The present study adds to the current discussion regarding relations between self-regulatory process and academic achievement. We investigated whether behavior regulation mediates the relations between emotion-oriented strategies and mathematics achievement. Therefore, mediation models were tested cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Participants were (N=76) fourth graders (45 girls, 31 boys) in Time 1; and (N= 48) fifth graders (32 girls, 16 boys) in Time 2. Moreover, children’s mothers (N= 124) and teachers (N=29) from 11 primary schools in southern Germany took part in the study. Children’s use of emotion-oriented strategies (independent variable) was self-reported on the Questionnaire for the Measurement of Stress and Coping in Children and Adolescents (SSKJ 3-8). Teachers and parents rated children’s behavior regulation (mediator variable) with The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ); whereas mathematics achievement (dependent variable) was assessed with standardized tests (DEMAT 4 and HST 4/5) and teachers’ ratings. Age and intelligence (CFT 20-R) were included as control variables. Mediation analyses using a bootstrapping method revealed that in Time 1 as well as in the longitudinal part of the study, the use of emotion-oriented strategies indirectly affected mathematic achievement via behavior regulation. Thus, it is suggested to further explore the mediational effect with larger samples from different contexts. El presente estudio se suma a la discusión actual sobre las relaciones entre el proceso de autorregulación y el rendimiento académico. Investigamos si la regulación de la conducta media las relaciones entre las estrategias de regulación orientadas a las emociones y el rendimiento en matemáticas. Modelos de mediación fueron probados de forma transversal y longitudinal. Los participantes fueron (N = 76) estudiantes de cuarto grado (45 niñas, 31 niños) en el Tiempo 1; y (N = 48) estudiantes de quinto grado (32 niñas, 16 niños) en el Tiempo 2. Además, las madres de los niños (N = 124) y los maestros (N = 29) de 11 escuelas primarias del sur de Alemania participaron en el estudio. El uso de estrategias orientadas a las emociones por parte de los niños (variable independiente) fue reportado en el Cuestionario para la Medición del Estrés y el Afrontamiento en niños y adolescentes (SSKJ 3-8). Los maestros y los padres calificaron la regulación del comportamiento de los niños (variable mediadora) con el Cuestionario de Fortalezas y Dificultades (SDQ); mientras que el rendimiento en matemáticas (variable dependiente) se evaluó con pruebas estandarizadas (DEMAT 4 y HST 4/5) y calificaciones de los profesores. La edad y la inteligencia (CFT 20-R) se incluyeron como variables de control. Los análisis de mediación revelaron que el uso de estrategias orientadas a las emociones afectó indirectamente el rendimiento en matemáticas a través de la regulación del comportamiento.

This dissertation explores consumer credit and its effects on the British economy and the British households. Chapter 1 offers a brief introduction to the issues around consumer credit that each of the subsequent chapters covers. Chapter 2 is the first empirical chapter and considers how the enactment of appropriate regulation can improve the understanding of the cost of credit. This chapter studies the effects of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 on the British economy through the introduction of the calculation and publication of the true cost of lending. Moreover, it tests the presence of a structural break in the relationship between the price and volume of consumer credit. Furthermore, the paper analyzes the effects of shocks to consumer credit on inflation and households’ savings. Chapter 3 turns to analyze the impact of consumer credit on households’ consumption and self-reported well-being across the income distribution. This chapter analyzes whether consumer credit can reduce consumption inequality by allowing poorer households to increase their consumption of consumer durables and leisure or, if on the contrary, it worsens self-reported measures of well-being. Next, chapter 4 studies households’ financial resilience and evaluates the role that consumer credit plays in affecting it. This chapter answers the question Is there a measure that correlates with households’ probability of falling into financial distress and, moreover, predicts the likelihood of these households over- coming said distress? To answer this question, this chapter proposes as a proxying measure the logarithmic ratio of households’ financial assets and short-term liabilities. Moreover, this chapter reports the asymmetries of ownership of financial assets and short-term credit across the income and wealth distributions. Then it analyzes the effects of said proxy on the occurrence probability of a series of financial resilience-related events. Finally, chapter 5 offers tentative overall conclusions and points to a future research agenda. Esta tesis explora el crédito al consumo y sus efectos sobre la economía británica y sus hogares. El capítulo 1 ofrece una breve introducción a los temas alrededor del crédito al consumo que se abarcan en cada uno de los capítulos siguientes. El capítulo 2 es el primer capítulo empírico y considera cómo la promulgación de una regulación adecuada puede mejorar la comprensión del costo del crédito. Este capítulo estudia los efectos de la Ley de Crédito al Consumo de 1974 sobre la economía británica, mediante el establecimiento del requerimiento del cálculo y la publicación del verdadero costo de los préstamos de consumo. Además, pone a prueba la presencia de una ruptura estructural en la relación entre el precio y el volumen del crédito al consumo. Así mismo, el documento analiza los efectos de perturbaciones en el crédito al consumo sobre la inflación y el ahorro de los hogares. El capítulo 3 pasa a analizar el impacto del crédito al consumo sobre el consumo de los hogares y el bienestar subjetivo a través de la distribución del ingreso. Este capítulo analiza si el crédito al consumo puede reducir la desigualdad del consumo al permitir que los hogares más pobres aumenten su consumo de bienes duraderos y ocio o si, por el contrario, empeora las medidas de bienestar subjetivas. A continuación, el capítulo 4 estudia la resiliencia financiera de los hogares y evalúa el papel que desempeña el crédito al consumo para afectarla. Este capítulo responde a la pregunta ¿Existe alguna medida que se correlacione con la probabilidad de que los hogares caigan en dificultades financieras y, además, prediga la probabilidad de que estos hogares sobrelleven dichas dificultades? Para responder a esta pregunta, el capítulo propone como medida de aproximación la relación logarítmica de los activos financieros de los hogares y sus pasivos a corto plazo. Además, este capítulo informa acerca de las asimetrías de propiedad de activos financieros y del crédito a corto plazo en las distribuciones del ingreso y la riqueza. Luego, analiza los efectos de dicha medida sobre la probabilidad de ocurrencia de una serie de eventos relacionados con la resiliencia financiera. Por último, el capítulo 5 ofrece conclusiones generales y propone una agenda de investigación futura.

