Marco Billi

Bio: Marco Billi is an academic researcher from University of Chile. The author has contributed to research in topics: Higher education & Climate change. The author has an hindex of 3, co-authored 6 publications receiving 43 citations. Previous affiliations of Marco Billi include Adolfo Ibáñez University.

Controversies in social-ecological systems: lessons from a major red tide crisis on Chiloe Island, Chile

Abstract: Connecting the discussions on resilience and governance of social-ecological systems (SESs) with the sociological analysis of social controversies, we explore a major red tide crisis on Chiloe Island, southern Chile, in 2016. Theoretically, we argue that controversies not only are methodological devices for the observation of the complex relations between nature and society in moments of crisis, but also are materially embedded in the SES dynamics and can work for or against systemic resilience. Empirically, we show that Chiloe’s SES is an unstable regime prone to sudden shifts and identify the configuration of different lock-in mechanisms expressed in the reproduction of structural fragilities over the last three decades. From the examination of the social controversies on the 2016 red tide crisis, we draw several lessons. First, there is a complex interplay of visible and hidden fragilities of Chiloe’s SES that, while being ignored or their resolution postponed to the future, materialize in the daily experience of inhabitants as a series of historical disappointments. Second, the unfolding of Chiloe’s social-ecological crises involves epistemic disputes not only over concrete events but also on the very construction of the SES as a social-natural reality. In turn, this creates conditions for the emergence of strategic alignments between local, national, and transnational actors and shows the extent to which the socio-political articulation of knowledge may contribute to either improve or block the governance of the SES. Third, the social resources that came to light with the controversies reveal pathways for improving the governance regime of Chiloe Island’s SES. This dimension highlights the normative relevance of commitments to recognize multiple scales of knowledge and articulate a plurality of actors in a nonhierarchical logic of cooperation.

Climate change perception, vulnerability, and readiness: inter-country variability and emerging patterns in Latin America

Abstract: In Latin America, there is scarce comparative research on variables associated with the perception of climate change. This hinders the ability of governments to take mitigation and adaptation measures in the face of the phenomenon, as well as the ability of the population to cope with its effects. In order to fill that void, this research studies the relationship between climate change perception, vulnerability, and readiness in 17 countries of the region. To that end, perception indicators included in the Latinobarometro 2017 survey are analyzed, contrasted with vulnerability and readiness indexes provided by the University of Notre Dame’s Global Adaptation Index. The analytical strategy includes the statistical description of the variables associated with the perception of climate change in countries of the region, clustering together those countries that display similar behavioral patterns in relation to their vulnerability and readiness indicators, as well as crosstabs with climate change indicators. The key findings indicate that it is possible to identify 3 patterns of behavior regarding the countries’ vulnerability and readiness, which account for high, intermediate, and low levels in those variables. These patterns indicate cross-cutting trends concerning variables such as the level of education and affinity for the market economy, as well as particularities differentiating each country from the rest. The main conclusion is the existence of a negative association between the affinity people express for the market economy and their acknowledgment of climate change as a relevant problem.

A Twitter-Lived Red Tide Crisis on Chiloé Island, Chile: What Can Be Obtained for Social-Ecological Research through Social Media Analysis?

Abstract: Considering traditional research on social-ecological crises, new social media analysis, particularly Twitter data, contributes with supplementary exploration techniques. In this article, we argue that a social media approach to social-ecological crises can offer an actor-centered meaningful perspective on social facts, a depiction of the general dynamics of meaning making that takes place among actors, and a systemic view of actors’ communication before, during and after the crisis. On the basis of a multi-technique approach to Twitter data (TF-IDF, hierarchical clustering, egocentric networks and principal component analysis) applied to a red tide crisis on Chiloe Island, Chile, in 2016, the most significant red tide in South America ever, we offer a view on the boundaries and dynamics of meaning making in a social-ecological crisis. We conclude that this dynamics shows a permanent reflexive work on elucidating the causes and effects of the crisis that develops according to actors’ commitments, the sequence of events, and political conveniences. In this vein, social media analysis does not replace good qualitative research, it rather opens up supplementary possibilities for capturing meanings from the past that cannot be retrieved otherwise. This is particularly relevant for studying social-ecological crises and supporting collective learning processes that point towards increased resilience capacities and more sustainable trajectories in affected communities.

¡Tu 'piropo' me violenta! Hacia una definición de acoso sexual callejero como forma de violencia de género

Abstract: This article stems from the growing relevance that the phenomenon of street harassment has taken both in Chile and in a growing number of countries (Peru, Argentina, Ecuador, Brazil, Nicaragua, Mexico, United States, Canada, England, Belgium, Egypt, among others), and from the necessity of systematize a suitable frame for the concept, both for the scientific analysis as to promote public policies and private interventions for it reduction and prevention. Therefore, these article aims therefore to theorize, based on a variety of definitions existing in the scientific literature, a concept of street sexual harassment considering five analytical dimensions: the sexual connotation, the interaction between strangers, its occurrence on the public space, the potential to generate discomfort and its unidirectionality. This, in turn, allows to problematize the phenomenon from its specific features with respect to other forms of gender violence, and to propose a reflection on its social relevance as a source of conflict, restriction of well-being and gender inequality.

韧性（Resilience）的概念分析

Abstract: 韧性（resilience）是指个人面对生活逆境、创伤、悲剧、威胁及其他生活重大压力的良好适应，也是个人应激（stress）和应对（coping）的正面结果。在过去的数十年，护理学等健康相关领域的学者们一直在关注为什么一些人在逆境、压力、疾病等高危（high risk）经历下也能较好地维持健康，而一些人则被逆境打败，身心健康也随之处于不良状态。近年来，应激心理学、健康心理学、精神医学、教育学、护理学等各学科对韧性概念越来越重视，尤其是临床领域的研究，从过去强调人的缺点和脆弱性的病理模式转变为关注个人的优势和强韧性的健康模式。