Sources of Growth in East African Agriculture

A dynamic agricultural sector is critical for alleviating Sub-SaharanAfrica's current economic crisis, and for laying the foundationsof sustained future growth. In recent years, however, agriculturehas performed poorly in many African countries. Efforts to assistits recovery, often through structural adjustment lending, havesuffered from inadequate information about country- and region-specificfactors, and from an emphasis on macroeconomic policies withoutcomplementary interventions at the sector level. The articledescribes the patterns of agricultural growth in Kenya, Malawi,and Tanzania, and examines price and nonprice aspects of threesets of factors: initial endowments and subsequent exogenousdevelopments, general economic influences, and sectoral issuesand policies. It suggests that government action at the sectoraland subsectoral levels in such critical areas as land policy,smallholders' access to inputs, and agricultural research needsto be combined with macroeconomic reforms to achieve sustainedand broadbased agricultural growth.     

Farm-Level Economic Performance of Genetically Modified Cotton in Maharashtra, India

A study of the commercial growing of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton in India, compares the performance of over 9,000 Bt and non-Bt cotton farm plots in Maharashtra over the 2002 and 2003 seasons. Results show that since their commercial release in 2002, Bt cotton varieties have had a significant positive impact on average yields and on the economic performance of cotton growers. Regional variation showed that, in a very few areas, not all farmers had benefited from increased performance of Bt varieties.     

Employee Relations and the Likelihood of Occurrence of Corporate Financial Distress

Abstract:   In this paper, we investigate the association of employee relations with the occurrence of onset of financial distress. We argue that if adverse economic conditions arise, firms that have maintained good employee relations will be more effective in obtaining temporary labor concessions. As a result, firms with good employee relations, to the extent they are dependent on labor in the conduct of business operations, should be more likely to avoid the onset of future financial distress. The empirical findings we document support this prior.     

Integrated Strategy Approach for Poverty Alleviation: A Paramount Priority for Africa

Abstract: This paper examines the nature and extent of poverty in Africa. It recognizes that poverty in the region is essentially a rural phenomenon and women are disproportionately affected. The paper argues for an integrated strategy approach to poverty alleviation in Africa which deals with the problem of poverty uprooting at three levels: 1) on those which can be addressed by an effective long term strategy of rapid and broad based economic growth; 2) those which require active population and human resource development policy; 3) and those which need special programs to uproot poverty Résumé: Ce document examine la nature et la portée de la pauvreté en Afrique. Il reconnait que la pauvreté est essentiellement dans la région un phénomène rural et les femmes sont disproportionnellement touchées. Le document plaide en faveur d'une approche de stratégic intégrée de la lutte contre la pauvreté en Afrique qui traite des problèmes d'eradication de la pauvretéà trois niveaux: 1) ceux qu'on peut résoudre par une stratégic efficace à long terme de croissance économique rapide et à base étendue; 2) ceux qui exigent une politique active de developpement de la population et des ressources humaines; 3) ceux qui ont besoin de programmes spéciaux pour extirper la pauvreté.     

RESOURCE PRODUCTIVITY,RETURNS TO SCALE AND FARM SIZE IN INDIAN AGRICULTURE: SOME RECENT EVIDENCE*

A perceptible technological transformation has been under way in India during the last few years. The output of total foodgrains increased sharply between 1967-68 and 1970-71 over previous years. There is enough evidence to show that the technological change has resulted in an upward shift in production functions for major crops, especially for wheat.     

CEO Influence and Executive Compensation

The sales-maximization hypothesis and the shareholder wealth-maximization hypothesis have been suggested in prior finance literature to explain the determinants of CEO pay. This paper proposes that CEO influence over the board is an additional explanation for the size of CEO pay. Evidence from the 1989–1991 period indicates that CEO pay is positively related to measures of CEO influence over the board. Results of this study suggest that CEO salary levels are mostly a function of CEO influence over the board, the growth in sales and the size of the firm.