The Basic Christian Communities in Latin America were created with the official support of the Roman Catholic Church in the 1960s in order for the Church to work with the poor people of Latin America. However, the official representative of the Roman Catholic Church in Latin America, CELAM, does not recognize Liberation Theology, and the Pope and CELPM condemned the People's Church claiming it opposes the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church.This thesis studies a particular experience of the Basic Christian Communities in a rural area of San Gabriel, Costa Rica. It shows that the farmers of San Gabriel de Aserri have their own culture and customs which express their strategies in order to develop their goals. The local priest should develop and support the goals of the community for the well being of the Church and the community.The survey shows that when local organizations began in San Gabriel de Aserri in 1979, they helped to broaden the farmers social and economic consciences, theological beliefs, pastoral and liturgical practices. These changes are assisted by the growth and actions of the organization known as Basic Christian Communities.The Basic Christian Communities support leaders of the communities and familiarize them with the doctrine of the Catholic Church which gives the lay people more participation in the Church. Lay leaders, along with the members of the Basic Christian Communities and priests develop new solutions to the economic, social, and political problems of the poor people.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1970. / Typescript. Vita. Bibliography: leaves 257-262.

This dissertation examines rural families responses to global and local situations that have made earning a livelihood as a farmer very difficult. Drawing from original research, including a household livelihood census of 195 households, interviews with 72 people, participant observation, and archival research, the dissertation explores how rural families have responded to declines in domestic agricultural markets fueled by global and national forces and local environmental change. It asks: what impact will small farming families responses to these forces of change have on peoples identities as peasants? I argue that while great change is underway in the countryside, peasant identity continues to flourish as people on the ground re-work and re-negotiate what it means to be a peasant. This research provides a voice to those often overlooked by macro-analyses of economic, political, or cultural development by providing rich ethnographic details on how global forces impact otherwise out-of-the way places. This dissertation critically examines what is meant by development and change, what development and change look like in a local, grounded context and what current trends can teach us about the future of rural areas both in Costa Rica and in other regions of the world experiencing similar phenomena: increasing educational opportunities for youth, a continued opening up of agricultural markets, a blurring of the line between the urban and the rural, and declining environmental quality.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

This document examines and analyzes solo vocal music composed by several Costa Rican composers who did not remain in Costa Rica, but rather left the country to study abroad. Unlike prior studies of Costa Rican vocal music, which have focused upon the use(s) composers made of indigenous folk elements, this study identifies foreign, non-indigenous elements that were introduced into Costa Rican vocal music by musical pioneers such as Julio Fonseca (1885-1950) and Dolores Castegnaro (1900-1979), composers who studied at various times in Italy, Belgium, France and Mexico. Excerpts of their music have been analyzed for this document to demonstrate specific international influences. Another two composers were selected due to their present importance in Costa Rican music: Eddie Mora and Marvin Camacho. In a very distinctive manner, these composers bring to the musical environment of Costa Rican diversity and exoticism in Eddie Mora's case and a mix of contemporary with Costa Rican elements with Marvin Camacho's music. In analyzing the music of these four composers, this research intends to present the different influences of other countries into Costa Rican music while Marvin Camacho brings back its own Costa Rican voice.

Magíster en Gestión y Políticas Públicas / En los últimos años se observa un interés generalizado por el uso de instrumentos que permitan medir la incidencia de la pobreza más allá de los indicadores monetarios. Esta tendencia, lejos de cuestionar los resultados de dichas mediciones busca reconocer que este es un fenómeno que no puede ser medido con un único indicador, siendo necesaria una mirada más amplia a fin de poder diseñar mejores y más precisas políticas que permitan la superación de la pobreza. En este sentido, el estudio de caso se desarrolla con el objetivo general de elaborar una propuesta exploratoria para la medición multidimensional de la pobreza siendo esta una contribución a la discusión que recién comienza a instalarse entre las autoridades del Estado costarricense. El estudio se desarrolló en el marco de una metodología cuantitativa, alcance descriptivo y exploratorio, siendo desarrollado en cuatro etapas: en la primera se realizó una revisión bibliográfica de los principales desarrollos conceptuales sobre el bienestar y la pobreza; en la segunda se analizaron las propuesta de medición multidimensional desarrolladas en América Latina; en la tercera se elaboró una propuesta exploratoria y a partir de esta se calculó la incidencia de la pobreza multidimensional; finalmente, se presentan las conclusiones y recomendaciones del caso. La metodología de medición multidimensional más aceptada en la actualidad es la desarrollada por Alkire y Foster. En este sentido, se calculó la incidencia de la pobreza para distintas líneas de corte entre dimensiones evidenciándose una alta sensibilidad de los resultados a distintos valores de k. Utilizando un valor promedio (k=3) se identificó que en el 2013 un 31.5% de la población sufre pobreza multidimensional. Las dimensiones asociadas a las tecnologías de la información, educación básica y calidad del empleo son las que identifican a la mayor cantidad de personas en situación de pobreza multidimensional, evidenciando con ello que las políticas sectoriales en dichos ámbitos han sido insuficientes para lograr los umbrales mínimos de bienestar establecidos en la medición. Definir el objetivo que se persigue al momento de adoptar una medida multidimensional resultada fundamental para garantizar que esta no sea una medición sino más bien una herramienta de desarrollo humano. En este sentido, la proyección del índice a partir de las metas sectoriales establecidas en el plan nacional de desarrollo, el mejoramiento de las fuentes de información, la definición de mecanismos que permitan modificar los indicadores y umbrales del índice, el seguimiento que se le brinde a la medición, la estrategia comunicacional que se siga para darla a conocer, y una adecuada rendición de cuentas, son las principales recomendaciones del estudio. Finalmente, se considera oportuno incluir en futuros ejercicios aspectos que den cuenta de la vulnerabilidad, esto a partir de la evidencia de estudios anteriores que demuestran la existencia de una importante movilidad descendente en el grupo de las personas no pobres.

