Drugs, Thugs, and the Diablos Rojos: Perils and Progress in Panama
In many ways, Panama has come into its own. Its running of the Panama Canal is indisputably successful, its post-Noriega elections appear to be relatively corruption free, the multibillion dollar expansion of the Canal and the modernization of its transportation system are in full swing—all ostensibly signs of a developed country, but appearances can be deceiving. Dig deeper, and perils emerge: an increase in gangs and drug trafficking, a huge disparity between the wealthy and the poor, and an emerging threat to democracy. Examining these perils and progress demonstrates that Panamanians do not yet enjoy full citizenship; instead, “client-ship” still dominates.
Towards a dashboard of sustainability indicators for Panama: A participatory approach
Abstract The importance of pursuing sustainable modes of development has received increased global recognition in recent years. Since the issue was first addressed in the United Nations⿿ 1987 Brundtland Report, many countries have developed their own sustainability strategies. In Panama, a UNESCO Chair entitled Dialogues on Sustainability was created in 2011 by four scholarly institutions with the objective of advancing a sustainability agenda through education, research and discussion. In line with conclusions from the United Nations⿿ Agenda 21 action plan, the UNESCO Chair identified the creation of a set of national sustainability indicators as an important step toward this goal. This paper presents the work done by the Chair to develop a dashboard of national sustainability indicators for Panama. Indicators were selected using participatory methods, involving 42 individuals representing 16 different government agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, and private entities from Panama. Adhering to a three-pillar structure, the resulting dashboard of 20 indicators is shown to be a useful tool for understanding past trends, present issues, and future trajectories within Panama⿿s economic, environmental, and social spheres. As a further demonstration of the dashboard⿿s utility, this paper focuses on three example issues shown by the dashboard to be important: security, vehicles and vehicle emissions, and natural disasters. This paper also juxtaposes the Human Development Index and Ecological Footprint to compare Panama with other Latin American countries.
Nursing theory and administrative practice: Agenda for the 1990s
&NA; Despite past progress in the development of nursing theory, a theoretical nursing perspective is not yet common to the practice of nursing administration. Such a perspective could serve as a catalyst both to advance knowledge development for administrative nursing practice and to align clinical and administrative practice within a common framework. In this article assumptions, concepts, and questions common to both clinical and administrative nursing practice are identified. Select domain concepts are used to exemplify the themes shared by nurse clinicians and nurse administrators. The article concludes with a five‐item agenda as a guide for future theory development.