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

Jaleta, Moti; Gebremedhin, Berhanu.

This paper examines the cointegration of grain market prices in Northern Ethiopia. Results are based on bi-monthly retail price data on wheat and teff collected from six markets in the Tigray region of Northern Ethiopia. The data has 55 observations for each of the two crops in each of the six markets ranging over a period of May 2006 to October 2008. Johansen’s cointegration test reveals that most markets are cointegrated in wheat and teff retail prices. There is an indication that retail prices at Abi-Adi, a town located relatively farther away from the main asphalt road, is less integrated to other markets. This implies that infrastructural development is crucial for spatial market integration through market information transmission and physical...

Rates of Return to Public Agricultural Research in 48 U.S. States

Palavras-chave: Price cointegration; Food crop market; Error correction model; Demand and Price Analysis; Marketing; C31; C32; Q13.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/51049

Plastina, Alejandro S.; Fulginiti, Lilyan E..

The internal rate of return to public investment in agricultural R&D is estimated for each of the continental U.S. states. Theoretically, our contribution provides a way of obtaining the returns to a local public good using Rothbart’s concept of virtual prices. Empirically, we use the spatial dependency among states generated by knowledge spillovers to define the ‘appropriate’ jurisdiction. We estimate an average own-state rate of 17% and a social rate of 27%. These figures should inform the policy debate on the allocation of federal funds to research in anticipation of a possible global food crisis.

Estimation of Treatment Effect of Asthma Case Management Using Propensity Score Methods

Palavras-chave: Internal rates of return; Public R&D; Spillins; Local public goods; Appropriate jurisdiction; Spatial.; Production Economics; Productivity Analysis; Public Economics; Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies; Q16; H41; C33; C31.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/51709

Brandt, Sylvia J.; Gale, Sara; Tager, Ira.

Objective: To estimate the treatment effect from participating in an asthma intervention that was part of the National Asthma Control Program. Study Setting: Data on children who participated in asthma case management (N=270) and eligible children who did not participate in case management (N=2,742) were extracted from a claims database. Study Design: We created 81 measures of health care utilization and 40 measures of neighborhood characteristics that could be related to participation in the program. The participation model was selected using the cross-validation-based Deletion Substitution and Addition (DSA) algorithm. We used optimal full matching for the vector of Mahalanobis’ distances and propensity scores to estimate the difference between...

Understanding Factors That Influence Breeders to Sell Bulls at Performance Tests

Palavras-chave: Asthma; Treatment effect; Health intervention; Propensity scores; Consumer/Household Economics; Health Economics and Policy; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods; I1; D13; H51; C31; C80; C81; C83.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/53124

Lillywhite, Jay M.; Simonsen, J..

Breeders of purebred bulls have multiple avenues to market their bulls, including consignment at public auctions associated with performance tests. Purebred breeders often have the opportunity to withdraw bulls that are eligible to sell in these auctions. We examine sales data from a public auction held in conjunction with a performance bull test in Tucumcari, NM, to gain insights on breeder decisions to withdraw bulls prior to entering the sales ring. Specifically, we use a binary logit model to identify relevant characteristics that affect a breeder’s decision to withdraw a sale eligible bull from the auction.

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Breeder decisions; Livestock; Performance bull test; Agribusiness; Demand and Price Analysis; Livestock Production/Industries; Productivity Analysis; C31; D23; D44; D83; M31; Q13.

Ano: 2008

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/47264

BANDWIDTH SELECTION FOR SPATIAL HAC AND OTHER ROBUST COVARIANCE ESTIMATORS

Lambert, Dayton M.; Florax, Raymond J.G.M.; Cho, Seong-Hoon.

This research note documents estimation procedures and results for an empirical investigation of the performance of the recently developed spatial, heteroskedasticity and autocorrelation consistent (HAC) covariance estimator calibrated with different kernel bandwidths. The empirical example is concerned with a hedonic price model for residential property values. The first bandwidth approach varies an a priori determined plug-in bandwidth criterion. The second method is a data driven cross-validation approach to determine the optimal neighborhood. The third approach uses a robust semivariogram to determine the range over which residuals are spatially correlated. Inference becomes more conservative as the plug-in bandwidth is increased. The data-driven...

