Parity without Equality

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer M. Piscopo
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Party System ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
Costa Rican ◽  
Women In Politics ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Economic Problems ◽  
Crisis Of Representation ◽  
Female Legislators ◽  
Female President

Jennifer M. Piscopo examines how the crisis of representation in Costa Rica has placed a ceiling on gender equality in representation. The restructuring of the Costa Rican party system and party fragmentation has made electing multiple candidates from any one ballot more difficult. Top spots have become even more prestigious and more likely to be allocated to men, which reduces women’s electoral chances. Corruption scandals, party breakdown, citizen frustration, and economic problems tainted the administration of the nation’s first female president, Laura Chinchilla. Female legislators have often worked to promote women’s issues and feminist policies, but Chinchilla eschewed feminism, even though several of her policies did benefit women. Overall, her failed presidency may create difficulties for other women seeking top political offices and could have negative consequences for views of women in politics. These challenges notwithstanding, Piscopo concludes that Costa Rica remains at the vanguard of women’s political representation in Latin America.

scholarly journals Crisis de la democracia de partidos y segunda transición // Party Democracy’s Crisis and Second Transition

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (100) ◽  
pp. 615
Author(s):  
Juan Jesús González
Keyword(s):  
Party System ◽  
Political Representation ◽  
El Paso ◽  
Political Polarization ◽  
The Political ◽  
New Politics ◽  
Electoral Impact ◽  
Crisis Of Representation ◽  
General Elections ◽  
New System

ResumenEste artículo comienza presentando la idea de Bernard Manin sobre la evolución de las formas de representación política y el paso de la democracia de partidos a la democracia de audiencia. A continuación, hace repaso de la génesis y evolución de la crisis económica con el fin de subrayar algunas de sus consecuencias en el terreno políticoinstitucional. En tercer lugar, se detiene en el análisis del impacto electoral de la crisis de representación en las elecciones autonómicas y generales de 2015, para llegar, por último, a evaluar el nuevo sistema de partidos y sus implicaciones en materia de polarización política.Summary:1. Old and new politics. 2. The genealogy of the crisis. 3. The electoral impact of the crisis: the autonomic and general elections of 2015. 4. The new system of parties: limited transition to pluralism polarized pluralism. 5. Summary.Abstract:This article begins by presenting the Bernard Manin’s argument on the evolution of the political representation and the transition from party democracy to audience democracy. It continues by taking into account the origins and evolution of the economic crisis in order to underline some of its consequences concerning the political and institutional arena. Third, it analyzes the electoral impact of the crisis of representation on the regional and general 2015 elections. Finally, the article evaluates the new party system and its implications withregard to the issue of political polarization.

Urban Population Knowledge of Climate Change in Costa Rica and Nicaragua

2013 ◽  
pp. 55-76
Author(s):  
Sergio A. Molina Murillo
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Urban Population ◽  
Public Understanding ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
International Policies ◽  
General Concern

Most scenarios indicate that people in developing countries are more vulnerable and less capable of adapting to climate change. Since our public understanding of risk toward climate change in developing countries is limited, this article presents results from Costa Rica and Nicaragua, two countries which are socio-economically distinct, but which are expected to suffer similar extreme weather events. From October of 2008 until May 2010, a total of 1,047 respondents were surveyed in cities of both countries. The main results indicate that climate change is a widely known concept but other notions such as “carbon footprint” are foreign to most respondents. Despite the general concern with its negative consequences, respondents’ foremost concern is linked to their socioeconomic situation, and how it will be impacted by climate change in such aspects as poverty and social security. The results presented here contribute to advance national and international policies aiming to support mitigation or adaptation strategies in developing countries.

Complex Solution of Ecological and Economic Problems of Traffic Jams

2019 ◽  
pp. 6-15
Author(s):  
Oleksandr M. Matsenko ◽  
Yaroslav S. Kovalev ◽  
Olena M. Tkachenko ◽  
Yaroslava V. Chorna
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Control ◽  
Motor Vehicle ◽  
Motor Vehicles ◽  
Water Runoff ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Traffic Lights ◽  
Economic Problems ◽  
Traffic Jams ◽  
Economic Sphere ◽  
Flows Over Time

