The Role of Firm Size in Training Provision Decisions: evidence from Spain.

The level of training provided by small firms to their employees is below that provided by their larger counterparts. The provision of firm-related training is believed to be associated to certain characteristics of the firm. In this paper we argue that small firms provide fewer training opportunities as they are less likely to be associated with these characteristics than large firms. The suitability of estimating training decisions as a double-decision process is examined here: first, a firm has to decide whether to provide training or not and, second, having decided to do so, the amount of training to provide. The differences in training provision between small and large firms are decomposed in order to analyse the individual contribution of these characteristics to explaining the gap. The results show that small firms face greater obstacles in accessing training and that the main reasons for that are related to their technological activity and the geographical scope of the market in which they operate.Continuous training, Firm size, Innovative activity.

The Paucity of Language: An Introduction to the Correspondence of Spinoza

[Resumen] Este trabajo reflexiona acerca de los principales rasgos del estilo filosófico de Baruch Spinoza a partir de algunas de las consideraciones que él mismo realizó en su propia Correspondencia. En la primera parte, se exponen algunas de las consideraciones que a lo largo de la historia autores como Henry Oldenburg, Johan Wolfgang von Goethe o Fritz Mauthner han realizado acerca de la oscuridad del estilo spinoziano. En la segunda y última parte, se estudian las razones de dicha oscuridad, como, por ejemplo, la mezcla de dos estilos heterogéneos como son el escolástico y el científico, la adopción del estilo more geometrico o su tardío conocimiento del latín.[Abstract] This paper studies the main features of the philosophical style of Baruch Spinoza from some of the considerations that he himself made in his own Correspondence. In the first part, I expose and comment some of the considerations that throughout the history authors like Henry Oldenburg, Johan Wolfgang von Goethe or Fritz Mauthner have realized about the darkness of Spinoza’s style. In the second part, I study the reasons for this obscurity, such as the mixture of two heterogeneous styles, such as the scholastic and the scientific, the adoption of the more geometric style or his late knowledge of Lati

DIFFERENCES IN TOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY ACROSS FIRM SIZE - A DISTRIBUTIONAL ANALYSIS

Productivity has been considered a key element for firms and economies to be more competitive. Several studies on productivity at a microeconomic level have found notable heterogeneity between firms. More concretely, differences in Total Factor Productivity (TFP) between large and small firms have been observed. Those differences might be caused by differences in the distribution of the factors determining the level of TFP across firms’ size, and by differences in the return to such factors. To assess to what extent the observed differences in TFP between large and small Spanish manufacturing firms are caused by the above-mentioned reasons we propose a methodology that, built on the traditional Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition, focuses the attention on the entire distribution of productivity. The TFP index used in our paper guarantees comparison of the level of productivity across firms in a given year and over time, and has been computed using the information in the Encuesta sobre Estrategias Empresariales (ESEE), a comprehensive survey of manufacturing firms in Spain from 1990 to 1999. Results confirm that the distribution of TFP in the large firms dominates that for the small firms, and how besides differences in the distribution of, for example, human capital and R&D expenditures across firms’ size, heterogeneity in returns between large and small firms play a major role in explaining differences in the distribution of TFP. Important policy issue are derived in connection with the possibility of increasing the aggregate productivity of the Spanish economy considering that the average firm size in Spain is smaller than in other European countries.

El libertinismo identitario en la obra de Fernando Iwasaki

Este trabajo estudia la obra de Fernando Iwasaki como paradigma de libertinismo identitario. En la primera parte se estudia de qué modo, en virtud de la transferencia simbólica que se produjo durante la modernidad desde el ámbito de la religión al del nacionalismo, el libertinismo religioso de los siglos XVII y XVIII se transformó en lo que hemos dado en llamar “libertinismo identitario”. En la segunda parte se analizan los principales rasgos del libertinismo identitario —epistemología escéptica, física materialista y ética hedonista— en la obra de Fernando Iwasaki.This paper analizes the works of Fernando Iwasaki as a paradigm of identitarian libertinism. In the first part it studies how the simbolic trasnference from religion to antionalism forced an evolution from the religious libertinism of the XVII and XVIII centuries to what we can call “identitarian libertinism”. The second part analizes the main characters of identitarian libertinism —skeptic epistemology, materialist physics and hedonistic ethics— in the works of Fernando Iwasaki

