The following study aimed to establish the social and political factors involved in the extreme poverty suffered by most of forcefully displaced persons in Colombia. To do so, a conscientious research was made and a survey was conducted. In addition, it was demonstrated that forced displacement is a strategy used by every violent actor of the internal conflict in Colombia, intended for impose their particular regimes based on violence and inequality. Moreover, was also established the relevance that in conflict has had the unfinished construction of the Colombian state, as well as the key role that has its differentiated presence throughout national territory and its co-opted reconfiguration by legal and illegal actors. Then, it was also shown that poverty goes beyond the economic aspect and involves, specifically for the case of IDPs (Internal Displaced Populations), phenomena such as uprooting, revictimization and social exclusion. Above, remarking the multidimensional character of poverty studied from the Capability Approach (CA) introduced by Amartya Sen and, the central importance that integral measures of it have to acquire a veridical picture of poverty suffered by victims of violence, specifically IDPs. Finally, a case study was carried out in the municipality with the highest number of IDPs in the country after the city of Bogotá, called Soacha. To do so, a survey applied to persons included in the most important program to tackle poverty in the country was conducted, and the role that local authorities have addressing this matter was analyzed; to conclude with a set of policy recommendations.

Después de más de 20 años de éxito del sistema indexado de financiamiento de vivienda (UPAC) a través del cual la vivienda se convirtió en un sector líder como parte de una amplia estrategia de desarrollo diseñada para acelerar la urbanización e industrialización colombiana, el sistema sufrió modificaciones estructurales en donde pasó de estar únicamente atado a la inflación para pasar a indexarse a la tasa de interés también. Esto generó una fuerte alza en el costo real del financiamiento, desencadenando una crisis de pagos por parte de una alta proporción de usuarios que terminaron perdiendo su vivienda y desatando una crisis social. Esta situación paralizó el sector de la construcción, retrocediendo fuertemente en el proceso de crecimiento a través de este modelo. El gobierno intentó reparar el modelo volviendo al esquema original (atado únicamente a la inflación) y renovando el nombre del sistema con la iniciativa UVR. No obstante, este sistema no ha podido recuperar la capacidad motora que tuvo en sus comienzos.

The main research question I explore is: What are the political and socio-environmental factors that can explain the Bogota’s river governance failure related to its pollution? To achieve this I analyse the relationship between society in the basin and the flow of water from a political ecology perspective. This work is divided in five sections, which includes a literature review relating the theories of the political ecology of the production of nature, common pool resource management, Tragedy of the Commons and governance. The scope of this work is limited to Bogota River’s basin in the spatial scale and the historical processes of the last 50 years. After evaluating the different interactions of the stakeholders and the river, I discuss that Bogota’s river has become a political object, using Robbins (2012) theses of political ecology. I arrive at this conclusion after analysing Bogota River’s situation following the flow of the water in spatial and temporal dimensions, seeing the production of nature (and in this case a polluted river as a result) as a historical spatial-ecological transformation that expresses the contradictions and tensions of modern times by the transformation of nature and society. I follow the water creating a narrative, to explore modernity as a geographical and socially contested project. Finally, I analyse how the sentence published in March 2014, by the Colombian State’s Council, currently tackles the issues that undermine good governance, identified in the rivers narrative and how it might help or hinder river restoration.

The rapid rise in prison population worldwide has made that England, Wales, Colombia and the rest of the nations invest a great portion of their public expenditure to either maintain populous prisons or build new ones. Being leadership an important factor to comprehend not only the prison phenomena but the positive developments brought about by education in corrections, this qualitative case study research examines to what extent the educational programmes run in a British Prison influence convicts to undertake leadership roles in the correction and society, therefore, resume their lives and avoid reoffending. Hence it was conducted semi-structure interviews to four teachers and four prisoners who integrated the educational courses in a British prison category C. Although the findings of this study established that the educational practices had positive effects on prisoners by acquiring social, academic, cultural, employable and communicative skills, there was strong evidence that depicted the necessity of embracing practical and higher education courses in the prison so as to enhance the convicts’ outcomes. Similarly, the study found mentoring together with other leading styles and practices carried out by prisoners and teachers as positive interventions to encourage the development of rehabilitation. Overall, those results led this research study to determine some practices that could be utilised in Colombian prisons as well as the creation of a framework - ‘framework for leadership development in prison’- to inspire leadership development when being involved in the educational programmes.

