Narrow Results

This case study is part of a research project based in Spain between 2011 and 2014 on the social institutions and affective processes involved in what is normally referred to as social movement. Our purpose is to study how information circulates in small-world networks in which the dynamics are modeled with a stochastic version of Greenberg–Hasting’s excitable model. This is a three-state model in which a node can be in an excited, passive, or susceptible state. Only in the susceptible state does a node interact with its neighbors in the small-world network, and its interaction depends on the probability of contagion. We introduce an infection probability, which is the only parameter in our implementation of Greenberg–Hasting’s model. The small-world network is characterized by a mean connectivity parameter and by a disorder parameter.

The resulting dynamics are characterized by the average activity in the network. We have found transitions from inactive to active collective regimes, and we can induce this transition by varying. We search for different dynamics within small-world networks of citizens’ organizations by going through the following steps: identifying alliance patterns; looking for robust small-world attributes and how they are constructed; and interpreting the three modes of our model.

This paper shows an analysis of strategic groups in the Spanish pharmaceutical industry. The first results reveal that differences between company performance and strategic groups do not exist. However, taking into account the innovative process in the pharmaceutical industry, when considering the risk-adjusted results we have confirmed the existence of differences among the strategic groups for some of the used indicators. The combination of radical and low-impact innovations, production for third parties, and commercialization under licenses can offer a better performance than other groups focused exclusively in innovation or in specific market segments.

In this paper, two sets of earthquake ground-motion relations to estimate peak ground and response spectral acceleration are developed for sites in southern Spain and in southern Norway using a recently published composite approach. For this purpose seven empirical ground-motion relations developed from recorded strong-motion data from different parts of the world were employed. The different relations were first adjusted based on a number of transformations to convert the differing choices of independent parameters to a single one. After these transformations, which include the scatter introduced, were performed, the equations were modified to account for differences between the host and the target regions using the stochastic method to compute the host-to-target conversion factors. Finally functions were fitted to the derived ground-motion estimates to obtain sets of seven individual equations for use in probabilistic seismic hazard assessment for southern Spain and southern Norway. The relations are compared with local ones published for the two regions. The composite methodology calls for the setting up of independent logic trees for the median values and for the sigma values, in order to properly separate epistemic and aleatory uncertainties after the corrections and the conversions.

In this paper, we analyse the diffusion mechanism of wind power over the last two decades in the leading countries, namely China, the United States, Germany, India and Spain. For each country, three prominent models of technology diffusion (Logistic, Bass and Gompertz) were fitted and the best model is identified based on AIC, BIC and adjusted R² criteria. The selected diffusion model in each case is then characterised with respect to the policy mechanisms. Often, research follows the "one size fits all" approach and tends to propose one model to define diffusion for all. Here we find that it is not necessarily true. The study then proposes the causal relationship between parameters of the selected model and corresponding policies along with the socioeconomic structure for a country to corroborate our findings. Further, forecasts were generated to predict the saturation point of the diffusion path and solutions are proposed to expand the diffusion curve.

Incorporation of impact assessment in undergraduate academic curricula has remained underdeveloped in both Ireland and Spain, with the subject commonly narrowed down to a general introduction to impact assessment legislation and procedural stages supported by a number of illustrative case studies. This approach is often transferred to postgraduate level, with a limited number of Masters programmes including impact assessment as a subject, and fewer being dedicated to impact assessment alone. This, in turn, has resulted in limited research in the area and more importantly, in very few academic research publications. At Master's level, research has mainly focused on the quality of EISs (often focusing on controversial sectors such as wind energy or mining) and public participation related issues. At the doctorate level, a limited number of EIA/SEA related PhD dissertations can be found, and the range of issues covered is quite varied and sparse. The largest drivers for SEA research are government initiatives and research calls. This commonly translates into publication of extensive normative guidance on EIA, SEA and Appropriate Assessment, as well as on current practice review reports and good practice recommendations. Relevant dissemination activities can also be found in Ireland and Spain, including provision of platforms for knowledge exchange and learning on impact assessment methods and tool. More efforts and funding are however needed to promote empirical academic research, and thereby advance impact assessment research and practice in relevant sectors and areas, including impact assessment theory and governance, public participation effectiveness, cumulative effects assessment or environmental limits.

Since 2000, the Transboundary Environmental Impact Assessment (TEIA) process in the Iberian context has undergone significant development due to new circumstances that came into play at the bilateral and European levels: (i) the adoption of a collaborative TEIA Protocol between Spain and Portugal in 2008; and (ii) the increasing number of cross-border projects supported by European Union funds. Despite these developments, the impact of this bilateral regulation on public participation, the cornerstone of any Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), has not yet been fully examined. Drawing from specific literature focusing on the involvement of the public as the basis of effective improvement of the TEIA, this paper critically analyses if the lates transboundary provision has encouraged public participation in this context. Although the analysis of the TEIA enforcement revealed a considerable increase in the number of consultations between the neighbouring states compared to the previous situation, public involvement has not increased. Based on these findings, this paper presents a set of recommendations to more effectively involve the public in transboundary consultations.

