bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Induced technical change in centrally planned economies
Authors: Fan Shenggen , Ruttan Vernon W. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractIt has generally been assumed that the inferences of the induced technical change model with respect to the direction of technical change could not be expected to hold for the centrally planned economies. In this paper we test three hypotheses generated from the induced technical change hypotheses against the experience of centrally planned economies: (a) if land becomes increasingly scarce new technology will be biased in a land‐saving direction; (b) if labor becomes increasingly scarce new technology will be biased in a labor‐saving direction; and (c) changes in the land‐labor ratio have been induced by changes in relative factor endowments. The results suggest a bias toward mechanical and against biological technology regardless of factor endowments. This is consistent with the well known ideological or policy bias in a number of centrally planned economies toward a capital‐intensive development strategy.
Evaluating the economic impact of quality‐reducing, seed‐borne diseases: Lessons from Karnal bunt of wheat
Authors: Brennan John P. , Warham Elizabeth J. , Byerlee Derek , Hernandez‐Estrada Julio 
Published: January 2020

AbstractEstimates of aggregate disease costs can be used for assigning research resources or to evaluate control measures. Most diseases cause production losses, but others affect quality and marketability. Seed‐borne diseases also cause problems for the seed production and distribution industry. The aim in this paper is to examine issues relating to the economic impact of a quality‐reducing, seed‐borne disease, and to highlight differences compared to non‐seed‐borne diseases affecting yield only.Economic evaluation of quality‐reducing, seed‐borne diseases needs to incorporate impacts of trading restrictions such as quarantines or embargoes imposed by purchasers. The costs of measures taken to control diseases also represent part of the economic impact of the disease. Full economic costs of a disease include the direct (yield and quality) costs and costs of the control measures. The costs of Karnal bunt of wheat in Mexico were found to include many control costs that have often been overlooked.The optimal amount of resources to invest in controlling a disease depends on the likely annual costs of the disease and of control measures. Before implementing disease control policies, both the costs and the benefits of the policies need to be considered, taking the risks of each option into account, to ensure that the policy itself does not impose greater costs than the uncontrolled disease.
Interaction between livestock and feeds policies: evidence from Southeast Asia
Authors: Rae Allan N. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractConsumption of livestock products in Southeast Asia could continue to increase rapidly, as has been the case in Northeast Asia. The extent to which domestic producers may respond to these demand developments will be influenced by government interventions in both livestock product and feeds markets. The paper analyses the net contribution of livestock product and feed price distortions on the effective rate of protection, and whether intervention in the commodity market is augmented or offset by intervention in the feeds market. While policy‐induced distortions were found to exist in the livestock sectors of Thailand and Malaysia, especially in beef and dairy production, the contribution of feeds policies to these distortions was minimal. In contrast implicit taxes on feeds were high in Indonesia and the Philippines. In the latter, support on product prices was sufficient to more than offset the tax on feeds so that effective protection remained positive. But in Indonesia both livestock and feeds policies worked to provide disincentives to livestock production. It is concluded that livestock and feeds policies should be formulated with regard to objectives and priorities within both sectors. This could require that greater emphasis be placed on feeds sector assistance policies that do not affect the price of feeds.
An econometric analysis of U.S. vital wheat gluten imports
Authors: Ortalo‐Magné François , Goodwin Barry K. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractIn light of the wheat wet milling industry's development in the E.C. and of the prominent role U.S imports play in the international market for wheat gluten, this paper discusses the international market for wheat gluten, an important component of processed grain products. An econometric analysis of the U.S. import demand for wheat gluten is undertaken. The price of flour, income, and the U.S. value of wheat protein are found to be important determinants of wheat gluten imports.
Estimating the effectiveness of extension information systems using farm trials and subjective probabilities
Authors: Howard Wayne H. , Blake Robert W. , Knight Thomas O. , Shumway C. Richard , Tomaszewski Michael A. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractA method of combining survey data and Dairy Herd Improvement Association (DHIA) records to achieve low cost farm trials is presented. Farm trials and surveys of current practices and production responses are useful to identify yield gaps between expectations predicted from experimental findings and actual field results. Different management schemes can be ranked using subjective probabilities and stochastic dominance to enhance successful implementation of research findings and to increase the feedback between researchers, extension workers, and producers.A survey of current masitis control practices and expected milk yield response is the example. Combining survey results with DHIA records allowed estimating the relationship between somatic cell counts (SCC) and milk yield. Eliciting beliefs about the relationship between SCC and milk yield showed that producers agreed with predictions from the statistical model. Subjective probabilities about SCC and mastitis control practices showed that our sample of experts and producers consistently ranked the different practices but extension agents had no consensus about the the most or least effective ones.