Los programas de artistas en residencia (AIR), ofrecen una posibilidad de generar espacios en los que un grupo de artistas convive e interactúa con una comunidad o un contexto (The OMC Working Group on Artists’ Residencies, 2014). Sin embargo muchos de estos programas se centran en el proceso de producción. El programa AIR de Experimentem amb l’ART se enfoca en la articulación de las propuestas de los residentes a través de espacios de experimentación con el público, un modelo que requiere estudiarse más a fondo. En este estudio de caso se indagó sobre la residencia en EART desde una perspectiva narrativa a través de la observación, entrevistas y mapeo de elementos y relaciones que se posibilitan a través de un programa de sus características. Como resultado emergen relaciones, formas de explicarse y dar sentido a la residencia, así como fricciones derivadas de las lógicas e imaginarios que atraviesan al centro y los artistas. Conocer estos aspectos ayudará a enriquecer las discusiones que ya se han ido abriendo en torno a roles híbridos que asumen los artistas, en la búsqueda de elementos que puedan ser transferidos a otros programas con enfoques similares.

Using the case study methodology, an analysis of three cases on banking acquisitions in Colombia is performed. The deals are classified as successful or unsuccessful according to some financial ratios that measure profitability and efficiency. Then, the characteristics of these transactions are studied thoroughly to determine the attributes that lead to different outcomes. The research finds support for several attributes regarded as influential in the outcome of acquisitions. In particular, experience in previous acquisitions or organizational change, and focus on core business, are found to be the most relevant. Furthermore, the relative profitability between bidder and target is proposed as a factor that could influence the outcome of an acquisition.

El proyecto describe una de las posibles aplicaciones del “Análisis Conjunto” como herramienta de soporte a la hora de planificar una intervención urbana. Aunque el “Análisis Conjunto” se ha utilizado ampliamente en el diseño de productos y en las áreas de marketing, ha tenido un uso limitado en los temas de ciudad y territorio en donde se encuentra relacionado principalmente con la evaluación y valoración ambiental, y el diseño inmobiliario. Esta tesis busca utilizarlo para evaluar un nuevo sistema de transporte. El “Análisis Conjunto” es una técnica estadística. En donde, de la combinación de un número limitado de atributos se crean productos o en este caso proyectos “ficticios”; luego los encuestados eligen cuál de estos proyectos se ajusta mejor a sus gustos y necesidades, y en función de sus preferencias se cuantifican las utilidades o beneficios de cada una de las características que los componen. Esto permite que los proyectos reales se potencialicen con los atributos que tienen mayor éxito desde la perspectiva de los usuarios. Esta tesis se basa en la implementación de un Personal Rapid Transit (PRT) en el Centro Cultural Universitario (CCU) de la Zona Metropolitana de Guadalajara, México. El PRT es un novedoso sistema de transporte público, constituido por vehículos automatizados (sin conductor) con capacidad de tres a seis personas, conducidos sobre guías o vías exclusivas de tamaño reducido. El CCU es un proyecto, abierto al público en general, que comprende principalmente la biblioteca pública del estado de Jalisco, el Auditorio Telmex, un conjunto para artes escénicas, el museo de ciencias ambientales y un distrito cultural que albergará complejos residenciales, comerciales, oficinas, hoteles, escuelas de artes, centros universitarios, un parque mediático y un parque temático.

