Introduction/Objective: if any single factor defines Ecuador’s economic trajectory in the first quarter of the 21st century, it is the persistent tension between a restrictive monetary regime—dollarization—and fiscal behavior operating under the expansive logic of a sovereign issuer. This article aims to analyze the sustainability of Ecuador’s public debt and identify the key vulnerability factors associated with the economy’s exposure to external shocks. Methodology: an explanatory quantitative design was employed using a Vector Error Correction Model (VECM) based on quarterly data (2000–2024) obtained from the Central Bank of Ecuador and the Ministry of Economy. This methodological tool made it possible to filter out short-term noise and calculate long-term structural elasticities. Results: the economic expansion prior to 2014 is revealed to have been debt-driven growth. As global liquidity receded, the economy was left exposed. The model demonstrates asymmetric pro-cyclicality, wherein expenditure elasticity exceeds revenue elasticity; this keeps debt hovering around the 40% of GDP threshold and renders effective automatic adjustments impossible without contracting real economic activity. Conclusions: reliance on external borrowing to cover rigid expenditures is unsustainable under dollarization. Unless a macro-prudential institutional framework is established to ensure counter-cyclical savings during periods of expansion or boom, the Ecuadorian economy will remain exposed to recurring vulnerabilities.
Introduction: postmodern societies have established consumption as a central medium for social interaction. In this context, indebtedness has become naturalized as the primary means of accessing the market for the realization of life projects. Consequently, consumption facilitated by debt has been intensified, leading to an increase in delinquency rates. Within this scenario, financial well-being is positioned as a construct that allows for the measurement of individuals’ objective and subjective well-being within an economic context that emphasizes financial control and planning. Given the lack of consensus on how to measure financial well-being and the scarcity of validated scales in the Chilean context, the objective of the present investigation is to assess the psychometric properties of the Financial Well-Being Scale developed by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) in the Chilean population. Method: using a quantitative approach and a non-experimental design, the study included 714 employed adults residing in the cities of Temuco and Osorno, Chile. The factorial structure of the scale was examined through confirmatory factor analysis using the weighted least squares mean and variance adjusted (WLSMV) estimator. Results: the results supported a bifactorial structure with adequate model fit indices (CFI = 0.986, TLI = 0.974, RMSEA = 0.063, and SRMR = 0.020), indicating a good fit of the model to the data. Conclusion: the study provides psychometric evidence for a financial well-being scale in Chilean adults, supporting its internal structure and its theoretical contribution to consumption theory and economics. Practically, it offers a brief measure for diagnosis and evaluation in organizational, educational, and public policy settings, informing interventions and financial education initiatives.
Introduction/objective: professional visibility on digital platforms increasingly depends on algorithmic recommendation and ranking systems. This study synthesizes academic evidence on how personal branding practices interact with algorithmic authority to shape digital professional positioning. Methodology: a PRISMA 2020-guided qualitative systematic review was conducted using Scopus and Google Scholar, with ResearchGate as a full-text access source. Two reviewers independently applied eligibility criteria, a document-type quality rubric, and thematic synthesis (κ = .83). Results: forty-nine studies (2002–2025) were included. Findings cluster into three themes: strategic identity/reputation building, algorithmic mediation of visibility, and platform-specific integrative strategies. An interpretive framework —the brand-algorithm cycle— is proposed, in which algorithmically mediated visibility functions as digital capital translating expertise and narrative coherence into labor-market and reputational outcomes. Conclusions: the review suggests that effective personal branding increasingly depends on translating identity, credentials, and relationships into signals readable by both algorithms and audiences. Research gaps remain regarding linguistic bias, algorithmic transparency, and employability outcome measurement, particularly in Latin American contexts.
Introduction/Objective: climate change represents one of the most pressing contemporary environmental challenges, particularly within educational settings where fostering sustainability-oriented behaviors has become a priority. The objective of this study was to examine the influence of climate change knowledge, climate change awareness, and climate risk perception on pro-environmental behaviors among Mexican university students using a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. Methodology: this study employed an explanatory, non-experimental research design. Data were collected at a single point in time from a sample of 356 Mexican university students. A structured questionnaire was administered to measure climate change knowledge, climate change awareness, climate risk perception, and pro-environmental behaviors. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM), including the assessment of both the measurement model and the structural model. Results: the findings showed that climate change knowledge and climate change awareness had positive and statistically significant effects on pro-environmental behaviors, confirming their importance in explaining pro-environmental behavior among university students. In addition, climate change knowledge exerted a positive and statistically significant effect on climate risk perception. However, climate risk perception did not have a significant direct effect on pro-environmental behaviors, suggesting that its influence may depend on indirect mechanisms or other psychological and contextual factors. Conclusions: the findings highlight the importance of strengthening both climate change knowledge and climate change awareness within sustainability-oriented higher education programs. The results support the value of integrative approaches for understanding pro-environmental behavior and provide evidence that can guide higher education institutions in designing strategies to promote and strengthen sustainable practices.
Introduction/objective: the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped food consumption patterns worldwide. This study examines the attitudinal and behavioral changes reported by consumers in Ecuador’s two main cities (Quito and Guayaquil) toward food delivery apps (FDA) across three periods—pre-pandemic (2019), pandemic (2020-2021) and post-pandemic (2022-2025)—using retrospective questions. Methodology: a cross-sectional study with a retrospective approach and non-experimental design. A questionnaire grounded in the extended UTAUT2 model with perceived trust and perceived COVID-19 risk was applied to a convenience sample of 468 consumers (n = 250 Quito; n = 218 Guayaquil). Data were analyzed using PLS-SEM and multi-group analysis (MGA). Results: the model explains 67.3 % of the variance in continuance intention (R² = 0.673). The strongest significant predictors were habit (β = 0.52), performance expectancy (β = 0.41) and perceived trust (β = 0.29). City-level differences emerged: habit weighed more in Quito (β = 0.58 vs. 0.47) and social influence in Guayaquil (β = 0.46 vs. 0.31). Conclusions: participants reported usage that remains above pre-pandemic levels. The study provides the first systematic empirical evidence on the determinants of FDA continuance intention in the two cities that concentrate this market in Ecuador, documenting intra-country differences with implications for differentiated marketing strategies.
