Javier Hernandez | Universidad Catolica de Temuco (original) (raw)
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Papers by Javier Hernandez
Sociological Spectrum, 2019
Education has always been considered as a means for social mobility, levelling off inequalities a... more Education has always been considered as a means for social mobility, levelling off inequalities among individuals and enabling them to realise their potential. Against a backdrop dominated by political discourses on employability, flexibility and performance, there are growing concerns that students' career decisions may be affected by individual and structural factors undermining the fairness of the transition from school to higher education (HE). To address this issue, this article seeks to unpack the enablers and barriers affecting the school-to-HE transition. To do so, we undertook a systematic review of papers published in psychology, sociology, education and public policy from 1985 to date, a period where major employment and education reforms in advanced and emerging economies were implemented. 2 The findings show that socioeconomic , cultural and institutional factors affect students' access to HE. By taking stock of research on the school-to-HE transition, this article contributes to broaden the debate on the topic and reflects upon the relation between education and social mobility.
Discurso & Sociedad, 2020
Este artículo busca analizar críticamente los discursos que emergen para legitimar los modos en q... more Este artículo busca analizar críticamente los discursos que emergen para legitimar los modos en que se desarrollan los procesos de reclutamiento y selección de personal en empresas de sectores clave ubicadas en Chile. Para abordar este interrogante se analizan 35 entrevistas realizadas entre 2017 y 2019 a profesionales a cargo de esta labor en 35 empresas asociadas a sectores de la industria. Este análisis se apoya en contribuciones teórico-metodológicas de los Estudios Críticos del Discurso (Van Dijk, 1993a), y prioriza enfoques lingüísticos y sociocognitivos para dar cuenta de dos fenómenos: 1) la construcción y validación de conocimiento experto, y 2) la clasificación y categorización de personas. Los resultados muestran que las estrategias discursivas empleadas favorecen la formulación de estereotipos sobre perfiles y habilidades deseadas, por un lado, y de prejuicios basados en la pertenencia de clase y género, por el otro. Así, las posturas abiertamente discriminatorias son a menudo disimuladas, pero de manera implícita surgen contradicciones y sesgos ideológicos que no logran encubrirse del todo.
Revista Española de Sociología, 2020
Este artículo aborda los fenómenos de construcción y persistencia de las elites desde una perspec... more Este artículo aborda los fenómenos de construcción y persistencia de las elites desde una perspectiva de prácticas sociales, enfocándose específicamente en los procesos de distinción, justificación y reproducción. Con base en 53 entrevistas en profundidad a miembros de la elite económica en Santiago de Chile, se analizan distintas prácticas simbólicas, relacionales e institucionales asociadas a este grupo, favoreciendo la conservación de posiciones, privilegios y centralidad en el contexto de profundas transformaciones sociales y económicas en el país. Partiendo de estos hallazgos, el desarrollo económico chileno se muestra impulsado por prácticas apoyadas en procesos adscriptivos y no meritocráticos de asignación de posiciones y recursos.
Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, 2018
Purpose While financial organisations and systems are becoming global, there still seems to be s... more Purpose
While financial organisations and systems are becoming global, there still seems to be some country-based differences explained mainly by social dynamics of power and distribution of resources. The purpose of this paper is to analyse practices of a wide variety of financial organisations in two very different social environments, namely, the UK and Chile, with special focus on recruitment and promotion procedures and work under the industry.
Design/methodology/approach
From 41 in-depth interviews with practitioners in London, Edinburgh and Santiago de Chile and participant observation of recruitment practices, it was possible to analyse the practices of financial organisations, emphasising on the way they interact with people in global markets and local fields. Interviews and observation were designed to understand organisational procedures in the life course of a set of people working in financial firms and related institutions.
Findings
The paper argues for a field approach since Chile’s peripheral position in global markets and its elite-concentrated local distribution of resources encourage more traditional organisational practices, especially in terms of recruitment, socialisation and staff allocation, while in the UK, organisational processes are more technically designed and competitive, as part of a different field, the one of the main centres of financial activities.
