Determining Opportunities for U.S. Exports of Consumer-Oriented Foods to African Regional Markets

Abstract

This study examines the level of trade between the U.S. and Africa for consumer-oriented agricultural products during the 1990s. To achieve this objective, we propose six congruent regional African markets and examine patterns of U.S. trade with Africa on consumer-oriented agricultural products. The reason for such groupings is to identify trade flow differences and similarities between the U. S. and each of these regional groups. The results shed light on the extent to which U.S. exporters of consumer food products are capitalizing on the emerging markets of Africa. The graphing technique used in the study, in combination with trend stability measures for the six proposed congruent regional African markets, introduce a method for identifying market opportunity.     

The wellsprings of work: The USA and the UK

Summary

The results of research on the US economy are discussed. It is based on a file of 5.6 million business establishments which is used to study how each business evolves. Underlying relatively slow changes in the aggregate totals was a set of large flows, and substantial ‘churning’. Most regions in the USA lose about 8 % of their jobs each year, and the healthiest economies have the highest losses. Small firms were significant creators of new jobs. Studies in the UK found that the contribution of small firms to employment generation is small, that the rate of new firm formation depends upon whether a region is dominated by large firms, that subcontracting, cheap premises and a good general environment are important. Births and deaths of businesses balanced each other at around 8 % each per annum, but some regions were declining because they were not sharing in the growth side of the equation, as in the USA. One difference between the USA and the UK is in terms of micro‐ and macrostability. Microstability is that of the individual job and business, and macrostability that of the economy as a whole, and the two are in inherent conflict. The choice between these two forms of stability is a very painful one, and a price must be paid either way.     

A ranking of shopping centres using multiple branch numbers

Summary

The paper presents a new ranking of shopping centres in Great Britain based on the number of branches of durable multiple retailers found in each centre. The results are used to derive a functional retail hierarchy. There is found to be a clear distinction between Regional Centres containing stores and smaller District centres. A comparison with the 1971 Census of Distribution shows patterns of growth and decline. In urban areas with weak or split centres, the main centre was found to have risen in rank while the surrounding minor centres had lost rank.     

Remittances,monetary institutions,and autocracies

ABSTRACT

How do remittances affect the choice of exchange rate regimes? Previous research shows that remittances, by easing the ‘impossible trinity’, increase the probability of governments adopting fixed exchange rates. However, that research overlooks the conditioning effect of monetary and political institutions. We argue that remittances, by altering recipient governments’ incentives to use monetary policy counter-cyclically, make central bank independence a credible anti-inflationary tool in less credible regimes; that is, autocracies. Thus, autocracies that receive remittances do not need to rely on fixed exchange rates. In this way, remittances open policy alternatives for developing autocracies. Statistical tests on a sample of 87 developing and transitional countries between 1980 and 2010 support our argument.     

Trade Policy,Equipment Investment and Growth in India

The relationship between trade policy and economic performance is one of the oldest controversies in economic development. In this paper, we examine an alternative mechanism through which trade reforms may impact on economic growth to those commonly discussed in the literature. This mechanism builds on the link between equipment investment and growth that has been observed in cross-country data. We argue that that in countries which have had highly restrictive trade policies with respect to capital goods, liberalization measures that specifically target capital goods imports may bring about a fall in the relative price of capital goods, leading to an increase in the rate of investment in equipment. Quantifying the link between trade policy, equipment investment and economic growth in the Indian case, we find strong support for this mechanism.     

India's economic reforms: Progress,problems, prospects

Abstract

This paper is a review of India's progress in the 50 years of Independence, which is regarded as a mixture of the impressive and the disappointing. The country has managed to protect national unity, preserve democracy and dilute traditional social hierarchies. There has been economic growth and a reduction in the proportion of people falling below a standard poverty line. But the main requirement now is a sustained increase in the growth rate of national income that also increases the demand for labour. The relative failures of past decades are considered, and ways in which the reform programme begun in July 1991 could be strengthened are suggested.     

Land prices and land subdivision in Madina,Saudi Arabia; 1965–85

Summary

This paper is concerned with explaining the relationship between land prices and subdivision activity in Madina, Saudi Arabia. This article is not concerned with the effect of land prices on individual landowners, but rather on the supply of land in general. First it is necessary to explain the increase in land prices and why they have risen in real terms over time, what are the periods of growth and decline and what effects have they had on the supply of land for subdivision. This paper then explains the geographical variations in land prices and their influence on the distribution of land subdivision throughout the Madina area, especially in inner city areas and suburban areas.     

