On the Effects of Government Spending Shocks in Developing Countries

Time series analysis of annual data for a sample of developing countries shows the allocation of government spending shocks, both positive and negative, between price inflation and output growth. Cross-country regressions evaluate determinants of the difference in the real effects of government spending shocks. If the real effects decrease, capacity constraints are more binding and if they increase, the elasticity of aggregate demand is larger with respect to the change in government spending. Cross-country regressions also evaluate the implications of government spending shocks on the difference in trend price inflation and output growth. The variability of government spending shocks decreases trend real output growth and increases trend price inflation across countries.     

The Adoption of Genetically Modified Cotton and Poverty Reduction in Pakistan

This article employs a propensity score‐matching approach to examine the direct effects of adoption of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton on yields, pesticide demand, household income and poverty, using cross‐sectional data from a survey of farmers in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Generally, the findings reveal that adoption of the new technology exerts a positive and significant impact on cotton yields, household income and poverty reduction, and a negative effect on the use of pesticides. The positive and significant impact of the technology on yields and household income is consistent with the potential role of new agricultural technology in directly reducing rural poverty through increased farm household income.     

Privatization of Statutory Marketing Authorities and the Regulatory Role of Government in Developing Countries

In recent years, there has been a trend away from intensive government participation in agricultural and food marketing systems in developing countries. As greater emphasis is placed on the role of private marketers, uncertainty prevails over the appropriate future role of statutory marketing authorities in these systems. This is especially so in respect of the regulatory role.     

Genetically Modified Crops, Corporate Pricing Strategies, and Farmers' Adoption: The Case of Bt Cotton in Argentina

This article analyzes adoption and impacts of Bt cotton in Argentina against the background of monopoly pricing. Based on survey data, it is shown that the technology significantly reduces insecticide applications and increases yields; however, these advantages are curbed by the high price charged for genetically modified seeds. Using the contingent valuation method, it is shown that farmers' average willingness to pay is less than half the actual technology price. A lower price would not only increase benefits for growers, but could also multiply company profits, thus, resulting in a Pareto improvement. Implications of the sub-optimal pricing strategy are discussed.     

论西部林业资源利用中的政府干预行为

根据西部林业资源利用中政府干预行为方式的变化,将政府干预介入期划分为四个阶段,通过对各阶段政府干预行为及西部林业资源系统状态演变的对比,分析各阶段西部林业资源利用中政府干预行为效应;指出由于路径依赖的存在,政府干预行为具有一定的局限性,需要政府不断加大投入,通过增加干预力度或进行政策创新来打破“锁定”状态;提出应通过政府行为方式的积极转变,充分发挥社会力量的基础性作用,促进西部林业资源的可持续发展。     

发展中国家农村剩余劳动力就业问题研究

二元经济结构是发展中国家的基本特征。二元经济结构的存在意味着发达的工业部门与传统落后的农业部门同时并存,也意味着在农村地区将长期存在一定的剩余劳动力需要向现代工业部门转移。在利用刘易斯劳动力流动模式的基础上,结合发展中国家的技术战略,提出了发展中国家应采取结合实际引进适用技术和国外资金,增加人力资本投资,促进农业产业化等措施,最终解决农业剩余劳动力的就业问题。     

On the Segregation of Genetically Modified,Conventional and Organic Products in European Agriculture: A Multi‐market Equilibrium Analysis

Evaluating the possible benefits of the introduction of genetically modified (GM) crops must address the issue of consumer resistance as well as the complex regulation that has ensued. In the European Union (EU), this regulation envisions the co‐existence of GM food with conventional and quality‐enhanced products, mandates the labelling and traceability of GM products and allows only a stringent adventitious presence of GM content in other products. All these elements are brought together within a partial equilibrium model of the EU agricultural food sector. The model comprises conventional, GM and organic food. Demand is modelled in a novel fashion, whereby organic and conventional products are treated as horizontally differentiated but GM products are vertically differentiated (weakly inferior) relative to conventional ones. Supply accounts explicitly for the land constraint at the sector level and for the need for additional resources to produce organic food. Model calibration and simulation allow insights into the qualitative and quantitative effects of the large‐scale introduction of GM products in the EU market. We find that the introduction of GM food reduces overall EU welfare, mostly because of the associated need for costly segregation of non‐GM products, but the producers of quality‐enhanced products actually benefit.     

政府在耕地减少中的责任和在耕地保护中的作为

集成曲线估计模型和灰色数列模型,研究耕地总量在1983-2006年间的变化过程以及在2010～2020年间的变化态势,分析政府行为在耕地总量减少中的责任和在保护耕地中的作为.研究结果:2020年耕地总量可能低于新的耕地红线,政府对耕地减少负有不可推卸的责任.     

