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

Cacho, Oscar J.; Lipper, Leslie.

Agroforestry projects have the potential to help mitigate global warming by acting as sinks for greenhouse gasses. However, participation in carbon-sink projects may be constrained by high costs. This problem may be particularly severe for projects involving smallholders in developing countries. Of particular concern are the transaction costs incurred in developing projects, measuring, certifying and selling the carbon-sequestration services generated by such projects. This paper addresses these issues by analysing the implications of transaction and abatement costs in carbon-sequestration projects. A model of project participation is developed, which accounts for the conditions under which both buyers and sellers would be willing to engage in a carbon...

Regional Integration in Developing Countries: Some Lessons Based on Case Studies

Palavras-chave: Agroforestry; Climate Policy; Carbon Sequestration Costs; Environmental Economics and Policy; Q23; Q57; O1; O13.

Ano: 2007

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/9324

Shams, Rasul.

The main focus of this paper is the question if the success of regional integration organisation in developing countries is, in fact, dependent on factors like similarity of their economic structure, market size or lack of commitment. It is shown that there are also other more important institutional and politico-economical reasons to explain the functioning of such organisations in developing countries. Case studies of ECOWAS and SADC will be used to discuss this question. It is also very often argued that southsouth integration is inferior to north-south integration. This will be discussed considering the case of MERCOSUR as an example.

Profit Sharing under the Threat of Nationalization

Palavras-chave: Regional integration; Economic development; Africa; Latin America; Political economy; International Relations/Trade; F15; O1; P16.

Ano: 2003

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/26272

Di Corato, Luca.

A multinational corporation engages in foreign direct investment for the extraction of a natural resource in a developing country. The corporation bears the initial investment and earns as a return a share of the profits. The host country provides access and guarantees conditions of operation. Since the investment is totally sunk, the corporation must account in its plan not only for uncertainty in market conditions but also for the threat of nationalization. In a real options framework, where the government holds an American call option on nationalization, we show under which conditions a Nash bargaining leads to a profit distribution maximizing the joint venture surplus. We find that the threat of nationalization does not affect the investment threshold...

Using Experimental Economics to Measure Social Capital and Predict Financial Decisions

Palavras-chave: Real Options; Nash Bargaining; Expropriation; Natural Resources; Foreign Direct Investment; International Relations/Trade; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy; C7; D8; K3; F2; O1.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/58292

Karlan, Dean S..

Questions remain as to whether results from experimental economics games are generalizable to real decisions in non-laboratory settings. Furthermore, important questions persist about whether social capital can help solve seemingly missing credit markets. I conduct two experiments, a Trust game and a Public Goods game, and a survey to measure social capital. I then examine whether behavior in the games predicts repayment of loans to a Peruvian group lending microfinance program. Since the structure of these loans relies heavily on social capital to enforce repayment, this is a relevant and important test of the games, as well as of other measures of social capital. I find that individuals identified as "trustworthy" by the Trust game are in fact less...

The Regional and Multilateral Dilemna: Institutions Do Matter

Palavras-chave: Trust game; Experimental economics; Microfinance; Institutional and Behavioral Economics; B4; C9; D8; O1.

Ano: 2005

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28429

Soliman, Marwan.

The world trade has been p olitically framed towards liberalism and "openness". It is evident that this openness has its own grades and interests that command it. Developing countries have been directed, and pushed towards a playing ground they fear and ignore. But some would argue that even developed countries have to go through such stages. The whole difference here is the gap between where the latter stood when they decided to move toward openness and where developing countries do stand today. A simple and obvious proof of that is the increasing number of regional trade agreements (RTAs in following papers for convenience) that most countries have adopted. If we agree that regional networking should serve coordinating interests, RTAs came to answer a...

BAYES' ESTIMATES OF THE DOUBLE HURDLE MODEL IN THE PRESENCE OF FIXED COSTS

Palavras-chave: Institutional and Behavioral Economics; F13; O1.

Ano: 2006

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/25401

Holloway, Garth J.; Barrett, Christopher B.; Ehui, Simeon K..