Presence and distribution of the spring bird comunity at the Xeresa marsh (Valencia) from 2014 to 2016

El treball mostra la presència i distribució de l'ornitofauna a la Marjal de Xeresa (València) en censos realitzats en les primaveres dels anys 2014, 2015 i 2016. Els 5.170 m recorreguts cada any de cens han generat una mostra de 1.719 contactes d'individus de 66 espècies que es distribueixen en 11 ordres d'aus. Els Passeriformes són els més abundants seguits de lluny de Ciconiformes, Gruïformes, Charadriiformes, Anseriformes, Pelecaniformes, Apodiformes, Columbiformes, Coraciformes, Podicipediformes i Accipitriformes. Es remarca la presència important d'un grup d'aus lligades al medi aquàtic. Això és, set espècies de passeriformes palustres nidificants: Locustella luscinioides, Cisticola juncidis, Acrocephalus scirpaceus, Acrocephalus arundinaceus, Acrocephalus melanopogon, Motacilla flava i Cettia cetti; una interessant colònia d'ardeids representats per Egretta garceta, Ardea purpurea, Ardea cinerea, Ardea ralloides, Ixobrychus minutus, Nicticorax nicticorax i Bubulcus ibis. Tres representants de la familia deis ral·lids, Gallinula chloropus, Rallus aquaticus i Porphyrio porphyrio. I també la progressiva presència de Plegadis falcinellus. Líndex de diversitat (H) per a cada any és de 4.7, 4.8, 4.8 respectivament. EIs dequitativitat (E) de 0.84, 0.85, 0.86 i els de dominancia (ID) de 23, 13,20.The study shows the presence and distribution of bird population at Xeresa marsh (Valencia) in spring by censuses conducted in the years 2014, 2015 and 2016. Tbe 5.170 m of census made each year have generated a sample of 1.719 contacts of individuals of 66 species that are distributed in 11 orders of birds. Tbe passerines are most abundant followed by far for Ciconiformes, Gruiformes, Charadriiformes, Anseriformes, Pelecaniformes, Apodiformes, Columbiformes, Coraciformes, Podicipediformes and Accipitriformes. We highlight the important presence of a group of birds linked to the aquatic environment. That is, seven species of marsh passerines: Locustella luscinioides, Cisticola juncidis, Acrocephalus scirpaceus, Acrocephalus arundinaceus, Acrocephalus melanopogon, Motacilla flava and Cettia Cetti; an interesting colony of herons represented by Egretta garceta, Ardea purpurea, Ardea cinerea, Ardea ralloides, Ixobrychus minutus, Nicticorax nicticorax and Bubulcus ibis. Three representatives of the ralliidae family: Gallinula chloropus, Rallus aquaticus and Porphyrio porphyrio. And, also, the increasing presence of Plegadis Jalcinellus. Tbe diversity index (H) for each year is 4.7, 4.8, 4.8 respectively. The equitaqtivity (E) 0.84,0.85,0.86 and the dominance index (ID) 23, 13,20

Do innovation and human capital explain the productivity gap between small and large firms?

Empirical evidence is compelling that large firms are more productive than small firms. The hypothesis in this paper is that the productivity differences between small and large firms are associated with two of the main determinants of a firm’s performance: the human and technological capital that firms incorporate. We suggest that the contribution of these factors in explaining the size of the productivity gap might not only be due to the fact that large firms make a more extensive use of them, but also because large firms obtain higher returns from their investment in human and technological capital. The evidence we obtain for a comprehensive sample of Spanish manufacturing firms (1990-2002) supports this hypothesis, which has important implications for the effectiveness of policies designed to improve productivity in SMEs by stimulating innovation and the use of more skilled workers.total factor productivity; innovation; skilled labour; firm size.

