Spanish Situation Research Articles

Techo de cristal en la Universidad. Si no lo veo no lo creo

La carrera académica en la educación superior no es el mejor ejemplo de igualdad. Pese a que en otros sectores laborales los denominados techos de cristal han ido disminuyendo con los años, en la universidad prácticamente no se han producido modificaciones. Las estadísticas y la literatura confirman este fenómeno. Pese a ello, la percepción del problema es baja en el profesorado. El presente trabajo indaga sobre esta situación y determina si existen diferentes percepciones según perfiles y si estas diferencias son realmente significativas. Aunque existe escasa literatura en revistas de alto impacto sobre la realidad española, los estudios nacionales tienen una amplia y reputada trayectoria. Por ello, en la primera parte de este trabajo se pone en valor una extensa revisión de los estudios nacionales y su inserción en el contexto internacional. Posteriormente se presentan los resultados del estudio aplicado. Se utiliza una metodología cuantitativa basada en una encuesta a 35 profesores/as de la Universidad Pablo De Olavide en la que se les pide el grado de acuerdo con una serie de afirmaciones sobre el techo de cristal. Los resultados son sometidos a test de contrastes no paramétricos para muestras pequeñas en función de las variables de sexo, edad, antigüedad, categoría y área. Los resultados confirman algunas conclusiones de trabajos cualitativos a la vez que descartan otras. En primer lugar, se confirma una baja percepción del problema. El profesorado considera que el techo de cristal ocurre con mayor intensidad fuera del ámbito universitario. Asimismo, las diferencias entre las percepciones de mujeres y hombres son estadísticamente significativas, pero no así la relación entre el sexo, la antigüedad y la edad del profesorado. En tercer lugar, el profesorado más joven o con menor antigüedad percibe con menor intensidad este problema, lo que puede generar dificultades en la aceptación de políticas futuras de igualdad.

A lifeline and a reason to be: the future of sustainable architecture in Spain and its European context

Architecture and construction in Europe have felt, like few other sectors, the consequences of the financial crisis that set in during 2008. This is only a logical result of their enormous dependency on different kinds of resources (financial, material, energetic). The outcome of these events can be interpreted within a general urgency to establish more sustainable patterns of life and this leads us to analyse the shifting paradigms that society applies regarding the appreciation of building performance. This affects Spanish architecture specially, since both the causes and the effects of this traumatic transition have been very prominent in this country. Through the comparison of different phenomena that affect architecture in a more or less direct way tendencies can be discerned, on what will be defining architectonic criteria in the years to come. A description of these heterogeneous interfering aspects establishes a preliminary approach to interpret the Spanish situation, for which then more specific examples are listed. After having recognised a series of sustainability themes, which society takes into account generally, they are being extrapolated to the field of architecture. The interpretation of social and economic phenomena as conditioning circumstances for the creation of architecture is a first step to apply the forthcoming logics to the profession. After this, a coherent set of results generates new objectives, which mark a way for the profession to become meaningful from the point of view of a scarcity of resources, covering simultaneously economical and ecological aspects. Examples from legislation and reports confirm this arising framework for the Spanish context. Answering the questions that society poses to architecture implies taking a stand in the rapidly developing discussion on sustainability and for this Spanish architects have an important series of tools to their disposal. It is paramount nevertheless that the lecture of the new situation in which they have to work, takes into account the various conditioning aspects combined with a coherent interpretation of their effects. Thus a new social legitimization of architecture can be established.

Lone Fatherhood in Spain: An Increasing Familiar Reality

Towards the end of the twentieth century, researchers began to notice that the number of families with a single male was increasing in many western countries, and furthermore, that it was doing so at a greater rate than those headed by a single female. This article explores the causes favoring this increase and undertakes a more indepth examination of the Spanish situation. The aim is to determine the degree to which the social and family context of Spain lies behind these changes. At the same time, the socio-demographic characteristics of the fathers and children that make up lone father families in Spain are discussed.

Preparatory work for the pest categorisation of three bacteria listed in the annexes of the Council directive 2000/29/EC Erwinia amylovora Winslow et al. Xylophilus ampelinus (Panagopoulos) Willems et al. Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. insidiosus(McCulloch) Davis et al

Preparatory work for the pest categorisation of three bacteria listed in the annexes of the Council directive 2000/29/EC Erwinia amylovora Winslow et al. Xylophilus ampelinus (Panagopoulos) Willems et al. Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. insidiosus(McCulloch) Davis et al

Spanish Employment Legislation Reforms in the Recent Crisis - Towards a New Model of the Industrial Relations System