Graduation date: 1981 / Best scan available for figures and pages listing computer code. Original is a photocopy.

A growing body of work reveals that animal-mediated pollination is negatively affected by anthropogenic disturbance. Landscape-scale disturbance results in two often inter-related processes: (1) habitat loss, and (2) disruptions of habitat configuration (i.e. fragmentation). Understanding the relative effects of such processes is critical in designing effective management strategies to limit pollination and pollinator decline. I reviewed existing published work from 1989 to 2009 and found that only six of 303 studies separated the effects of habitat loss from fragmentation. I provide a synthesis of the current landscape, behavioral, and pollination ecology literature in order to present preliminary multiple working hypotheses to explain how these two landscape processes might independently influence pollination dynamics (Chapter 2). Despite the potential importance of independent effects of habitat fragmentation, effects on pollination remain largely untested. Studies designed to disentangle the independent effects of habitat loss and fragmentation are essential for gaining insight into landscape-mediated pollination declines. I also found that the field of landscape pollination ecology could benefit from quantification of the matrix, landscape functional connectivity, and pollinator movement behavior. To test the hypothesis that pollinator movement can be influenced by landscape configuration, I translocated radio-tagged hummingbirds across agricultural and forested landscapes near Las Cruces, Costa Rica (Chapter 3). I found return paths were on average more direct in forested than in agricultural landscapes. In addition, movement paths chosen in agricultural landscapes were more forested than the most direct route suggesting that hummingbirds avoided crossing open areas when possible. To determine if differences in pollinator movement translated to differences in plant reproduction, I tested the relative importance of landscape composition versus configuration on the reproductive success of Heliconia tortuosa, a hummingbird-pollinated forest herb (Chapter 4). I used a stratified random sampling design to select sites across orthogonal gradients in patch size, amount of forest, and elevation. I tested four landscape change hypotheses (i.e., local, landscape composition, landscape fragmentation, and fragmentation threshold). I found that Heliconia reproduction supported both the local site and landscape fragmentation hypotheses. Seed set increased with increasing forest patch size independent of amount of forest in the surrounding landscape. I also found that increasing patch size positively influenced the relative abundance of pollinators. The observed differences in seed set likely resulted from differences in hummingbird movements (Chapter 3) and/or abundance under different landscape configurations. / Graduation date: 2013