The article explores the congestion level in traffic of motor vehicles and its negative environmental and economic consequences in case of Kiev. The amount of pollution from traffic jams in Kiev and the number of vehicles which got into them in 2009-2018 is analyzed. The loss of earnings on the side of automobile owners from their standby are calculated with corresponding quantitative expressions found and described. For the course of the research, the methods of system-structural and comparative analysis were used for analyzing the environmental and economic problems of modern automobile systems; methods of formal logical analysis were used for substantiating the innovative infrastructure of transport routes. Separately economic and statistical methods were used in the study for trends development, structure analysis, and estimation of the influence of road congestion on the environmental and economic sphere. Pearson test has indicated a close relationship between the number of cars in Kiev and the number of values from traffic jams in environmental and economic sphere. Solutions to this problem are offered in forms of automated traffic control systems, improvisation of organizational and technical methods for the distribution of traffic flows over time, namely reverse traffic, road junctions, smart traffic lights, road extension, and the transition to alternative modes of transport. In all countries of the world there are new research methods that affect pollutants from motor vehicles. It is proved that they are forced by the recipients. In addition, landscaping can improve landscape design, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, surface water runoff and noise pollution. In this regard the policy implication of the research are aimed to eliminate the negative consequences from the use of vehicles during traffic jams, and the necessary number of trees for planting in Kiev is calculated. Key words: motor transport, congestion, traffic jam, motor vehicle, greening, compensation effect, lost profits, losses.

Informal Institutions and Women’s Political Representation in Chile (1990–2015)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Franceschet
Keyword(s):  
Political Representation ◽  
Informal Institutions ◽  
Women's Ministry ◽  
Gender Parity ◽  
Formal And Informal Institutions ◽  
Electoral Reforms ◽  
National Congress ◽  
Gender Quota ◽  
Female President ◽  
Elected Office

Despite electing a female president, Michelle Bachelet, and at one point achieving gender parity in cabinet appointments, women’s presence in Chile’s national congress remains small, is only slightly higher at local levels, and is extremely limited among party and coalition leaders. In her gendered analysis of representation, Susan Franceschet argues this is because of the strong formal and informal institutions that limit the size of electoral districts, require large thresholds to win seats, and require coalition negotiation over candidates for elected office. Even though women have a mixed record of representation, their presence has had important policy consequences. A gender-focused presidency has been critical for passage of gender-attentive policies. Women in Chile’s legislative arenas have been more likely to bring gender issues to the agenda. Franceschet points out that Sernam, the women’s ministry, has played a critically important role in this. The electoral reforms approved by congress in 2015 include a gender quota, creating expectations that improvements will continue.

scholarly journals Formación docente inicial y acción socioeducativa: Construyendo una propuesta de implementación del Programa Maestros Comunitarios (PMC)

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Paulette Barberousse-Alfonso ◽  
Marie Claire Vargas-Dengo ◽  
Pamela Corrales-Bastos
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Elementary Education ◽  
Costa Rican ◽  
School Dropouts ◽  
Educational Models ◽  
Code Number ◽  
National University ◽  
Community Pedagogy ◽  
Transformative Approach ◽  
Career Program

From a critical and transformative approach, this essay presents inputs and relevant conclusions obtained during the first stage of the project Construyendo una propuesta de implementación del Programa Maestros Comunitarios (PMC), Code number 0166-15 DEB-UNA (UNA, DEB, s. f.), conducted in 2016. Considering our perspective as researchers and professors at División de Educación Básica, the paper addresses a current topic within the socio-educative field to face challenges of contemporary educational models in formal and non-formal areas of elementary education in the Costa Rican context. Our purpose is that students and teachers of the career program Pedagogía con énfasis en I y II ciclos de la Educación General Básica have an overview of the national, social, and educational reality in an attempt to involve them in applying pedagogical actions towards finding a solution to school dropouts at Escuela Finca Guararí, Heredia, Costa Rica. The essay describes the experience of teaching education students and their socio-educational action with the focus on the systematization of the experience in the initial stage of the project. Furthermore, the paper connects with emerging strategic knowledge areas at División de Educación Básica (DEB), such as social and community pedagogy in the context of the National University (UNA) of Costa Rica. It takes over a route already traced at DEB, which proposes more flexible and alternative pedagogic formats to promote educational equity and diversity issues. The paper describes the project background and a theoretical framework, as well as aspects that have been shared by the protagonist actors along the process: students-teachers, host teachers, supervisor professors, school children, and their parents at Escuela Finca Guararí. Conclusions address main results and facts during 2016 in order to show the viability of the project, which is conducted from a public university. Finally, the article also includes an overview of the project’s future in terms of its implementation in the Costa Rican context.

Costa Rica in 1948: Cold War or Local War?