The action situation is a core component of actor-centered institutional analysis of natural resource governance. Institutional analysis frameworks have been extended to observe multiple situations structured into networks. If further operationalized, this extension can improve policy diagnosis of human–environmental interactions. This paper proposes two complementary ways to move in that direction. First, we propose the use of qualitative configurational analysis and game theory to study the interactions between situations and assess the contribution of each to a desired outcome. Second, we draw on centrality measures to assess the benefits and risks of implementing policies that aim to change the equilibria in action situations. Both analytical strategies are applied to two cases involving irrigation and energy governance. In the Spanish case, centrality of the water allocation situation justifies a configuration of drought measures that also tackle cooperation in monitoring and infrastructure maintenance. In the Indian case, groundwater governance and adequate infrastructure capacity provision are necessary preconditions to enable coordinated technology adoption, which facilitates incentives for regulated irrigation. In both the cases, some action situations’ positive outcomes are necessary in every configuration to guarantee optimal equilibria in the network. In the context of energy-fed irrigation systems, the proposed analytical strategies permit integrating interactions between water use, energy use and food production decisions in policy diagnoses. The analysis can be extended to identify archetypes, network closure, as well as structural and functional connectivity of networks in social-ecological systems.

In this paper we assess the current relevance of different sources of international competitiveness. Relative prices, labor costs, and productivity are evaluated as determinants of a country's international competitiveness at the industry level. Working with detailed data on unit values and with industry data on productivity, we empirically implement a MacDougall-type model for Spanish and French trade to Brazil, China, Japan, and the U.S. The period under study is 1980 to 2001 and we distinguish in our analysis between homogenous, reference-priced, and differentiated goods. Our results indicate that cost competitiveness factors are only valid for explaining trade with developing countries while other factors are of importance for developed economies. Overall price competitiveness is of importance, but for differentiated goods, factors distinct from prices seem to determine export success.

This paper uses comparable firm level data from France, Italy and Spain to test a hypothesis derived by Bustos (AER 2011) in a model that explains the decision of heterogeneous firms to export and to engage in R&D. Using a non-parametric test for first order stochastic dominance it is shown that, in line with this hypothesis, the productivity distribution of firms with exports and R&D dominates that of exporters without R&D, which in turn dominates that of firms that neither export nor engage in R&D. These results are in line with findings for Argentina reported by Bustos, and with findings for Germany and Denmark. The model, therefore, seems to be useful to guide empirical work on the relation between exports, R&D and productivity.

The following sections are included:

• Introduction: the industry before the liberalisation

• The process of liberalisation

• An assessment of the regulatory reform
  • The market structure
  • The liberalisation of supply
  • The remuneration for the competitive transition costs
  • The procedure for the regulatory reform

• Conclusions

• References

Irrigation plays a fundamental role in guaranteeing food security. Increasing food production to meet the growing future demands of the world population will require not only the expansion of the irrigated area (i.e., through the conversion of rainfed land) and better water availability (both in space and time), but also greater efficiency in the use of resources. Both drivers of growth require complex institutional and policy reforms, especially in those regions of the world with water scarcity problems. In the particular case of Spain, the growth of agricultural production as a guarantor of food security appears to lack the support of an increase in resources (i.e., land and water), but not that of an increase in agricultural productivity. The analysis carried out in this chapter has shown that the achievement of a higher production per unit of productive factor used (especially per unit of water used) has been decisive in maintaining the production of the Spanish agricultural sector.

The main objective of this chapter is to examine the invariance of Richins and Dawson's (1992) previously validated three-factor materialism model scale across different cultural groups of respondents and to analyse and estimate the presence of materialistic values among Europeans, more precisely in samples from Germany, Spain, and Portugal. Through Richins and Dawson's (1992) materialism values scale, we checked and cross-examined the materialistic dimensions among the young people of the countries referred to using Structural Equation Modeling. There are different levels and sort of materialism among the three European countries.

This paper presents partial results of a research developed during the year 2002 to 2006. Population analyzed was Science and Technology teachers of Spanish universities. The investigation has worked with sample academic users, distributed among 19 Spanish universities. The main contribution of this study is to present a BIQUAL tool. It is useful for the evaluation of the quality services in university libraries and especially of Science and Technology. This tool is created using the user's point of view. Results identify behaviour of these users and the aspects that concern the quality of the service in this environment. We also discuss about some problems and difficult experimented in this research. We analyzed the use of quantitative methods, in special, survey as well as it effectiveness to library quality management.

Spain and Portugal have established cooperation mechanisms to manage their shared water resources in order to avoid any potential conflict. Cooperation is clearly reflected in the 1998 Albufeira Convention, which provides a legal framework to regulate all transboundary basins between both countries to protect surface water and groundwater, as well as the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems that depend on them for the sustainable use of water resources. The 1998 Albufeira Convention establishes as one of the uses of the Tagus Basin Gthe transfer of water interbasin such as the Aqueduct Tagus-Segura (ATS). According to this Convention, the management of water uses and the right to use water shall be addressed to guarantee the sustainable use of water that is already established. The ATS is a use guaranteed and protected under international water law. The analysis of the ATS in the context of the international legislation to mitigate water scarcity, and droughts provides the strategies to promote resilience to climate change and the impacts of drought conditions in the society in a sustainable manner while ensuring the fundamental rights.