RURAL WATER SUPPLIERS AND EFFICIENCY - EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM EAST AND WEST GERMANY

Palavras-chave: Spatial HAC; Semivariogram; Bandwidth; Hedonic model; Community/Rural/Urban Development; Demand and Price Analysis; Land Economics/Use; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods; C13; C31; R21.

Ano: 2008

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/44258

Sauer, Johannes.

ABSTRACT This discussion paper attempts the investigation of inefficiency with respect to water suppliers in rural areas of East and West Germany. This is done by using a nonradial measure of input-specific allocative inefficiency based on the demand system derived from a flexible cost function for the variable inputs labour, energy and chemicals. Distributional dependency with respect to the composed error term is reduced. The cost structure is modelled by applying a modified symmetric generalized McFadden functional form and the imposition of concavity restrictions as required by economic theory. Data on 47 rural water suppliers was collected by a written survey in 2002/2003. The applied second order flexible functional form performs well in the...

Trade Creation and Trade Diversion in the North American Free Trade Agreement: The Case of the Agricultural Sector

Palavras-chave: Rural water supply; Flexible functional form; Input-specific allocative efficiency; Ländliche Wasserversorgung; Flexible funktionale Form; Inputspezifische allokative Effizienz; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy; C31; D24; Q25.

Ano: 2004

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/14866

Susanto, Dwi; Rosson, C. Parr, III; Adcock, Flynn J..

This paper examines the effect of the U.S.-Mexico trade agreement under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The results suggest that U.S. agricultural imports from Mexico have been responsive to tariff rate reductions applied to Mexican products. A one percentage point decrease in tariff rates is associated with an increase in U.S. agricultural imports from Mexico by 5.31% in the first 6 years of NAFTA and by 2.62% in the last 6 years of NAFTA. U.S. imports from Mexico have also been attributable to the pre-NAFTA tariff rates. Overall, the results indicate that the U.S.-Mexico trade agreement under NAFTA has been trade creating rather than trade diverting.

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Agricultural sector; NAFTA; Panel data; Tariffs; Trade creation; Trade diversion; International Relations/Trade; F10; F15; Q17; Q18; C31; C33.

Ano: 2007

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/6618

BANDWIDTH SELECTION FOR SPATIAL HAC AND OTHER ROBUST COVARIANCE ESTIMATORS

Lambert, Dayton M.; Florax, Raymond J.G.M.; Cho, Seong-Hoon.

Estimating Poverty Over Time and Space: Construction of a Time-Variant Poverty Index for Costa Rica

Palavras-chave: Spatial HAC; Semivariogram; Bandwidth; Hedonic model; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods; C13; C31; R21.

Ano: 2008

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/45964

Cavatassi, Romina; Davis, Benjamin; Lipper, Leslie.

This paper presents the construction of a spatially explicit, nationally disaggregated measure of poverty over time in Costa Rica. The paper first describes the two possible methods considered for the construction of a poverty map: principal component analysis (PCA) versus small area estimation. Next, reasons for choosing PCA and a description of its application both at one point in time (1973) and over time are presented together with the resulting poverty maps. The methodology applied represents a methodological innovation in that the resulting poverty map is time variant rather than concentrated in a single moment in time. A comparison of the results obtainable using various techniques and a discussion on the relative merits of the various options...

Export Structure, FDI and Child Labour

Palavras-chave: Poverty Mapping; Principal Component Analysis; Time-variant Poverty Index; Small-area Estimation.; Food Security and Poverty; C43; I32; C31.

Ano: 2004

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/23791

Busse, Matthias; Braun, Sebastian.

The paper addresses the linkage between certain aspects of the increasing economic integration of world markets and the level of child labour. We empirically examine, first, the often-cited conventional wisdom that multinational enterprises invest in countries where the extent of child labour is relatively high and, second, the concern that countries may gain an unfair comparative advantage in trade by using child labour. The results indicate that multinationals are highly sensitive with respect to the location of their transplants and prefer countries with lower levels of child labour. The opposite outcome applies to child labour and comparative advantage in labour-intensive goods, where we find a statistically significant positive relationship. Based on...

Pesticides Uses in Crop Production: What Can We Learn from French Farmers Practices?