Frontier production functions and technical efficiency: a survey of empirical applications in agricultural economics
Authors: Batiese George E. 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTThe modelling and estimation of frontier production functions has been an important area of econometric research during the last two decades. Försund, Lovell and Schmidt (1980) and Schmidt (1986) present reviews of the concepts and models involved and cite some of the empirical applications which had appeared to their respective times of publication.This paper seeks to update the econometric modelling of frontier production functions associated with the estimation of technical efficiency of individual firms. A survey of empirical applications in agricultural economics is an important part of the paper.
Intervention bias in agricultural policy
Authors: Myers Robert J. 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTThis paper re‐examines the motivation for government intervention in agriculture to support farm prices and incomes. A model is outlined in which the government has a preference for higher farm incomes but fails to provide farmers with the socially optimal level of price support, even when one accepts the government's income redistribution goals as a valid reflection of social preference. It is shown that agricultural policy has an intervention bias: government price supports generally are higher than would be socially optimal. The source of the intervention bias is a time inconsistency in optimal agricultural policy formation, caused by the government's inability to precommit to a rule for setting future price support levels. Simulation results indicate that in some circumstances the intervention bias in agricultural policy can be substantial.
Differentiated products and supply controls in the analysis of agricultural policy reform: the case of tobacco
Authors: Beghin John , Chang Ruey‐er 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTWith a multi‐market model of the U.S. tobacco and cigarette industries, we analyze the impact of a reduction in the assistance to U.S. tobacco producers by relaxing production quotas with nonbinding price support and by lowering tariffs on tobacco imports. The results show the importance of incorporating differentiated product and supply control assumptions into agricultural policy analysis.
Relationship between agricultural growth and farm imports in LDCs: a Sims' causality test based on 35 countries
Authors: Wu Xiling , Yao Xianbin 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTPrevious empirical studies on the relationship between agricultural growth and farm imports in the LDCs suffer from serious methodological defects, which to some extent may invalidate their results and interpretations. This study used Sims' causality test to examine interactions between agricultural output and agricultural imports for 35 LDCs individually. It was found that there was no causality from agricultural output to agricultural imports for a majority of countries under study. For countries where agricultural growth did have a causal effect on agricultural imports, the effect was positive in some countries and negative in others.
Will developing country debt forgiveness increase agricultural trade?
Authors: Pick Daniel , Krissoff Barry 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTLatin American countries are important customers in international agricultural trade. However, between 1981 and 1987, U.S. agricultural exports to these countries declined by almost 50%. One explanation for the above decrease is the change in financial conditions facing many countries in this region. Outstanding debt in the Latin American countries continued to rise through the 1980's, reaching over $120 billion for Brazil and Mexico by 1987.In this paper, we develop an import model which considers the effect of the debt crisis on the ability of developing countries to purchase agricultural commodities in world markets. We estimate the model for four countries: Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and Venezuela.The estimated results are used in a simulation model to obtain the effects of a 50% debt forgiveness scenario. Results indicate only a modest improvement in agricultural imports of the four Latin American countries considered in this study. These four countries would expand agricultural imports by $400 million per annum given the debt reduction.
Intra‐annual sheep price patterns and factors underlying price variations in the central highlands of Ethiopia
Authors: Andargachew K. , Brokken Ray F. 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTA sheep market survey was undertaken to determine the effects of certain animal and market characteristics on price and the pattern of sheep prices in relation to seasons. Nine key Ethiopian central highlands markets were surveyed for a period of one year in 1989. Each market was surveyed once a week on the main market day. Price, weight, sex, age, colour, condition score, breed type and buyer's purpose were recorded for all completed transactions as well as the numbers offered and sold on each market day. A total of 50062 cases were recorded.Three markets, each representing redistributive, intermediate and terminal markets, as identified by the distribution in buyer's purpose were chosen for further analysis. Considerable weekly price variation was evident in these markets. Prices were also seasonal with higher premiums paid during some religious festivals. Animal characteristics (weight, age, condition, sex, colour) as well as buyer's purpose and seasons were variably important in explaining variation in price among animals within weeks. Variations in the composition of these characteristics from week‐to‐wcek were among factors underlying changes in weekly mean prices. R2 varied from 0.2659 to 0.3583 in the quadratic price per kg model and from 0.7822 to 0.8413 in the quadratic price per head model in the three markets. However, it was found that price per head was predicted equally well overall by estimated price per kg multiplied by actual weights and that because of wide variation in weights, both within and between weeks, price per kg is more useful market information.