Research limitations/implications
Although organisations are accessed via their workers and not studied directly, the design of the interviews and the findings allow understanding how financial work is structured by organisational procedures.
Practical implications
The paper contributes to highlight the role played by organisational procedures and how policies oriented to decrease inequality should take them into account.
Social implications
It contributes to understanding how inequality is based on organisational practices which are, at the same time, grounded in inequal social structures.
Originality/value
Very few studies have compared, from an in-depth and qualitative perspective, the way organisational procedures are constituted in two very different countries. It covers a wide variety of organisations types and financial products and services. It also tries to make a contribution bridging the current economic sociology literature and organisational studies. Very few articles have also performed systematic fieldwork in two very different countries.
El principal objetivo de este estudio es caracterizar los medios escritos de la Región de La Arau... more El principal objetivo de este estudio es caracterizar los medios escritos de la Región de La Araucanía, la dinámica de mercado en que ellos están insertos y cómo esto se relaciona con el tratamiento de la cuestión mapuche, ya sea en el plano social, cultural, económico o territorial.
La sociología económica estudia los aspectos fundamentales de la vida económica y del rol de los ... more La sociología económica estudia los aspectos fundamentales de la vida económica y del rol de los mercados en la sociedad, pero ello no se ha abordado convenientemente en América Latina. Se propone una agenda de investigación enfocada en problemas como los mecanismos que definen las fronteras para los mercados;; la formación de mercados
específicos;; el vínculo entre dinamismo de los mercados y la estratificación social;; las formas de regulación de los mercados;; y los aspectos culturales e institucionales que modelan los mercados y la innovación. Se proveen ejemplos tomados de Chile, país que funciona como un caso extremo en materia de economía de mercado y de una estructura económica elitista y jerarquizada.
This article is based on an empirical study on the role played by elite schools in the intergener... more This article is based on an empirical study
on the role played by elite schools in the
intergenerational reproduction of the Chilean
elite. For that purpose, the elite is defined as the
group that holds the central and most influential
positions in society. We argue that elite schools
are a social space for socialization, distinction
and reproduction of the elite, and therefore, they
allow institutionalization and legitimation of these
groups in Chile. A qualitative methodology (indepth
interviews and document analysis) allow
concluding that elite schools play a significant
role at choosing who are allowed in elite groups
and who are not, at socializing a new generation
of the elite in the role they are expected to play in
the future, and providing spaces for interaction
and creation of ties. The high school attended is
a mark and credential that follows the students
through their future
This paper - based on a comparative study that investigated recruiting, integrating, and organizi... more This paper - based on a comparative study that investigated recruiting, integrating, and organizing mechanisms in financial services firms in the UK and Chile- argues that the notion of complexity contributes to the understanding of how the embeddedness relationship between financial markets and social environments works. Three statements are developed:
Financial firms are embedded in social complexity: Elements involved in social complexity, such as uncertainty, number of competitors, modes of connection in global scale, anonymity, social diversity and mobility, stimulate more sophisticated methods of recruitment, organizational diversity, and standardization.
Financial firms are embedded in financial complexity: Organizational change is strongly related to change in the nature of financial products and evolution of financial analysis and trading.
Social and financial complexity are related: A less complex social environment, like that of Chile, prevents emergence of more complex financial services and products, such as most derivatives.
As showed by Mackenzie (2007), Black- Scholes- Merton model adoption and diffusion in the field o... more As showed by Mackenzie (2007), Black- Scholes- Merton model adoption and diffusion in the field of option trading shows an interest case to observe how different social factors are inter related and take part when this kind of tools are accepted and used by practitioners and broader society. The main problem in investment and finance is dealing with uncertainty and future, and this model has been succesful in order to suspend this sense. At the same time it creates a sense of jurisdiction of the field and distance with broader society.
Although new technologies of information and communication allow the emergence of new kinds of an... more Although new technologies of information and communication allow the emergence of new kinds of anonymous transactions that presumably do not need social ties to be performed, social ties are still relevant in financial markets even when computerised trading seems more efficient. Need of getting first hand information about assets before the competitors and getting additional elements that allow framing public data seem to be factors that explain why ties survive in financial markets in the era of electronic trading.
