Divulgatio. Academic postgraduate profiles

Bárbara Altschuler (2025). Desigualdades y fronteras sociales en la reconfiguración de la vitivinicultura mendocina. Editorial Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Bernal, Argentina, 472 p., ISBN: 978-987-558-967-4

2025-08-21T11:25:27-03:00

Agri-food Socioeconomic Circuits and Institutional Markets: Insights and Conditions for Their Sustainability from a Participatory Perspective

2025-08-07T09:55:29-03:00

This article analyzes the conditions that affect the integral sustainability of Socioeconomic Food Circuits (CSA) linked to institutional markets, based on a Participatory Action Research (PAR) experience carried out between 2017 and 2023 in the Buenos Aires metropolitan area. From a perspective that articulates the Territorial Development (TD) approach with the field of Popular, Social and Solidarity Economy (PSSE), the article examines four experiences led by the Despiertavoces Cooperative, in coordination with the University Incubator for Economy, Markets and Finance (IU-EMF/UNQ) and various public and community actors.

Using a methodological matrix that integrates political-institutional, economic-financial, logistical and inter-actoral dimensions, the study identifies organizational learnings, enabling conditions and structural obstacles that impact the sustainability of these circuits. The findings show that, although CSAs help channel public demand toward popular productive units—generating positive effects in terms of inclusion, planning, and territorial rootedness—their consolidation faces significant normative, financial and operational challenges.

The analysis highlights the strategic role of multi-actor alliances, the involvement of public universities in the co-production of knowledge, and the need for comprehensive public policies that recognize the specificities of the PSSE. In this context, CSAs are presented not only as logistical arrangements but also as emerging forms of institutional and territorial innovation, capable of challenging dominant food policy paradigms and contributing to the democratization of the agri-food system.

Soybean Expansion and Productive Reconfiguration: Economic and Territorial Impacts in Northeastern Buenos Aires Province (2002–2019)

2025-07-16T10:48:43-03:00

This article critically analyzes the economic, territorial, and socio-environmental impacts of soybean expansion in the Partido de Punta Indio, located in northeastern Buenos Aires Province, from 2002 to 2019. Using a methodology that combines census data, fieldwork, and local interviews, the study highlights three main dimensions of this process: land use reconfiguration and agrarian capital concentration; displacement of small farmers and loss of productive diversity; and the externalization of health and ecological costs to local communities. The paper argues that late-stage soybean expansion functions as an extractive model that deepens structural inequalities and undermines territorial rights in a context of weak state regulation. Finally, it discusses emerging agroecological experiences as viable alternatives for a sustainable, place-based transition.

Innovation and international competitiveness in the medical equipment sector of Buenos Aires Province.

2025-05-23T10:40:10-03:00

This document, a result of the UNQ R&D Project "External Insertion and Argentine Competitiveness," aims to generally describe the positioning of the medical equipment sector in the province of Buenos Aires. It highlights the importance of an ecosystem primarily composed of nationally-owned SMEs. Despite the sector's potential and the human resource training provided by over 20 universities located in the province, it faces challenges in certification, financing, and commercialization when confronting imported competition. However, opportunities exist in strengthening local capabilities and in developing innovation activities (supported by public and private collaboration). The specific objectives are to boost local value-added, improve export sales, and facilitate import substitution processes. The study concludes that public support policies and interaction with the sector's business chambers are crucial for the sustainable and innovative development of these companies and for improving medical care in the province.

The crisis of liberal multilateralism and the energy transition from the periphery: geopolitics, dependency and alternatives in a fractured global order

2025-05-21T16:11:01-03:00

This article examines the crisis of the liberal international order through the lens of political economy, focusing on two key dimensions: the contradictions of globalization—which has exacerbated inequalities and eroded labor rights—and the decline of traditional multilateralism, intensified by the geopolitical rivalry between the U.S. and China. Against this backdrop, the study explores how the energy transition has become a critical arena for global power struggles, with the Global South facing structural challenges such as technological dependence and financing gaps. While international institutions advocate market-driven solutions, the analysis argues that this transition is not a neutral technical shift but rather a process that reinforces existing asymmetries. For Latin America and other peripheral regions, the challenge lies in developing alternative strategies—whether through regional alliances or value-added industrial policies—to avoid new forms of dependency. Ultimately, the crisis does not signal the end of international cooperation but rather its reconfiguration under more contested and fragmented rules, positioning the energy transition as an uncertain yet pivotal opportunity to renegotiate the periphery’s role in the global economy.

