The discussion whether indigenous peoples have or have not determined collective and individual rights related to the environment, within international and regional instruments, will be addressed within the chapters of the thesis. Thus, here we will devote special attention to the right to a healthy environment, considering also if the paternalistic point of view that has been given to this minority is currently necessary. Consequently, for reaching a final conclusion we will develop in a logical order the topic, starting from the root, which is the origin of the term indigenous and its scope, going through determinant historical events and how this will mark the current legal instruments and state practice around the world. Afterwards, we will dedicate the second part to the explanation of the ancestral bound of peoples and their native lands, as well as how modern events, such as climate change, and not so modern events, such as the exploitation of natural resources and the building of mega projects are still affecting their territories. Hence, we will explain how this vulnerability has to deal with the procedural and substantive rights, exposing for these purposes the different international instruments, which develop both collective and individual rights of peoples. Finally, we will bring selected cases regarding the developed topics.

Throughout this paper, the main interest is in describing the use and practice of socialnetworking by Colombian migrants and its influence on the relation with, and the construction of a discourse about, Colombian conflict and social reality. In addressing the problematization of cyberspace and its virtuality as a space, an account is given of the singularities, political concerns, and personal expectations of two Colombian migrants living in Berlin. This leads to an analysis of the influence of virtuality in the construction of political and social discourses and of practices abroad. The discussion of the authenticity and “realness” of the virtual world and virtual relationships invokes the supposed opposition between virtual space as abstract, and the real world as the tangible and real one. However the notions of virtuality and reality are not necessarily opposed. According to Augé (1995), a place is defined as relational, historical and concerned with identity. Borrmann (2013) concludes in her study that cyberspace cannot be understood as an abstract place, meant to exist only “while we are sitting in front of the computer” (64). From this reasoning, several questions guide this paper: If the cyberspace is a tangible one, how do migrants—those people who supposedly live in between territories—relate to virtuality? How are these virtual spaces and places constructed from the singularities of Colombian migrants in Berlin? How do they relate to the actuality overseas, in their home countries?

Abstract: Since the late 90s Colombia decided to actively ratify Bilateral Investment Treaties (BIT´s) in order to strengthen its treaty network and promote the attraction of Foreign Direct Investment. At the international level arbitral tribunals deciding Investor-State disputes under such Agreements have produced decisions severely affecting the financial stability of host States. As a result, some have decided to denounce such instruments or to implement changes in their wording and scope to safeguard their “right to regulate”. Some cases have been brought under the argument of host States producing and enforcing regulatory expropriation measures in some cases related to tax, environmental and public health matters. Resumen: Desde finales de los años noventas Colombia inició de forma activa la ratificación de los denominados Acuerdos para la Promoción y Protección de Inversiones (APPRI´s) a fin de fortalecer su red de tratados y brindar seguridad jurídica a inversionistas extranjeros interesados en desarrollar proyectos en el país. A nivel internacional los casos decididos por tribunales de arbitramento Inversionista-Estado a la luz de dichos Acuerdos han acarreado consecuencias cada vez más onerosas para los Estados condenados por su violación, a tal punto que muchos están denunciándolos o realizando modificaciones de fondo a sus textos a fin de salvaguardar su capacidad regulatoria. Gran parte estos casos han tenido como fundamento la violación del estándar de “expropiación” a través de la implementación, por parte del Estado receptor de la inversión, de medidas relacionadas con la imposición y cobro de tributos, medidas sobre el medio ambiente y asuntos de salud pública.

In the first part of this study we are going to deal with the problem of definition of an indigenous people in order to identify the subjects of international legal protection. At a second stage it is necessary to seek possible justifications in favor of a special protection of indigenous minorities. Why shall indigenous minorities be granted a privileged status under international law?In the third part of this contribution we will focus on indigenous protection from a general human rights and anti-discrimination perspective. It has to be understood that indigenous rights are an integral part of international human rights law. However, the internal cultural and religious self-determination of indigenous peoples has to be conceived in line with the basic principles of human rights protection. Therefore, we will have to ask whether, after centuries of colonialism, human rights doctrine applies a paternalistic approach towards indigenous minorities and introduces a new kind of colonial domination.

A través de una revisión crítica de la literatura se busca contestar la pregunta ¿Por qué y cómo el concepto de gobernanza puede ser aplicado a la gestión de riesgos asociados a la investigación científica, la tecnología y la innovación?, y los criterios en base a los cuales se realizó la investigación fueron: i) los principios que deben regir la producción científica y la gestión de sus riegos: ii) las razones por las cuales se considera que la participación pública es importante en la producción científica y la gestión de sus riesgos; iii) Cuando y como debe darse esa participación y iv) Cual debe ser el papel del experto. Bajo estos criterios se identifican tres modelos que si bien no están claramente delimitados en la literatura, tienen rasgos distintivos que permiten su diferenciación: Los Estudios sobre Ciencia, Tecnología y Sociedad, la Ciencia posnormal y la Investigación e Innovación Responsable.