Sociological Spectrum, 2019
Education has always been considered as a means for social mobility, levelling off inequalities a... more Education has always been considered as a means for social mobility, levelling off inequalities among individuals and enabling them to realise their potential. Against a backdrop dominated by political discourses on employability, flexibility and performance, there are growing concerns that students' career decisions may be affected by individual and structural factors undermining the fairness of the transition from school to higher education (HE). To address this issue, this article seeks to unpack the enablers and barriers affecting the school-to-HE transition. To do so, we undertook a systematic review of papers published in psychology, sociology, education and public policy from 1985 to date, a period where major employment and education reforms in advanced and emerging economies were implemented. 2 The findings show that socioeconomic , cultural and institutional factors affect students' access to HE. By taking stock of research on the school-to-HE transition, this article contributes to broaden the debate on the topic and reflects upon the relation between education and social mobility.
Discurso & Sociedad, 2020
Este artículo busca analizar críticamente los discursos que emergen para legitimar los modos en q... more Este artículo busca analizar críticamente los discursos que emergen para legitimar los modos en que se desarrollan los procesos de reclutamiento y selección de personal en empresas de sectores clave ubicadas en Chile. Para abordar este interrogante se analizan 35 entrevistas realizadas entre 2017 y 2019 a profesionales a cargo de esta labor en 35 empresas asociadas a sectores de la industria. Este análisis se apoya en contribuciones teórico-metodológicas de los Estudios Críticos del Discurso (Van Dijk, 1993a), y prioriza enfoques lingüísticos y sociocognitivos para dar cuenta de dos fenómenos: 1) la construcción y validación de conocimiento experto, y 2) la clasificación y categorización de personas. Los resultados muestran que las estrategias discursivas empleadas favorecen la formulación de estereotipos sobre perfiles y habilidades deseadas, por un lado, y de prejuicios basados en la pertenencia de clase y género, por el otro. Así, las posturas abiertamente discriminatorias son a menudo disimuladas, pero de manera implícita surgen contradicciones y sesgos ideológicos que no logran encubrirse del todo.
Revista Española de Sociología, 2020
Este artículo aborda los fenómenos de construcción y persistencia de las elites desde una perspec... more Este artículo aborda los fenómenos de construcción y persistencia de las elites desde una perspectiva de prácticas sociales, enfocándose específicamente en los procesos de distinción, justificación y reproducción. Con base en 53 entrevistas en profundidad a miembros de la elite económica en Santiago de Chile, se analizan distintas prácticas simbólicas, relacionales e institucionales asociadas a este grupo, favoreciendo la conservación de posiciones, privilegios y centralidad en el contexto de profundas transformaciones sociales y económicas en el país. Partiendo de estos hallazgos, el desarrollo económico chileno se muestra impulsado por prácticas apoyadas en procesos adscriptivos y no meritocráticos de asignación de posiciones y recursos.
Qualitative Research in Organizations and Management: An International Journal, 2018
Purpose While financial organisations and systems are becoming global, there still seems to be s... more Purpose
While financial organisations and systems are becoming global, there still seems to be some country-based differences explained mainly by social dynamics of power and distribution of resources. The purpose of this paper is to analyse practices of a wide variety of financial organisations in two very different social environments, namely, the UK and Chile, with special focus on recruitment and promotion procedures and work under the industry.
Design/methodology/approach
From 41 in-depth interviews with practitioners in London, Edinburgh and Santiago de Chile and participant observation of recruitment practices, it was possible to analyse the practices of financial organisations, emphasising on the way they interact with people in global markets and local fields. Interviews and observation were designed to understand organisational procedures in the life course of a set of people working in financial firms and related institutions.
Findings
The paper argues for a field approach since Chile’s peripheral position in global markets and its elite-concentrated local distribution of resources encourage more traditional organisational practices, especially in terms of recruitment, socialisation and staff allocation, while in the UK, organisational processes are more technically designed and competitive, as part of a different field, the one of the main centres of financial activities.
Research limitations/implications
Although organisations are accessed via their workers and not studied directly, the design of the interviews and the findings allow understanding how financial work is structured by organisational procedures.
