Estimating the Impact of Transgenic Bt Cotton on West and Central Africa: A General Equilibrium Approach

West and Central Africa (WCA)’s cotton sector is experiencing rising production costs and lower yields, reversing decades of growth. Declining input use, soil fertility and inefficient chemical pest controls are contributing factors. We evaluate the potential impact of Bt cotton on WCA using a multiregion general equilibrium model and multicountry estimates of Bt-induced productivity. We find that Bt cotton raises growers’ returns, land value and welfare. Released labor from cotton is shifted to food crops hence reducing labor shortage constraints. Overall, results indicate that potential gross benefits from Bt cotton are substantial for WCA cotton sector, and that the economic costs of nonadoption are equally significant.     

我国农村劳动力＂反梯度＂流动的经济学分析——以新疆采棉工为例

农村劳动力“反梯度”流动是我国经济和社会转型期间出现的一种特殊现象。从流向看，它有悖于劳动力由乡一城、由落后地区一发达地区流动的规律。文章采用经济学分析方法，以新疆采棉工为研究对象，从理论和现实两个层面研究分析采棉工理性的流动决策行为以及基本特征和相关影响因素。     

Catch-up strategies and the latecomer effect in industrial development

Since 2003, the West and Central African (WCA) cotton initiative in the World Trade Organization has stood as an ambitious case of Africa's desire to be integrated into the trading system and yet also receive reparations for past injuries. This article seeks to explore how and why the initiative debuted through close attention to the interdependence between power and language in diplomatic practice. It takes the concept of cognitive framing to explore the relationship between political legitimacy and mobilisation capacities. The genesis of cotton as ‘an issue’ is critically examined, focusing on how the WCA countries constructed a novel ‘competitive victim’ frame to define themselves and the problem. While this opening move was effective, it also featured tensions that were exploited by Northern actors who were threatened by the campaign. I argue that what followed was the introduction of a politically driven ‘counterframe’, which divided the problem into a ‘trade-related’ component and a ‘development-related’ component. It is important to understand why and how this distinction was constructed and monitored. By scrutinising the relationship between framing and institutional power, I suggest that the counterframe won over the original frame, leading to a re-positioning of the demanders and a re-calibration of their expectations.     

我国发展循环经济的战略重点之一在农业

现有的农业循环经济的发展模式有大农业型、生态恢复型和废弃物再利用型三种。由于农业循环经济的内涵重点在于农业废弃物资源化及其循环再利用，所以我国农业循环经济的发展模式应以废弃物再利用型模式为主，其中又以大力开发可再生能源、综合利用秸秆生物质能源发展农业循环经济为重点之一。     

浅析彩棉在舞台服装中的运用

彩棉作为利用生物基因工程等现代科学技术培养出来的新型面料品种,以其特有的色彩和特性被运用在多种服装设计中。本文从彩棉的基本特性出发,结合舞台服装在设计中要注意的地方,讲述其在舞台服装设计中的运用。     

棉种市场“窜货”现象分析及其防范

近年来，令各棉种生产企业及各级棉种经销商深受其害的“窜货”现象时有发生，“窜货”行为给棉种生产企业带来了一系列危害，从而使得保护市场、打击“窜货”显得尤为重要和必要。本文针对棉种市场出现的“窜货”行为进行了原因分析，并分析了为什么棉种市场成为恶意“窜货”行为重灾区，最后针对原因分析提出了棉种生产企业如何防范和处理市场上出现的窜货行为。     

抗战前陕西棉花产销合作

在二十世纪三十年代前期实行统制经济和救济农村金融的背景下，国民政府和各省政府、社会团体、银行机构以及一些大学广泛开展了棉花产销合作运动，陕西棉花产销合作是其中办理较早、规模最大、成绩较好的地区。由于各方的努力，陕西棉花产销合作取得了一定的成绩，棉花品种得到改良，棉田面积扩大，棉农因此获得了一定的利益，但棉花产销合作也存在诸多缺陷，面临许多困境，前景仍然十分艰难。