We present a model of market adoption (participation) where the presence of non-negligible fixed costs leads to non-zero censoring of the traditional double-hurdle regression. Fixed costs arise due to household resources that must be devoted a priori to the decision to participate in the market. These costs-usually a cost of time-motivate two-step decision-making and focus attentions on the minimum-efficient scale of operations (the minimum amount of milk sales) at which market entry becomes viable. This focus, in turn, motivates a non-zero-censored Tobit regression estimated through routine application of Markov chain Monte Carlo Methods.

Market Performance of Potato Auctions in Bhutan

Palavras-chave: Market participation; Fixed costs; Double-hurdle model; Censored regression.; Financial Economics; O1; O11; C34; O13; Q16; D1.

Ano: 2002

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/14741

van Tilburg, Aad; Kuiper, W. Erno; Swinkels, Rob.

Market performance with respect to a main horticultural export commodity in Bhutan is the subject of this paper. Imperfections in (market) infrastructure and market structure and conduct may prevent an optimal price for farmers. Market performance is assessed by testing the law of one price for this commodity. This is done by testing three series of auction price data on both long-run and short-run price integration. It is concluded that auction prices were interrelated both in the long and short run with one of the three auctions as the price-leading market. Policy implications are suggested.

Community-based Adaptation: Lessons from the Development Marketplace 2009 on Adaptation to Climate Change

Palavras-chave: Auctions; Bhutan; Law of one price; Market performance; Potato marketing; Marketing; C22; L1; M31; O1; Q13.

Ano: 2006

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/25520

Heltberg, Rasmus; Prabhu, Radhika; Gitay, Habiba.

The Development Marketplace 2009 focused on adaptation to climate change. This paper identifies lessons from the Marketplace and assesses their implications for adaptation support. Our findings are based on: statistical tabulation of all proposals; in-depth qualitative and quantitative analysis of the 346 semi-finalists; and interviews with finalists and assessors. Proposals were fuelled by deep concerns that ongoing climate change and its impacts undermine development and exacerbate poverty, migration and food insecurity. Proposals addressed both local poverty and climate change challenges, and offered a wide range of approaches to render local development more resilient to current climate variability. Therefore, support to community-based adaptation...

THE COMPLEX DYNAMICS OF SMALLHOLDER TECHNOLOGY ADOPTION: THE CASE OF SRI IN MADAGASCAR

Palavras-chave: Community-based Adaptation; Development Marketplace; Adaptation; Climate Change; Environmental Economics and Policy; O1; Q5.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/92711

Moser, Christine M.; Barrett, Christopher B..

This paper explores the dynamics of smallholder technology adoption, with particular reference to a high-yielding, low-external input rice production method in Madagascar. We present a simple model of technology adoption by farm households in an environment of incomplete financial and land markets. We then use a probit model and a symmetrically trimmed least squares estimation of a dynamic Tobit model to analyze the decisions to adopt, expand and disadopt the method. We find that seasonal liquidity constraints discourage adoption by poorer farmers. Learning effects both from extension agents and from other farmers exert significant influence over adoption decisions.

Economics of Biofortification

Palavras-chave: Technology adoption; Learning; The System of Rice Intensification; Conformity effects; Farm Management; O0; O1; Q0; Q16; Q12; Q18.

Ano: 2003

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/14735

Qaim, Matin; Stein, Alexander J.; Meenakshi, J.V..

Micronutrient malnutrition affects billions of people world-wide, causing serious health problems. Different micronutrient interventions are currently being used, but their overall coverage is relatively limited. Biofortification that is, breeding staple food crops for higher micronutrient contents has been proposed as a new agriculture-based approach. Yet, as biofortified crops are still under development, relatively little is known about their economic impacts and wider ramifications. In this article, the main factors that will influence their future success are discussed, and a methodology for economic impact assessment is presented, combining agricultural, nutrition, and health aspects. Ex ante studies from India and other developing countries...

Palavras-chave: Micronutrient malnutrition; Public health; Biofortification; Agricultural technology; Impact analysis; Developing countries; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; I1; I3; O1; O3; Q1.

