”Free” Public Universities in Ecuador: Too Much of a Good Thing?
Mateo Estrella

Mateo Estrella is dean at the Universidad de Cuenca, Ecuador. E-mail: mateo.estrella@ucuenca.edu.ec.

Many observers would envy Ecuador’s public universi- ties, following adoption of a new governing law and the 2008 Constitution, which abolished all student fees. But its 25 public universities are in the odd position of getting too much of a good thing. Elsewhere, advocates for public universities lament a trend toward marketization and privatization and decry shrunken financial contributions from government. Higher education in Ecuador is about to find out if the recent reforms could be problematic, as strings tighten that have just been attached to universities under a bold experiment. There is a particular worry about the threat to university autonomy. Although the higher educa- tion system in Ecuador is still in the process of consolida- tion and growth, this article offers a general view of where it is moving in response to presidential and legislative initiatives.

Autonomy, the Market, and the 2008 Constitution 

Ecuador’s first governing Law of Higher Education dates backs only to 1938; and it contains—alongside the principle of autonomy—provisions for cogovernance and academic freedom. Revisions of the law in 1946, 1982, and 1990 configured the system of higher education including the es- tablishment of the principle of self-government by the sys- tem of higher education institutions as a whole. The overall system conducted allocating the annual budget provided by the central government. But the pendulum has swung away from this no-strings-attached autonomy, because critics ob- jected to growth of higher education that was unplanned and detached from national development goals.
In 2007, Rafael Correa assumed the presidency as an “outsider” to Ecuadorian politics, thanks to broad public support to change the system. In 2005, this economics pro- fessor at the private San Francisco University (with a 2001 PhD from the University of Illinois) had been briefly ap- pointed as Ecuador’s minister of the economy. In his first presidential campaign he presented himself primarily as an intellectual with experience in the university.

Read More:

https://htmldbprod.bc.edu/pls/htmldb/f?p=2290:4:3550611763540939::NO:RP,4:P0_CONTENT_ID:115584

SEMINARIO INTERNACIONAL OPORTUNIDADES DEL TURISMO RURAL Y COMUNITARIO EN LATINOAMERICA

LA UNIVERSIDAD DE CUENCA, LA PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD CATÓLICA DEL ECUADOR Y LA UNIVERSIDAD DE ISLAS BALEARES ESPAÑA, PRESENTAN

SEMINARIO INTERNACIONAL

OPORTUNIDADES Y DESAFÍOS DEL TURISMO RURAL Y COMUNITARIO EN LATINOAMÉRICA

QUITO ECUADOR

FECHA: 23,24 Y 25 DE AGOSTO

LUGAR: PONTIFICIA UNIVERSIDAD CATÓLICA DEL ECUADOR (AULA 002, PLANTA BAJA, TORRE II JUNTO AL AUDITORIO)

Este Seminario tendrá una duración de tres días, con un total de 24 horas de duración.

El Seminario partirá de la experiencia y casos prácticos de los exponentes que se contrastarán con los casos locales y se complementarán con la opinión de los participantes. Al final se entregará un certificado de participación.

La Agenda del evento es la siguiente:

Martes 23 de Agosto

09h00, Bienvenida e Inauguración del Evento, Miguel Seguí, Universidad de la Universidad de Islas Baleares y Gabriela Maldonado, Directora de la Escuela de Turismo de la PUCE.

EJE TEMÁTICO DEL DÍA: CONCEPTOS Y LINEAMIENTOS GENERALES
09h15 – 10h15, Miguel Seguí, El Turismo Rural en España
10h15 – 10h30, Coffee break
10h30 – 11h30, El Turismo Comunitario en Ecuador, representante de la FEPTCE (Por Confirmar)
11h30 – 12h30, Las políticas públicas referentes al turismo comunitario en Ecuador, representante del Ministerio de Turismo. (Por Confirmar)
13h00-14h30, Almuerzo
15h00-16h00, Factores para el desarrollo del turismo comunitario en Ecuador, Universidad de Cuenca.
16h00-17h00 Mesa redonda

Miércoles 24 de Agosto

EJE TEMÁTICO DEL DÍA: CASOS PRÁCTICOS DE ESTUDIO
09h00 – 10h00, Conferencista:
10h00 – 10h15, Coffee break
10h15 – 11h30, “Aportes y retos del Turismo Comunitario en Nicaragua” Ernest Cañada, de ALBASUD, Nicaragua.
11h30 – 12h30, Conferencista: Patricia Ercolani, de la Universidad Nacional del Sur, 10 años de proyectos de cooperación en turismo rural entre España-Argentina (UIB-UNS)
13h00-14h30, Almuerzo
15h00-16h00, Proyecto PUCE
16h00-17h00 Mesa redonda