The recent crisis and its consequences have induced major changes in Spanish employment legislation which may lead into what could be recognized as a new model of the industrial relations system. Since the early 90's, and as a reaction to globalization, the need of introducing measures for promoting adaptability and flexibility have had echoes in Spanish employment legislation. However, the crisis we are experiencing nowadays is having a greater impact upon the Spanish economy, and hence on employment regulations, than any other previous crisis. The legislature's reaction in order to reverse the situation is leading to a new model of the industrial relations system, since this is happening in the whole European Union, where the power of collective bargaining has been undermined, and with it the role of trade unions. This has had a huge impact on the essence of Spanish labour law (derecho del trabajo). These regulations seek to protect employees at their working places from the managerial power of the employer, but without forgetting the need of protecting the efficiency of the enterprise. In fact, after the new legislation following the political decisions of the Spanish Government, we are closer than ever to an Employment Law (derecho alempleo) where the protection is focused on the citizens' ability to work, protecting them in the labour market. The aim of this paper is to give a short description of the Spanish labour market's situation showing the most relevant data; to provide an analysis of the main measures introduced into Spanish employment legislation, and to draw some conclusions about where and why some decisions are made and what consequences they have for the industrial relations system.

El periodismo finisecular de Ramiro de Maeztu

El presente artículo analiza la crónica y el periodismo finisecular antes de centrarse en el caso de Ramiro de Maeztu, del que estudia su práctica y concepto del periodismo, el análisis que en sus artículos hace de la situación española tras el «desastre», sus propuestas de «regeneración» y su crítica economicista del Estado y la Iglesia. También analiza su posición frente al anarquismo y sus puntos de contacto con Nietzsche (creación de una ética, un estilo y una máscara textual). Antecede a las conclusiones el estudio de su papel como crítico literario y artístico en las polémicas del modernismo.

Aprendizaje de contenidos a través del Español como Segunda Lengua en la Educación Superior: un puente entre la lengua y el conocimiento

In Spanish universities there are increasingly more students who attend content courses taught in Spanish without this being their first language and who therefore simultaneously learn the language in which the course is taught as much as the content of the course, without any specific language instruction. In this article, we address this problematic situation of Spanish as a Second Language in Higher Education through the lens of Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). First, we review the theoretical foundations of CLIL teaching methods and Academic Spanish teaching and learning, offering a state of the matter. Second, we show the work being done in this area by the Research Group in Acquisition and Instruction of Second and Foreign Languages at the University of Alicante (ACQUA). The conclusions constitute the third and final part, in which we summarize the results of the work done and propose future directions of research

Overview regarding construction and demolition waste in Spain

The construction sector comprises a number of activities that may result in environmental impacts of considerable magnitude, waste generation being one of the major negative effects of this industry due to the large streams generated. Proper knowledge of the environmental problem caused by the sector is of great importance in order to achieve an effective waste management. Thus, this paper analyse the Spanish situation regarding construction and demolition waste (CDW) compared with other European Union countries; which sets out the current figures of the CDW scenario (legislation, generation, composition, treatment and market) as well as the difficulties encountered when handling this residue.

Antecedentes de Relaciones Públicas en los manuales de publicidad. Algunos precedentes de actividad en España desde mediados del siglo XIX

El presente estudio localiza antecedentes de relaciones públicas en los manuales de publicidad que han estudiado la situación española. A través de la revisión bibliográfica exhaustiva de las obras, se ha perseguido el objetivo de encontrar actividades precedentes de la actividad de las relaciones públicas, anteriores al comienzo oficial de la disciplina en nuestro país en la década de los 60, que fueron llevadas a cabo principalmente a mediados y finales del siglo XIX y principios del XX. La labor de rastreo conlleva el reclamar la autoría sobre algunos antecedentes de comunicación de naturaleza ambigua, que tradicionalmente se han desarrollado en el terreno de la publicidad, la propaganda y el periodismo, y reubicarlos en el ámbito de las relaciones públicas.

P171: Geriatric teaching at undergraduate level: European recommendations and Spanish situation

P171: Geriatric teaching at undergraduate level: European recommendations and Spanish situation

Gender Diversity in the Boardroom. Context and Spanish Case

Gender Diversity in the Boardroom. Context and Spanish Case

History from the grave? Politics of time in Spanish mass grave exhumations

During the last decade, a Spanish memory movement has exhumed a great number of mass graves from the Civil War (1936–1939) and Francoist repression (1939–1975). This exhumation campaign is often interpreted in psychopathological terms as a natural reaction to a traumatic past, and as proving that this past should be healed by a therapeutic memory that fosters closure—a vision that we call “trauma-therapy-closure (TTC) time.” Although this vision is in line with an internationally widespread “transitional justice” discourse, it should be critically analyzed. We argue that the Spanish situation does not prove the naturalness and universal applicability of trauma-therapy-closure time. Although we do identify aspects of this trauma-therapy-closure vision in an influential exhumation group, this vision is contested by local actors and sections within the memory movement that engage in alternative politics of time. Therefore, we demonstrate how the case of Spain reveals how trauma-therapy-closure time, rather than being natural or universal, is actively disseminated on a local level.

