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Introduction: The electoral volatility that has characterized the last electoral processes of the country has intensified with the ballots phenomenon. The instability in party support has been clearly concentrated in rural areas of the country. Objective: This article aims to present some findings regarding the reasons that explain the electoral volatility in the rural areas of the country based on the case study of the Cariari district, Pococí canton in the Limón province in the presidential elections of 2014 and 2018. Method: The paper presents territory as a geographical, political and explanatory concept that allows the understanding of the conditions that derived the electoral results of 2014 and 2018 elections in Cariari district. A mixed methodology has been used which complemented the quantitative and qualitative approaches. Results: The results show that the electoral volatility phenomenon in Costa Rica does not follow a random pattern instead, it has been located in rural areas. The study case allowed to observe how dissatisfaction and apathy with politics are both, the basis of support for parties with different ideological positions from 2014 to 2018. Conclusion: The perception of the abandonment of rural areas and the wish for political change is identified as the basis for the instability of party support. Also, a scenario is identified that facilitated the capitalization of support from the Partido Restauración Nacional due to a complex territorial dynamic in which religious groups play a main role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This article derives from research on psychosocial risk factors associated with women's work in cooperatives in the Costa Rican Western Region. It should be noted that cooperativism in this area is of long standing and has a marked male tradition. Objective: Therefore, this paper analyzes some elements related to work and gender in six cooperatives with female managers in the western region of Costa Rica. Method: The methodology of the study is qualitative with the application of semi-structured interviews that inquire about the experience of women managers in cooperatives. The information is examined using Critical Discourse Analysis. The types of cooperatives involved, although diverse, have in common that, until before the current management structure, leadership and administration were in the hands of men. The chronological framework of the investigation was developed between August 2019 and March 2020. Results: Among the main findings, the reasons why they were selected as managers in times of crisis stand out, in addition to the different types of violence involved in leading sectors with masculinized structures. It is also relevant that the participants have generated strategies of resistance to such violence, through which they try to transform the working conditions of women in this sector. Conclusions: It can be concluded, based on the scarce research on the cooperative sector with a gender perspective in the region, that it is urgent to learn more about the reality of women cooperative workers in the region, who are making enormous efforts to improve their working conditions and the cooperative model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this writing I present a brief description of some busts of Christopher Columbus engraved in coins, medals, paper money, and postage stamps around 1892. The bust of Columbus engraved in the gold coins of Costa Rica (1897-1928) and in paper money until 1942, is similar to the medal designed in 1892 by Francisco Asís López in Madrid, and the medal in turn is probably based on the painting of Columbus made by Lorenzo Lotto in 1512. The medal and portrait are illustrated in the 1893 catalogue published in New York by Nestor Ponce de León, the up to date reference at the time on the many looks of Columbus. Columbus arrived at Cariari, Costa Rica, during his fourth voyage in 1502, and the event is engraved in the 50 colones bank note of 1942. The last coin of Costa Rica with a bust of Columbus was issued in 1997. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper highlights the central role that urban forestry management and development should play in future efforts to articulate holistic conservation and urban improvement projects in Costa Rica. With this in mind, it provides a non-exhaustive examination of the state of the art in the country. Likewise, this article briefly analyzes the state of knowledge and professional development in this area of expertise. Finally, the paper offers a reflection on the role that the social sciences ought to play in improving the practice and the development of knowledge in this emergent and transdisciplinary field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The activities of professionals in the Inter-institutional Network Against Family Violence (RIcVF in Spanish) in the Huetar Region in the North of Costa Rica and the proposal of conceptual and methodological guidelines to study the social and economic costs, are the principal goals of this paper. Before this network was created, the services were usually provided many times to the same victim by different institutions. Now with the network, attention is integrated, thanks to the inter-institutional coordination. But most important, this is a chance to address the dispersion of services and also a chance to establish the organizational priorities and assign work better across the network. Following this direction, there is a real need to study the direct and indirect cost of violence. The information collected evidences the need to make decisions in order to prevent violence and reduce the generational effects of violence. Thus, this paper shows a few indicators that should be analyzed in order to measure those costs. The direct reconstruction, with the networked professionals, of the social and economic costs of their interventions to address violence, is the strategy that made possible the creation of the new knowledge presented in this article. [TRANSLATION]