The inspiration behind this dissertation research derives from a simple, yet complex question, what makes the materiality of the computer screen you are reading this text different from the nearest wall or window you can look at? Is it the material? its connectivity? The size, or its volume? Are the sole attributes granted to a computer screen, a tablet, cell phone screen or any mobile and digital device that enable you to read this text, any different from to the plaster, paint, or any other material that surrounds you? The application of new technologies has been slow and underdeveloped in construction. In simple terms, building elements and materials have been considered as raw material or a tradeable commodity, but their potential to comprise Facts and statistics collected together for reference or analysis is still unexplored, and it’s their data emitting potential what will ultimately make them more valuable. Advances on the internet have enabled the invention of a IoT connected technologies, all of which have evolved thanks to the miniaturisation of devices, but these have not been included in the built components of construction. The Covid-19 Pandemic has placed a great burden over the way in which buildings are occupied, operated and maintained, but crisis provide opportunities, and the global problem seemed to evidence the profound obsolescence and fragility of our built infrastructure and is in the light of this events that could be a turning point for the adoption and development of these technological solutions. This dissertation will revise the existent literature review, extract the clues for the elements and frameworks from the studied authors who used IoT solutions and applications and from that knowledge, conduct a survey to obtain responses and explore in what ways, to apply these parameters as a set of problems or challenges, which will need to be assessed, in the reopening of office facilities and venues to mitigate the impact of Covid-19.

This paper uses microsimulation techniques to estimate the impact of gender discrimination in the labor market on the poverty rates of Colombia. We build four counterfactual household income distributions and poverty rates, each one addressing a particular feature of the inequality present in the Colombian labor market. Then, we compared this poverty rates to the observed one to compute the impact of each scenario on poverty reduction. We use data from the Quality of life survey for the years 2015 and 2003. Our findings show that a reduction of the inequality between women and men in their participation in the labor market is the most important feature, with the highest potential to reduce poverty. Este artículo utiliza técnicas de microsimulación para estimar el impacto de la discriminación de género en el mercado laboral en las tasas de pobreza de Colombia. Construimos cuatro distribuciones contrafactuales del ingreso de los hogares y de las tasas de pobreza, cada una de las cuales aborda una característica particular de la desigualdad presente en el mercado laboral colombiano. Luego, comparamos estas tasas de pobreza con la tasa observada para calcular el impacto de cada escenario en la reducción de la pobreza. Usamos datos de la encuesta de calidad de vida de los años 2015 y 2003. Nuestros hallazgos muestran que la reducción de la desigualdad entre mujeres y hombres en la participación en el mercado laboral es la característica más importante, con el mayor potencial para reducir la pobreza.

