SABIIA - Sistema Aberto e Integrado de Informação em Agricultura (Sabiia)

Japan’s seemingly monolithic protectionist farm policies were often easily moderated by external pressures. This study analyzes the change of the degree and the methods of protectionist farm policies, focusing on Japan’s most important crop, rice. It calculates consumer surplus, producer surplus and government spending in the past fifty years and integrates these figures into one diagram utilizing the STC (surplus transformation curve) analysis, developed by Bruce Gardner in 1983. The result of the analyses suggests that external pressures have a considerable impact on domestic protectionist farm policies. For example, in 1986 when the demand by the RMA (Rice Milling Association) in the U.S. that Japan should open its rice market was issued, the STC...

THE WINE MARKET IN JAPAN: MARKET COMPETITION AMONG EXPORTING COUNTRIES AND THE STRATEGY OF US WINE

Palavras-chave: Surplus Transformation Curve; Japan’s rice policy; Acreage control; External pressure; Agricultural and Food Policy; Public Economics; Q18; Q11.

Ano: 2011

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/103402

The purpose of this paper is to examine the structure of wine consumption in the Japanese market, focusing on the consumption in households. Considering various tendencies of Japanese eating and drinking habits nowadays related to wine consumption, the model was built and empirically estimated. The data to be investigated was household's data from the past twenty-seven years of official statistics. It was found that Japanese households show high income elasticity for wine demand. The strategy to prioritize department store distribution was demonstrated to be effective due to the fact that wine consumption in the high income class is steadily high, while the sensitivity to income and compatibility of foods is higher in middle income classes. However, the...

Are Japanese bureaucrats politically stronger than farmers?: The political economy of Japan's rice set-aside program

Palavras-chave: Wine consumption; Compatibility of foods with wine; Price elasticity; Income elasticity; Influence of recession; International Relations/Trade; Q110; Q130.

Ano: 2004

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/20296

The purpose of this paper is to examine the political process of bureaucrats' seemingly discretionary allocations among prefectures in Japan's rice set-aside program. Some hypotheses and a model are proposed and then these are empirically tested. Two major findings of this study are as follows: Firstly, it is suggested that the bureaucrats' discretionary allocation tends to be revised in response to political pressure. Consequently, allocations among prefectures tend to be inversely proportionate to the degree of political pressures. Moreover, such pressures can be explained by the expected income from rice-production and the share of part-time farmers, who are the majority in Japanese rural society and politically powerful. Secondly, among various...

Can politicians calm public fears of food-borne risks or do they adopt excessively stringent preventive measures?: A political economy approach

Palavras-chave: Rice set-aside program; Bureaucrats' discretion; Uneven allocations; Public choice; Political actors; Agricultural and Food Policy; Q180; H890.

Ano: 2005

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/19422

The purpose of this paper is to examine politically sensitive food safety problems from the viewpoint of political economy. The model was built in order to clarify the behaviors of consumers and politicians, employing the prospect theory and the median voter theorem. Major findings and policy implications in this study are as follows: Firstly, as an outcome of the theoretical analysis, it is suggested that politicians may magnify consumers’ excessive response to food scares. Secondly, several countervailing factors that can mitigate such consumers’ excessive responses may exist. Nevertheless, in Japan, they may be weak or may have become weak and do not mitigate such excessive responses. Finally, it is recommended that politicians’ staff or...

Who Are More Sensitive to Food-Borne Risks in Japan, Consumers or Politicians?: A Political Economy Perspective

Palavras-chave: Food safety; Political economy; The prospect theory; The median voter theorem; Agricultural and Food Policy; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Political Economy; Public Economics; Q18.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/51621

The purpose of this paper is to examine what kind of mechanism exists behind recent government decisions concerning food-borne risks in Japan. To fulfill this purpose, a conceptual model was built and applied to the contemporary Japanese political situation. Three major findings of this study are as follows: First, theoretically, excessively sensitive response to food-borne risks can be explained by the behavioral pattern presented by the Prospect Theory. There is a high possibility that politicians may magnify such consumer response if they act primary to maximize their probability of being re-elected. Secondly, when a food-borne risk is of great concern, it is possible that the politically optimum level of adopted preventive measures regarding...

INCOME GROWTH AND PESTICIDE CONSUMPTION IN THE FUTURE: APPLYING THE ENVIRONMENTAL KUZNETS CURVE HYPOTHESIS

Palavras-chave: Food-borne risks; Politicians behaviors; Prospect Theory; Median Voter Theorem; BSE; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Q18; H89.

Ano: 2006

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/21256

Applying the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis, the economic structure of pesticide consumption in the world was examined and its future consumption was predicted. It was found that the hypothesis is applicable and the income level significantly affects the pesticide consumption. Additionally, sustained population per land is also influential. In spite of the applicability of the hypothesis, it was also demonstrated that the great increase of pesticide consumption in developing countries would be predicted. Furthermore, among pesticide categories, the increase of insecticide consumption would be predicted even in developed countries.