title: The effects of price on household demand for food and calories in poor countries: are our databases giving reliable estimates?

authors: Gibson, John

subjects: economics

abstract: Food price policy relies heavily on estimated price elasticities of food demand to help balance the nutritional and economic objectives in poor countries. Economists use either unit values (ratios of household expenditure to quantity purchased) or community prices (enumerated from vendors in local markets) as proxies for market prices when estimating price elasticities with household survey data. Biases are believed to result from using unit values, due to measurement error and quality effects, but evidence on this issue is lacking and even less is known about community prices. This article provides an empirical evidence from Vietnam, which suggests that economists should exercise caution when estimating price elasticities from household surveys. A 14-food demand system is estimated alternatively with unit values or community prices, and the elasticity of calories with respect to rice prices is calculated. This elasticity is more than twice as large (−0.54 versus −0.22) when community prices are used rather than unit values. Hence, conclusions about the nutritional effects of rice price increases appear sensitive to data choices made by economists. More generally, this discrepancy suggests that the household survey databases commonly used by economists may not provide reliable estimates.

text: The effects of price on household demand for food and calories in poor countries: are our databases giving reliable estimates? Food price policy relies heavily on estimated price elasticities of food demand to help balance the nutritional and economic objectives in poor countries. Economists use either unit values (ratios of household expenditure to quantity purchased) or community prices (enumerated from vendors in local markets) as proxies for market prices when estimating price elasticities with household survey data. Biases are believed to result from using unit values, due to measurement error and quality effects, but evidence on this issue is lacking and even less is known about community prices. This article provides an empirical evidence from Vietnam, which suggests that economists should exercise caution when estimating price elasticities from household surveys. A 14-food demand system is estimated alternatively with unit values or community prices, and the elasticity of calories with respect to rice prices is calculated. This elasticity is more than twice as large (−0.54 versus −0.22) when community prices are used rather than unit values. Hence, conclusions about the nutritional effects of rice price increases appear sensitive to data choices made by economists. More generally, this discrepancy suggests that the household survey databases commonly used by economists may not provide reliable estimates.

year: 2011

title: Yaqona: Sotavi na cala ni nanuma kei na itukutuku buli semati ki na ivakatakilakila matataka na keda ikilai (De-mythologizing and re-branding of kava as the new ‘world drug’ of choice [Fijian])

authors: Aporosa, S. 'Apo'

abstract: Na cava o vakatoka me vola itukutuku se ena dua tale na yaca bibi cake, me vakekeli, ka tokoni ena itukutuku veivakacalai tokaruataki vakawasoma ka vakavuna me ciqomi ia e tukunikataki kina na veika sega ni dina? Qo na kisi e yaco ena itei na yaqona ka vakatokai vakasainisi na Piper methysticum se ena dua tale na yaca ka vakayacana e dua e vulica na veika bula se naturalist ka a tomani kavetani James Cook ena nona ilakolako mai na Pasivika ena 2,500 na yabaki sa oti me ‘intoxicating pepper’ Na yaca oya e vakaibalebaletaka ni rawa tale ga ni vakavuna na mateni na yaqona me vaka ga na yaqona ni Valagi, e dua vei ira na ‘itukutuku buli’ tarai cake tiko me baleta na yaqona ena veiyabaki sa oti, ka keirau vakabauta o Dr ‘Apo’ Aporosa mai na Yunivesiti ni Waikato e Niusiladi kei  Usaia Gaunavou (Snr.) mai na Yunivesiti ni Viti ka keirau vakabauta ni sa kena gauna donu me vakalewai tale na noda icon of Pacific identity se ivakatakilakila matataka na keda ikilai vakaPasivika ka vakadodonutaka na ivakadewa cala. 

(What do you call journalism, or more importantly research, that is supported by repetitive misinformation, resulting in an accepted but incorrect, narrative? This is the case with the kava plant, named Piper methysticum or ‘intoxicating pepper’ by a naturalist who accompanied Captain James Cook on his voyage to the Pacific some 250 years ago. That name, which inferred that kava causes intoxication when consumed, is one of several ‘myths’ that have developed around kava over the years, and Dr ‘Apo’ Aporosa from New Zealand’s University of Waikato and Usaia Gaunavou (Snr) from the Universiity of Fiji believe it’s time to re-evaluate this icon of Pacific identity and correct these misunderstandings.)