Jueves 25 de Agosto

EJE TEMÁTICO DEL DÍA: LA VISIÓN DE FUTURO

09h00 – 10h00, Pasado y futuro del turismo comunitario Experto local, (Por Confirmar)
10h00 – 10h15, Coffee break
10h15 – 11h30, Las relaciones entre el turismo comunitario y el sector privado. Experto Local (Por Confirmar)
11h30 – 12h30, Proyecto específico de turismo en Ecuador. (por confirmar)
13h00-14h30, Almuerzo
15h00-16h00, El futuro de la colaboración interinstitucional internacional para el desarrollo del Turismo Rural y Comunitario, Miguel Seguí, Universidad de Islas Baleares.
16h00-17h00 Mesa redonda
17h00 Coctel de clausura

El evento NO tiene costo

Más información e inscripciones

mateo.estrella@ucuenca.edu.ec

099 830 195

Horn of Africa suffers worst drought in 60 years - CTV News

Horn of Africa suffers worst drought in 60 years - CTV News

NACE-CATEDRA-VARGAS-LLOSA

NACE-CATEDRA-VARGAS-LLOSA

LAND IN AFRICA

Excellent coverage in BBC and the UK Guardian. Kudos to Oakland Institute for getting this story out.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13688683

Hedge funds 'grabbing land' in Africa

Foreign firms are snapping up farming land in Africa, a new report says
Hedge funds are behind "land grabs" in Africa to boost their profits in the food and biofuel sectors, a US think-tank says.
In a report, the Oakland Institute said hedge funds and other foreign firms had acquired large swathes of African land, often without proper contracts.
It said the acquisitions had displaced millions of small farmers.
Foreign firms farm the land to consolidate their hold over global food markets, the report said.
They also use land to "make room" for export commodities such as biofuels and cut flowers.
"This is creating insecurity in the global food system that could be a much bigger threat than terrorism," the report said.
The Oakland Institute said it released its findings after studying land deals in Ethiopia, Tanzania, South Sudan, Sierra Leone, Mali and Mozambique.
'Risky manoeuvre'
It said hedge funds and other speculators had, in 2009 alone, bought or leased nearly 60m hectares of land in Africa - an area the size of France.
"The same financial firms that drove us into a global recession by inflating the real estate bubble through risky financial manoeuvres are now doing the same with the world's food supply," the report said.
It added that some firms obtained land after deals with gullible traditional leaders or corrupt government officials.
"The research exposed investors who said it is easy to make a deal - that they could usually get what they wanted in exchange for giving a poor tribal chief a bottle of Johnnie Walker [whisky]," said Anuradha Mittal, executive director of the Oakland Institute.
"When these investors promise progress and jobs to local chiefs it sounds great, but they don't deliver."
The report said the contracts also gave investors a range of incentives, from unlimited water rights to tax waivers.
"No-one should believe that these investors are there to feed starving Africans.
"These deals only lead to dollars in the pockets of corrupt leaders and foreign investors," said Obang Metho of Solidarity Movement for New Ethiopia, a US-based campaign group.
However, not all companies named in the report accept that their motives are as suggested and they dismiss claims that their presence in Africa is harmful.
One company, EmVest Asset Management, strongly denied that it was involved in exploitative or illegal practices.
"There are no shady deals. We acquire all land in terms of legal tender," EmVest's Africa director Anthony Poorter told the BBC.
He said that in Mozambique the company's employees earned salaries 40% higher than the minimum wage.
The company was also involved in development projects such as the supply of clean water to rural communities.
"They are extremely happy with us," Mr Poorter said.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/08/us-universities-africa-land-grab

El Comercio - Noticias del Ecuador y del Mundo - La inversión foránea continúa a la baja, según el Banco Central

El Comercio - Noticias del Ecuador y del Mundo - La inversión foránea continúa a la baja, según el Banco Central

ICIK SEMINAR SERIES

Indigenous Tourism and Social Sustainability in Ecuador 

Presentation

Wednesday, April 20, 12-1 PM

E-203 Paterno Library

Presenter: Mateo Estrella

Dean of the College of Hospitality and Tourism at the University of Cuenca, Ecuador 2010 – 2011 Humphrey Fellow at Penn State University.

Ecuador is a very diverse country with many natural and cultural resources.  The indigenous population has been present for centuries and is very noticeable in the population. Community-based tourism conducted by the indigenous groups is an interesting case study because of the special indigenous tourism model being implemented and the commitment of the communities to sustainability. Since 2005, the University of Cuenca, in partnership with different organizations, has developed a research project to study this special mode of tourism in Ecuador.

