LABOUR PRODUCTIVITY AND CONCENTRATION IN THE FOOD PROCESSING INDUSTRIES

The most obvious reason for studying labour productivity is that it can reasonably be regarded as one of the dimensions of market performance: firms which exhibit a high rate of increase of labour productivity are, other things being equal, “better” than firms with a low rate of increase. Similarly, concentration, a dimension of market structure, can be regarded as having normative implications. Although the selection of these variables as being worthwhile ones for study clearly rests on their value as normative indicators, the scope of this paper is essentially positive in content. Its purposes are: first, to provide estimates of changes in labour productivity and of changes in concentration in the food processing industries in the decade 1954-63; second, to attempt to test various hypotheses concerning the causes of different rates of change of productivity (including the hypothesis that increasing concentration has helped to raise productivity); and in conclusion to consider some of the possible effects of productivity changes.     

STRUCTURE AND PERFORMANCE OF THE UK FOOD AND DRINK INDUSTRIES

This paper analyses the structural characteristics of the food and drink industries and assesses their recent economic performance. Although classified among the less technologically intensive group of British manufacturing industries, the food and drink industries are found to share many of the features of the more technologically intensive group, such as product differentiation, product diversification and advertising intensity. They are also found to have achieved above-average growth in labour and total factor productivity through expansion in size, capital accumulation and shedding of labour.     

GAINS FROM TRADE IN INTERMEDIATE INPUTS IN THE UK FOOD SYSTEM

In this paper we report estimates of the specialisation gains associated with trade in intermediate agricultural and food inputs. A Vertically Integrated Sectors (VIS) modelling approach is employed to compare the levels of factors required to produce imported intermediate inputs domestically with those required to produce the “compensating” exports needed to purchase the imported intermediates. On the basis of the 1979 UK input-output tables, an average of 10.6 per cent fewer factors would have been required in agriculture and 2.2 per cent fewer in food processing with trade in intermediate inputs than without. The results support the view that the promotion of domestic production of agricultural inputs via import substitution would be costly.     

SELF-SUFFICIENCY AND FOOD SECURITY IN THE UK AND EC PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

The political strength in the EC and UK of the belief that high levels of self-sufficiency make food supplies more secure is demonstrated and explained. The relationship is examined analytically and critically, taking particular account of the priority of food, adjustment costs, and linkages between agriculture and other sectors. The need for a policy of food security in Western Europe is discussed in relation to military, crop and trade uncertainties. Finally, the elements of a more rational policy, including measures of storage, procurement and production independence, are outlined.     

THE UK FOOD CHAIN WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO THE INTER-RELATIONS BETWEEN MANUFACTURERS AND DISTRIBUTORS

The paper considers developments over the past decade in the major elements that make up the UK food chain beyond the farm gate, looking at food consumption and the characteristics of food demand, the aggregate marketing margin, and providing a more detailed exploration of the present structure of food manufacturing and distribution. Following an account of the rapid rate of structural change in food retailing and wholesaling, developments in the relationships between distributors and manufacturers are discussed with comments on competition legislation.     

浅谈国有粮食购销企业建立健全法人治理结构问题

在新一轮深化粮食流通体制改革过程中,随着企业“三老”等历史包袱的化解和企业经营机制的转换,建立健全法人治理结构问题将凸显出来。解决好这个问题,实现出资人对经营者的有效监管,转换企业经营机制、搞活企业经营、实现国有资产保值增值才有保证,国有粮食购销企业的改革才能取得最终的成功。在实际工作中,建立健全法人治理结构,应从以下两大方面去努力:一、解决好认识问题,建立健全法人治理结构责任感和主动性通俗地讲,法人治理结构是指出资人对企业董事会、监事会、经营班子等机构的设置及其权力和责任的划分,从而形成一种既相互配合又…     

TOTAL FACTOR PRODUCTIVITY IN UK AGRICULTURE, 1967-90

Indices of total factor productivity (TFP) measure aggregate output per unit of aggregate input, providing a guide to the efficiency of agricultural production. This paper outlines the relationship between production functions and TFP indices. An index for the period 1967-90, constructed from the UK aggregate agricultural accounts, shows that TFP grew at an average rate of 1.9% per annum and that TFP growth has increased since the UK joined the European Community. At the aggregate level, this change seems to be explained by increased aggregate output and decreased aggregate input, in about equal proportions. Disaggregation shows the intensification effect of the CAP price regime. There has been rapid growth in the output of farm crops, relative to other enterprises, and in the use of agricultural chemicals.     