text: Yaqona: Sotavi na cala ni nanuma kei na itukutuku buli semati ki na ivakatakilakila matataka na keda ikilai (De-mythologizing and re-branding of kava as the new ‘world drug’ of choice [Fijian]) Na cava o vakatoka me vola itukutuku se ena dua tale na yaca bibi cake, me vakekeli, ka tokoni ena itukutuku veivakacalai tokaruataki vakawasoma ka vakavuna me ciqomi ia e tukunikataki kina na veika sega ni dina? Qo na kisi e yaco ena itei na yaqona ka vakatokai vakasainisi na Piper methysticum se ena dua tale na yaca ka vakayacana e dua e vulica na veika bula se naturalist ka a tomani kavetani James Cook ena nona ilakolako mai na Pasivika ena 2,500 na yabaki sa oti me ‘intoxicating pepper’ Na yaca oya e vakaibalebaletaka ni rawa tale ga ni vakavuna na mateni na yaqona me vaka ga na yaqona ni Valagi, e dua vei ira na ‘itukutuku buli’ tarai cake tiko me baleta na yaqona ena veiyabaki sa oti, ka keirau vakabauta o Dr ‘Apo’ Aporosa mai na Yunivesiti ni Waikato e Niusiladi kei  Usaia Gaunavou (Snr.) mai na Yunivesiti ni Viti ka keirau vakabauta ni sa kena gauna donu me vakalewai tale na noda icon of Pacific identity se ivakatakilakila matataka na keda ikilai vakaPasivika ka vakadodonutaka na ivakadewa cala. 

(What do you call journalism, or more importantly research, that is supported by repetitive misinformation, resulting in an accepted but incorrect, narrative? This is the case with the kava plant, named Piper methysticum or ‘intoxicating pepper’ by a naturalist who accompanied Captain James Cook on his voyage to the Pacific some 250 years ago. That name, which inferred that kava causes intoxication when consumed, is one of several ‘myths’ that have developed around kava over the years, and Dr ‘Apo’ Aporosa from New Zealand’s University of Waikato and Usaia Gaunavou (Snr) from the Universiity of Fiji believe it’s time to re-evaluate this icon of Pacific identity and correct these misunderstandings.)

year: 2023

title: A case study of Pipiri Ki A Papatūānuku

authors: Tamoko-o-te-rangi, Ormsby

subjects: environmental initiatives

abstract: This thesis is an examination and analysis of the environmental initiative Pipiri Ki A Papatūānuku, co-founded by Waimirirangi Ormsby (née Koopu-Stone) and myself, Tamoko Ormsby. The primary aim of this research was to achieve an understanding of the PKP initiative at the individual level and to inform future collective action at the community level. As such, my primary research question is:

How can Pipiri Ki A Papatūānuku inform community-scale action that contributes to our more-than-human relationship with Papatūānuku within our current capitalist settler-colonial context?

The study is part-autoethnographic in that it is informed by my personal reflections and experiences as a co-founder, operator, and participant of the initiative. In addition, the study explores the number of participants who signed up yearly for each action and employs a brief descriptive analysis of the initiative.

The literature review explores how common Western notions of environmentalism are devoid of the spiritual, cultural, and relational aspects present within indigenous and Māori knowledge systems. It touches on the histories of capitalism and colonialism and how these have led to the consumptogenic society we are in. It aims to illustrate the nexus between the Māori and Western Eurocentric worlds.

He Whatu is the framework that has emerged from this case study as the means to respond to the primary research question. The framework was developed by analyzing the key themes of PKP over the years 2017 to 2021. He Whatu has five key elements: Identity, Language, Distance, Practicality, and Influence; each with three subcategories. It is activated through provoking key conversations to inform future community action.

text: A case study of Pipiri Ki A Papatūānuku This thesis is an examination and analysis of the environmental initiative Pipiri Ki A Papatūānuku, co-founded by Waimirirangi Ormsby (née Koopu-Stone) and myself, Tamoko Ormsby. The primary aim of this research was to achieve an understanding of the PKP initiative at the individual level and to inform future collective action at the community level. As such, my primary research question is:

How can Pipiri Ki A Papatūānuku inform community-scale action that contributes to our more-than-human relationship with Papatūānuku within our current capitalist settler-colonial context?

The study is part-autoethnographic in that it is informed by my personal reflections and experiences as a co-founder, operator, and participant of the initiative. In addition, the study explores the number of participants who signed up yearly for each action and employs a brief descriptive analysis of the initiative.

The literature review explores how common Western notions of environmentalism are devoid of the spiritual, cultural, and relational aspects present within indigenous and Māori knowledge systems. It touches on the histories of capitalism and colonialism and how these have led to the consumptogenic society we are in. It aims to illustrate the nexus between the Māori and Western Eurocentric worlds.

He Whatu is the framework that has emerged from this case study as the means to respond to the primary research question. The framework was developed by analyzing the key themes of PKP over the years 2017 to 2021. He Whatu has five key elements: Identity, Language, Distance, Practicality, and Influence; each with three subcategories. It is activated through provoking key conversations to inform future community action.

year: 2023