Seguiment d’aus al terme municipal de Cinctorres (els Ports, Castelló) 2009-2010

El treball mostra la presència i distribució de l’ornitofauna al terme municipal de Cinctorres (els Ports,Castelló) per a la hivernada de 2009-10 i la primavera de 2010. S’han dut a terme 24 estacions d’escoltaa 6 ecosistemes: urbà, carrascar, pinar, conreus, riu, tallats. Els resultats se centren en 4 mostrejos (2d’hivern, 2 en primavera). El volum de la mostra analitzada és de 3.200 contactes d’individus (1.214d’hivern, 1.986 en primavera) pertanyents a 84 espècies. Els ordres més abundants són el dels passeriformes(62%) degut a una important presència de Fringilla coelebs, Serinus serinus i Carduelis cannabina;el dels apodiformes (23%) atesa la important concentració primaveral de falciots al voltant delnucli urbà; el dels columbiformes (7%) i els falconiformes (3%). Pel que fa als índex de la comunitatl’abundància i la riquesa sempre són majors en primavera que d’hivern. Pel que fa a diversitat (H)els valors hivernals estan entre el 2,7 dels tallats i el 4,3 del riu; en primavera les diferències són mésacusades ja que els valors fluctuen entre el 1,7 del casc urbà i el 5,1 al riu. Els valors d’equitativitat (E)són alts i hi ha diferències en ambdós moments de l’any; els valors hivernals oscil·len entre el 0,69 delstallats i el 0,85 del riu, i els primaverals entre el 0,40 del casc urbà i el 0,91 del riu.Bird surveys in the municipality of Cinctorres (els Ports, Castelló) 2009-2010The work shows the presence and distribution of the birds in the municipality of Cinctorres (elsPorts, Castellón) for 2009-10 wintering and 2010 spring. We have carried out 24 point transects in sixecosystems : urban, holm oak forest, pinewood, crops, river and cliffs. We sampled this ecosystems 4times (2 in winter and 2 in spring). The volume of the analyzed data reaches 3.200 contacts (1.214 inwinter, 1.986 in spring) belonging to 84 species. The most abundant orders are Passerines (62%) dueto an important presence of Fringilla coelebs, Serinus serinus and Carduelis cannabina; Apodiformes(23%) due to the significant spring concentration of swifts around the town; Columbiformes (7%)and Falconiformes (3%). Regarding the community indexes, the Abundance and Species Richness arealways higher in spring than in winter. Winter Diversity (H) values are between 2.7 in cliffs and 4.3 inthe river ecosystem. In spring this differences are more pronounced and the values fluctuate between1.7 in urban areas and 5.1 in the river. Equitativity values (E) are high and show significant differencesbetween spring and winter; Winter values ranging between 0.69 of the cliffs and 0.85 of the river, andspring values between 0.40 in urban areas and 0.91 in the river

Identidades asesinas, de Amin Maalouf

Hace ya diez años que Amin Maalouf publicó su célebre ensayo Identidades asesinas . No parece mala idea celebrarlo realizando una breve sinopsis que sirva de recordatorio para los que ya lo leyeron y de invitación para los que todavía no lo han hech

The Role of Firm Size in Training Provision Decisions: evidence from Spain

The level of training provided by small firms to their employees is below that provided by their larger counterparts. The provision of firm-related training is believed to be associated to certain characteristics of the firm. In this paper we argue that small firms provide fewer training opportunities as they are less likely to be associated with these characteristics than large firms. The suitability of estimating training decisions as a double-decision process is examined here: first, a firm has to decide whether to provide training or not and, second, having decided to do so, the amount of training to provide. The differences in training provision between small and large firms are decomposed in order to analyse the individual contribution of these characteristics to explaining the gap. The results show that small firms face greater obstacles in accessing training and that the main reasons for that are related to their technological activity and the geographical scope of the market in which they operate.Blinder-Oaxaca decompositio