Climate change and Economic Sociology: Groundwork for expanding a powerful link

2025-08-28T09:04:35-03:00

This article aims to highlight some contributions of economic sociology, which are linked to the socioeconomic variables involved in the phenomenon of climate change, and consider the possibility of achieving a transition within the framework of the socioecological and climate crisis.

Climate policy currently occupies a central place, and the economic and political actors propose various measures to face climate challenges, which are resolved under conditions of power. At the same time, a wave of activism highlights environmental and climate suffering, and the institutional violence that confronts it. In this context, the exit from fossil dependency poses the challenge of transition.

Moreover, the value of this academic tradition is urged for understanding the political, social and economic dimensions of climate change. In this sense, the analysis of the causes and consequences of the climate crisis finds great potential within economic sociology as a specific field. Economic sociology, as a transdisciplinary space, offers theoretical and methodological tools that can contribute to the critical analysis of these new phenomena, and encourage suitable state interventions.

Resistance, territory, and autonomy: the imperative of creating public policies to defend the Garífuna biocultural territory in Laguna de Zambuco, municipality of Esparta, Honduras.

2025-03-21T21:15:15-03:00

This article systematizes research on biocultural practices in the Garífuna territory of Zambuco, located in the municipality of Esparta, Atlántida, Honduras. Following its inclusion on the Ramsar Sites list, the need arises to implement public policies that protect natural resources and the cultural and territorial rights of the local communities. With a qualitative approach and a case-based methodological design, the research is organized into three main categories: cultural practices, environmental practices, and commitments associated with Ramsar sites. Techniques such as focus groups, semi-structured interviews, and passive observation were used with community leaders from the localities of Nueva Go, La Rosita, and Cayo Venado, who shared their experiences regarding the struggles to defend their territory. From a theoretical perspective, this work contributes to the study of a hardly ever explored topic in Honduras, with results of great social relevance, given the limited data about the relationship between the biocultural heritage of Zambuco and the formulation of public policies that respond to the conservation needs posed by the communities following its inclusion on the Ramsar list.

Characterization of the communication strategies of rural tourism and wine tourism companies in Uruguay

2025-05-19T22:20:28-03:00

In tourism, business communication methods can be crucial in purchasing decisions. Hence, understanding these methods and channels, including their characteristics, contributes to a better understanding of the strategies used by supply to meet demand. This research focuses on registered tour operators in the rural tourism and wine tourism sectors, as these have seen significant growth during the COVID-19 health emergency, especially during the period when national borders were closed. Therefore, an exploratory and descriptive study is proposed, because there is little local academic research on the subject. Using a quantitative and cross-sectional approach, a population of 94 registered tourism companies is considered, represented through stratified random probability sampling. The results demonstrate changes in traditional communication strategies in the tourism sector, such as intermediaries and printed materials, to online communication, which are not a consequence of the health emergency.

Quality indicators in the management of community tourism microenterprises. The study case of Mugica Neighborhood in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

2025-05-24T00:26:28-03:00

The main objective of the research focuses on evaluating the management quality of community tourism microenterprises located in popular urban areas. To this end, the .activities were analysed using a case study design.

The specific objectives were: i) to present the situation of the Barrio Mugica area as part of the city of Buenos Aires; ii) to present a historical overview of Barrio Mugica, identifying the origin, development, and characteristics of the tourism practices of the Ajayu group; iii) to identify the axes and indicators applicable to the analysis of community tourism management. Main results: The research revealed that community-based tourism microenterprises in the Mugica neighborhood have achieved significant integration into the local economy, improving residents' quality of life. However, challenges to long-term sustainability were identified due to a lack of resources.

A approach to cost analysis of shrimp fishery in Chubut through data science techniques

2025-05-23T19:53:26-03:00

This study analyzes the direct costs and production of shrimp fishing (Pleoticus muelleri) in the province of Chubut during the 2022 season, focusing on the operations of freezer-trawler vessels. Using real-world datasets provided by a local fishing company, a data analysis methodology was developed that included data structuring, cleaning, and integration of operational and unloading records, employing data science tools such as Python and Google Colab. Visualization techniques, exploratory analysis, and correlation metrics were applied to identify cost patterns, operational efficiency, and idle capacity. The results show a strong correlation between catch volumes and certain operating costs, as well as significant efficiency differences among vessels. The study also raises key questions regarding port logistics and operational planning. This methodological approach aims to provide analytical tools applicable to the productive and economic management of the fishing sector.