The Redistributive Effects of Agricultural Policy on Scottish Farm Incomes

This paper focuses on the measurement of the redistributive effects of agricultural policy, proposing measures to characterise and quantify these effects that are based on the change in absolute value of the Gini coefficient. An illustrative study shows that the distribution of support in Scotland in 1999/2000 was regressive with respect to pre‐support farm incomes. Nevertheless, the provision of support would have had an equalising effect on farm incomes but for the resulting changes in the ranking of farms within the income distribution. Reranking not only makes ‘coupled’ support policies ineffective but also inefficient as redistributive instruments.     

Distortions to World Trade: Impacts on Agricultural Markets and Farm Incomes

The latest versions of the Global Trade Analysis Project database and the Linkage model of the global economy (projected to 2015) are used to estimate the impact of removing all merchandise trade distortions (including agricultural subsidies). Results suggest that a move to free merchandise trade would increase farm employment, the real value of agricultural output and exports, real returns to farm land and unskilled labor, and real net farm incomes in developing countries. This would occur despite the decline in international terms of trade for some developing countries that are net food importers or are enjoying preferential access to agricultural markets of high-income countries.     

The Impact of Bank Mergers on Canadian Farm and Rural Communities

This paper initiates a discussion on the probable impacts of bank mergers on farms and rural commu- nities in Canada. Motivated by the early 1998 merger announcements by four of Canada's largest banks, this paper identifies the economic drivers behind merger activity, and then addresses specific issues related to agriculture. Although the proposed mergers were canceled by the end of 1998, our research and analysis indicates that the overall effect would not have been grossly negative and in many aspects would have been positive. Subsequent attempts to merge banks are likely, and the discussion and analysis of this paper provide a basis to analyze and discuss the merger issue.
Nous examinons les impacts éventuels des fusions bancaires sur les fermes et sur les collectivités rurales au Canada. Inspirés par les projets de fusion fails au début de 1998 par quatre des principales banques du pays, nous dégageons les forces économiques sous-tendant ces projets, pour ensuite nous arreter sur les questions qu'elles impliquentpour le secteur agricole. Même si ces projets n'ontpas eu de suite dans l'immédiat, nos recherches et notre analyse montrent que les conséquences génerales de telles fusions n'auraient pas été catastrophiques et que même, sur de nombreux aspects elles auraient été positives. Comme d'autres tentatives de fusion bancaire verront très probablement le jour, la présente analyse apporte d'ores et déjà une base d'examen de toute la question.     

The Environmental Impact of European Farming: How Legitimate Are Agri-Environmental Payments?

Offering agri-environmental payments to address the various positive and negative environmental nonmarket effects of European Union agriculture might be an efficient way of dealing with market imperfections. However, the complex interaction between farming practices and agri-environmental effects makes it difficult to assess what level of payments is justified under World Trade Organization's Green Box provisions. In reviewing the literature on positive and negative externalities of European farming on the environment, we find evidence to suggest that paying for agri-environmental improvements may be appropriate under the Green Box provisions, even if the payments have a positive production effect.     

Off-Farm Labor Participation Decisions of Married Farm Couples and the Role of Government Payments

The determinants of off-farm work by married farm couples are examined using data from the 2004 Agricultural Resource Management Survey and multinomial logistic regression. Expected government payment is found important in decreasing the likelihood of off-farm work strategies involving work by the husband only or by both husband and wife relative to a strategy of no work by either husband or wife. The marginal impact of government payments on the probability of the wife working off farm alone is found positive suggesting the possibility of nonpecuniary motives for off-farm employment for 21% of farm households in the selected weighted sample.     

村庄直接民主对农村居民幸福感的影响

运用中国中西部地区4个省8个县64个村庄956个农村居民的调查数据,本文探讨了村庄直接民主对农村居民幸福感的影响。研究发现:村庄直接民主能够显著增加农村居民幸福感,村民大会召开次数每增加1个百分点带来的幸福感增加相当于农村居民家庭年人均纯收入增加1.62个百分点带来的幸福感增加;把穷人与非穷人分开进行分析时,村庄直接民主对非穷人的幸福感有显著的正向影响,但对穷人幸福感的增加没有显著影响。因此,本文认为,在客观条件允许的情况下,发展村庄直接民主仍是必要的,并应采取适当的政策促使村庄直接民主能够增进穷人的幸福。     

The Technical Efficiency Impact of Farm Credit Programmes: A Case Study of Northern Germany

We analyse the technical efficiency of dairy farms in Schleswig‐Holstein that took part in the European Farm Credit Programme over the period 1987 to 1994. One goal of this programme is to increase the productivity of farms. We test whether participants show higher technical efficiency. We utilise a stochastic frontier model that allows for heteroscedasticity and estimation of determinants of technical inefficiency. Statistical tests indicate dominance of this model over alternative specifications. On average, we observe a high level of technical efficiency between 1987–94, but participation in the programme has rather led to a slight decrease. Thus, the programme seems to have failed to increase the competitiveness of farms.     