A markup over average cost pricing rule for meat and poultry in the United States
Authors: Langlois Catherine C. 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTThis paper tests the hypothesis that meat and poultry wholesalers choose their inventory levels together with wholesale price so as to maximize profit made over the sales time of their stock. The behavioral assumption predicts that markup over average cost will match the inverse of the price elasticity of the sales time of inventory. Price elasticity of inventory sales time is estimated for beef, pork and poultry accounting for the simultaneity between these pricing decisions by adopting a systems approach. The estimated range for the inverse of these elasticities includes all the markups applied over the sample range of the time series.
Implications of agricultural trade liberalization for the developing countries
Authors: Brandão Antônio Salazar P. , Martin Will J. 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTThe developing countries as a group could expect to experience only small welfare gains if they chose not to actively participate in agricultural trade liberalization and relied solely on the benefits of partial liberalization in the OECD countries. Participation along the lines of the Dunkel package, with the developing countries reducing positive assistance by less than the developed countries, would yield gains of the order of US $20 billion. More comprehensive participation in trade liberalization involving reductions of both positive and negative protection would almost triple these welfare gains. While some developing countries do not gain from trade liberalization even with full participation, the number of such countries and the magnitude of their losses are greatly reduced.
Price and quantity controlled agricultural markets and disequilibrium econometrics: a survey
Authors: Oczkowski Edward 
Published: January 2020

ABSTRACTThis survey reviews the literature on estimating single markets in disequilibrium in the presence of regulated price and/or quantity controls, e.g., minimum price regimes and/or marketing quotas. Most of the literature is found to describe pure econometric technique, with only a few applications having emerged to date. Various reasons for the broad non‐acceptance of this literature are offered, including a perceived lack of realism. Proposals to close this econometric theory–application gap are put forward, including: the use of effective demand concepts in specifying demand and supply functions; synthesizing some closely related literature on agricultural price/quantity controls with disequilibrium econometrics (i.e., endogenous government policy and the effects controls have on yield uncertainty and price risk); and outlining more ‘applicable’ econometric technique extensions.
Measuring the sustainability and economic viability of tropical farming systems: a model from sub‐Saharan Africa
Authors: Ehui Simeon K. , Spencer Dunstan S.C. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractNew technologies must be developed in sub‐Saharan Africa which are sustainable and economically viable. This paper discusses a methodology for measuring the agricultural sustainability and economic viability of tropical farming systems for new technology evaluation. The approach is based on the concept of interspatial and intertemporal total factor productivity, paying particular attention to valuation of natural resource stock and flows. Agriculture is a sector which utilizes natural resources (e.g. soil nutrients) and the stock and flows of these resources affect the production environment. However, in many cases, the stock of these resources is beyond the control of the farmer and must be accounted for in an agricultural sustainability and economic viability measurement. For example, soil nutrients are removed by crops, erosion or leaching beyond the crop root‐zone, or other processes such as volatilization of nitrogen. Agricultural production can also contribute to the stock of some nutrients by leguminous plants such as agroforestry systems. Using a data set available at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, we compute the intertemporal and interspatial total factor productivity indices for four cropping systems in southwestern Nigeria using stock of major soil nutrients as the natural resource stock. Results show that the sustainability and economic viability measures are sensitive to changes in the stock and flow of soil nutrients as well as the material inputs and outputs. Where the contribution of natural resource stock and flows are important (such as in the case of alley cropping), the measures provide markedly different results from conventional TFP approaches. The advantage of this approach is that interspatial and intertemporal total factor productivity measures are computed using only price and quantity data, thus eliminating the need for econometric estimation.
