Álvaro Hofflinger &
Author: alvarohofflinger
Ciudadanía, Racismo y Colonialismo de Asentamiento: El Caso Mapuche (Citizenship, Racism and Settler Colonialism: The Case of Mapuche People)
Álvaro Hofflinger & Héctor Nahuelpán
Risks, Communication and Socioenvironmental Conflicts Over Energy in Chile.
Arturo Vallejos-Romero, Claudia Riquelme, Jaime Garrido Castillo, Álvaro Quezada-Hofflinger, Àlex Boso
Abstract
This article analyzes the communication strategies in the conflicts surrounding the Castilla and HidroAysén projects in Chile. Within this framework, descriptive exploratory research, with an integrated design was performed. The findings revealed simple communication formats that affect the management of the conflict, trust and the development visions, stressing risk communication as important for risk governance.
Public Support for Wood Smoke Mitigation Policies in South-Central Chile.
Àlex Boso, Álvaro Q. Hofflinger, Christian Oltra, Boris Álvarez & Jaime Garrido
Abstract
This study analyzes the role of the affect heuristic, risk perceptions, and air quality and sociodemographic factors in the support for policies to control urban air pollution. The sample includes 489 participants residing in Temuco and Padre Las Casas, suburban areas located in southern Chile, affected by the smoke that wood-burning stoves and cookers produce. In line with previous studies, the results show that the rejection of pollution mitigation policies is associated with a positive affect to heat homes with wood. Awareness and risk perception also seem to be relevant factors, but the effect of the latter on the support for policies ceases to be significant when it is controlled by key sociodemographic variables such as household income. The study findings contribute to the theories of processing information about risk, when suggesting that emotions and awareness play an important role in the support for policies to control air pollution and that, also, structural factors like household income cannot be avoided. Finally, the implications for urban energy transition processes are discussed.
Producción Científica En Chile: Las Limitaciones del Uso De Indicadores de Desempeño Para Evaluar las Universidades Públicas (Scientific Output In Chile: Limitations of The Use of Performance Indicators to Evaluate Public Universities).
Álvaro Quezada-Hofflinger & Arturo Vallejos-Romero
Abstract
In 2015, the 25 universities that are members of the association of public universities (CRUCH) received $15.3 million as a reward for performance. The money that each university received depended on its position in the ranking of performance indicators. The performance indicator with the highest weight is the index of productivity (35%), which represents the ratio between the number of indexed publications divided by the number of academics at each university. This index does not distinguish publications by areas of knowledge, by quality or by intellectual author. Because of this, the index has been criticized as an unfair way to rank universities. To study this, we analyze10.377 papers indexed in the Web of Science by CRUCH universities in 2015. Our objective is to study the unintended consequences of the use of indexed publications as an indicator of productivity and estimate its impact on finance equity among universities and topics.
Examining Patterns of Air Quality Perception: A Cluster Analysis for Southern Chilean Cities.
Àlex Boso, Boris Álvarez, Christian Oltra, Álvaro Hofflinger, Arturo Vallejos-Romero & Jaime Garrido
Abstract
Various medium-sized cities in southern Chile are saturated by air pollution caused by woodsmoke. In this study, we developed a segmentation model to assess the public’s perceptions, understanding of health risks and emotional responses to poor air quality. To date, this is the first segmentation model dealing with public perception in cities contaminated by woodsmoke. A survey (N = 489) was conducted in Temuco and Padre las Casas, Chile, which included questions regarding attitudes, sociodemographic factors, and health care behaviors, to obtain information for mitigation initiatives. Through a cluster analysis, three population segments were identified that related differently to environmental pollution, which were constructed based on seven psychosocial variables. Different sociodemographic profiles and self-reported behavioral patterns were found, which should guide policies aimed at improving air quality in cities contaminated by pollution from wood-burning stoves.
Participation in a Programme for Assisted Replacement of Wood-Burning Stoves in Chile: The Role of Sociodemographic Factors, Evaluation of Air Quality and Risk Perception.