Palavras-chave: Child Labour; Economic Integration; Trade; FDI; International Relations/Trade; Labor and Human Capital; C31; F15; J82.

Ano: 2003

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/26174

Fadhuile, Adelaide; Lemarie, Stephane; Pirotte, Alain.

This article focuses on the demand system of French farmers concerning pesticides uses. We estimate the demand elasticities of herbicides, insecticides and fungicides with respect to pesticide expenditure, and considering crop differentiation. Then we compare two indexes that are used in agronomic literature to measure the intensity of pesticides uses. We retain a Linear Approximated Almost Ideal Demand System (LA/AIDS) specification. A Full-Information Maximum Likelihood estimation procedure is used for dealing with the problem of censored dependent variable. We consider two cross-sections observed in 2001 and 2006 covering pesticides uses of three crops. We confirm the previous results of the literature that farmers response to price variation is very...

Assessing the Technical and Allocative Efficiency of Marketing Decisions by U.S. Organic Producers

Palavras-chave: Pesticides; LA/AIDS; Elasticities; Censored System of Equations; Two-Step procedure; Quasi Maximum Likelihood; Full-Information Maximum Likelihood.; Agricultural and Food Policy; Crop Production/Industries; Demand and Price Analysis; C30; C31; C34; L11; Q11; Q12.

Ano: 2011

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/103654

Lohr, Luanne; Park, Timothy A..

We develop measures of technical and allocative efficiency of producers in marketing certified organic products. A stochastic output distance frontier and the associated revenue share equations are estimated using comprehensive U.S. data on certified organic producers. Farm-level measures of technical efficiency are calculated and factors which enhance performance are identified. Factors that systematically influence allocative efficiency are assessed. The revenue mix of organic producers is systematically inefficient as both male and female producers rely too heavily on revenue from organic markets relative to conventional outlets.

The Impact of Social Capital on Agricultural Income Among Corporate Farms in the Czech Republic

Palavras-chave: Organic farming; Stochastic frontier; Technical efficiency; Allocative efficiency; Farm Management; Marketing; D21; C31; Q01.

Ano: 2011

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/103365

Wolz, Axel; Fritzsch, Jana; Reinsberg, Klaus.

In the Czech Republic, agricultural production is still dominated by corporate farms. However, not all of them had been equally successful, economically. In general, a varying adoption of production factors is identified as being of influence. Whether their ability to collaborate with other farms is an additional factor which has been discussed under the concept of social capital since quite some time will be analysed in this paper. Based on the findings of a survey among a sample of 166 corporate farms by adopting factor and multiple regression analysis it can be deduced that social capital is indeed a significant factor determining the level of agricultural income.

La relación entre ventajas competitivas y resultados empresariales en la industria agroalimentaria aragonesa

Palavras-chave: Corporate farms; Social capital; Cross sectional models; Czech Republic; Agribusiness; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; C31; P32; Q12; Z13.

Ano: 2005

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/24695

Mamaqi, Xhevrie; Gonzalez, Maria A.; Albisu, Luis Miguel.

Este trabajo investiga la relación entre las ventajas competitivas y resultados empresariales en el marco de la industria agroalimentaria (IAA) en Aragón (España). Se propone un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales cuyas relaciones se construyen teniendo en cuenta la literatura existente sobre el tema tanto en su vertiente teórica como empírica. Sobre una muestra de 194 empresas agroalimentarias aragonesas y un total de 19 indicadores, seleccionados para inferir las ventajas competitivas empresariales, se ha utilizado la técnica de Partial Least Squares (PLS) para contrastar las relaciones estructurales. La importancia de las actividades de innovación, introducción de nuevos productos y relaciones con los proveedores sobresalen sobre otros tipos de...

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Industria agroalimentaria (IAA); Aragón; Ventajas competitivas; Modelo de Ecuaciones Estructurales (MEE); Agricultural and Food Policy; C31; C51; L66; R10.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/57288

Economic Efficiency of Smallholder Intensive Dairy Farms in Iran: Adjusted for Market Distortion

Bakhshoodeh, Mohamad; Shahnoushi, Naser.