In 2007, Mexico City legalized abortion in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. By doing so, it became the first and only state in Mexico where abortion on demand is legal. In this paper, I use this natural experiment to estimate the effects of abortion legalization on child and maternal health. I perform Difference-In-Differences estimates using information from all births and deaths occurred between 2002 and 2012. My findings suggest that the change in the abortion legislation in Mexico City reduced the Infant Mortality Rate and the Under 5 Mortality Rate by approximately 2.3 and 2.4 deaths per 1,000 live births, respectively. Moreover, for the Maternal Mortality Rate I find that the estimations range from -5.49 to -6 deaths per 100,000 live births. These results are validated by the use of a more accurate control group generated by the Synthetic Control Method. To the best of my knowledge, this if the first paper that attempts to examine the effects of abortion legalization in Mexico City on child health. En el 2007, Ciudad de México legalizó el aborto en las 12 primeras semanas de gestación. Al hacerlo, se convirtió en el primero y único estado del país en donde el aborto voluntario es legal. En este artículo utilizo este experimento natural para estimar los efectos de la legalización del aborto en la salud materno infantil. Realizo estimaciones de Diferencias en Diferencias utilizando información de todos los nacimientos y muertes ocurridos entre 2002 y 2012. Mis hallazgos sugieren que el cambio en la legislación relativa el aborto en la Ciudad de México redujo la tasa de mortalidad Infantil y la tasa de mortalidad en menores de 5 años en aproximadamente 2.3 y 2.4 muertes por cada 1.000 nacidos vivos, respectivamente. Además, para la tasa de mortalidad materna, encuentro que las estimaciones oscilan entre -5,49 y -6 muertes por 100.000 nacidos vivos. Estos resultados se validan mediante el uso de un grupo de control más preciso, utilizando la metodología de control sintético. Según mi conocimiento, este es el primer artículo que intenta examinar los efectos de la legalización del aborto en la Ciudad de México sobre la salud infantil.

Agriculture was the engine of growth for a more established communities, a symbol of progress that became an important step forward to a civilization. However, the growth of cities has been weakened the reciprocal relationships that existed between human settlements and farming. In Beijing’s green belt for instance, the urbanization phenomena colonized productive landscapes where farmland and nature areas have been replaced by dense cityscapes. Caochangdi village in northeast Beijing, illustrates a condition of a place which needs physical and social integration with the green belt where it is located. In this sense, this thesis describes a proposal that take advantage of Urban farming, bringing community together around food production, ecological practices and the capacity of environment transformation through the strategy based on The Continuous productive urban landscapes (CPULs). From this perspective, farming practice wherein an urban fringe context, pretends improve environmental and living conditions of their residents by recovering and adapting existing open areas that will work as a productive public spaces for them and also for people from metropolitan area, finding an alternative space to interact with agriculture but at the same time with people’s neighborhood. CPULs implementation will have the potential to be replicated along the green belt area through an agricultural infrastructure highly adaptive formed by scaffolding, integrating other settlements and recovering its former function towards a sustainable area. This will be part of dynamic of daily resident’s life, with the aim of building community identity and raising social cohesion among them and metropolitan people that visit and use the new area improved by urban farming. La agricultura fue el motor de crecimiento para comunidades más consolidadas, un símbolo de progreso que se convirtió en un gran paso hacia la civilización. Sin embargo, el crecimiento de las ciudades ha debilitado la relación reciproca que existía entre los asentamientos humanos y la agricultura. En el cinturón verde de Beijing por ejemplo, el fenómeno de la urbanización colonizó paisajes productivos donde áreas naturales y de cultivo han sido reemplazados por paisajes densos de ciudad. Villa Caochangdi al noreste de Beijing, ilustra la condición de un lugar que necesita una integración física y social al cinturón verde donde se encuentra ubicada. En este sentido, la esta tesis describe una propuesta que se aprovecha de la agricultura urbana, reuniendo a la comunidad alrededor de la producción de alimento, prácticas ecológicas y la capacidad de transformación del medio ambiente a través de la estrategia basada en Paisajes productivos continuos urbanos (CPULs). Desde está perspectiva, la practica de la agricultura en los limites urbanos, pretende mejorar las condiciones ambientales y de vida de sus residentes, recuperando y adaptando espacios abiertos existentes que servirían como espacios públicos productivos para ellos y para las personas del área metropolitana que visitarían y usarían las nuevas zonas mejoradas por la agricultura urbana.