Technology characteristics, farmers' perceptions and adoption decisions: A Tobit model application in Sierra Leone
Authors: Adesina Akinwumi A. , Zinnah Moses M. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe objective of this paper is to test the hypothesis that farmer perceptions of technology‐specific characteristics significantly condition technology adoption decisions. Earlier adoption studies have not considered this in the analysis of the determinants of adoption decisions. The omission of farmers' evaluation of technology‐specific attributes may bias the results of factors conditioning adoption choices.A Tobit model was used to test this hypothesis using a stratified random sample of 124 mangrove swamp rice farmers in Sierra Leone. The issue investigated is the adoption of improved mangrove swamp rice varieties. The estimated model results show that farmer perceptions of the technology‐specific attributes of the varieties are the major factors determining adoption and use intensities. Indicators of adoption determinants traditionally used in adoption‐diffusion studies were found not to be important in driving adoption decisions. Therefore, there is need for adoption studies to consider farmers' perceptions of technology‐specific attributes in the assessment of technology adoption decisions.
Testing two trade models in Latin American agriculture
Authors: Arnade Carlos Anthony 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe Heckscher–Ohlin and Markusen models state that countries export the goods intensive in the use of their relatively abundant factor. Latin American agricultural trade is consistent with both models. The paper then shows that Latin American agricultural trade is primarily explained by country differences in relative factor abundance between countries rather than differences in technology. This finding does not reject the Heckscher–Ohlin model but rejects one of Markusen's models.
Agricultural trade negotiations as a strategic game
Authors: Makki Shiva S. , Tweeten Luther , Gleckler James 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThis study views multilateral trade negotiations as a strategic game among nations or regions, including taxpayer, consumer, and producer components. Payoffs are calculated from an intermediate‐run international trade model initialized with 1989 data. For the public at large, the Nash equilibrium and socially optimal outcome is liberalization of trade – unilateral or multilateral. Maintenance of the status quo of market distortions costing the world billions of dollars each year is rational only if producer payoffs are sovereign so that strategies optimal for producers are considered optimal for nations. Remedial policies are discussed, including opportunities for economic education, political system reform, and less incentives for producers to scuttle multilateral trade negotiations.
Efficiency estimation in a profit maximising model using flexible production function
Authors: Kumbhakar Subal C. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThis paper uses a flexible (translog) production function to estimate efficiency of 227 farms from West Bengal, India. We consider estimation of technical and allocative inefficiencies using a profit maximising framework which accommodates both endogenous and exogenous inputs. The maximum likelihood method of estimation developed in this paper is based on the production function and the first‐order conditions of profit maximisation. Farm‐specific technical and allocative inefficiencies are also estimated. Empirical results show that the mean level of technical efficiency is 75.46% while the best farm is 85.87% efficient (technically). So far as allocative efficiency is concerned the majority of the farms are found to be under‐users of the endogenous inputs, viz., fertiliser, manure, human and bullock labour.
Technology, production environment, and household income: Assessing the regional impacts of technological change
Authors: Renkow Mitch 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThis paper clarifies the factors determining the welfare effects of improved agricultural technologies when technology diffusion is unevenly distributed across production environments Household‐level income effects are shown to depend primarily on: (a) whether the economy is open or closed with respect to world markets; (b) whether households are net consumers or net producers of the commodity for which technological change occurs; (c) whether households are adopters or non‐adopters of the new technology; (d) the degree to which labor is mobile across agricultural regions; and (e) government intervention in commodity and/or factor markets. A review of recent empirical work indicates considerable variation in the relative strength of these various factors across countries, and that assumptions regarding the mechanism by which commodity prices are determined – endogenously as in a closed economy, or exogenously as in an open economy – is especially critical.
Differential human capital and structural evolution in agriculture
Authors: Rodgers John L. 
Published: January 2020

AbstractThe growth of market capitalism and the technological advances of the last two centuries underlie the relentless process of structural change in agriculture. Substantial occupational migration out of farming and geographical migration from rural to urban areas is a characteristic of most, if not all, economies in the 20th century. The process of rural‐urban migration, and the resulting urban problems have received considerable attention. The fate of the residual farm population has received less scrutiny and is less well understood. In the United States we observe considerable farm poverty, increasing farm‐size inequality, and a disturbing decay of rural communities. For the last half century, the problem of low farm incomes has been perceived as a farm problem amenable to solution by appropriate farm policy. In this paper, a model is proposed which suggests that farm poverty and inequality are inevitable consequences of a rural‐urban migration process in which two types of human capital play a fundamental role. General human capital determines a person's expected nonfarm income, while farming‐specific human capital determines his/her productivity in farming. It is argued that inadequate human capital combined with positive rural‐urban migration cost, positive farm technology adoption costs, and inelastic demand for farm output, can explain persistently high levels of farm poverty, and increasing farm size inequality. The model suggests that traditional farm policies are inappropriate. Programs that directly address the problems of inadequate human capital are advocated.