Chinese Peasant Choices: Migration,Rural Industry or Farming

A nationally representative rural labour force survey of China is analysed to explore the allocation of labour among farming, local non-farming and temporary migration activities. Various tests of labour market segmentation are conducted. The estimated returns to labour off the farm greatly exceed those on the farm. The personal and household determinants of activities, and of days worked in them, are examined for demand or supply constraints on employment; some results are consistent with the former. The relationship between days worked off and on the farm suggests that the opportunity cost to households of non-farm work is very low. The evidence is consistent with there being rationing of non-farm employment. However, tastes, imperfect information, imperfect capital markets, risk-aversion and transaction costs are also relevant. The overcoming of the obstacles to diversification away from farming is important for rural development in China.     

Crisis Prevention: Tackling Horizontal Inequalities

This paper analyses the economic and social causes of conflict, drawing conclusions for conflict prevention. Civil wars normally occur when groups mobilize against each other, on the basis of some cultural characteristic like ethnicity or religion. It is suggested that horizontal inequalities, i.e. inequalities among groups in political, economic and social dimensions, provide the basis for inter-group animosity. Policies to limit excessive horizontal inequalities are needed in all vulnerable countries.     

Does it Matter that we do not Agree on the Definition of Poverty? A Comparison of Four Approaches

While there is world-wide agreement on poverty reduction as an overriding goal of development policy, there is little agreement on the definition of poverty. Four approaches to the definition and measurement of poverty are reviewed in this paper: the monetary, capability, social exclusion and participatory approaches. The theoretical underpinnings of the various measures and problems of operationalizing them are pointed out. It is argued that each is a construction of reality, involving numerous judgements, which are often not transparent. The different methods have different implications for policy, and also, to the extent that they point to different people as being poor, for targeting. Empirical work in Peru and India shows that there is significant lack of overlap between the methods with, for example, nearly half the population identified as in poverty according to monetary poverty but not in capability poverty, and conversely. This confirms similar findings elsewhere. Hence, the definition of poverty does matter for poverty eradication strategies.     

An Occasion-Based Segmentation Approach to the Wine Market in Denmark

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a survey on wine consumption in the town of Odense in Denmark that is representative of wine consumption trends in northern Europe. The analysis was carried out using an occasion-based approach applied to six different consumption occasions during meals and outside mealtimes. The survey was carried on a representative sample of 207 families. The paper highlights the most relevant segmentation factors for each consumption occasion and defines multi-occasion consumption profiles from which three marketing strategies levels can be derived.     

Income Risk,Consumption Security and the Poor

Households in developing countries have to deal with large fluctuations in income without being able to rely on formal insurance and credit markets. This paper presents an overview of the ways in which poor households attain consumption security and shows that doing so in the absence of security enhancing institutions is costly, especially for the poor.     

The Basque Conflict Globally Speaking: Material Culture,Media and Basque Identity in the Wider World

This article explores the interplay between global and local determinants through the Basque conflict. It demonstrates that self-determination movements among the Palestinians and Irish Republicans are comparatively similar to the Basque cause in material expressions of political identity and by conveying their nationalist sentiments through the agencies of different mediums. In addition, the impact of 11 September on separatist struggles like the Basque one is discussed. Throughout it is argued that material culture as much as media are significant conduits to political relationships between objects and sentiment, as well as images and reality whereby these associations become modes of "political consumption" by political actors. As a result, political images and objects have "value potential" to transform society and are projected as material products in banners, posters, graffiti, jewellery and clothing or through varying mediums of communication such as the Internet, television broadcasts, video testimonies and other forms, in order to reinforce political ideology.     

Principles of partnership schemes: Theory and practice

Summary

The paper assesses the dominant influences in partnership schemes for town centre redevelopment. The analysis of policy development in the public and private sectors is drawn together into an interorganizational framework, stressing joint approaches to action. Much development activity requires co‐operation by the public and private sectors, and the principal areas examined are the procedures adopted to implement partnerships, the linkages used and the actors involved at each stage. Original research was undertaken, notably case studies of Newcastle, Droitwich and Solihull. These investigations illustrate the diversity of working relationships, wherein individual responsibilities are directed towards collective action, and proper communication between development partners is essential. Although partnership operation is partly dependent on a reticulist who can co‐ordinate and initiate action, the most important aspects are the established procedures, which offer little opportunity for innovation, and the attitude of individual actors, which tends to reinforce current thinking rather than challenge it. Among those influences with an external origin, finance and politics have the greatest impact. Nevertheless, decision taking still operates in an ad hoc way, responding only as issues arise and thus contributing to the incremental development of policy and the maintenance of the status quo within the land market.     