Comparative Advantage in Demand: Experimental Evidence of Preferences for Genetically Modified Food in the United States and European Union

The United States (US) exports more than US$6 billion in agricultural commodities to the European Union(EU) each year, but one issue carries the potential to diminish this trade: use of biotechnology in food production. The EU has adopted more stringent policies towards biotechnology than the US. Understanding differences in European and American policies towards genetically modified (GM) foods requires a greater understanding of consumers’ attitudes and preferences. This paper reports results from the first large‐scale, cross‐Atlantic study to analyse consumer demand for genetically modified food in a non‐hypothetical market environment. We strongly reject the frequent if convenient assumption in trade theory that consumer preferences are identical across countries: the median level of compensation demanded by English and French consumers to consume a GM food is found to be more than twice that in any of the US locations. Results have important implications for trade theory, which typically focuses on differences in specialization, comparative advantage and factor endowments across countries, and for on‐going trade disputes at the World Trade Organization.     

The importance of ecological and socio-technological literacy in R&D priority setting: the case of a fruit innovation system in Guinea,West Africa

The introduction of farmer participatory approaches over the past decades has to some extent improved the relevance and uptake of research results. While R&D prioritization increasingly involves more stakeholders, including the private sector, policymakers and civil society, building ecological literacy among all stakeholders is urgent, especially for sustainable agricultural development. A case study of an emerging fruit innovation system in Guinea, West Africa, highlights the challenges of supply- and demand-driven approaches to R&D prioritization. Shallow ecological knowledge and a blind faith in ‘modern’ technologies by scientists and farmers alike distort prioritization. Locally available, appropriate technologies are dismissed in favour of high technologies that are inaccessible to most smallholder growers. Strengthening the ecological literacy of all stakeholders may help to overcome this bias. On the other hand, building socio-technological literacy would allow innovation intermediaries, who typically act as brokers between the demand- and supply-side of technologies, to better understand the social and institutional contexts of technologies and how these affect potential uptake by poor farmers. Member centres of the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) could use the notion of ecological and socio-technological literacy to better understand supply and demand of technology and to work more effectively with their partners towards pro-poor and sustainable agricultural development.     

乡村控制与农业建设——试论南京政府时期湖北省的农会组织

国民党在南京建立政权后，吸取在大革命时期农民组训的教训，颁布了《农会法》，力图在全国建立新的农会体系，以加强乡村控制与农业建设。地处中部的湖北向为农业大省，农村问题十分严重。湖北省依国民政府之法令，逐步建立起了以县农会为主体的省、县、乡三级农会体系。这些农会组织以农民为主体会员，接受国民党地方党政机关的领导。对于国民党在农村的施政发挥了重要作用。在乡村控制方面，政府希冀以农会束加强与农民的组织联系，对农民实施组织与思想训练，贯彻兵役粮政。在农业建设方面，农会在改进农业生产、实施二五减租、推行农贷、发展农村合作等方面也发挥了一定功效。不过，由于农民并未在农会中取得主体性地位，在相当程度上制约了农会的运作绩效。     

Gender and agricultural productivity: implications of the Farm Input Subsidy Program in Malawi

Alleviating gender differences in agricultural productivity is vital for poverty reduction. While numerous studies suggest that gender differences in agricultural productivity are a result of female farmers having limited access to resources, few studies investigate the role of agricultural interventions in alleviating the constraints to input use and subsequently the gender gap in productivity. This study investigates whether there are gendered gains in agricultural productivity from participating in an input subsidy program and if these gains help reduce the gender gap. Using nationally representative data that is disaggregated at the plot level, this study analyzes the large‐scale voucher‐based Farm Input Subsidy Program in Malawi. Focusing on the total value of output per hectare, relationships are identified using weighted estimators, where the weights are constructed from propensity scores, and spatial fixed effects, to address the unobservable factors that may confound the relationship between program participation and productivity. The findings suggest that participation in the program improves agricultural productivity for both male and female farmers but it does not provide disproportionate help to female famers to overcome gender disparities in agricultural productivity. This suggests that female farmers face additional constraints to productivity apart from nonlabor input use.     

Demand for Beef from Cattle Administered Growth Hormones or Fed Genetically Modified Corn: A Comparison of Consumers in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States

We compare consumer valuations of beef ribeye steaks from cattle produced without growth hormones or genetically modified corn in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Results suggest that French consumers place a higher value on beef from cattle that have not been administered added growth hormones than U.S. consumers; however, valuations of non-hormone-treated beef are statistically indistinguishable across Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Results also suggest that European consumers place a much higher value on beef from cattle that have not been fed genetically modified corn than U.S. consumers.     

论中国的茶艺及其在中国茶文化史上的地位--兼谈中日茶文化的不同发展方向

早在唐代，饮茶之风遍及大江南北，甚至远播青藏高原，并且出现了“茶道”一词。但是陆羽的《茶经》及以后的茶书都不提“茶道”，而是重点阐述品茗艺术（茶艺）。相反，日本将中国的饮茶引进本国之后，却发展为带有浓厚宗教色彩的茶道。不同的历史、文化背景造成中日两国茶文化向不同的方向发展，中国文人们将饮茶发展为一门生活艺术，日本的僧侣由将饮茶变成为佛门清规。