1996 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 465-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcia Olander
Keyword(s):  
Latin America ◽  
Cold War ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Costa Rican ◽  
Panama Canal Zone ◽  
First Case ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Cold War ◽  
The U.S

The years following World War Two produced a strong resurgence of U.S. intervention in Central America and the Caribbean couched in Cold War terms. Although the U.S. intervention in Guatemala to overthrow the government of Jacobo Arbenz in 1954 has generally been seen as the first case of Cold War covert anti-Communist intervention in Latin America, several scholars have raised questions about U.S. involvement in a 1948 Costa Rican civil war in which Communism played a critical role. In a 1993 article in The Americas, Kyle Longley argued that “the U.S. response to the Costa Rican Revolution of 1948, not the Guatemalan affair, marked the origins of the Cold War in Latin America.” The U.S. “actively interfered,” and achieved “comparable results in Costa Rica as in Guatemala: the removal of a perceived Communist threat.” Other authors have argued, even, that the U.S. had prepared an invasion force in the Panama Canal Zone to pacify the country. The fifty years of Cold War anti-Communism entitles one to be skeptical of U.S. non-intervention in a Central American conflict involving Communism. Costa Ricans, aware of a long tradition of U.S. intervention in the region, also assumed that the U.S. would intervene. Most, if not all, were expecting intervention and one key government figure described U.S. pressure as like “the air, which is felt, even if it cannot be seen.” Yet, historians must do more than just “feel” intervention. Subsequent Cold War intervention may make it difficult to appraise the 1948 events in Costa Rica objectively. Statements like Longley's that “it is hard to believe that in early 1948 … Washington would not favor policies that ensured the removal of the [Communist Party] Vanguard,” although logical, do not coincide with the facts of the U.S. role in the conflict.

Vaccine effectiveness of Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca to prevent severe COVID-19 in Costa Rica: A nationwide, observational study of hospitalizations prevalence (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Rosero-Bixby
Keyword(s):  
Single Dose ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Observational Study ◽  
Real World ◽  
Vaccine Coverage ◽  
Secondary Analysis ◽  
Vaccine Effectiveness ◽  
Costa Rican ◽  
Vaccination Program ◽  
Severe Illness

BACKGROUND The Costa Rican vaccination program uses Pfizer-BioNTech and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines. Real-world estimates of these vaccines effectiveness to prevent hospitalizations range from 90% to 98% for two doses and from 70% to 91% for a single dose. Almost all of these estimates predate the Delta variant. OBJECTIVE To estimate the dose-dependent effectiveness of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines to prevent severe illness in real-world conditions of Costa Rica, after the Delta variant became dominant. METHODS This observational study is a secondary analysis of hospitalizations prevalence. The participants are all 3.67 million adults residents in Costa Rica by mid-2021. The study is based on public aggregated data of 5978 COVID-19-related hospital records from 14th September to 20th October, 2021 and 6.1 million vaccination doses administered to determine hospitalization prevalence by dose-specific vaccination status. The intervention retrospectively evaluated is vaccination with Pfizer-BioNTech (78%) and Oxford-AstraZeneca (22%). The main outcome studied is being hospitalized. RESULTS Vaccine effectiveness to prevent hospitalization (VEH) was estimated as 93.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 93.0 to 93.9) for complete vaccination and 76.7% (CI: 75.0 to 78.3) for single-dose vaccination among adults of all ages. VEH was lower and more uncertain among older adults aged 58 years and above: 92% (CI: 91% to 93%) for those who had received full vaccination and 64% (CI: 58% to 69%) for those who had received partial vaccination. Single-dose VEH declined over time during the study period, especially in the older age group. Estimates were sensitive to possible errors in the population count used to determine the residual number of unvaccinated people when vaccine coverage is high. CONCLUSIONS The Costa Rican vaccination program that administered Pfizer and Oxford vaccines are highly effective to prevent COVID-19-related hospitalizations after the Delta variant had become dominant. Moreover, a single dose is reasonably effective, justifying the continuation of the national policy of postponing the application for the second dose of the Pfizer vaccine to accelerate the vaccination and increase the number of people being vaccinated. Timely monitoring of vaccine effectiveness is important to detect eventual failures and motivate the public based on information that the vaccinations are effective.