Along this paper I study two cases of land occupations at the banana enclave zone of Sarapiquí from 1980 to 2009, in order to know the state's role in political processes of agrarian conflict. The analysis of the peasant's narratives -on land occupation, public negotiation, collective action, discursive and organizational dispositions- problematizes the notions of state's "absence" and/or "abandonment", leading to the conclusion that the state can be absent in its institutional forms when it is understood within the welfare ideal, but selectively present when it comes to judicialization, criminalization and repression; also, is shown that state is found where is least looked for: in peasant's organizational practices and daily desire for legal recognition. Structural adjustment promoted state's institutional reduction, however, reduction wasn't absolute, and this study concludes that such withdrawal occurred in redistributive policies, not in the repressive ones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the advance of the neoliberal model brings challenges that Public Universities must face. It is necessary to discuss about future scenarios of our society, and the role that Psychology professionals should play. This paper shows the main findings from the interviews to four experience psychologists who have diverse theoretical perspectives about the possible scenarios, challenges and competences that the discipline must address. The findings highlight the potential impact of communication technologies on future society, as well as the discipline's challenges in instructing professionals with social awareness, critical thinking and the skills to develop community intervention modalities. It also evidences the importance of developing the ability to work in interdisciplinary teams which has been neglected in the training programs. Finally, it debates on the role that Public Universities must play in attaining the Costa Rican Psychology that promotes the transformation required by society in order to achieve an adequate approach to mental health and wellness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper offers a discussion on the connection between the language and ideology of young people, and the possible relationship between these aspects and the stereotypical mentality of the Costa Rican society. Furthermore, the analysis follows a social and historical perspective about the relationship between thought and language, and applies a method of thematic analysis to interpret the lyrics and themes of a selected song form the musical genre called Dancehall. In addition, two main points are presented. In first place, this particular musical language is evidence of the encryption strategy that limits the access to this cultural group to other social groups, and generates some linguistic and cultural changes at a long term. In second place, on the thematic level, this cultural manifestation doesn't differ from other Costa Rican cultural expressions because it perpetuates certain stereotypic world visions. As a result, the study conclusions are part of a working hypothesis for further research about the relationship between language and ideology of youth groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The different socioeconomic, cultural, and socio-territorial conditions of the costarican society show that the experiences of young people are not equal. The objective conditions are different, but so are their subjective constructions. It is important to understand the way the different objective realities influence the subjectivities of young people, and therefore the real capabilities that they actually have. One way to understand this is by reaching in to the way young people think of their future. This paper analyzes the aspirations and expectations about the future of costarican urban youth, related to study, professions and jobs, depending on the level of social inclusion or exclusion in which they develop. The fact that the idea of a “dream" doesn't means the existence of a bond with reality, leads to think that dreams should be infinite for all, and that the only differences between people's dreams should lay on their individual particularities. However, the truth is that in reality this isn't necessarily like that. The social conditions on which people develop, their interactions, and the “habitus" that are built from the different ways of knowing and experimenting the world, influence the subjectivities, to the point of potencialize or limit the future wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents some developed ideas based on the research entitled “The contribution of Ethic programs, aesthetics and citizenship to improve human rights on adolescence." Mainly, the analysis focuses on the characterization of the ideology behind Costa Rican educational model and its consequences as well as the display of a critical education as a way to achieve peace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is on the “resistance to change" facing organizations in the West Central Region (WCR), defined here as Knowledge Needs (NC), which hinder their internal performance and eventual development and that of the region, given the conditions that are imposed by the neoliberal process of globalization. These were identified in 60 research papers from the National Reality Seminars which were held at the University of Costa Rica West headquarters for over seven years. The analysis of each project allowed establishing that, of the 8 possible KN, the priority is in knowing: how to eliminate obstacles for efficient work, how to better include and satisfy people´s needs, how to take advantage of abilities and competences for group work, and how to bring forward a unified strategy. It is argued that, in spite of the importance for organizational development, the KN oriented know how to improve the way people identify with the objectives from the organization identified in only one case, and seeking to establish how KN foster new forms of leadership, not found in any of the research projects analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores some dynamics developed by La Ultra Morada (group amateur organized mostly younger supporters of Deportivo Saprissa, created in April 1995), which refer to the organization, structuring it. Also, two other important dimensions in this youth group, namely, the condition of neighborhood and some class specificity. Permeated by hedonic games and playful, the young members and do not give up their criticism and reflection of their daily, on the contrary, the references to the neighborhood and the differentiated economic position, outlined the construction of reflexive subjectivities from ecstasy positions and vice versa. Finally, it is important to note that the field which follows this article, was conducted from 2003 to 2006 (as part of a research thesis form entitled: “Between songs and stands: the construction of a youth group of Costa Rican football field's. The case of La Ultra Morada"), which could mean that many of the dynamics of the youth group and reflected described here are either re meaning, taken nuances differentiated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The category of space has migrated from the physical sciences into the sciences of society and culture, where it has stimulated studies and debates that open new possibilities to understand the spatiality of human activities, as well as the relationships between space, time, and history. The category "space" refers simultaneously to objective materiality and abstract temporality and at the same time to the subjective dimension of experience. This paper presents the distribution of space as it resulted from the settlement of the United Fruit Company on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, and analyzes the patterns of social communication and the hierarchical structure of human transit flows within the village and residential complex stressing the mechanisms of exclusion and segregation between the three