The Stability of Global Market Segmented by Usage Rates of Agricultural Products

Abstract

An important question for international marketing managers is whether the international market segments, identified through usage rates of some agricultural products, remain similar over a short time period. The results of this study have revealed that the size of the usage-rate segments usually remains similar over a short time period, but some members (countries) of the segments (light users and heavy users) could shift cluster, which may relatively change the size of the segments. Also the characteristics of each segment remain almost similar over a short time period.     

Integration into a Global Production Network: Impacts on Labour in Tiruppur's Rural Hinterlands

External and internal development funds may be substitutes or complementary in financing development projects. We construct a welfare-maximizing model of a community, explicitly incorporating the decision-makers' choice between internal and external resources for development purposes. The model is estimated with Mauritian data, which include periods of rising foreign aid and substantial repayment. The computed values of substitution elasticity between the two sources of funds, derived from the social choice process, indicate that internal and external funds are complementary and therefore external funds do not seem to be fungible.     

If It Works,I like It: Consumer Acceptance of Food-Related Nudging

Abstract

The aim of the current study is to investigate factors that influence consumer acceptance of food-related nudging. Previous studies indicate that perceived effectiveness may positively influence acceptance of nudging, while limited freedom of choice may reduce acceptance. On this basis, acceptance, perceived effectiveness and perceived limited freedom of choice were measured for 11 different food-related nudges in a national representative sample of 455 adults. Five of the nudges were variations of placement alteration, while six were variations of informational labeling. Perceived effectiveness was identified as a significant positive predictor for acceptance of all of the investigated nudges (p?<?0.001), while perceived limited freedom of choice decreased acceptance of all investigated nudges (p?≤?0.02). Perceived effectiveness was the strongest predictor for acceptance of all types of nudges (β-values from 0.55 to 0.75), yet perceived limited freedom of choice was also a significant factor (β-values from ?0.07 to ?0.23).     

Green Revolution,Market Regulation and Agricultural Productivity in South India

Abstract

In the first phase of green revolution, the Southern Indian state of Karnataka enjoyed significant growth of productivity of foodgrains but there was stagnation in the second phase (1980-81 to 1989-90).

The regulated markets offered no significant price advantage for foodgrains, nor do they have any impact on productivity. Hence, regulation of more markets cannot play a significant role in ending the stagnation in the foodgrains sector.     

Trade,Technology and the Demand for Skills in Tunisia, 1998–2002

Abstract

Although many developing countries have experienced an increase in the relative demand for skilled workers leading to a rise in wage inequality, the role played by trade in this trend remains a matter of debate. Using a firm-level database covering manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors in Tunisia over the period 1998–2002, this paper investigates whether trade-induced technological change could explain the increase in the relative demand for skilled workers. The empirical analysis is based on the estimation of an employment-share equation. Controlling for potential endogeneity issues, the results confirm that trade-induced technology adoption was a channel through which openness to trade raised the relative demand for skilled workers in Tunisia. Unlike trade, however, foreign investment in Tunisia did not appear to increase the demand for skills.     

Changing Narratives of Violence,Struggle and Resistance: Bangladeshis and the Competition for Resources in the Global City

Tower Hamlets contains the largest concentration of Bangladeshis in the UK and they have been very successful in campaigning for resources in a borough which has high poverty levels in the north, while to the south it has been radically transformed by global capital and new white middle class "immigrants" employed in the service sector. A debate concerning poverty, social exclusion and the growing incidence of criminality among third generation Bangladeshis was dominated during the 1980s by secularists whose hegemony was challenged during the 1990s by Islamist groups. This struggle between secularist and Islamist leaders is not just a local phenomenon since it is shaped by ideological, political and social ties with Bangladesh and with other Muslim-majority countries. It raises the issue of how leaders seek to represent their "community"--variously defined--in a non-Muslim nation where state institutions (locally and nationally) attempt to co-opt community leaders through multiculturalist strategies. So far, the struggle has not been overshadowed by the kind of urban violence seen in other areas of substantial Bangladeshi population.