Why do developing countries resist global trade agreements?

Abstract

Although the Doha Development Round was launched with much promise for developing countries in 2001, the global trade negotiations have collapsed. One of the reasons for the lack of progress in the negotiation is the developed countries' unwillingness to reduce their enormous farm domestic subsidies and massive agricultural trade distortions. The developing countries' economies are characterized by heavy dependence on farm sector, labor-intensive agriculture, and persistent unemployment. Consequently, rich nations' unfair agricultural policies are detrimental to the well-being of poor exporting countries. This study develops a model incorporating developed countries' domestic and trade policies and developing countries' economic characteristics to illustrate the adverse effects of rich countries' policies on poor countries. We show that elimination of developed countries' policies will increase the world prices of agricultural commodities, which will benefit the farm-dependent developing countries.     

Adjustability in production and dynamic effects of domestic competition policy

Abstract

This study explores the effect on trade balance of suppressing competition in the domestic non-tradable sector through the interaction between the short-run adjustment and the long-run adjustment in production process. Constructing a model that can capture a more short-run aspect than Yano (2001 Yano, M. 2001. Trade imbalance and domestic market competition policy. International Economic Review, 42: 729–750.  [Google Scholar]), this study demonstrates that the effect depends on the factor intensity ranking between the tradable sector and the non-tradable sector. In this model, a change in the price of the tradable good at time 0 plays an important role to explain this result.     

Resolving the paradox of social standards and export competitiveness

Over the last decade there has been increasing international pressure on countries to raise ‘social standards’ (i.e. production standards based on environmental and labor conditions). Currently, the World Trade Organization does not allow countries to impose minimum standards on imports based on environmental or labor standards because it is assumed to undermine competition. There is no consensus in the empirical literature, however, to support this claim. In fact, the evidence suggests that while stronger environmental standards hurt competitiveness, stronger labor standards do the opposite. This paper offers one possible explanation for this paradox. In a simple model of incomplete information, externally imposed standards may either increase or decrease the competitiveness of infant firms from developing countries depending on the degree of complementarity between the standard and the production of high-quality goods.     

Options for African agriculture in an era of high food and energy prices

In a world of high food and energy prices, Africa has an imperative to do a better job feeding itself and ensuring that its people are food secure. At the same time, there is a new business opportunity to work with the private sector in developing the continent's potential to produce significantly more food, raw materials, and biofuels for regional and world markets. A challenge for African policy makers is to find the right balance between a food security and a business agenda, and to ensure that the business agenda engages with large numbers of small farms. Agricultural development requires many things, but the fundamentals for Africa are developing markets, increasing agricultural productivity, and managing volatility. This cannot happen at sufficient scale and speed without strong public sector leadership, enabling policies and investments, and well‐focused implementation strategies.     

陕西省耕地面积变化与粮食生产的相关性研究  ———基于1980～2010年的数据分析

我国的粮食生产与粮食安全问题一直是农业经济学界普遍关注的学术问题,结合耕地面积变化展开的研究也颇为多见,从全国到各省的分析皆有,但一般集中在粮食主产区省份.陕西省虽不是我国粮食主产区,但其耕地面积不小,因此对其耕地面积变化与粮食生产的相关性研究也有较强的现实意义.该文总结了陕西省耕地面积概况和粮食生产概况,以1980～2010年的数据为基础,选取了总量、年变化率等指标,分析了陕西省耕地面积与粮食产量的相关性问题.研究结果表明:认为近年来陕西省耕地面积、粮食总产量和人均粮食产量均呈现缓慢增加态势;虽然粮食单位面积产量、耕地面积变化对粮食总产的约束作用逐渐弱化,但粮食单位面积产量与粮食总产量的相关系数仍为高度相关.提出陕西省应该在未来一段时期内保持耕地面积的相对稳定,提高粮食单位面积产量.     

木质林产品进口与中国木材市场消费及木材生产关系的实证研究

根据协整理论和格兰杰因果检验方法,对中国木质林产品进口和国内木材市场消费量及木材年产量之间的关系进行了实证研究。分析结果表明:中国木质林产品进口与木材消费量及年产量之间存在长期稳定的均衡关系,同时在滞后期为1的情况下木质林产品进口与木材市场消费量和木材年产量之间存在单向的格兰杰因果关系。据此,在分析国内木材供需的基础上,提出了大力发展人工林、提高木材利用率、优化进口市场结构等对策建议,以解决对进口木材依赖的问题。     

农业资源禀赋的地区差异与农业FDI的区位选择——基于中国省际数据的实证研究

本文采用PanelData模型和中国农业FDI的省际数据,对农业资源禀赋的地区差异与农业FDI的区位选择的关系进行了实证研究。研究结果表明,农业资源非均衡分布,尤其是农业自然资源的地区差异,是导致农,2kFDI地区分布差异的根本原因。农,2kFDI一般都定位于农业自然资源丰裕的地区,然而当外商过度集中于这些地区时,可利用资源数量将会减少,获取资源的成本也会增加,进而诱发农,_lkFDI的空间转移。这可以在很大程度上解释农＆FDI为什么会从东部扩散到中部、由南方转移到北方的原因。农业外资政策制定的关键是合理引导外商投资与区域农业资源合理匹配,以促进跨国公司参与农业的积极影响。     

农户安全农产品生产意识研究——以海南省为例

近几年来,各种农用药剂的超标、违规使用,成为农产品质量安全问题的根源。本文基于对海南省649户冬季瓜菜种植农户的一手调研数据,建立结构方程模型（SEM）,对农户的农产品安全生产意识及其若干影响因素进行了实证分析。研究结果表明农户禀赋和政府服务与规制是影响衣户安全农产品生产意识的主要原因,两者不仅直接影响衣户的安全衣产品生产意识,更可以通过间接影响农户已有的用药习惯和农户认知产生进一步的作用。同时,农户认知和衣户已有的用药习惯作为影响农户安全生产意识的第三和第四大因素,不仅不仅受到农户禀赋的影响,也受到政府服务与规制的制约。进一步完善政府的服务与规制是提高农户安全生产意识的重要途径。     

农业强省战略下广东现代农业技术推广体系：现状与趋势

广东实施农业强省战略具有必然性和可能性,而农业强省战略的实施需要现代农业技术推广体系作为支撑。广东农业技术推广体系在现代农业发展中发挥了重要作用,但仍存在诸多不足,乐昌市与惠东县对基层农技推广体系改革的尝试,为广东现代农业技术推广体系的完善和建设提供了借鉴。     

珠三角农业流动人口“代耕农”权益保护问题研究

“代耕农”群体存在承租权、政治参与权、子女受教育权以及社会保障权等权益方面存在严重缺失问题。本文以珠三角农业流动人口“代耕农”群体为例,分析我国农业流动人口“代耕农”权益缺失问题及其成因,在此基础上提出完善我国“代耕衣”权益保护的建议。