Ano: 2006

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/25584

Deposit Collectors

Ashraf, Nava; Karlan, Dean S.; Yin, Wesley.

Informal lending and savings institutions exist around the world, and often include regular door-to-door deposit collection of cash. Some banks have adopted similar services in order to expand access to banking services in areas that lack physical branches. Using a randomized control trial, we investigate determinants of participation in a deposit collection service and evaluate the impact of offering the service for micro-savers of a rural bank in the Philippines. Of 137 individuals offered the service in the treatment group, 38 agreed to sign-up, and 20 regularly used the service. Take-up is predicted by distance to the bank (a measure of transaction costs of depositing without the service) as well as being married (a suggestion that household bargaining...

The Roles of the Environment and Natural Resources in Economic Growth Analysis

Palavras-chave: Savings behavior; Microfinance; Field experiment; Savings mobilization; Deposit collector; Financial Economics; D1; D9; G1; G2; O1.

Ano: 2005

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/28502

Toman, Michael.

The primary aim of this paper is pedagogical. We first present and discuss a "wiring diagram" framework in order to elucidate the general links between economic growth and "natural capital." After developing the general framework, we develop parallel frameworks applicable to several specific sectors of the economy (agriculture, forestry, and manufacturing). Two appendices provide a mathematical formulation of the economy-wide framework and a brief historical review of the role of natural resources and the environment in economic growth theory.

BAYESIAN HERDERS: ASYMMETRIC UPDATING OF RAINFALL BELIEFS IN RESPONSE TO EXTERNAL FORECASTS

Palavras-chave: Economic growth; Natural resources; Sustainable development; Resource /Energy Economics and Policy; Q00; O1.

Ano: 2003

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/10510

Lybbert, Travis J.; Barrett, Christopher B.; McPeak, John G.; Luseno, Winnie K..

Temporal climate risk weighs heavily on many of the world's poor. Recent advances in model-based climate forecasting have expanded the range, timeliness and accuracy of forecasts available to decision-makers whose welfare depends on stochastic climate outcomes. There has consequently been considerable recent investment in improved climate forecasting for the developing world. Yet, in cultures that have long used indigenous climate forecasting methods, forecasts generated and disseminated by outsiders using unfamiliar methods may not readily gain the acceptance necessary to induce behavioral change. The value of model-based climate forecasts depends critically on the premise that forecast recipients actually use external forecast information to update...

Impact of rural poverty reduction strategies: The case of smallholders in Sierra Leone

Palavras-chave: Agribusiness; O1; D1; Q12.

Ano: 2003

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/14762

Sammeth, Frank; Lakoh, Alpha; Michel, Baudouin; Hites, Gisele; Gomez y Paloma, Sergio.

The present analysis, which exploits one of the first empirical data collected from smallholders in Sierra Leone since the end of the civil war, compares the impact of two poverty reduction strategies targeting smallholders in Sierra Leone: support to rice production is compared with support to coffee and cocoa production in terms of sustainable income generation and contributing to macroeconomic stability and growth. Supporting rice production is intended to help the country regain self-sufficiency in its traditional principle staple. This will help towards improving food security and reducing dependency on volatile world market prices which, for example, with respect to the recent global spike has had dramatic effects on the lowest incomes. Support to...

A Typology of Food Security in Developing Countries under High Food Prices

Palavras-chave: Agriculture; Poverty; Official Development Assistance; Sierra Leone; Food Security and Poverty; O1; Q1.

Ano: 2010

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/113211

Yu, Bingxin; You, Liangzhi; Fan, Shenggen.

The recent surge in food prices around the world may reverse the gains of reducing hunger and poverty in the recent years. This paper employs factor and sequential typology analysis using data for 175 countries to identify groups of countries categorized according to four measures of food security: utilization, availability, accessibility and stability. Nine indicators are used for this study: calories intake, protein intake, fat intake, food production, the ratio of total exports to food imports, soil fertility, length of growing period, coefficient of variation of length of growing period and urbanization. The analysis first identifies 5 distinct food security groups characterized by food intake then further split these groups based on similarities and...

