers and professionals in the field of addictive behaviours for use with a minimum of psychometric guarantees.

Nuestro Teatro Clásico Sin Fronteras:PostmodernComediaPerformance and the Globalization of Cultural Patrimony

AbstractAlthough comedia performance in Spain is inherently tied to notions of cultural patrimony (and thus implicitly tied to notions of an authentic Spanish classical culture), this article highlights the many ways in which such claims to cultural autochthony rub against the realities of today’s globalized theatrical landscape. This tension involves the long history of nationalistic uses of the comedia dating back to the tradition’s early modern origins as well as the mid-twentieth-century ontological shift generally associated with postmodernism, especially in terms of the privilege given to recycling and simulacra. As globalization accelerated and Spain transitioned to democracy, the use of comedia performance to rearticulate Spanish identity (as practiced by the Compañía Nacional de Teatro Clásico and the Festival de Almagro) demonstrates, through its ever-increasing linkages to foreign cultures, just how elusive any fixed notion of “Hispanidad” is. This article argues for the mutually illuminating dialogue occurring in current comedia performance studies between studies dedicated to the intercultural exchanges inherent in productions outside of Spain and studies dedicated to the nationalistic implications of performing the comedia in Spain as a form of cultural patrimony.

Empirical validation of the CRAFFT Abuse Screening Test in a Spanish sample.

The CRAFFT Substance Abuse Screening Instrument, developed by the Center for Adolescents Substance Abuse Research (CeASAR) (Knight et al., 1999), is a screening tool for high-risk alcohol and drug risk consumption designed for use with adolescents. Since its publication it has been the subject of translations and validations in different countries, populations and contexts that have demonstrated its enormous potential. However, there is still no empirical validation study that would ensure its good psychometric performance in Spain. The aim of this paper is to develop an adapted version of the CRAFFT in Spanish and to analyze its psychometric properties in a sample of Spanish adolescents. For this purpose an individual interview was conducted on 312 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years of age (M = 15.01; SD = 1.83) from the Galician community. The interview included a part of the Adolescent Diagnostic Interview (ADI) and the Problem Oriented Screening Instrument for Teenagers (POSIT). The results obtained, similar to those found in other countries, allow us to report that the Spanish version of the CRAFFT has a good psychometric behaviorproperties. It was found to have a satisfactory internal consistency with a Cronbach’s alpha value of .74. In terms of sensitivity and specificity, values of 74.4% and 96.4% respectively, were obtained and the area under the ROC curve was .946. The Spanish version of the CRAFFT is made available to researchers and professionals in the field of addictive behaviors, so that it can be used with the necessary psychometric guarantees.

Regional Spanish Tourism Competitiveness. A DEA-MONITUR approach

The aim of this paper is to analyse the regional tourist competitiveness performance in Spain. We use the seven pillars of tourism from a very detailed and complete database compiled by the Spanish Government –MoniTUR 2010 as primary data. Thus, we calculate a DEA-MONITUR regional tourist competitiveness index in order to compare and rank the total 17 Spanish Autonomous Communities using data envelopment analysis (DEA). Our results show how this performance is very different among regions, and the position of each of the laggard Autonomous Communities should be analysed by their respective destination management organizations (DMOs) in order to envisage adequate corrective measures.

Economic crises and market performance—A machine learning approach

This note analyzes the relationship between economic crises and tourism performance in Spain during the period 1970–2013 using machine learning techniques. Specifically, a regression tree is estimated to confirm that, although the dynamics of Spanish tourism performance is influenced by the general variables established by the literature, the crisis periods disrupt the natural functioning of these dynamics, provoking disturbances that affect the tourism market position of destinations to a greater extent than expected. Conversely, to other econometric techniques, machine learning approach allows us to achieve greater flexibility and enriches the information, estimating the interrelations and thresholds operating in this context.

EL "REVIVAL" DE MÚSICA DEL SIGLO XVIII EN ESPAÑA DURANTE EL PERÍODO DE ENTREGUERRAS. CUATRO CASOS DE ESTUDIO RELACIONADOS CON LA RED SOCIAL DE JOSÉ SUBIRÁ

Spain was a fertile place for the reconstruction and performance of eighteenth-century music repertories during the interwar period. Its official neutrality during the two world wars permitted the free movement of researchers, managers, and performers who specialized in early music. The purpose of this article is to discuss, in the context of Jose Subira's social and professional network, four case studies related to the re-emergence of eighteenth-century secular music in the time before the Spanish Civil War. First, I discuss the problematic revival of the tonadilla and its relationship to the epistemology of musicology at the time. Second, I analyze an event of outstanding importance for the academic and performative dimensions of eighteenth-century repertoires: the conference of the International Musicological Society held in Barcelona in 1936. Then, I study the role of the Asociacion de Cultura Musical in the international transfers of administration patterns and performance practices of early music. Finally, I assess the performance of eighteenth-century repertories in the conglomerate of institutions covered by the Junta para la Ampliacion de Estudios. This research aims to contribute to a history of early music performance in Spain that takes into account not only public professional concerts, but also private and amateur spheres.