Predictores selectivos en el sector público: validez predictiva y reacciones de los candidatos / Selection predictors in the public sector: predictive validity and candidate reactions

Esta investigación ha tenido como objetivo profundizar en el conocimiento sobre el funcionamiento de los procedimientos selectivos en el sector público. Para ello, a partir de los datos del concurso-oposición de 2010 para la selección de auxiliares administrativos en el Gobierno Vasco se estudiaron dos cuestiones: a) la validez predictiva de los predictores empleados y b) la justicia percibida por parte de los auxiliares con respecto al proceso selectivo y a las pruebas empleadas y su relación con el resultado en las mismas y el desempeño laboral. Los resultados muestran que la prueba de conocimientos es el mejor predictor del desempeño y que las reacciones de los candidatos presentan una correlación positiva con el desempeño laboral y con el resultado en el test de juicio situacional. Se comentan las limitaciones de la investigación así como las implicaciones prácticas de los resultados

The purpose of this research has been to deepen the knowledge about how selection procedures work in the public sector. To this aim two aspects were considered: a) the predictive validity of the predictors employed and b) the perceived justice of the hired workers regarding the selection process and the tests used and their relation with test performance and job performance. The results show that the job knowledge test is the best predictor of performance and that the reactions of the candidates present a positive correlation with job performance and with the situational judgment test results. The limitations of the research as well as the practical implications of the results are discussed

Should there be mandatory testing for HIV prior to marriage in India?

The National AIDS Prevention and Control Policy of the government of India states that testing for HIV infection should be voluntary in nature. But from time to time various state governments and the central government have announced their intent of introducing mandatory premarital testing. Though this intent has not yet been translated into action, we present our case against the adoption of such a policy by discussing various social and medical issues. These include the limited population that such a policy would target given the early age of marriage in India; issues related to its implementation considering the low marriage registration rates in India; potential of stigma and discrimination associated with it; issues with defining boundaries and the role of the state; limitations related to the HIV test itself in context of the policy, including the window period and the positive predictive value of the test; its limited impact in population groups at a high risk for HIV infection; its limited role in changing unsafe behaviours; its limited potential to enhance the empowerment of women; its conflict with existing human rights; and the adverse experience of other countries with a similar policy.