Practical implications
The paper contributes to highlight the role played by organisational procedures and how policies oriented to decrease inequality should take them into account.
Social implications
It contributes to understanding how inequality is based on organisational practices which are, at the same time, grounded in inequal social structures.
Originality/value
Very few studies have compared, from an in-depth and qualitative perspective, the way organisational procedures are constituted in two very different countries. It covers a wide variety of organisations types and financial products and services. It also tries to make a contribution bridging the current economic sociology literature and organisational studies. Very few articles have also performed systematic fieldwork in two very different countries.
El principal objetivo de este estudio es caracterizar los medios escritos de la Región de La Arau... more El principal objetivo de este estudio es caracterizar los medios escritos de la Región de La Araucanía, la dinámica de mercado en que ellos están insertos y cómo esto se relaciona con el tratamiento de la cuestión mapuche, ya sea en el plano social, cultural, económico o territorial.
La sociología económica estudia los aspectos fundamentales de la vida económica y del rol de los ... more La sociología económica estudia los aspectos fundamentales de la vida económica y del rol de los mercados en la sociedad, pero ello no se ha abordado convenientemente en América Latina. Se propone una agenda de investigación enfocada en problemas como los mecanismos que definen las fronteras para los mercados;; la formación de mercados
específicos;; el vínculo entre dinamismo de los mercados y la estratificación social;; las formas de regulación de los mercados;; y los aspectos culturales e institucionales que modelan los mercados y la innovación. Se proveen ejemplos tomados de Chile, país que funciona como un caso extremo en materia de economía de mercado y de una estructura económica elitista y jerarquizada.
This article is based on an empirical study on the role played by elite schools in the intergener... more This article is based on an empirical study
on the role played by elite schools in the
intergenerational reproduction of the Chilean
elite. For that purpose, the elite is defined as the
group that holds the central and most influential
positions in society. We argue that elite schools
are a social space for socialization, distinction
and reproduction of the elite, and therefore, they
allow institutionalization and legitimation of these
groups in Chile. A qualitative methodology (indepth
interviews and document analysis) allow
concluding that elite schools play a significant
role at choosing who are allowed in elite groups
and who are not, at socializing a new generation
of the elite in the role they are expected to play in
the future, and providing spaces for interaction
and creation of ties. The high school attended is
a mark and credential that follows the students
through their future
This paper - based on a comparative study that investigated recruiting, integrating, and organizi... more This paper - based on a comparative study that investigated recruiting, integrating, and organizing mechanisms in financial services firms in the UK and Chile- argues that the notion of complexity contributes to the understanding of how the embeddedness relationship between financial markets and social environments works. Three statements are developed:
Financial firms are embedded in social complexity: Elements involved in social complexity, such as uncertainty, number of competitors, modes of connection in global scale, anonymity, social diversity and mobility, stimulate more sophisticated methods of recruitment, organizational diversity, and standardization.
Financial firms are embedded in financial complexity: Organizational change is strongly related to change in the nature of financial products and evolution of financial analysis and trading.
Social and financial complexity are related: A less complex social environment, like that of Chile, prevents emergence of more complex financial services and products, such as most derivatives.
As showed by Mackenzie (2007), Black- Scholes- Merton model adoption and diffusion in the field o... more As showed by Mackenzie (2007), Black- Scholes- Merton model adoption and diffusion in the field of option trading shows an interest case to observe how different social factors are inter related and take part when this kind of tools are accepted and used by practitioners and broader society. The main problem in investment and finance is dealing with uncertainty and future, and this model has been succesful in order to suspend this sense. At the same time it creates a sense of jurisdiction of the field and distance with broader society.
Although new technologies of information and communication allow the emergence of new kinds of an... more Although new technologies of information and communication allow the emergence of new kinds of anonymous transactions that presumably do not need social ties to be performed, social ties are still relevant in financial markets even when computerised trading seems more efficient. Need of getting first hand information about assets before the competitors and getting additional elements that allow framing public data seem to be factors that explain why ties survive in financial markets in the era of electronic trading.