e-Repositori UPF :: Llibres (Departament de Ciències Polítiques i Socials)

Recent Submissions

Actors and policy outcomes in the Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion: from the emergence to the stabilization of the field (1990-2020)
(University of Toronto Press, 2023) Noferini, Andrea
Evidence from structural funds implementation in two Spanish regions
(Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., 2010) Mota, Fabiola; Noferini, Andrea
The Pyrenees-Mediterranean Euroregion: functional networks, actor perceptions and expectations
(Taylor & Francis (Routledge), 2013) Morata, Francesc; Noferini, Andrea
The Euroregions are likely the most prominent expression of cross-border cooperation (CBC) in the European Union (EU). The increase in the number of Euroregions is, however, a relatively recent phenomenon. At the end of the 1980s, the completion of the European Single Market, the strengthening of Cohesion Policy and, thereafter, the preparation for the accession of candidate countries from Central and Eastern Europe, provided the essential impetus to increasing cross-border cooperation (AEBR 2004). The creation of the INTERREG Community initiative in 1988, through which the European Commission provided financial support for cross-border initiatives, is generally considered the turning point. There are currently more than 130 cross-border regions in Europe under different names: Euroregions, Euregios, macro-regions or working communities (Morata 2007). Prior to the launch of the INTERREG programme, these numbered only 26 (European Parliament 2004). These figures are significant in terms of the impact of the EU on the evolution of CBC.
Agents and structures in cross-border governance: North American and European perspectives
(University of Toronto Press, 2023) Dupeyron, Bruno; Noferini, Andrea; Payan, Tony
Europeanization of political structures and public policies
(Oxford University Press, 2020) Arregui, Javier
This chapter focuses on the impact of European Union governance on the Spanish polity. More specifically, the research question that guides the chapter is the following: What consequences and effects have Spain's membership of the EEC/EU had on the institutional evolution of the Spanish Political System? The chapter deals mainly with the impact on the main political arenas, policy structures as well as on the contents of the more Europeanized public policies. The chapter shows that there has been significant Europeanization of the main Spanish political arenas (legislature, executive, and judiciary) over the last decades. Moreover, the chapter also shows that the EU integration process has introduced a gradual adaptation process and relevant innovations within Spanish public policies, particularly those related to the construction of the European market as well as with the construction of the Economic Union.
Operationalizing affective polarization in multiparty systems
(Edward Elgar Publishing, 2025) Torcal, Mariano; Comellas Bonsfills, Josep Maria
This chapter delves into the complexities of measuring affective polarization (AP) in multiparty systems, extending research from the US to more diverse party settings. It highlights the challenges of adapting measures like the feeling thermometer to such contexts, where individuals may have nuanced feelings towards multiple parties. Existing indices like the affective polarization index (API) and weighted mean distance from the most-liked party (Distance) encounter difficulties in capturing the intricate dynamics of AP in multiparty systems. The chapter proposes a new measure that integrates Social Identity Theory (SIT) into the measurement of AP. This approach aims to capture genuine affective ties and hostilities, avoiding instrumental considerations. Preliminary validation of the new measure is conducted using survey data from Spain.
Affective polarization and social cohesion
(Edward Elgar Publishing, 2025) Torcal, Mariano; Stolle, Dietlind; Thomson, Zoe A.
Social cohesion is an important prerequisite for the health of democracies. In this chapter, we consider how political norms of competition in democratic settings can become detrimental to societies afflicted by affective polarization by deteriorating social trust and tolerance and increasing social discrimination. We theorize that the deterioration of social cohesion will follow as partisan identities become ever more relevant criteria in people's social categorization of themselves and others, thereby strengthening political norms of competition and potentially overpowering social norms of cooperation. We discuss the theoretical foundations of this argument, provide some empirical evidence of the underlying mechanism using data from five countries, and identify some limitations and avenues for future research.
Are all immigrants equally healthy? Examining the healthy immigrant paradox across age groups and education levels in Spain
(Springer, 2025) Solé Auró, Aïda
Immigration has changed the demographic composition and social structure of many Western European countries, which has increased interest in how immigrants age. This chapter examines the health of immigrants versus Spanish-born for individuals aged ≥30 years old using cross-sectional Spanish data from 2014 and 2020. I used descriptive and multivariate models to examine the association between migration status and health outcomes (e.g., chronic health conditions, self-perceived health, Global Activity Limitation Indicator, cognitive impairment, smoking, and overweight). In particular, I explored how the association between immigration status and health varies according to age groups and education levels. I further investigated two separate interactions: the interaction between immigration status and education on health and the interaction between immigration status and age on health. My findings support the existence of the healthy immigrant paradox in Spain, wherein both short- and long-term immigrants generally have much better health conditions than Spanish-born. Considering the diversity of the immigrant population in terms of their countries of origin and educational attainment, future research should focus on understanding the role of educational selectivity in contributing to the observed health inequalities among the considered outcomes over the life course.