La comunicación pública de ámbitos científicos y tecnológicos emergentes. Problemas y retos en el caso de la nanotecnología

This work deals with public understanding of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Concerns about public attitudes towards both, including a lack of knowledge on the part of the general public, have lead scholars in a number of countries to conduct early studies on the social perceptions of these fields. However, this has not been the case in Spain or Latin America, where studies on the popularisation and public understanding of nanotechnology are almost non-existent. This work has a double aim. First, it seeks to contextualise and explain the Spanish situation in this regard. Second, it aims to communicate the results of a Delphi study involving nanotechnology experts (n=38) and designed to fill the above mentioned gap. These results consist of an ordered set of basic content items on nanotechnology that scientists, journalists and educators should bear in mind, as well as some issues to be mindful of with regard to those content items.

200th ENMC International Workshop “European Reference Networks: Recommendations and Criteria in the Neuromuscular field”, 18–20 October 2013, Naarden, the Netherlands

200th ENMC International Workshop “European Reference Networks: Recommendations and Criteria in the Neuromuscular field”, 18–20 October 2013, Naarden, the Netherlands

Some New Results on the Estimation of Structural Budget Balance for Spain

The recession that started in 2008 caused a sharp deterioration of the budget balance of Spain. This de-cline was not fully anticipated by the structural budget balance due to some methodology limitations.In this article, we calculate an alternative structural balance for Spain in the years prior to the subprimecrisis that includes residential investment as an explanatory variable. This estimate shows that by 2004the Spanish fiscal situation was not as strong as presumed. This fragility was hidden by the extraordi-nary revenue from the real estate bubble and the construction boom.

Gender diversity in the boardroom: Context and Spanish case

Gender diversity in the boardroom: Context and Spanish case

Regeneración ética y compromiso político para una sociedad democrática avanzada

El comentario reflexiona sobre la responsabilidad política en el deterioro del sistema democrático e intenta contribuir a la regeneración ética del mismo. Puesto que la comunidad universitaria ha de jugar un papel esencial en la búsqueda y el diálogo que conducen a esa regeneración responsable, hemos de subrayar el papel de la educación cívica y política de los estudiantes universitarios para capacitarles en el ejercicio de ese arte como servicio al bien común.En el comentario partimos de la actual situación española de quiebra democrática y de deslegitimación de los partidos y de la “clase política” en su conjunto. La pregunta por la democracia representativa, en este momento en que muchos cuestionan los consensos constitucionales, es incisiva e inquietante. El editorial aborda también el análisis de la deslegitimación del sistema democrático y hace algunas propuestas para la regeneración democrática de nuestra sociedad, a partir de una cultura política de una democracia de calidad, impregnada de valores.

Botella al mar para el dios de las palabras. Reflexiones de García Márquez sobre gramática y ortografía

The opening of the International Congress of the Spanish Language in Zacatecas, which was charged to Gabriel Garcia Marquez under the title “Bottle the sea for the God of words”, showed that not all academics of Spanish have consistent views on the current situation of Spanish, its spelling and grammar. The writer reflects a current of opinion about spelling and grammatical simplification, which began several centuries earlier (from Nebrija, straps, Bello and later with Juan Ramón Jimenez proposals) and which has a blunt response from other Spanish-speaking intellectuals on this occasion. In this article, we analyze the controversy, providing the most relevant points of view on the issue, to conclude that a phonemic spelling system such as ours is only sustained with the pillar of historically consistent spelling.

Key points in the practical implementation of greywater recycling systems. The Spanish situation in the global context

This paper reviews four different aspects of greywater reuse, the adoption of which is now beginning to spread in Spain. The main aspect addressed is water quality, but legal requirements, costs and the effect on reducing water needs also require analysis. These aspects are of key importance to understand the current way in which greywater reuse systems are developing and, even more importantly, for setting the conditions for future success. In relation to each aspect, the data obtained in a pilot project in Spain is compared to other foreign references.

Spanish health care cuts: Penny wise and pound foolish?

The purpose of this paper is to convey the specific health care actions and policies undertaken by the Spanish government, as well as by regional governments, as a result of the economic crisis. Throughout the last two years we have witnessed a number of actions in areas such as human capital, activity and processes, outsourcing and investment that, poorly coordinated, have shaped the nature of financial cuts on public services. This paper discloses the size and magnitude of these actions, the main actors involved and the major consequences for the health sector, citizens and patients.We further argue that there are a number of factors which have been neglected in the discourse and in the actions undertaken. First, the crisis situation is not being used as an opportunity for major reforms in the health care system. Further, the lay public and professionals have remained as observers in the process, with little to no participation at any point. Moreover, there is a general perception that the solution to the Spanish situation is either the proposed health care cuts or an increase in cost sharing for services which neglects alternative and/or complementary measures. Finally, there is a complete absence of any scientific component in the discourse and in the policies proposed.