FOOD,TECHNOLOGY AND EMPLOYMENT: THE FARM-LEVEL POST-HARVEST SYSTEM IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

The prevention of food loss in the farm-level post-harvest system has become an objective of food policy in many developing countries. This objective is founded on the allegations that food losses are high, that technology is available to prevent or reduce these losses and that, as a consequence, hungry people will be less hungry. This paper first reviews the development of this policy objective. It then goes on to argue that this formulation of post-harvest policy is inaccurate and frequently misleading. Evidence on the levels of food loss under traditional practices, and on the costs and benefits of technical change, show that at farm level cost reduction is the chief influence on technological choice; from a social perspective, employment and hence income distribution considerations are often the decisive factor in evaluating new techniques.     

THE ALMOST IDEAL DEMAND SYSTEM: AN APPLICATION TO FOOD AND MEAT GROUPS FOR FRANCE

This paper presents the results from estimating an Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) for food and meat for France. Since AIDS is indirectly non-additive and consistent with the requirements of demand theory as well as having other desirable characteristics, it is an appropriate choice for examining food and meat demand. A particular advantage of AIDS is that its linear approximation is an excellent first-order approximation to the complete system and this version is used in the present paper. Income and price elasticities are presented, calculated at both their mean value and at different points to examine possible changes in patterns of demand behaviour.     

COINTEGRATION,AND CAUSALITY: EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AGRICULTURAL AND PRODUCTIVITY

This study investigates the causal relationships between total factor productivity (TFP) and explanatory variables, such as public sector agricultural extension, farmer education, private sector patents and the weather. Cointegration and Granger causality tests are applied to the UK data which were used by Hallam (1990). Unlike Hallam, we find that there is a relationship between research spending and productivity. The same methodology is applied to new data for ten EC countries and the USA. In all cases there is evidence of a long run relationship between TFP and. Pooling the data for the ten EC countries and the USA, and then testing for causality shows that expenditures are Granger prior to TFP and that TFP is also Granger prior to expenditures. This result agrees with Pardey and Craig's (1989) US study.     

PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH IN AGRICULTURE (REVISITED): A MEASUREMENT FRAMEWORK AND SOME EMPIRICAL RESULTS

This paper explores the methodology of sectoral productivity growth measurement within the framework of input-output analysis. A method which ensures that sectoral productivity growth rates are consistent with productivity growth rates for the economy as a whole (as well as allowing for external trade) is suggested. New estimates are presented on total factor productivity in UK agriculture using a Tornqvist index procedure. In addition, new estimates of agricultural labour productivity growth are presented, taking account not only of labour employed in agriculture but also of labour employed in ancillary industries on the supply side. The empirical results confirm that part of the labour previously employed on farms has shifted “upstream” to industries providing agriculture with fertilises, machinery and other inputs.     

A COMPARISON OF THREE NONPARAMETRIC MEASURES OF PRODUCTIVITY GROWTH IN EUROPEAN AND UNITED STATES AGRICULTURE

Productivity growth is an important source of improvements in the standard of living. In this paper, we compare three nonparametric measures of productivity, namely the Fisher, the Hulten and the Malmquist measure. Our application of these measures to the agricultural sectors of nine EC countries and the US over the period 1973 to 1989 yield similar patterns of productivity growth.     

DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FOOD MANUFACTURING AND DISTRIBUTIVE INDUSTRIES

This paper, in reviewing developments in food manufacturing and distribution, discusses trends in the overall demand for food, particularly the increase in demand for convenience foods. Along with this has gone an increased concentration of power in both the food manufacturing and distributive industries. The economic performance of these industries and the role of price competition is considered together with the possible consequences of polarisation of power between food manufacturers and distributors.