The early roots of the digital divide: socioeconomic inequality in childrens ICT literacy from primary to secondary schooling
(Edward Elgar Publishing, 2023) Passaretta, Giampiero; Gil-Hernández, Carlos J.
Who has access to mobile devices in an online opt-in panel? An analysis of potential respondents for mobile surveys
(Ubiquity Press, 2015) Revilla, Melanie; Toninelli, Daniele; Ochoa, Carlos; Loewe, Germán
In most countries the spread of mobile devices in the general population has increased very quickly in the last years, changing people’s habits of accessing and using the web. Because of this, if one wants to involve respondents who access the web with the new devices, it is necessary to adapt web surveys to these devices. Nowadays, even if some probability-based online panels exist, the large majority of web surveys are done by means of non-probability-based panels (also called ‘opt-in’ or ‘access’ panels). People volunteer to participate in these panels. Thus, we can expect that the spread of mobile devices in these panels differs from the spread of mobile devices in the general population and is probably higher. However, little is known about the exact spread of different mobile devices (tablets and smartphones) within the population of panelists in access panels. Moreover, little knowledge has been acquired about which combination of devices panelists have, in general and in different countries. However, this is crucial information, since access panels represent the majority of web surveys and the participation of the panelists in these surveys is conditioned by the equipment they own. Therefore, in this chapter we study data from the Netquest online panel to get a more precise idea of the proportion of potential respondents in access online panels who would participate to surveys through mobile devices. The aim is mainly to evaluate the current spread of devices and their combination in a set of countries not studied before: Spain, Portugal and Latin American countries.
Structural change towards gender equality: learning from bottom-up and top-down experiences of GEP implementation in universities
(Emerald, 2022) Caprile, Maria; Bettachy, Mina; Duhaček, Daša; Mirazić, Milica; Palmén, Rachel; Kussy, Angelina
Universities are large, complex and highly hierarchical organisations with deeply engrained gendered values, norms and practices. This chapter reflects on the experiences of two universities in initiating structural change towards gender equality as supported by the TARGET project. A common aspect thereby is the lack of a national policy in higher education and research providing specific support for implementing gender equality policies. The process of audit, design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the first gender equality plan (GEP) in each of these universities was conceived as a first step in a long journey, providing a framework for engaging different institutional actors and fostering reflexive, evidence-based policy making. The analysis deals with reflexivity and resistance and seeks to draw lessons from bottom-up and top-down experiences of GEP implementation. It is the result of shared reflection between the GEP ‘implementers’ in the two universities and the team who provided support and acted as ‘critical friends’.
Quan el teu veí és diferent. La relació entre la segregació i el capital social
(Fundació Catalunya Europa, 2022) Rodon i Casarramona, Antoni
Aquest llibre estudia la relació entre la segregació i el capital social. Tot i que la concentració o el repartiment desigual dels grups humans en el territori ha estat tradicionalment una qüestió d'interès acadèmic, polític, social o econòmic, l'efecte que té sobre el capital social encara és una incògnita. Així mateix, les perspectives teòriques sobre l'efecte que la segregació pot tenir en el capital social són discrepants. Utilitzant dades diverses, de naturalesa distinta, i diferents aproximacions empíriques, aquest llibre aborda la qüestió mitjançant l'estudi dels casos de Barcelona i de Catalunya. Concretament, estudia l'impacte de la segregació per origen i per renda sobre diferents actituds i comportaments associats al capital social. L'anàlisi revela que la segregació està negativament relacionada amb el capital social. Les zones més segregades de Barcelona i de Catalunya tenen, de mitjana, menys interès per la política, un nivell més baix d'informació política o participen menys en les eleccions. Els resultats són consistents en les diferents anàlisis, tant individuals com agregades. L'estudi revela que les característiques de l'entorn urbà (la densitat o la qualitat de l'habitatge) no necessàriament són els factors més relacionats amb el capital social, cosa que indica que el fenomen va més enllà i és, molt probablement, fruit d'un procés endogen de relació entre grups i de la relació d'aquests grups amb el seu entorn. Amb tot, el text que teniu a les mans pretén ser una contribució acadèmica al debat sobre la segregació i els seus efectes, en aquest cas sobre el capital social, però també vol ser útil per a totes les persones interessades en els afers públics, especialment pels responsables de dissenyar les polítiques públiques.
Handbook of affective polarization
(Edward Elgar Publishing, 2025) Torcal, Mariano; Harteveld, Eelco
The evaluation of democratic performance from a comparative longitudinal perspective
(Oxford University Press, 2025) Torcal, Mariano; Trechsel, Alexander H.
This chapter examines how European citizens’ evaluations of different democracy models have evolved from 2012 to 2022, a period of significant economic, social, and political change. Building on the authors’ previous work on this topic, published in 2016, they once more focus on predictors of citizens’ evaluations of liberal, social, and direct models of democracy. The analysis shows a shifting pattern, with evaluations of liberal and social democracy becoming increasingly dependent on trust in political institutions and the impact of electoral defeats. These changes are linked to the influence of populist values and rising affective polarization. Overall, while support for democracy models remains stable, evaluations are more strongly influenced by political factors than before.