THE ECONOMICS OF POVERTY AND THE POVERTY OF ECONOMICS: A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE

Palavras-chave: Food security; Factor analysis; Agricultural potential; Typology; Trade; Agricultural and Food Policy; Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety; Food Security and Poverty; International Development; C0; F0; O1.

Ano: 2009

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/51043

Barrett, Christopher B..

In this world of plenty, almost half of the world's six billion people live on two dollars a day or less and the number living on less than one dollar a day has increased over the past fifteen years (World Bank 2000). Between one third and one half suffer under nutrition due to insufficient intake of calories, protein or critical micronutrients such as vitamin A, iodine and iron. More than one child in five lives in acute poverty. Why does such unnecessary injustice continue to disfigure a rich, technologically advanced world and what can be done to care for the poor and thereby to care for and honor God, as the Gospels instruct us? In attempting to answer those questions, at least partly, this paper offers some insights from recent research in economics,...

Microfinance Institutions: Does Capital Structure Matter?

Palavras-chave: Food Security and Poverty; O1; I1; A1.

Ano: 2003

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/14747

Bogan, Vicki.

Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) have risen to the forefront as invaluable institutions in the development process. Nevertheless, capital constraints have hindered the expansion of microfinance programs such that the demand for financial services still far exceeds the currently available supply. Moreover, it is observed that microfinance organizations have had various degrees of sustainability. Thus, the question of how best to fund these programs is a key issue. Recognizing the potential of microfinance in the development process, this paper examines the existing sources of funding for MFIs by geographic region, and explores how changes in capital structure could facilitate future growth and improve the efficiency and financial sustainability of MFIs....

Livestock based livelihoods and pathways out of poverty: the case of smallholder farmers in Bangladesh

Palavras-chave: Microfinance Institutions; Capital structure; Financial Economics; F3; G21; G32; O1.

Ano: 2008

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/51125

Akter, Shaheen.

This paper evaluates livelihoods of smallholder livestock farmers who were beneficiaries of a poverty alleviation programme involving longer term intervention towards building the strength of stakeholders such as government department, NGOs, village organisations and women beneficiaries. Data are drawn from a survey of 400 women farmers in 2006 and 2008. These farmers have been the members of BRAC, a well known NGO in Bangladesh. Poverty profiles, transition matrices and regression analysis drawn from asset-base framework are used to analyze data. A number of key questions related to poverty transition through livestock based activities, heterogeneity in livelihood choice and its impact on household welfare, extent of poverty reduction using different...

Professionalism, Latent Professionalism and Organizational Demands for Health Care Quality in a Developing Country

Palavras-chave: Poverty; Women and livestock; Livelihood Strategies; Asset-base Framework; Bangladesh; Food Security and Poverty; O1; O3; Q13; Q55.

Ano: 2011

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/108935

Leonard, Kenneth L.; Masatu, Melkiory C..

Medicine is a professional pursuit, and even in developing countries professionalism should lead at least some practitioners to care for their patients despite the absence of direct incentives to do so. Even if practitioners do not behave as professionals, what is the extent of latent professionalism, in which socialization in the profession conditions health workers to respond to a demand for professionalism even if they do not normally act as professionals? How many health care workers in developing countries act as professionals all the time and what will happen if health services turn toward remuneration schemes in which health workers are paid by the output or outcome? We examine the behavior of 80 practitioners from Arusha region of Tanzania for...

Land Distributional and Income Effects of the Chinese Land Rental Market

Palavras-chave: Incentives; Quality; Health care; Professionalism; Tanzania; Health Economics and Policy; I1; O1; O2.

Ano: 2008

URL: http://purl.umn.edu/42883

Wu, Ziping.

Using panel data of 450 farm households for the period of 1996-2001 in Zhejiang, China, we measured land distributional effect and income effect of the land rental market. It is found that the rental market had contributed for a less equal land distribution among the households, and for the concentration of land to households with higher efficiency. With a land rental market in a dynamic economic development process, improvements in overall production efficiency of the households, however, mainly come from the reduction of land abandonment and the contribution from land changing hands is very limited.