La Tesis Doctoral titulada "La Emoción Expresada Familiar en una muestra costarricense de pacientes esquizofrénicos" representa la primera experiencia de investigación de Emoción Expresada en Latinoamérica.La Emoción Expresada es la medida del ambiente familiar que refleja la cantidad-calidad de las actitudes hacia el paciente de los familiares clave en la Entrevista Camberwell, que valora a través del discurso cinco escalas:Criticismo, Hostilidad, Sobreimplicación Emocional, Calidez y Comentarios Positivos.Dicha entrevista nació en Inglaterra en el año 1967, tras tres estudios pioneros dirigidos por el Dr. George Brown del Mental Research Institute y fue abreviada por Julian Leff y Cristine Vaughn en el año 1972, la cual hasta el día de hoy, ha sido un instrumento valioso en la investigación de las familias que tienen algún miembro con trastornos psiquiátricos, entre ellos, esquizofrenia, depresión trastorno esquizoafectivo, trastorno bipolar, anorexia, alcoholismo, toxicomanía , entre otros. Además, la Entrevista Camberwell ha sido traducida en diferentes idiomas.El estudio de Costa Rica tenía como objetivo evaluar la Emoción Expresada de las familias en una muestra de pacientes esquizofrénicos y precisar algunas características asociadas a la recaída durante 9 meses de seguimiento que se realizó a las familias.El estudio fue realizado con pacientes y familias del Hospital Nacional Psiquiátrico, (San José, Costa Rica) durante los meses de agosto de 1998 a mayo de 1999.El diseño del estudio fue exploratorio.Los instrumentos que se utilizaron en este estudio fueron:1) Entrevista Familiar Camberwell2) Entrevista Hollingshead3) Escala Breve de Evaluación Psiquiátrica (BPRS)Además, se valoró el cumplimiento de la toma de la medicación y el Contacto Cara a Cara que pasan los pacientes con sus familiares clave.La muestra fue conformada por 27 pacientes y sus familias y los criterios de inclusión a la muestra fueron:1) Ser costarricense de nacimiento.2) Residir en el Valle Central.3) Sujetos diagnosticados de esquizofrenia de acuerdo con el ICD-10.4) Sujetos dados de alta durante los meses de julio y agosto de 1998.5) El/la paciente regresó a sus familias después de egresar del hospital.Los resultados a los que se llegaron son:- La Emoción Expresada está relacionada (NS) con la recaída con rehospitalización durante el período de seguimiento de 9 meses.- El cumplimiento en la toma regular de la medicación fue un elemento protector de la rehospitalización (NS).- La Calidez no mostró relaciones significativas con el resto de las variables.- El Contacto Cara a Cara es un predictor fiable (p < 0.01) de la rehospitalización durante los 9 meses de seguimiento. / Expressed Emotion is the measurement of the family environment that reflects the quantity - quality of the attitudes towards the patient of the key relatives in Camberwell Family Interview, which values across the speech five scales: Criticism, Hostility, Emotional Overinvolvement, Warmth and Positive Remarks. It was born in England in the year 1967, after three pioneering studies directed by Dr. George Brown of the Mental Research Institute (MRI) and it was abridged by Julian Leff and Cristine Vaughn in the year 1972, which until today, has been a valuable instrument in the investigation of the families that have some member with psychiatric disorders, between them, schizophrenia, depression disorder schizoaffective disorder, bipolar disorder, anorexia, alcoholism, toxicomania, among others. Besides, the Camberwell Family Interview has been translated in different languages. The study of Costa Rica had as lens evaluate the Expressed Emotion of the families in a sample of schizophrenic patients and specify some characteristics associated with the relapse for 9 months of follow-up that was realized to the families. The study was realized with patients and families of the Hospital Nacional Psiquiátrico (National Psychiatric Hospital) in San José, Costa Rica, during August, 1998 to May, 1999. The design of the study was exploratory. The instruments used in this study were: 1. Camberwell Family Interview 2. Hollingshead Interview 3. Brief Scale of Psychiatric Evaluation (BPRS) Besides, there was valued fulfillment of the capture of the medication and Contact Face-to-Face that pass the patients with their key relatives. The sample was shaped by 27 patients and their families and the sample incorporation criterios were:1. To be born in Costa Rica. 2. To reside in Central Valley. 3. Subjects diagnosticated of schizophrenia according to ICD-10. 4. Subjects given of discharge during July and August, 1998. 5. Patient returned to their families after going away of the hospital.Obtained results were: - Expressed Emotion is related (NS) to the relapse to rehospitalization during the period of - follow-up of 9 months. - Adecuated fulfillment of the medication treatement was a protective element of the rehospitalization (NS). - Warmth did not show significant relations with the rest of the variables. - Contact Face-to-Face is a trustworthy predictor (p < 0.01) of the rehospitalization during the 9 months of - follow-up.

With the growth ecotourism and of nature-based tourism, ecolodges are becoming more popular as an accommodation choice by tourists. There is currently no universal certification program ensuring service quality or environmental sustainability for ecolodges. Costa Rica is one of the few countries with a certification program in place that allows ecolodges to join by meeting certain standards. Visitors from three different certified ecolodges in Costa Rica were asked to fill out a questionnaire asking for demographic and trip characteristic information, with a section pertaining to their perception of importance and performance of 42 ecolodge attributes. The information was then applied to an Importance-Performance Analysis to gain a better understanding of how ecolodges are operating based on visitor feedback. The results from this thesis are then compared to the results of a similar study done by Kwan (2008) in Belize, where no certification exists for ecolodges. It is found that certified ecolodges received higher performance scores from their guests than uncertified ecolodges. It was also found that visitors place higher importance on more attributes when visiting a certified ecolodge, compared to uncertified ecolodges. This study also found that certified ecolodges are meeting the expectations of their clientele, by having higher performance scores than importance scores on 41 of 42 attributes. This thesis indicates that the presence of certification programs for ecolodges influences higher performance scores and can help ensure a successful future for this type of accommodation.