Social policy in challenging times


Book Description

There is no precedent to the current economic crisis which looks set to redefine social policy debate throughout the globe. But its effects are not uniform across nations. Bringing together a range of expert contributions, the key lesson to emerge from this book is that 'the crisis' is better understood as a variety of crises, each mediated by national context. Consequently, there is an array of potential trajectories for welfare systems, from those where social policy is regarded as incompatible with the post-crisis economy to those where it is considered essential to future economic growth and security.




The Emerald Handbook of Public Administration in Latin America


Book Description

This handbook presents contemporary research on public administration in Latin America. The first section explores the range of administrative systems in existence across the region. The second portion of the book discusses important topics such as public personnel management, accountability and policy coordination in Latin America.




Tourism in Latin America


Book Description

This book presents eleven case studies of success about Latin America tourism. The cases are embedded in a framework describing the economic and cultural foundations of tourism development in the continent. Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Costa Rica are some of the Latin countries which have become examples and models for touristic development, respect for the environment and social inclusion. The book showcases some of the best practices, along with an analysis of how these projects helped improving the environmental and social surroundings and how return on investments has been ensured. Latin America is shown as an excellent example, with the Gross Domestic Product of the continent expanding intensely in the tertiary sector like leisure, hospitality, travel, tourism, entertainment, gastronomy, events and indoor and outdoor recreation. This book is a valuable resource both for professionals in the tourism industry and for researchers in tourism management.




Translating Global Ideas


Book Description

International organizations have consistently influenced education reforms in Latin America, but not all countries have adopted the same policy recommendations. This book offers a unique comparative analysis of secondary education reforms in Chile, Argentina, and Colombia, from the 1960s to the 2010s, with a focus on three key areas: manpower planning, state-retrenchment (market-based versus active-state), and ideas about having a right to a quality education in an era of government accountability. While responding to similar policy recommendations, these countries have differed in how they have implemented decentralization, incorporated private actors, allocated authority over curriculum, and established instruments of accountability. Claudia Diaz-Rios traces the legacies of previous education policies and local struggles among stakeholders in reshaping—and sometimes rejecting—foreign recommendations. Translating Global Idea will be an invaluable resource for scholars of comparative politics and the globalization of education—particularly those interested in policy development in middle- and low-income countries, as well as practitioners invested in promoting education policy changes in Latin America.




Anti-Drug Policies in Colombia


Book Description

Forty years after the declaration of the "war on drugs" by President Nixon, the debate on the effectiveness and costs of the ban is red-hot. Several former Latin American presidents and leading intellectuals from around the world have drawn attention to the ineffectiveness and adverse consequences of prohibitionism. This book thoroughly analyzes the drug policies of one of the main protagonists in this war. The book covers many topics: the economics of drug production, the policies to reduce consumption and decrease supply during the Plan Colombia, the effects of the drug problem on Colombia's international relations, the prevention of money laundering, the connection between drug trafficking and paramilitary politics, and strategies against organized crime. Beyond the diversity in topics, there is a common thread running through all the chapters: the need to analyze objectively what works and what does not, based on empirical evidence. Presented here for the first time to an English-speaking audience, this book is a contribution to a debate that urgently needs to transcend ideology and preconceived opinions.




Building Capabilities for Productive Development


Book Description

Productive development policies (PDPs) are notoriously hard. They involve a daunting level of technical detail, require public-private collaboration, are in constant danger of capture, and demand time consistency hard to achieve in a politically volatile region. Nevertheless, the potential of PDPs to revitalize the region’s economic performance and spur productivity growth cannot be ignored. This book takes an in-depth look at 17 cases involving productive development agencies from Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica and Uruguay, identifying key features of institutional design and agency-level practices that make success more likely in this difficult policy arena. Careful study of these experiences might help successful productive development policies gain currency across the region. The cases in this book should not be seen as the exceptions that prove the rule of lackluster PDP performance, but rather as examples that demonstrate the rule can be broken.




Educational content up close


Book Description




Research in English Language Teaching


Book Description

Research in English Language Teaching: Mexican Perspectives Teacher research takes different forms and serves a variety purposes, but it is conducted by teachers, individually or collaboratively, with the basic aim of understanding teaching and learning in context. In Mexico, teacher research is starting to gain momentum and newcomers search for guidance and examples. This book can be used by English language teachers, teacher educators and student teachers who want to develop their professional expertise by investigating learning and teaching in a systematic and organized way. It is also useful for undergraduate students of EFL teaching and applied linguistics who need to produce a thesis, or experienced teachers who want to develop a research project for the first time. Research in English Language Teaching: Mexican Perspectives combines basic general knowledge and practical advice with reports of research conducted in Mexican educational contexts. PART ONE offers an overview of research and discussion on the teaching-research nexus, and different ways to meet the challenges of doing research. PART TWO presents accounts of recent research in the national context, written by teacher researchers working for different public higher education institutions. These accounts reflect diverse theoretical approaches, topics, methods of data collection and analysis, and styles of reporting. PART THREE includes basic guidelines to write the most common research genres: thesis, conference paper, and research article. The final section contains a glossary of research terms."




Twenty-First-Century Feminismos


Book Description

The women’s movement is a central, complex, and evolving socio-political actor in any national context. Vital to advancing gender equity and gendered relations in every contemporary society, the organization and mobilization of women into social movements challenges patriarchal values, behaviours, laws, and policies through collective action and contention, radically altering the direction of society over time. Twenty-First-Century Feminismos examines ten case studies from eight different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to better understand the ways in which women’s and feminist movements react to, are shaped by, and advance social change. A closer look at women’s movements in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Haiti, Mexico, and Uruguay uncovers broader recurrent patterns at the regional level, such as the persistence of certain grievances historically harboured by regional movements, the rise in prominence of varying claims, and the emergence of novel organizational structures, repertoires, and mobilization strategies. Dissimilarities among the cases are also brought to light, including the composition of these movements, their success in effecting policy change in specific areas, and the particular conditions that surround their mobilization and struggles. Twenty-First-Century Feminismos provides a compelling account of the important victories attained by Latin American and Caribbean organized women over the course of the last forty years, as well as the challenges they face in their quest for gender justice.