The series of studies accomplished and compiled in the present thesis had as a main objective the evaluation of the suitability of the Colombian Artemia franciscana for the aquaculture industry. Further, an evaluation of six newly reported populations (Salina Cero, Kangarú, Tayrona, Bahía Hondita, Pusheo and Warrego) is included. In addition to the description of biotypes, physicochemical parameters were recorded for each population studied. The habitats where Artemia has actually been registered in Colombia are of marine (thalassohaline) origin, thus they are sodium and chloride rich. The application of biometric tools to determine possible cyst and nauplius size differences among the different Colombian populations has been successful at further separating some of the most promising Artemia populations of potential aquaculture use. Further, cysts from Tayrona show the smallest size, followed by Galerazamba, Kangarú, Manaure, Salina Cero and Pozos Colorados. Galerazamba has the thinnest chorion, followed by Tayrona, Salina Cero, Manaure, Pozos Colorados and Kangarú. Additionally, nauplii from Galerazamba present a small size followed by Manaure, Salina Cero, Pozos Colorados and Tayrona. The determination of FAME from Manaure, Galerazamba, Salina Cero and Tayrona, suggested high EPAs but low DHAs. Hence, all four populations sampled are not considered suitable for marine aquaculture unless fortified with DHA rich emulsions, according to actual aquaculture quality standards. The cyst quality study, conducted on cysts batches, shows that cyst collection and processing techniques need to be improved in order for them to be suitable for the growing Colombian aquaculture industry. The outcome of the population distribution study, shows Manaure, Galerazamba and Salina Cero as having a stable mean population distribution with a balanced adult (38%, 36% and 19%, respectively) to juvenile+nauplius proportion (62%, 64% and 81%, respectively), as well as a stable female:male sex ratio (1:0.84, 1:0.88 and 1:0.84, respectively). In contrast, Tayrona exhibits an unstable population distribution with a high proportion of adults (82%) and low juvenile+nauplius (18%) and female:male ratio (0.88:1), thus recruitment of the juvenile and nauplius cohort to assure continuity of the species in this biotope is below sustainable levels. The results for the reproductive experiments (mean cyst production per female) do not entirely agree with the estimated cyst production potential at each site (field work results). These results difference is likely to be due to the interaction in the field among the three parameters (salinity, percent O2 saturation, and nitrate) on cyst production, particularly in the case of Salina Cero. Similarly, nitrate levels might have been affected by salinity. The latter may be supported, in part, by the observation of low nitrate levels during the peak of cyst production during this study. The genetic study on some Caribbean Artemia franciscana strains based on RAPDs generated two similar dendrograms with the same separation for the two Caribbean population clusters (middle Caribbean: Pozos Colorados, Tayrona, Manaure, Venezuela-PAV, Bonaire and Curaçao and lower Caribbean: Galerazamba and Salina Cero). Moreover, the clustering pattern obtained suggests that the populations in these two clusters are not genetically identical. Further, the splitting of the Artemia populations coincides with the existence of a geographical barrier in Colombia named the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. The Sierra Nevada might constitute a geographic barrier to shorebirds and hence Artemia cyst dispersal further south. The discriminant analysis based on morphometric characters, assigns male and female individuals into their proper population group (North American and Caribbean coast) to which they belong by only one discriminant function (100% confidence). However, male morphometric characters separate better population groups than the female characters, since all Colombian populations are correctly clustered in the Caribbean coast whereas the SFB population fall into the North American group, with no overlapping between both, as it happens with females. Similarly, for Artemia populations classified by their geographic origin, male and female individuals again separate the Colombian populations from the North American (SFB) populations. According to the analysis, Salina Cero male population is similar to its neighboring Galerazamba population and is also related to the other Colombian populations, and this is consistent with the previous findings using RAPDs and also likely to be explained by the existence of a geographic barrier (Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta). Apparently, as deduced from the influence of lunar cycles and sampling time study the conglomerates formed by brine shrimp are asynchronous. Finally, it is recommended to conduct Artemia surveys preferably late in the evening or alternatively during early morning since Artemia tends to distribute more uniformly during the evening (dark and cool), when water temperature is lower, particularly in saltworks, where the evaporation basins are shallow.

En el presente trabajo hemos realizado un estudio numérico de un modelo matemático de poblaciones estructuradas por la edad con difusión espacial. Estos modelos matemáticos están adquiriendo un enorme interés por su aplicabilidad al estudio de la dinámica de diferentes poblaciones como, por ejemplo, bacterias o células tumorales. La imposibilidad de resolver este tipo de modelos, excepto en situaciones muy simples, hace necesario el uso de métodos numéricos para la obtención de aproximaciones a su solución. Sin embargo, el número de trabajos dedicados a este fin es muy escaso en la literatura. En este estudio se pone de manifiesto el papel que tiene la difusión en estos modelos en diferentes situaciones. Para ello se propone un nuevo método numérico basado en la integración a lo largo de las curvas características en las variables tiempo-edad, y de elementos finitos para la variable espacial. Se considerará la situación, especialmente ardua, en la que el coeficiente de difusión depende de la función de densidad, además de añadir la actualmente interesante situación de que la edad máxima de los individuos sea finita.

Public administration scholarship has yet to explore the relationship between job sector choice and public service motivation in developing countries. My dissertation aims to contribute to the field by investigating the factors that explain job sector decisions among highly skilled individuals through focusing on a sample of Colombian citizens who have pursued education abroad. More specifically, I draw on the fields of job sector choice and public service motivation to identify, both quantitatively and qualitatively, factors affecting the job sector decisions of internationally educated Colombians. I answer my research questions through an analysis of quantitative data gathered from the Colombian international scholarship program Colfuturo, and also through an analysis of qualitative data gathered from interviews with highly skilled individuals working in various sectors. The main conclusion reached is that the Colombian public sector remains an attractive employer, especially within certain groups of the population. However, other groups remain doubtful about accepting a public sector job. The Colombian government still has to adjust its recruitment strategies in terms of, among other things, salaries, duration of contracts, open access and transparency. Crucially, the results collected raise an important question concerning what the Colombian government should do, that is, whether it should facilitate access to government jobs for captive groups or, instead, attract qualified individuals currently working in other sectors. According to the quantitative and qualitative evidence provided herein, the answer is that both strategies are necessary if the Colombian government wants to increase its critical mass of highly qualified people, particularly within the upper echelons of government.