Measuring Farm and Market Level Economic Impacts of Improved Maize Production Technologies in Ethiopia: Evidence from Panel Data

While it is often recognised that agricultural technology adoption decisions are intertwined and best characterised by multivariate models, typical approaches to examining adoption and impacts of agricultural technology have focused on single technology adoption choice and ignored interdependence among technologies. We examine farm‐ and market‐level impacts of multiple technology adoption choices using comprehensive household survey data collected in 2010/11 and 2012/13 in Ethiopia. Economic surplus analysis combined with panel data switching endogenous regression models are used to compute the supply shift parameter (K‐shift parameter), while at the same time controlling for the endogeneity inherent in agricultural technology adoption among farmers. We find that our improved technology set choices have significant impacts on farm‐level maize yield and maize production costs, where the greatest effect appears to be generated when various technologies are combined. The change in maize yield and production costs results in an average 26.4% cost reduction per kilogram of maize output (the K‐shift parameter). This increases the producer and consumer surpluses by US$ 140 and US$ 105 million per annum, respectively. These changes in economic surplus help to reduce the number of poor people by an estimated 788 thousand per year. We conclude that deliberate extension efforts and other policies that encourage integration of technologies are important for maize technologies to yield their full potential at both farm and market levels.     

Lessons from the recent economic crisis: the Australian household stimulus package

This paper provides an impact evaluation analysis of the 2009 Australian Household Stimulus Package, which was composed by three main cash payments: the Back to School Bonus, the Single Income Family Bonus and the Tax Bonus for Working Australians. Using panel data from the 2008 and 2009 HILDA surveys, the results show that these cash payments reduced the risk of poverty and stimulated consumption expenditure. Nonetheless, only the Back to School Bonus and the Single Income Family Bonus were really important in achieving these goals, while the Tax Bonus for Working Australians did not contribute to stimulate consumption and failed to reduce the risk of poverty. Thus, the analysis confirms the crucial role of governments to protect the most vulnerable groups avoiding a dramatic deterioration of social outcomes and favoring a fast economic recovery when interventions are timely and well-targeted.     

Creating Opportunities for Women in the Renewable Energy Sector: Findings from India

This paper identifies opportunities and constraints that low-income women face in accessing livelihoods in the renewable-energy sector in India through qualitative and quantitative research conducted in collaboration with The Energy Resources Institute (TERI) and the Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) in 2012–13. Whereas previous research has focused on women mostly as end users of solar and biomass technologies, this research attempts also to understand women's potential as entrepreneurs, facilitators, designers, and innovators. Findings reveal that although access to technology and employment in the energy sector is limited by inadequate purchasing power and low social status, there is tremendous potential to create livelihoods for women at all levels of the energy supply chain. Broader findings indicate that women can gain optimal traction from employment in the energy sector only if there are wider socially progressive policies in place, including state intervention to create a robust social welfare infrastructure and accessible, high-quality, public services.     

基于精准扶贫的重庆市乡村旅游发展模式及空间分布格局研究

［目的］发展乡村旅游是推进农村扶贫开发的一项重要措施，在精准扶贫背景下，研究乡村旅游资源的空间分布格局，以期为贫困地区乡村旅游资源的开发利用提供理论参考，也将有利于充分发挥乡村旅游在精准扶贫中的重要作用。［方法］以重庆市14个国家级乡村旅游重点扶贫县为研究区域，系统分析该地区乡村旅游资源的发展模式，采用平均最邻近指数、地理集中指数和平均分布密度，探究境内194个乡村旅游资源的空间分布格局。［结果］（1）重庆市乡村旅游重点扶贫县中，发展模式主要有高科技农业园、农家乐、乡村自然景观和乡村人文景观，其中农家乐是数目最多的类型。（2）各乡村旅游重点扶贫县中ANN值均小于1，说明这些地区乡村旅游资源均呈集聚分布。（3）各乡村旅游重点扶贫县中乡村旅游资源分布密度差异较大，其中秀山土家族苗族自治县的平均分布密度最高，为6115个/万km2，酉阳土家族苗族自治县平均分布密度最低，仅为2709个/万km2。［结论］乡村旅游重点扶贫县中乡村旅游资源数目还比较少，各地之间存在差异，今后应从发挥产业集聚效应、不断开拓发展模式、提高基础设施建设等方面促进乡村旅游的发展。     

贵州的脱贫和发展：基于三因子耦合的解析

贵州的脱贫和发展案例表明，欠发达地区的脱贫和发展是集合“核心设施、骨干领域、环境机遇”三大因子共同发力的结果。这一发现挑战了当代主流发展理论，并在落后国家或区域具有广泛复制的价值。这种新发展观不只是一种自洽且连贯的学说，还可作为引导明智行动的机制对待，因而深具实践意义。可以把这三个强关联性词汇转换为规范且符合逻辑的陈述以激发洞见，充实当代发展理论，同时为其他不发达地区的贫困治理和经济发展提供经验和借鉴。     

