Browsing by Autor "Pablo Medina"

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An Unintended Effect of Financing the University Education of the Most Brilliant and Poorest Colombian Students: The Case of the Intervention of the <i>Ser Pilo Paga</i> Program
(Hindawi Publishing Corporation, 2018) Pablo Medina; Natalia Ariza; P Navas; Fernando Rojas; Gina Parody; J. A. Valdivia; Roberto Zarama; Juan Felipe Penagos
In this paper, we show an unintended effect of the program Ser Pilo Paga (SPP) that was a flagship program of the Colombian government between 2014 and 2018. It was designed as an intervention in the Colombian Higher Education System (CHES) by awarding, in the steady state, individual funding to about 40,000 students. Every year, 10,000 new students were chosen from the best applicants in the top decile of the population in the entrance exam to higher education in Colombia that also came from families that live under the level of poverty according to a national survey. Our approach, based on an intensive study of the changes in the statistical distributions of the exam scores during these four years, provides evidence of student performance improvements not only of the beneficiaries of the program, but also of the whole student population. This shows that the program opened similar opportunities for all the students, especially for the poorest ones. The program drove a reduction in the gap between students of the upper strata of the population and those of the lowest strata that usually did not access a high quality institution of higher education due to the lack of funding. This result has opened a debate about the optimal way of funding higher education.
Coordination mechanisms applied to logistical systems for local disaster preparedness: a Latin American case
(Emerald Publishing Limited, 2024) Juan Camilo López-Vargas; José D. Meisel; Diana María Cárdenas-Aguirre; Pablo Medina
Purpose The study aims to present an agent-based simulation model (ABM) for exploring interorganizational coordination scenarios in local disaster preparedness. This approach includes local actors and logistical processes as agents to compare various strategic coordination mechanisms. Design/methodology/approach The ABM model, developed in the Latin American context, specifically focuses on a case study of Colombia. Three coordination mechanisms (centralized, decentralized and cluster-type) have been evaluated using three performance indicators: effectiveness, efficiency and flexibility. Findings Simulation results show that the decentralized scenario outperforms in terms of efficiency and flexibility. On the contrary, the centralized and cluster-type scenarios demonstrate higher effectiveness, achieving a greater percentage of requirements coverage during the disaster preparedness stage. The ABM approach effectively evaluates strategical coordination mechanisms based on the analyzed performance indicators. Research limitations/implications This study has limitations due to the application of results to a single real case. In addition, the focus of the study is primarily on a specific type of disaster, specifically hydrometeorological events such as flash floods, torrential rains and landslides. Moreover, the scope of decision-making is restricted to key actors involved in local-level disaster management within a municipality. Originality/value The proposed ABM model has the potential as a decision-making tool for policies and local coordination schemes for future disasters. The simulation tool could also explore diverse geographical scenarios and disaster types, demonstrating its versatility and broader applicability for further insights and recommendations.
Spatial Segregation Patterns and Association with Built Environment Features in Colombian Cities
(RELX Group (Netherlands), 2023) Andrés F. Useche; Olga L. Sarmiento; María José Álvarez‐Rivadulla; Pablo Medina; Diana Higuera-Mendieta; Felipe Montes