The dairy farmers in Iran are faced with milk price distortion due to the market imperfection. To measure an unbiased farm-specific efficiency, prices should be adjusted in an imperfect market. To examine this issue, a shadow-price profit frontier was applied to a sample of 860 Iranian small intensive dairy farms surveyed in 2005-06 in order to calculate profit efficiency of individual dairy farmers. This adjusted measure was then compared with that of unadjusted measure that assumes undistorted market. A multiple general linear model (GLM) technique was applied to the data to examine the multiple effects of pure-bred animals, and the used farm capacity on profit efficiency indices. The mean value of adjusted profit efficiency was 0.40, significantly...

Economies of Scale in the Floriculture Industry

Palavras-chave: Profit efficiency; Dairy farms; Iran; Agribusiness; Livestock Production/Industries; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods; C31; N55; Q12.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/52996

Schumacher, Sara K.; Marsh, Thomas L..

This study investigated the cost structure of the floriculture industry in the United States. Economies of scale and input elasticities were estimated with a normalized quadratic cost function. Results suggest that economies of scale exist in the floriculture industry. As producers become large and more automated, they have a cost advantage relative to smaller producers who are producing the same output product mix. The existence of economies of scale suggests that average grower size can increase in the future as growers increase in size to take advantage of cost efficiencies.

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Duality; Economies of scale; Floriculture; Nonprice variables; Q12; C31; D20.

Ano: 2003

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/43145

The effects of globalization on child labor in developing countries

Dagdemir, Ozcan; Acaroglu, Hakan.

This paper inquires the effects of globalization on child labor in developing countries via cross-country analysis by decomposing globalization to its components; foreign direct investment (FDI) and trade. The findings reveal that the relationship between the child labor supply and gross domestic product per capita (PCGDP) can be expressed as a U shape. The study indicates that the child labor increases in the developing countries whose PCGDP levels are above $7500 since the net effect of globalization is positive for the positive substitution effect is bigger than the negative income effect. Data have been collected from UNICEF and World Bank.

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Child labor; Globalization; Trade; FDI; Developing countries.; International Development; Labor and Human Capital; C31; F14; F15; F16; J49.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/95959

Assessing the Technical and Allocative Efficiency of U.S. Organic Producers

Park, Timothy A.; Lohr, Luanne.

We develop measures of technical and allocative efficiency of producers in marketing certified organic products. A stochastic output distance frontier and the associated revenue share equations are estimated using comprehensive U.S. data on certified organic producers. Farm-level measures of technical efficiency are calculated and factors that enhance performance are identified. Factors that systematically influence allocative efficiency are assessed. The revenue mix of organic producers is systematically inefficient as both male and female producers rely too heavily on revenue from organic markets relative to conventional outlets.

Tipo: Journal Article

Palavras-chave: Organic farming; Stochastic frontier; Technical and allocative efficiency; Agribusiness; Farm Management; Marketing; Production Economics; Productivity Analysis; Public Economics; D21; C31; Q01.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/90678

CLIMATE CHANGE AND AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: A SPATIAL SAMPLE SELECTION MODEL

Ward, Patrick S.; Florax, Raymond J.G.M.; Flores-Lagunes, Alfonso.

Using data at a high spatial resolution, we estimate a cereal yield response function conditional upon climatological and topographical features using a recently developed estimator for spatial process models when sample selection is of concern. We control for localized spatial correlation in unobserved disturbances affecting both the selection to plant cereals as well as in the resulting conditional yield response. We find that cereal yields across Sub-Saharan Africa will decline with increasing temperatures resulting from global climate change, and that failing to control for sample selection leads to underestimation of these adverse effects.

Political Risk, Institutions and Foreign Direct Investment

Palavras-chave: Agricultural productivity; Climate change; Spatial econometrics; Sample selection; Generalized method of moments; Land Economics/Use; Productivity Analysis; Research Methods/ Statistical Methods; C31; Q18; C50.

Ano: 2011

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/116182

Busse, Matthias; Hefeker, Carsten.

The paper explores the linkages between political risk, institutions and foreign direct investment inflows. Using different econometric techniques for a data sample of 83 developing countries and the period 1984 to 2003, we identify those indicators that matter most for the activities of multinational corporations. Overall, 12 different indicators for political risk and institutions are employed in the empirical analysis. The results show that government stability, the absence of internal conflict and ethnic tensions, basic democratic rights and ensuring law and order are highly significant determinants of foreign investment inflows.