This paper presents the results of an ex-post assessment of two important dams in Brazil. The study follows the principles of Social Impact Management, which offer a suitable framework for analyzing the complex social transformations triggered by hydroelectric dams. In the implementation of this approach, participative causal maps were used to identify the ex-post social impacts of the Porto Primavera and Rosana dams on the community of Porto Rico, located along the High Paraná River. We found that in the operation of dams there are intermediate causes of a political nature, stemming from decisions based on values and interests not determined by neutral, exclusively technical reasons; and this insight opens up an area of action for managing the negative impacts of dams.

Customer resistance is the greatest risk to innovation for the entrepreneur. The aim of this exploratory study is to provide insights into this underdeveloped area in the tourism innovation literature. A qualitative approach is adopted to understand the resistance experienced by 57 entrepreneurs when introducing their innovations into the market, the causes and the actions taken to minimize resistance. Findings indicate that most entrepreneurs often encounter resistance from sceptical customers, satisfied with their status quo and with no or low appetites for innovation. The analysis reveals two main sources of resistance: the association of the innovations with particular risks, and the customers' lack of understanding of the innovation value. Communication strategies are crucial to decrease the associated risks and for trust building. The article provides a critical perspective on the challenges faced by innovators, challenges that are often overlooked given the near-iconic status of innovation in studies of economic development.

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This paper analyses the system of actors involved in the development of residential tourism on the north east coast of Brazil. The study observes the socio-political effects of the 2001-2008 real estate boom, focused on the promotion of second homes in closed residential areas. Stakeholder Analysis (SA) is used to identify the various actors' roles and positions within a particular social space in a tourist setting which is exposed to transnational and real estate interests. The method reveals an unequal and conflict-ridden social reality. The results show that residential tourism shapes the local socio-political configuration, strengthening some actors (urban developers, real estate companies) whilst positioning others in a situation of dependence (local communities, cities). Palabras clave ResumenEl presente artículo analiza el sistema de actores implicados en el desarrollo turístico-residencial en el destino turístico de Pipa, en la costa del nordeste brasileño. El estudio contempla los efectos sociopolíticos del boom inmobiliario (2001)(2002)(2003)(2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008) orientado a la promoción de urbanizaciones cerradas de segunda residencia. Se utiliza el método de Análisis de Partes Interesadas (API) para identificar las distintas funciones y posiciones de los actores en un socioespacio turístico expuesto a intereses inmobiliarios y transnacionales. El método empleado revela una configuración social desigual y conflictiva. Los resultados muestran que el turismo residencial internacional modela la configuración sociopolítica local, fortaleciendo a unos actores (constructoras, inmobiliarias) y colocando a otros en situación de dependencia (poblaciones locales, municipios).

This paper proposes a method for diagnosing the impacts of second-home tourism and illustrates it for a Mediterranean Spanish destination. This method proposes the application of network analysis software to the analysis of causal maps in order to create a causal network model based on stakeholder-identified impacts. The main innovation is the analysis of indirect relations in causal maps for the identification of the most influential nodes in the model. The results show that the most influential nodes are of a political nature, which contradicts previous diagnoses identifying technical planning as the ultimate cause of problems.

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There exists a wide consensus among governance theorists about the need of broadening the level of active engagement of the public in the processes of local planning and decision making. However, the praxis of public participation still arise many doubts and uncertainties that have not been solved by the academia yet. This paper examines the problems and difficulties faced during the design and implementation of a public participation process on the alternatives and future of several local development projects of residential tourism in two municipalities in the SouthEast of Spain. The objective of this paper is to show the main epistemological and ethical dilemmas (legitimacy, representation and utility) challenged during this project, as well as some of the answers given to these questions.

This chapter makes a literature review based on the Grant and Booth qualitative systematic methodology of the studies about the educational situation of the Roma in Spain, with an wider, extended scope that allows to compare the findings with those conducted on other countries’ Roma populations. Studies on the Roma educational situation in Spain are hindered by the lack of official, periodical statistics, having to rely on sample-based surveys and ethnographic studies. In spite of the inaccuracy of the studies all of them show, as a general picture, a staggering educational gap between the Roma and the rest of society which is common to all Western countries. Most of the studies on Roma education have concentrated in this negative aspect. Numerous theoretical frameworks have been developed to explain this staggering education gap. All them acknowledge the phenomenon as a multidimensional one but for heuristic purposes they can be ordered along an endogenous/exogenous factors continuum depending on how much they stress the weight of factors stemming from characteristics of the Roma ethnic group itself or, on the contrary, of the majority non-Roma society. The literature review has also identified an emergent critical current that sees this studies focused on educational underachievement as a sharing a common essentialist bias that helps to reinforce the stigmatization of Roma and have turned to focus, instead, on the study of academic success among the Roma. Although this emerging field is very promising, our review has identify several significant research gaps in this regard: a lack of longitudinal studies, a lack of studies on the Roma upper and middle classes and a lack of studies on Roma students in post-compulsory education, particularly the university level. This article encourages researchers to fill this gaps with the conviction that the knowledge obtained can help combat the negative stereotypes and the self-fulfilling prophecy effect that approaches focused on Roma underachievement may have.