国有林区缓解贫困与生态保护共生协调度及应用研究

[目的]缓解贫困与生态保护的协调发展关系到区域的可持续发展问题,对国有林区缓解贫困与保护森林生态系统安全两者关系的分析研究是生态文明建设新阶段值得高度关注的课题。正确处理生态保护与林区经济发展互促互进具有重要意义,把国有林区缓解贫困与森林生态保护看作两个相互影响相互作用的生物体,用以揭示国有林区缓解贫困与生态保护之间的协调共生关系,以期为区域可持续发展提供理论基础和现实依据。[方法]以黑龙江省国有森工林区40个林业局为研究对象,选取2016年国有森工林区贫困与森林生态综合发展水平的14个指标数据,并运用主客观赋权法确定各指标权重,构建两子系统的共生协调度模型,探究国有森工林区各林业局贫困与生态的共生协调模式的空间布局和差异。[结果]黑龙江省国有森工林区共生协调模式呈现多样化趋势,经历互利共生、寄生协调、寄生冲突和互害竞争等关系,但寄生模式是黑龙江省国有林区贫困与生态的主要模式。[结论]黑龙江省森工国有林区要想实现缓解贫困与生态保护的共生协调,一方面需要加大对森林资源的保护的投入及抚育力度,另一方面森工企业要转变生产方式,优化林业产业结构,提高对林木资源的利用效率。     

Do the poor benefit from globalization regardless of institutional quality?

Despite significant progress towards the Millennium goals, more than one billion people live on less than 1.25 US dollars per day. Previous research suggests that globalization stimulates poverty reduction, but does not investigate what role institutions play in this relationship. Theoretically, globalization could act as either a complement or a substitute to institutional quality in reducing poverty. We find that the poverty-reducing effect of globalization is stronger when institutions are weak. In particular, increasing social globalization reduces poverty more when corruption is high and democratic accountability is low. Thus, globalization has the power to reduce poverty even in countries with low institutional quality.     

Is green growth relevant for poor economies?

To be relevant to developing countries, green growth must be reconciled with the two key structural features of natural resource use and poverty in these countries. First, primary products account for the majority of their export earnings, and they are unable to diversify from primary production. Second, many economies have a substantial share of their rural population located on less favored agricultural land and in remote areas, thus encouraging “geographic” poverty traps. If green growth is to be a catalyst for economy-wide transformation and poverty alleviation in developing countries, then it must be accompanied by policies aimed directly at overcoming these two structural features. Policies and reforms should foster forward and backward linkages of primary production, enhance its integration with the rest of the economy, and improve opportunities for innovation and knowledge spillovers. Rural poverty, especially the persistent concentration of the rural poor on less favored agricultural lands and in remote areas, needs to be addressed by additional targeted policies and investments, and where necessary, policies to promote rural-urban migration.     

甘肃苹果产业发展优势及提质增效对策

通过实地调查和专家访谈,利用比较分析法,对甘肃苹果产业的发展优势、存在问题及提质增效对策进行了研究。从自然资源禀赋、经济比较效益、产业支持政策、实际扶贫效果、持续发展潜力等5个方面分析了甘肃苹果产业发展的优势条件;从苗木繁育、栽培管理、产地认证、采后处理、精深加工、品牌建设、技术支撑等方面指出了存在的主要问题;从政策扶持、科技创新、基地建设、人才培养、灾害防控、农业保险等方面提出了促进甘肃苹果产业优化升级、提质增效的对策措施。具体措施是:继续加大政策扶持力度;以促进苹果产业升级为目标,加快品种更新换代,加强关键栽培管理技术研究创新,加强精深加工技术创新推广,进一步强化科技支撑;以企业为主体,加强品牌建设;以标准化为抓手,加强出口创汇基地建设;同时加强本土技术人才培养、加强灾害性天气预警防控、加强苹果产业保险机制研究与示范推广。     

Benefits of Cross‐sector Partnerships in Markets at the Base of the Pyramid

In this paper we analyze whether cross‐sector partnerships enable companies to respond to the specific conditions at the base of the pyramid (BOP). We develop three hypotheses in which we argue how cross‐sector partnerships support companies to face unfamiliar conditions in these markets. We test the developed hypotheses against the data of 103 companies operating in BOP‐markets. The results show that companies rely on organizations from the civil society sector in order to meet customer needs. Partners from the business sector are supportive when responding to restrictive market conditions. Institutional partnerships should be considered when companies aim at responding to the regulatory environment. We outline theoretical and managerial implications and reflect some limitations of the study. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.