Checklist and key of New World species of Omiodes Guenée with descriptions of four new Costa Rican species (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

1997 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 471-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Gentili ◽  
M. Alma Solis
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Costa Rica ◽  
Type Species ◽  
New World ◽  
Costa Rican ◽  
New Combination ◽  
World Species

AbstractOmiodes Guenée is redescribed based on all New World species, including the type species O. humeralis Guenée. Four new species from Costa Rica, O. janzeni sp. n., O. hallwachsae sp. n., O. sirena sp. n., O. ochracea sp. n., are described. Ten new synonymies are established : Phostria disciiridescens Hampson is =O. croeceiceps (Walker), Phostria cayennalis Schaus is =O. grandis (Druce), Omiodes ochrosoma Felder & Rogenhofer and Phryganodes gazalis Schaus are =O. pandaralis (Walker), Nacoleia lenticurvalis Hampson, Phryganodes anchoritalis Dyar, and Phostria duplicata Kaye are =O. confusalis (Dognin), O. cervinalis Amsel is =O. martvralis (Lederer), Nacoleia indicata ab. pigralis Dognin and Botis fortificalis Möschler are =O. metricalis (Möschler). One new combination is recognized: O. pandaralis (Walker) was transferred from Coelorhynchidia Hampson. A key and an updated checklist to the neotropical Omiodes species is provided, including O. indicata (Fabricius), a worldwide pest. Ten species that do not belong in Omiodes are retained until appropriate generic placements are identified.

scholarly journals Assessing Suitable Habitats for Treefrog Species after Previous Declines in Costa Rica

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 577
Author(s):  
Héctor Zumbado-Ulate ◽  
Catherine L. Searle ◽  
Gerardo Chaves ◽  
Víctor Acosta-Chaves ◽  
Alex Shepack ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Sympatric Species ◽  
Costa Rican ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Minimum Convex Polygon ◽  
Amphibian Species ◽  
Environmental Threats ◽  
The Status ◽  
Suitable Habitats ◽  
Iucn Assessment

Treefrogs represent 22% of amphibian species in Costa Rica, but gaps in the knowledge about this group of amphibians can impede conservation efforts. In this study, we first updated the status of Costa Rican treefrogs and found that a total of 38% of treefrog species are threatened according to the most recent IUCN assessment in 2019. Additionally, 21% of Costa Rican treefrog species have a high vulnerability to extinction according to environmental vulnerability scores. Then, we predicted the historical climatic suitability of eight target species that we expected to have exhibited changes in their ranges in the last 20 years. We assessed the location of new occurrence records since 2000 to identify recovery, range expansion, or previously underestimated ranges due to methodological limitations. We also estimated the area of each species’ suitable habitat with two metrics: extent of suitable habitat (ESH) and area of minimum convex polygon (AMCP). Six declined species exhibited recovery (i.e., new occurrences across historical range after 2000), with the widest recovery found in Agalychnis annae. We also found that Isthmohyla pseudopuma appears to have spread after the decline of sympatric species and that the range of I. sukia was originally underestimated due to inadequate detection. We found that the ESH was 32–49% smaller than the AMCP for species that are slowly recovering; however, the ESH is similar or greater than the AMCP for species that are recovering in most of their ranges, as well as rare species with widespread ranges. Results of this work can be used to evaluate the risk of environmental threats and prioritize regions for conservation purposes.

scholarly journals Combining Leaf Shape and Texture for Costa Rican Plant Species

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Carranza-Rojas ◽  
Erick Mata-Montero
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Tree Species ◽  
Leaf Shape ◽  
Costa Rican ◽  
Automatic Identification ◽  
Leaf Margin ◽  
Best Value ◽  
Candidate Species ◽  
Image Dataset ◽  
Northeast Us

In the last decade, research in Computer Vision has developed several algorithms to help botanists and non-experts to classify plants based on images of their leaves. LeafSnap is a mobile application that uses a multiscale curvature model of the leaf margin to classify leaf images into species. It has achieved high levels of accuracy on 184 tree species from Northeast US. We extend the research that led to the development of LeafSnap along two lines. First, LeafSnap’s underlying algorithms are applied to a set of 66 tree species from Costa Rica. Then, texture is used as an additional criterion to measure the level of improvement achieved in the automatic identification of Costa Rica tree species. A 25.6% improvement was achieved for a Costa Rican clean image dataset and 42.5% for a Costa Rican noisy image dataset. In both cases, our results show this increment as statistically significant. Further statistical analysis of visual noise impact, best algorithm combinations per species, and best value of k , the minimal cardinality of the set of candidate species that the tested algorithms render as best matches is also presented in this research.

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