Conventional wisdom holds that large sums of money poured into election campaigns are the gateway to corruption. Allegations of the corrupting influence of money in politics and policy are widespread on the national level. Yet, little empirical evidence has advanced the understanding of such a link on the local level, coupled with blurred corruption measures. This master’s thesis tests the effect of campaign finance on public procurement corruption risks in Colombian municipalities, focusing on donations, small donations, and financial disclosure. To that end, I seized publicly disclosed contribution-level data from the 2015 municipal elections and a novel index of institutionalized public procurement corruption risks based upon contract-level data from the near population of local governments. The analysis shows that donations are negatively associated with overall corruption risk, yet they affect specific corruption risks differently. By contrast, small donations seem to correlate positively with direct awarding for a sub-sample of medium-sized municipalities, whereas in their large-sized counterparts the effect of the former on institutionalized corruption is adverse. Finally, financial misreporting is positively linked with market competition restrictions and direct awarding. In the conclusion, I discuss the implications of these findings for future research and outline a series of policy recommendations. La sabiduría convencional sostiene que las grandes sumas de dinero invertidas en campañas electorales son la puerta de entrada de la corrupción. Las acusaciones sobre la influencia corrupta del dinero en la política y la política pública son contundentes a nivel nacional. Sin embargo, poca evidencia empírica ha avanzado el entendimiento de dicha relación en el nivel local, junto con difusas mediciones de corrupción. Esta tesis de maestría mide el efecto del financiamiento de campañas electorales en el riesgo de corrupción en la contratación pública en municipios colombianos, enfocándose en las donaciones, las pequeñas donaciones y el reporte de información financiera sobre las campañas. Para alcanzar tal fin, usé información pública sobre las contribuciones políticas durante las elecciones locales de 2015 y un novedoso índice de corrupción institucional en la contratación pública, basado en el análisis de procesos de compra del universo de alcaldías municipales en Colombia. Los resultados muestran que las donaciones se relacionan negativamente con el riesgo de corrupción en general, aunque afectan específicos riesgos de corrupción de manera diferente. Por otro lado, las pequeñas donaciones muestran una correlación positiva con la contratación directa en ciudades medias, mientras en ciudades grandes el efecto parece ser negativo. Finalmente, el subreporte de información se relaciona positivamente con riesgos como restricciones a la competencia y contratación directa. En la conclusión, discuto las implicaciones de dichos resultados para futuras investigaciones y señalo algunas recomendaciones de política pública.

This paper aims to analyze concealment and deception in self-defeating organizational crisis response strategies and the possible consequences of their adoption on a company’s reputation. It represents an example of where every guideline to address stakeholders after a crisis was dismissed. It investigates a major environmental incident that took place in Colombia in 2013 and studies how the responsible company responded to the incident through the examination of company reports, media statements and national and international newspaper articles. The analysis shows that in addition to environmental damage, the company’s reputation was affected by the way the company responded during this crisis. The outcomes highlight the importance of the manner in which a crisis response is managed, as these types of mistakes often aggravate reputational damage. This paper is an invitation for companies to be quick, consistent and transparent with their responses when facing their stakeholders in moments of crisis. Not doing so may aggravate not only social but also economic and environmental impacts. Contrary to other contributions on the subject, this study implies that a misleading crisis response, including concealment and deception, can be an even greater challenge to a company’s reputation than the crisis itself.

The present work addresses the question of how companies belonging to the natural resource industry use to perform greenwashing practices to their organizational value chain processes. For this purpose, a multi-case approach with five different cases in the Colombian context is adopted. Through the data analysis, an exemplification of each of the five value chain greenwashing transgressions at the company level is provided. Besides highlighting a real-life problematic with several implications in a sensitive context, the contributions of this work are twofold. First, the work contributes to reinforcing the notion of greenwashing and related transgressions by clarifying a concrete way of identifying certain deceptive practices related to the organizational value chain under certain conditions. Second, this work promotes the transferability of the concepts used for elucidating the reality of the value chain greenwashing phenomenon at different levels and in various geographical contexts. Finally, both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Framed by the normative dimension of the crisis communication literature, this study examines and compares the messages conveyed by two large companies in the South American extractive industry when dealing with catastrophic crises. By focusing on the application of the ethics of care principles, this study illustrates two divergent ways of conducting interpersonal relationships and benevolence as a virtue when communicating with stakeholders in the aftermath of two recent socio-environmental disasters involving human losses in Venezuela and Brazil. For this purpose, the offending companies’ official responses obtained from various public sources are analyzed, both within and across the two cases, in light of a proposed outline of the theoretical framework at issue. The results show the contrasting ways in which these companies approached their stakeholders through crisis responses when referring to crisis casualties. Furthermore, the study compares the two cases’ backgrounds and argues that the socio-political context influences the corporate decisions on crisis responses.