Educational Empowerment, Community Development and the Disadvantaged Case Study Analysis: The Informally Housed, Internally Displaced Community Population of Bogota, Colombia; South America
EDUCATIONAL EMPOWERMENT, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND THE DISADVANTAGED. CASE STUDY ANALYSIS: THE INTERNALLY DISLACED, INFORMALLY HOUSED COMMUNITY POPULATION OF BOGOTA, COLOMBIA; SOUTH AMERICA. Edgard Jason Rincon, M.S., M.A. George Mason University, 2013 Thesis Committee Chair: Dr. Sandra Cheldelin This thesis is a descriptive analysis of how specific governmental bodies and non state organizations in Bogotá, Colombia are working to further educational advancement and community development for the largest community populations of the internally displaced social group. Educational empowerment for the internally displaced is analyzed through an examination of literature and data underlying stated government provisions, specifically created for the protection of IDP rights in the educational social sector. Equal consideration is given to specific initiatives undertaken by non state actors to advance the access to and quality of education for the internally displaced. Community development in this thesis is defined by an analysis of the infrastructure, access to state funded institutional and economic support, as well as the relationship between established periphery host communities and the internally displaced living within those communities. This study is primarily a qualitative descriptive analysis of the internally displaced living in the periphery of the city of Bogotá, Colombia. Quantitative empirical research data is introduced as a supplement to the underlying objectives of this research, and when necessary to identify the indicators of participation of the internally displaced within the educational system. Recommendations for the educational advancement and community development of the internally displaced population of Bogotá are provided in light of research findings.
Between Legitimacy and Violence
Between Legitimacy and Violence is an authoritative, sweeping history of Colombia’s “long twentieth century,” from the tumultuous civil wars of the late nineteenth century to the drug wars of the late twentieth. Marco Palacios, a leading Latin American historian, skillfully blends political, economic, social, and cultural history. In an expansive chronological narrative full of vivid detail, he explains Colombia’s political history, discussing key leaders, laws, parties, and ideologies; corruption and inefficiency; and the paradoxical nature of government institutions, which, while stable and enduring, are unable to prevent frequent and extreme outbursts of violence. Palacios traces the trajectory of the economy, addressing agriculture (particularly the economic significance of coffee), the development of a communication and transportation infrastructure, industrialization, and labor struggles. Palacios also gives extensive attention to persistent social inequalities, the role of the Catholic Church, demographic shifts such as urbanization and emigration, and Colombia’s relationship with the United States. Offering a comparative perspective, he frequently contrasts Colombia with other Latin American nations. Throughout, Palacios offers a helpful interpretive framework, connecting developments with their causes and consequences. By thoroughly illuminating Colombia’s past, Between Legitimacy and Violence sheds much-needed light on the country’s violent present.
HOMICIDE CYCLES IN COLOMBIA, 1950-1999
We estimate a model to account for homicide cycles in Colombia, 19501999. The variables that together account for about eighty percent of the variation in murder cycles are the years of Colombia’s La Violencia period, the years of collusion between the two establishment parties (the National Front years), the inflation-adjusted trade balance and real social expenditure, both in per capita terms, and the size of Colombia=s military forces as a proxy for all armed forces (military, para-military, guerrilla, and drug-related) in the country.