América Latina: el viaje de Obama | Vistazo.com

América Latina: el viaje de Obama | Vistazo.com

Agroecology Can Double Food Production in 10 Years, says new UN report

NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
8 March 2011
Agroecology Can Double Food Production in 10 Years, says new UN report

GENEVA, 8 March 2011 – Small-scale farmers can double food production within 10 years in critical regions by using ecological methods, a new UN report* shows. Based on an extensive review of the recent scientific literature, the study calls for a fundamental shift towards agroecology as a way to boost food production and improve the situation of the poorest.
“To feed 9 billion people in 2050, we urgently need to adopt the most efficient farming techniques available,” says Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food and author of the report. “Today’s scientific evidence demonstrates that agroecological methods outperform the use of chemical fertilizers in boosting food production where the hungry live -- especially in unfavorable environments.”
Agroecology applies ecological science to the design of agricultural systems that can help put an end to food crises and address climate-change and poverty challenges. It enhances soils productivity and protects the crops against pests by relying on the natural environment such as beneficial trees, plants, animals and insects.
“To date, agroecological projects have shown an average crop yield increase of 80% in 57 developing countries, with an average increase of 116% for all African projects,” De Schutter says. “Recent projects conducted in 20 African countries demonstrated a doubling of crop yields over a period of 3-10 years.”
 “Conventional farming relies on expensive inputs, fuels climate change and is not resilient to climatic shocks. It simply is not the best choice anymore today,” De Schutter stresses. “A large segment of the scientific community now acknowledges the positive impacts of agroecology on food production, poverty alleviation and climate change mitigation -- and this this is what is needed in a world of limited resources. Malawi, a country that launched a massive chemical fertilizer subsidy program a few years ago, is now implementing agroecology, benefiting more than 1.3 million of the poorest people, with maize yields increasing from 1 ton/ha to 2-3 tons/ha.”
The report also points out that projects in Indonesia, Vietnam and Bangladesh recorded up to 92 % reduction in insecticide use for rice, leading to important savings for poor farmers. “Knowledge came to replace pesticides and fertilizers. This was a winning bet, and comparable results abound in other African, Asian and Latin American countries,” the independent expert notes.
“The approach is also gaining ground in developed countries such as United States, Germany or France,” he said. “However, despite its impressive potential in realizing the right to food for all, agroecology is still insufficiently backed by ambitious public policies and consequently hardly goes beyond the experimental stage.”
The report identifies a dozen of measures that States should implement to scale up agroecological practices.
“Agroecology is a knowledge-intensive approach. It requires public policies supporting agricultural research and participative extension services,” De Schutter says. “States and donors have a key role to play here. Private companies will not invest time and money in practices that cannot be rewarded by patents and which don’t open markets for chemical products or improved seeds.”
The Special Rapporteur on the right to food also urges States to support small-scale farmer’s organizations, which demonstrated a great ability to disseminate the best agroecological practices among their members. “Strengthening social organization proves to be as impactful as distributing fertilizers. Small-scale farmers and scientists can create innovative practices when they partner”, De Schutter explains.
“We won’t solve hunger and stop climate change with industrial farming on large plantations. The solution lies in supporting small-scale farmers’ knowledge and experimentation, and in raising incomes of smallholders so as to contribute to rural development.”
“If key stakeholders support the measures identified in the report, we can see a doubling of food production within 5 to 10 years in some regions where the hungry live,” De Schutter says. “Whether or not we will succeed this transition will depend on our ability to learn faster from recent innovations. We need to go fast if we want to avoid repeated food and climate disasters in the 21st century.”
(*)  The report “Agro-ecology and the right to food” was presented today before the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva. This document is available in English, French, Spanish, Chinese and Russian at: www.srfood.org and http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/food/annual.htm
END
Olivier De Schutter was appointed the Special Rapporteur on the right to food in May 2008 by the United Nations Human Rights Council. He is independent from any government or organization.
For more information on the mandate and work of the Special Rapporteur, visit: www.srfood.org or http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/food/index.htm
Press contacts:
Olivier De Schutter: Tel. +32.488 48 20 04 / E-mail: olivier.deschutter@uclouvain.be
Ulrik Halsteen (OHCHR):  Tel: +41 22 917 93 23 / E-mail: uhalsteen@ohchr.org
--
Frederic Janssens
Communication Assistant
UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food
College Thomas More, Place Montesquieu 2 (Bte 15)
B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
Tel : + 0032 (0)493 24 88 38
Website : www.srfood.org

The world in one click!

The world is in our fingertips and closer than ever. And it really does not take much: internet, a camera and lots of ideas. Through Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Blogs, YouTube and many more ways you can reach the world and a large audience in a few seconds.
The use os a Flip Camera (USD 150) http://store.theflip.com/en-us/addition its very recommendable not only because its very versatile but becasue allows to upload videos to the internet in few minutes for the usb built in.
Changes are big in the social role of technology. The protagonism of facebook and twitter in the recent Egyptian revolution was inspirational and are a positive signal of change and new transmission of political ideas and social evolution.
Who leaded this revolt from their computers were not politics or influencing leaders, they are ordinary citizens with an ideal and a vision. That vision is one that can move the world and create change.
The advantage is that today convey ideas and generate adherents to a cause is easier with technology and is one of the most real democratic exercises that exists.