Àlex Boso, Christian Oltra & Álvaro Hofflinger
Abstract
Temuco and Padre Las Casas are two of the most polluted cities in southern Chile; around 90% of the particulate matter emissions are produced by wood-burning stoves used for domestic heating and cooking. Surveys were collected from 489 residents to examine differences between applicants and non-applicants to a programme to replace wood-burning stoves with pellet stoves. Results show that participants who applied to the programme are, on average, older than non-applicants, are more likely to have a respiratory impairment, tend to evaluate indoor air quality worse than non-applicants and tend to perceive the health effects of air pollution as more severe. The findings also suggest that motivation to improve air quality is a key aspect for understanding the adoption of pellet stoves when the requirement for initial investment is removed. Practical implications relating to the role of sociodemographic and psychological factors in the decision to replace heating systems are discussed to support the design of more effective interventions to mitigate wood smoke pollution.
Response Time to Flood Events Using a Social Vulnerability Index (ReTSVI), Nat.
Álvaro Hofflinger, Marcelo A. Somos-Valenzuela, and Arturo Vallejos-Romero
Abstract
Current methods to estimate evacuation time during a natural disaster do not consider the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of the population. This article develops the Response Time by Social Vulnerability Index (ReTSVI). ReTSVI combines a series of modules that are pieces of information that interact during an evacuation, such as evacuation rate curves, mobilization, inundation models, and social vulnerability indexes, to create an integrated map of the evacuation rate in a given location. We provide an example of the application of ReTSVI in a potential case of a severe flood event in Huaraz, Peru. The results show that during the first 5 min of the evacuation, the population that lives in neighborhoods with a high social vulnerability evacuates 15 % and 22 % fewer people than the blocks with medium and low social vulnerability. These differences gradually decrease over time after the evacuation warning, and social vulnerability becomes less relevant after 30 min. The results of the application example have no statistical significance, which should be considered in a real case of application. Using a methodology such as ReTSVI could make it possible to combine social and physical vulnerability in a qualitative framework for evacuation, although more research is needed to understand the socioeconomic variables that explain the differences in evacuation rate.
The Home Halo Effect: How Air Quality Perception is Influenced by Place Attachment.
Álvaro Hofflinger, Àlex Boso & Christian Oltra
Abstract
Studies on air pollution suggest that individuals perceive their neighborhoods as less polluted than their cities, termed the “halo effect.” This effect is important because how people perceive air quality is highly correlated with whether they will develop coping strategies to reduce health risks from air pollution. We conducted 489 household surveys in two municipalities in south-central Chile, both highly polluted with smoke from wood-burning stoves, to identify differences in perception of air quality at the city, neighborhood, and household levels. We found evidence of a home halo effect even though studies show indoor pollution in these municipalities might be equal to or higher than outdoor pollution. The findings are relevant for local and central governments to improve their communication strategies, which to date have been focused on providing data about outdoor air pollution aggregated at the city level. More detailed and disaggregated information on the health risks linked to indoor air quality can improve residents’ awareness and engagement in developing protective and coping behaviors concerning air pollution.
School Choice and Parents’ Preferences for School Attributes in Chile.
Álvaro Hofflinger, Denisse Gelber, Santiago Tellez Cañas
Abstract
A key assumption of school choice and competition policies is that parents’ most important (if not only) priority when choosing a school is its quality. However, evidence about which of a school’s attributes really drives parental choice is still scarce. We use census data from a parent questionnaire in Chile, a country with a national school choice and competition system, to describe the attributes most commonly considered by parents when choosing a school, and to assess how the probability of prioritizing those attributes varies with the parents’ socioeconomic characteristics, while controlling for other characteristics of the family. We find that parents choosing a school prioritize its proximity, its quality, and whether it provides religious education. Furthermore, the probability of parents prioritizing proximity is higher for parents of low socioeconomic status, while the probability of them prioritizing quality and religious education is higher for parents of high socioeconomic status. These findings show that only advantaged families choose schools based on their quality, and therefore school choice and competition policies may offer a limited benefit for disadvantaged pupils, possibly maintaining or reinforcing socioeconomic segregation in the education system.
Alvaro Hofflinger 