农村居民收入水平及其分配差距的实证分析

近几年,市场需求不旺已成为制约经济发展的根本因素,如何刺激市场需求已成为政府及理论界关注的焦点,增加收入是刺激消费需求不断增加、经济持续增长的最有效手段。作为一个拥有9亿农民的农业大国,农民收入水平及其分配状况直接关系扩大内需政策的落实,关系国民经济持续快速增长,关系国民经济发展战略目标的实现,影响农民收入的因素是多方面的,农产品价格水平、农业剩余劳动力转移及城市化水平等均是影响农民收入水平及分配差距的重要因素,目前对农民收入与消费需求之间、农民收入影响因素作用程度的系统研究仍然不多,而且都停留在一般认识上,缺乏定量的实证分析,本文试图就以下几个经济变量关系进行量化分析：一是研究农民消费倾向现状,分析农民收入水平及分配状况对农村居民边际消费倾向（MPC）、平均消费倾向（APC）的影响程度;二是对影响农村居民收入水平及收入分配差距的因素进行实证分析,测算因素弹性系数,为有关部门制定政策提供有益参考。     

The Impact of Coupled and Decoupled Government Subsidies on Off-Farm Labor Participation of U.S. Farm Operators

With the 1996 Farm Act, the United States introduced payments that were designed to be "decoupled." Labor allocation choices are likely to be affected by receipt of payments, and income from off-farm jobs has been the major source of income for most farm households for sometime. This article examines whether the 1996 change has affected the off-farm labor participation of farm households. We conclude that the observed increase in off-farm participation of farm operators who received payments was not the result of the 1996 policy change. Government payments, whether coupled or decoupled, have a negative effect on off-farm labor participation.     

The Transformation of Work on the Family Farm

The family farm is not simply a structure — it is also an adjustment and negotiation process that has varying degrees of success. In our society, formal training is becoming a prerequisite — many believe one needs a diploma to become a competent farmer. However, the denigration of “on-the-job training” undermines an essential facet of learning to be a farmer and debases the acquired skills of many farmer “artisans”. With the strong swing to link formal training and identity, many farmers create negative identities for themselves because they feel forced to define themselves socially on the basis of their level of formal schooling. The challenge for the future is to recognize, to integrate and to valorize formal abstract knowledge and the know-how that is acquired and passed to the next generation through practice.     

美国70年来农产品立法与农产品常平仓计划的现实意义

本文回顾了新政以来美国农产品立法和相应的农产品常平仓计划的内容,显示70年来美国政府通过不断立法和实施农产品常平仓计划,保证了美国农业在世界上具有较强的竞争力。建议我国也应通过立法形式,建立现代意义的农产品常平仓,稳定农产品生产,解决农民收入低问题。     

充分发挥战略性结构调整对农民增收的主导作用——江苏、湖北、安徽三省的调查分析与政策建议

千方百计增加农民收入,是2001年农业和农村经济工作中心任务。我们最近就这一问题分别对江苏、湖北、安徽三省进行了调查,除了解三省面上的情况外,我们还调查了江苏苏南的常良市、苏北的东台市和苏中的兴化市,湖北的粮棉大县仙桃市和属于丘陵地区的宜昌县,以及安徽省沿江的和县,沿淮的国家级贫困县寿县和地处江淮之间的全椒县,选择调查的县市,基本上能反映各省的总体情况,在与各级政府部门进行座谈的同时,调查组还进村进户了解基层农民的实际情况和想法,通过调查,我们感到,尽管近年三省农民增收遇到了很多困难,但如何促使农民收入增长工,各地的工作也有很多“亮点”。尤其是各省紧紧依靠战略性结构调整实现农民增收,给我们留下了非常深刻的印象。     

Conservation Payments, Liquidity Constraints, and Off-Farm Labor: Impact of the Grain-for-Green Program on Rural Households in China

This study evaluates the labor response of rural households participating in the Grain-for-Green program in China, the largest payments for ecosystem services program in the developing world. Using a panel data set that we designed and implemented, we find that the participating households are increasingly shifting their labor endowment from on-farm work to the off-farm labor market. However, the effects vary depending on the initial level of human and physical capital. The results support the view that one reason why the participants are more likely to find off-farm employment is because the program is relaxing households' liquidity constraints.     

农产品价格变化对贫困地区农户收入的影响

自上世纪 90年代末开始的我国农产品价格连年下降 ,成为农民增收幅度减缓的重要原因之一。最近两年农产品价格开始有恢复性增长迹象 ,人们开始关注农民收入增长幅度会不会随农产品价格上升而加大。虽然学术界已有很多这方面的研究 ,但针对农产品价格变化究竟对贫困地区农民收入以及收入结构有多大程度的影响等方面的实证分析比较少。笔者利用近两年对贫困地区农户调查的第一手资料 ,针对上述问题进行了深入细致的描述和分析。本文的资料主要来自 2 0 0 1年重庆黔江地区 5个县 875户的调查。该地区位于重庆东南部的山区 ,5个县均为国定贫困县…