This thesis explores how informal property rights are defined and enforced in the business of onstreet parking in Bogota. It establishes that informal businesses could not operate without such property rights and that the value of force has been underestimated in the scant literature devoted to the subject. To contribute to the construction of a currently non-existent informal property rights theory this thesis contrasts the research findings with traditional property rights theory and attempts to redefine classic property rights concepts to fit the context of the urban informal economy. Finally, the thesis explains how mafias can enforce informal property rights, the logic of their actions, and the dangers of their proliferation.

The paper argues that the Constitutional Court of Colombia has understood economic, social and cultural rights (ESCR) from the perspective of a traditional theory of rights according to which they are achievements that cannot be overridden by conflicting public interests. As a result, the Court has favored a categorical formula of adjudication according to which judicial activity focuses on the definition of the scope of the right. Competing public interests may be taken into account in order to establish the scope of the right, but once that scope is defined, it cannot be overridden by conflicting public interests. Therefore, the conception of ESCR that the Court of Colombia has adopted differs from the South African conception. The South African Constitutional Court regards ESCR as protective shields against conflicting governmental interests. This theory allows for positions of rights to be balanced against countervailing governmental interests. Given the tensions that these theories of rights and formulas of adjudication create in terms of judicial discretion and democratic debate, some intermediate formulas have been proposed. In the final part of the paper, these proposals are analyzed and some suggestions are made that contribute to the debate.

This article aims to perform a comparative analysis of several publications on a particular topic: The Soviet and Russian Military-Industrial Complex. It examines the results of different surveys and, specifically, addresses how several authors have studied the social phenomena. Moreover, it analyses the methods that they used to develop useful discernments with limited documental resources. Finally, it offers conclusions about the common findings and the possible application of such methods on future research.

The Kyoto Protocol Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is currently the only United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) market mechanism that includes transport projects in developing countries. This mechanism has the dual objective of promoting sustainable development and contributing to green-house-gas emission reductions. However, transportation is currently a niche sector within the CDM due to the small number of transport projects registered under it. This is despite transportation being one of the sectors with the fastest growth-rate of greenhouse-gas emissions in the developing world. This paper examines the limitations of CDM-registered transport projects to achieve long-term sustainable development outcomes through the CDM. The experience of project ‘TransMilenio Phase II – IV’ in Bogotá (Colombia) serves to argue that CDM registration requirements of Additionality and Fixed-Term Crediting may be detrimental to achieving these outcomes through the CDM. Thus an opportunity exists to increase the significance of the transport sector within the international climate change regime through a dedicated ‘Sustainable Development Package for Transport’ in future agreements.

Abstract: In 2003, Colombia reformed the structure of oil exploration and production activity in the country. The National Hydrocarbons Agency (ANH) assumed regulatory duties and adopted a new exploration and production (E&P) contract. Flexibility is one of the main features of this E&P contract, which gives the contractors the right, not the obligation, to expand, defer or abandon the project under certain conditions throughout the contractual phases. This paper reviews the real options approach as an analytical tool to value the managerial flexibility offered by the Colombian E&P contract. For this purpose a binomial model was used to value optionality in a hypothetical oil exploration and production project under the Colombian E&P rules. Using Monte Caro simulation and binomial lattices to value a sequential compound option, the model estimates how flexibility adds value to the project when it is adjusted to the investment’s probability of success. In this particular project, the optionality value was estimated in USD 9,45 mill (35% of the project’s expected monetary value, USD 26,90 mill). This result is sensible to changes on probability of success rates and initial oil price and reserves volume estimations. Further research could be done to model other possible real options in the production phase. Lastly, this binomial lattices approach could be used to introduce real options concepts to decision making process in oil industry and regulatory entities. Resumen: En el año 2003, Colombia reformó la estructura de la actividad de exploración y producción de petróleo en el país. La Agencia Nacional de Hidrocarburos (ANH) asumió las competencias regulatorias y adoptó un nuevo contrato de exploración y producción (E&P). La flexibilidad es una de las principales características de este contrato E&P, que otorga a los contratistas el derecho, no la obligación, de ampliar, diferir o abandonar el proyecto bajo ciertas condiciones, a lo largo de las fases contractuales. Este documento revisa el enfoque de opciones reales como una herramienta analítica para valorar la flexibilidad gerencial que ofrece el contrato E&P colombiano. Para este propósito, se utilizó un modelo binomial para valorar la opción en un proyecto hipotético de exploración y producción de petróleo, bajo las reglas del contrato E&P colombiano. Usando simulaciones de Monte Caro y árboles binomiales para valorar una opción secuencial compuesta, el modelo estima cómo la flexibilidad agrega valor al proyecto cuando éste es ajustado a la probabilidad de éxito de la inversión. En este proyecto en particular, el valor de la opción se estimó en USD 9,45 mill (35% del valor monetario esperado del proyecto, USD 26,90 mill). Este resultado es sensible a los cambios en las tasas de probabilidad de éxito, al precio inicial del petróleo y a las estimaciones del volumen de reservas. Podría realizarse mayor investigación para modelar otras posibles opciones reales en la fase de producción. Por último, este enfoque de árboles binomiales podría utilizarse para introducir conceptos de opciones reales para el proceso de toma de decisiones en la industria petrolera y las entidades reguladoras.