zones in which the settlement was divided. The author builds on Michel Foucault's theory of space, his notion of panopticum, and different views on concentrationary spaces [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on the most recent theories of scales of socialization and spatial analysis, both concepts focused within the framework of sociolinguistic ideology. According to these theories, space must not be conceived as neutral background, but as an active agent in the sociolinguistic processes. For a speaker the change of space results in a permutation of the connection between his/her linguistic repertoire and the linguistic competence required to act in that space. Speakers express themselves in and from a space which projects certain values, a certain social order, a certain authority, and affective attributes. I will present here the results of applying the socialization scales and spatial analysis in an empiric investigation on linguistic micro-variants in Limonese Creole, based on English in contact with Spanish in Costa Rica. I will explore the construction of individual identities, in the context of globalization and the Diaspora. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism has been a boosting factor of Puntarenas' economy. However, the history of the development of tourism in Puntarenas shows growth from the 1940s to 1980 and a decrease afterwards. We carried out a study to understand the social, economical, and cultural impact of tourism in the households of communities near Puntarenas City. We also studied differences observed with respect to other touristic centers in the country. This paper shows the specific findings of the study regarding the Puntarenas community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the role of History in the construction of Social Sciences in Costa Rica during the last 35 years. Our goal is to determine how the Costa Rican historiography evolved within Social Sciences. In doing that examination, we also study different institutional projects that pretended to propel historical knowledge, the constitution of an academic community around history and different theoretical and empirical foundations of analysis and research within the School of History, the Graduate Program of History, and the Center of Central American Historical Research of the University of Costa Rica. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the most relevant results of the research project "Audience analysis of student radio programs", performed by the author in 2006 - 2008 at Universidad de Costa Rica. The study focused on the experience of Proyecto CONTRASTES, the oldest student radio project at the School of Mass Communication Sciences. The research's rationale was to determine the audience characteristics as well as their information and guidance necessities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is aimed at gathering some gauges related to increasing rates of alcohol consumption among young people and the jeopardy involved in binge drinking. Besides it displays a state of art of the national consumer trends based on the available data from which could be proposed a set of psychosocial issues to be researched in order to achieve a wide and deep comprehension of the origins and dynamic of the risky behaviors derived. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking into consideration that tourism is the main source of income for Costa Rica, this paper underscores the importance of developing this sector in accordance to its ecological aspects. It shows a summary of the progress tourism has experienced in Costa Rica and its relation to the environment. It also provides an example of how to organize a community so that it can take advantage of its natural beauty and promote tourism in the region. Lastly, it shows recommendations to improve tourism in the country in harmony with nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present article, first part of a paper on the subject, develops an approach to those tensions faced by the profession of Social Work, in the context of the beginning and consolidation of the industrialist State in Costa Rica. It details the transformations of the production mode, the changes in the world of work, and the political-institutional image that was expressed in matters of social security in those years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis of the situation of the agriculture sector in Latin America. It presents the causes of the crisis in this sector, and the actions taken by the developed countries to promote its development. It also presents an analysis of the agriculture sector's contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and the links it can generate. A whole chapter presents an analysis of the Costa Rican agriculture sector based on current data from various sources: Estado de la Nación, Promotora de Comercio Exterior, Banco Central de Costa Rica, Ministerio de Comercio Exterior, and others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers the homeless problem in Costa Rica, with emphasis on the center of San José, Costa Rica's capital. In this sense, the article defines the meaning and way to understand the homeless problem, also which are the characteristics of the people who live in this condition. Furthermore, the article explains the context and those conditions that push people to live in a homeless situation. Some of these are social exclusion, dependency on different drugs, uprootedness, social stigma and the influence of patriarchal views of masculinity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking into consideration that tourism is the main source of income for Costa Rica, this paper underscores the importance of developing this sector in accordance to its ecological aspects. It shows a summary of the progress tourism has experienced in Costa Rica and its relation to the environment. It also provides an example of how to organize a community so that it can take advantage of its natural beauty and promote tourism in the region. Lastly, it shows recommendations to improve tourism in the country in harmony with nature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the general characteristics of private universities advertising in the country, it took a sample of 300 ads published on La Nación newspaper in the period of 2002-2005. Therefore, the essay is subdivided in three sections: The first one explains the methodological aspects of the sample; the second part describes the general aspects of the sample, for instance, the number of ads by university, year and month of the publication, the presence or absent of color in the format, size, and location on the newspaper, among others. Finally, the third section develops a general analyze of the principal tendencies derived from the context of the ads, beginning from the question, what do the private universities offer throw their advertisings? And To whom are the advertising messages of the private universities targeted? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]