Political belief formation: individual differences and situational factors
(Cambridge University Press - Core, 2022) Muradova, Lala; Arceneaux, Kevin
This chapter reviews research at the intersection of psychology and political science that studies how people form political beliefs. We discuss the degree to which people's motivations shape the beliefs that they form, paying particular attention to the extent to which people's political beliefs are generated through reflection. Both individual differences and situational factors affect the extent to which people are reflective in political domains. As always, more questions remain than researchers have answered, and we conclude with some thoughts about the most pressing ones that future research should tackle.
Framework
(Springer, 2018) Doblhammer, Gabriele; Gumà, Jordi
Family has been shown to be one of the most relevant socio-demographic factors in understanding health differences among individuals in Western countries.
Summary and research implications
(Springer, 2018) Doblhammer, Gabriele; Gumà, Jordi
Despite considerable changes in family forms during the past decades, the influence of family on health is strong and persistent. All over Europe the elderly still live in more traditional family forms related to marriage and their family biographies are closely tied to the civil status of their partnership.
Introduction: preparing the way for qualitative research in migration studies
(Springer, 2018) Zapata Barrero, Ricard; Yalaz, Evren
Migration is not only transforming sending, transit, and receiving countries, but also social scientific studies. The expansions of human mobility, profound demographic transformations, and their diverse social, political and economic consequences have brought unprecedented theoretical and empirical attention to the phenomenon. While migration research has relatively longer and more established tradition in US academia, its growth in European scholarship in the last three decades has been remarkable. An increasing number of scholars and journals devote their work to understanding causes and consequences, current situations, changes and continuities of migration-related issues in Europe. Moreover, the expansion of research centres and networks, undergraduate and graduate programs, conference meetings, winter and summer schools demonstrate increasing institutional visibility of migration research. For instance, IMISCOE (International Migration, Integration, and Social Cohesion), which is currently Europe’s largest network of scholars in the area of migration and integration, has grown from 19 founding member institutes in 2004 (Brus 2014) to 39 member institutes in 2017 and over 500 individual members. On the other hand, what is less evident is the systematic attention to the methodological issues in European migration studies. This edited volume presents an effort to address this gap, through the collaboration of migration scholars from diverse disciplines. It is a unique volume as it brings together a multidisciplinary perspective as well as illustrations of different issues derived from the research experience of the recognized authors.
Gender differences in the relationship between household position and health in twelve European countries: are they associated with the value climate?
(Springer, 2018) Doblhammer, Gabriele; Gumà, Jordi
This study extends the institutionalization hypothesis which proposes that in societies with a more flexible value climate, well-being is less influenced by living in a non-traditional family form. Using data from the EU-SILC 2012 about self-rated health at ages 30–59 we explore twelve European countries representing different welfare state regimes. We characterize household arrangements by an individual’s position within the household which is defined by whether the person shares a household with a partner, children, or another person outside the family nucleus. In addition, we distinguish whether partners live in a consensual union or in a marriage. We test whether self-rated health is associated with the frequency of a certain household arrangement in a given country and hypothesize that higher frequencies of non-traditional household arrangements should go hand in hand with better health.
Languages of valuation
(Springer, 2023) Zografos, Christos
In this essay-style chapter, I focus on the analytical concept of languages of valuation and look at the work of the Barcelona School of Social Environmental Science in using it to study environmental conflicts and other issues related to environmental governance. The genealogy of the concept goes back to the claim advanced by Joan Martínez-Alier that many environmental conflicts are conflicts over different languages used to place a value on the environment, which are regularly expressed in the context of unequal distributions of costs and benefits from environmental transformation. I follow the concept as it passes through the Barcelona School in the roughly 30-year period to 2020. I trace this trajectory in the published work of researchers connected with the School and their collaborations with scholars outside it. The starting point of that work is the ecological economics criticism of monetary valuation of the environment for its reductionism and exclusion of certain sets of environmental values, and its espousal of value diversity, incommensurability and plurality in environmental decision-making. I look at how Barcelona School contributions have advanced understanding of environmental conflicts, justice and movements, as well as environmental policy and politics, and deliberative decision-making. I conclude by taking stock of that literature’s contributions and present my reflections concerning promising research avenues. I suggest that future research should expand links between languages of valuation and the pluriverse project in an effort to both advance knowledge about decoloniality and contribute to much-needed radical socio-ecological transformations in the face of the climate crisis.

Navigate

Browse

Recent Submissions