El mundo al alcance de tus manos

El mundo está al alcance de tus manos y más cerca que nunca. Y en realidad no se necesita mucho, conexión a internet, una cámara y muchas ideas.
A través de Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, Blogs, Youtube y muchos más medios se puede alcanzar el mundo y un gran público en pocos segundos.
Una Cámara Flip (USD 150) http://store.theflip.com/en-us/ es muy recomendable pues a más de ser muy versatil y fácil de usar permite además en pocos minutos subir videos de toda clase al internet debido a un usb incorporado.
La utilidad de los medios 2.0 es muy interesante. El papel de facebook y twitter en la revolución egipcia de hace pocos meses fue fundamental y sirvió como un medio de comunicación y de transmisión de ideas políticas y de cambio social muy remarcable.
Quienes lidararon esta revuelta desde sus computadores no fueron políticos de influencia y con recursos sino simples ciudadanos con un ideal y una visión. Esa visión es la que puede mover una
sociedad y generar cambios. La ventaja es que hoy transmitir ideas y generar adeptos a una causa es más fácil, está al alcance de todos, y es uno de los ejercicios democráticos más reales que hoy existen.

Libya Crisis Map

The organization Crisis Mapper and the UN released the Libya Crisis Map that shows the situation in this country updated today.

http://libyacrisismap.net/bigmap

ALVARO MY FLY PARTNER

Yesterday returning from Spain to USA after a productive week of work at the University of the Balearic Islands I flew from Palma de Mallorca to Barcelona and then I took the connection to New York. On this occasion my seat neighbor was Alvaro a 12 years old kid traveling with his family (his parents and three brothers) on vacation to the United States.
 
This was not the first long distance holidays for Alvaro and his family. On the contrary, he had traveled at least to a half dozen of destinations in Spain and internationally to Thailand, Costa Rica, a cruise in the Mediterranean, a cruise in the Baltic, Eurodisney and Morocco.

Alvaro with his twelve years had more experience than many people of my generation regarding travel and tourism.

This fact shows that consumers are changing. This is a trend that continues, consumers of the future will know what its the tourism business, what is quality in hotels and destinations.

But essentially this new young international consumer knows the importance of diversity and they know how to understand the world, be more tolerant, and more universal citizens. I am convinced that tourism is the best tool of globalization and one of the best ways for global understanding. Alvaro already understood.

Escuchar

Leer fonéticamente

Diccionario - Ver diccionario detallado

Traducir cualquier sitio web

• Marmiton.org-Francia
• 盆栽-Japón
• Guardian.co.uk-Reino Unido
• Zeit Online-Alemania
• USA Today-Estados Unidos
• Louvre-Francia
• G1 Globo-Brasil
• OneIndia-hindi
• Spiegel Online-Alemania
• Sueddeutsche.de-Alemania
• Berlingske.dk-Dinamarca
• The Washington Post-Estados Unidos

Otros usos del Traductor de Google

• Crea tu empresa global. Anúnciate en varios idiomas con Google Global Market Finder.
• Descubre el Traductor de Google. Traduce texto directamente desde tu página principal de iGoogle.
• Busca las mejores recetas de sushi del mundo en japonés Descubre el poder de las Búsquedas traducidas de Google.
• Llega a una audiencia internacional Añade subtítulos traducidos a tus vídeos de YouTube.

ALVARO, MI COMPAÑERO DE VUELO

Ayer regresaba desde Barcelona a New York luego de una productiva semana de trabajo en la Universidad de las Islas Baleares. Volé desde Palma de Mallorca a Barcelona y luego tomé la conexión a New York. En esta ocasión mi compañero de vuelo era Alvaro y tenía 12 años, viajaba con su familia (sus padres y su tres hermanos) de vacaciones a Estados Unidos.

Estas no eran las primeras vacaciones de Alvaro, al contrario, él ya había viajado al  menos a media docena de destinos en España, e internacionalmente a Tailandia, Costa Rica, un crucero en el mediterráneo, un crucero en el Báltico, Eurodisney y Marruecos.
Alvaro a sus doce años tenía más experiencia que muchas personas de mi generación en cuanto a viajes y turismo se refiere.
Esto es una muestra de que los consumidores están cambiando. Esta es una tendencia que se mantiene desde hace algún tiempo, los consumidores del futuro sabrán de lo que el negocio turístico trata, sobre calidad, hoteles culturas y destinos,
Pero sobre todo sabrán entender de una manera distinta el mundo, ser más tolerantes, y más ciudadanos universal. Estoy convencido de que el turismo es la mejor herramienta de la globalización y una de las mejores armas para el entendimiento mundial. Eso Alvaro ya lo había entendido.