Political Questions

Geopolitical implications of the new trade war driven by Donald Trump’s second administration: Notes for analysis

Jorge Jesús Villasmil Espinoza — 2025-04-15

The purpose of this editorial is twofold: on the one hand, it aims to reflect succinctly on the geopolitical implications of the new trade war promoted by the second administration of Donald Trump as a condition of possibility to determine its possible impacts on the world order in its dialectical totality; on the other hand, the text serves as a presentation for the January-June 2025 issue of Volume 43, Number 82 of Political Issues. A hermeneutic reading of the events allows us to conclude that, ultimately, the new trade war driven by the second Trump administration represents much more than a dispute over tariffs: it constitutes a turning point in the reorganization of the international system. The era of globalization led by the United States, with its emphasis on open markets and universal rules, seems to be giving way to a world characterized by strategic competition between great powers and regional blocs such as the European Union.

Basic Education and Sustainable Development in Ecuador: Pedagogical Approaches and Critical Perspectives

Nelly Maribel Eras Guamán — 2025-04-15

From the parameters of a hermeneutic methodology applied to the critical interpretation of documentary sources of proven academic value, the objective of this article was to philosophically explore the intersections between sustainable development, critical thinking and pedagogical processes in Ecuadorian basic education. From this purpose, at the same time inquiring and reflective, three key questions arise: How can basic education contribute to sustainable development in Ecuador? What pedagogical strategies are effective in fostering critical thinking in students? And how can educational policies integrate the concepts of sustainable development, critical thinking and pedagogical processes to transform the educational system? The information gathered allowed us to conclude that, without any pretension of erudition, improvements in the quality of basic education require the development of an ongoing dialogue on education and sustainability in Ecuador, from a philosophical position that values self- criticism and epistemic humility. Consequently, as critical researchers, we assume that each educational reality requires specific solutions, although certain ethical principles transcend national borders.

Political Implications of Pedagogical Challenges in the Unified General Baccalaureate of Ecuador: Views and Debates from the Pedagogy of the Oppressed

Marianela Esperanza Pilay Quito — 2025-04-15

Although originally the Pedagogy of the Oppressed was a philosophical thesis devised by Paulo Freire in the seventies of the last century, in general terms its content continues to be fully valid in the Ecuador of the twenty-first century, since young people who are inserted in high school are subjected to a set of mechanisms of alignment in material and symbolic terms. such as poverty, the hegemony of social networks or the lack of meaningful learning, which promote solidarity and the autonomy of the human person to develop a life project in tune with the requirements of a truly equitable, democratic and just society. Therefore, the objective of the research is to discuss the political implications of the pedagogical challenges in the Unified General Baccalaureate of Ecuador, from a critical perspective that emerges dialectically from a rereading of the Pedagogy of the Oppressed, in the coordinates of Latin American thought of the twenty-first century, different from the classical Marxism of yesteryear. Methodologically, analogical hermeneutics and documentary research techniques are used to re-situate Freire’s theses in the pedagogical context of the Unified General Baccalaureate of Ecuador in the digital age. It is concluded that the pedagogy of the oppressed is not a static theoretical framework, but rather a device of political intervention that must adapt to the contradictions of late capitalism in Latin America.

Digitalization: Tool of a modern state for a public administration without bureaucracy

Orlando José Cabas Arráiz — 2025-04-30

Nowadays is important to identify the benefits that digital government can bring is a necessity. This article aims to show how digitization ensures the well-being of citizens whose rights are violated by bureaucracy every day. For this purpose, it’s important to make a tour of the main examples of digital governments around the world, with an approach to Estonia as a pioneer in automating processes within the public administration to provide facilities to the population and the government. In addition, it will review the progress of countries such as Sweden and Denmark, which have taken big steps in the application of technology to facilitate all kinds of procedures to optimize the operation of organs and entities of the state. The main intention of this research is based on an in-depth investigation of the nature of these policies, to have a broad overview that allows laying the foundations of study to apply these success stories in Latin American countries.

Management of Public Policies in Latin America: Challenges and Possibilities

Ariana Abril García-Obando — 2025-05-02

Public policies are actions carried out by the State in its various spheres of action, with the aim of providing solutions to the specific problems and demands of society. On the other hand, public management is conceived as an activity of a social nature, which uses a series of tools to strengthen the democratic nature of institutions. Through the management of public policies, the role of the State is interrelated with citizen participation, without forgetting that it is a complex activity that requires efficient, responsible, transparent and socially beneficial management, which includes a review of the management of economic, educational and health issues, among others. By virtue of the above, the purpose of this paper is to analyze the management of Public Policies in Latin America, using a methodological approach of hermeneutic-documentary review. Among the main findings, it is highlighted that the center of action should be oriented towards social progress, through the creation of public policies that dignify the human condition. It is concluded that the management of public policies should respond to the tangible and real problems of society, evidenced by concrete and materialized actions in the region.

Transversal Competencies in the Teaching of Natural Sciences: A Review from Educational Policies

Gilmer Homero Gómez Ferrer — 2025-05-02

This paper aims to analyze the relationship between transversal competencies and teacher training in natural sciences at the Universidad Nacional de Educación Enrique Guzmán y Valle, considering the existing educational policies in the nation. A quantitative approach was used, with a non-experimental, correlational design, applying surveys to 75 students. At the statistical level, the results show that 90% of those surveyed affirmed that education in transversal and specific competencies is efficient or very efficient, demonstrating an effective correlation between the two variables. At the theoretical and political level, the relevance of the General Education Law and the University Law was highlighted, which direct their efforts towards teacher and student training to meet the demands of the labor market and the country’s productivity interests, always prioritizing the economic, social, educational and curricular approach. However, the structural gaps in education cannot be overlooked, such as the lack of integration of transversal competencies, especially in vulnerable contexts, affecting unemployment and the lack of certified labor for various tasks. It was concluded that it is necessary to articulate educational policies with pedagogical practice, so that labor insertion, particularly of those trained in natural sciences, is more efficient.

Predictive Models in Public Health: The Approach to Diabetes using Artificial Intelligence

Pablo Roberto Aparicio-Montenegro — 2025-05-06

This paper aimed to develop an application based on artificial intelligence, whose purpose is the early detection and care of type 2 diabetes mellitus, a disease that affects 9.3% of adults globally. Methodologically, a non-experimental quantitative approach was used, making use of a dataset of 800 patients, from which 160 were selected to train a predictive model, implementing machine learning algorithms, such as K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) and Random Forest (RF), which facilitated the analysis of clinical and biometric data. Among the main results, the KNN model showed an accuracy of 95.5%, while RF showed 92.16% accuracy. Likewise, logistic regression achieved an accuracy of 79.33%. These models identified glucose as the most significant predictor, with a correlation of 0.49 with respect to diabetes. It was concluded that the use of Artificial Intelligence models constitutes an effective, accessible, non- intrusive and economical way to facilitate early detection and care of diabetes, improving the quality of personalized care, demonstrating the public health benefits that can be achieved.

Public policy design oriented towards Venezuelan Electronic Sports

Gabriela León — 2025-05-14

The study comprises the public policy of e-sports of the Venezuelan Federation of Electronic Sports according to the theory of Joseph Nye (2004) and the instruments of sports policies of Calatayud (2019); with a documentary design, descriptive statistical method and sample of 11 Latin American countries. A checklist was used, which was applied to the Instagram accounts of the most representative sports entities and committees. It was obtained as a result that the investment had structural flaws and citizen participation was not visible in 81.8% in decisions on the matter. It is concluded that the capacity to promote and intervene in e-sports is linked to the planning or public policy model.