Adoption of food safety measures on milk production in Nepal: Impact on smallholders’ farm-gate prices and profitability

One way to ensure food safety is by enhancing compliance at the farm level. This study investigates the status, estimates the cost, identifies the determinants, and assesses the impact of compliance with food safety measures (FSM) in milk production in Nepal. The study is based on primary data collected from six high milk producing districts that captures the geographical and institutional diversity of milk production. Results show that the status of farm level compliance with FSM is not very encouraging. Also, the intensity of adoption of FSM exhibits significant inter- and intra-district variations. It varies positively with herd size but the additional cost of compliance with FSM varies negatively with herd size. Among other determinants, access to information, and incidence of inspection for conformity with safety and quality standards are also associated with higher adoption of FSM. Finally, we also estimate the impact of FSM on farm-gate prices and farmers’ profits and conduct several robustness checks.     

基于ESDA方法与空间计量模型的房价溢出效应分析

一个地区房价的波动可以通过时间滞后传递到其他地区,从而产生房价溢出效应。本文以我国31个省际区域2005～2014年的数据为样本,运用探索性空间数据分析（ESDA）对31个省的房价空间分布格局及演变态势进行分析。然后运用空间计量模型分析我国省际房价变动的影响因素,并从地理因素和经济因素两个方面研究房价溢出效应。研究结果表明：中国31个省域间的房价存在明显的空间相关性;地区的城市化率、城镇就业人员平均货币工资、二、三产业产值占GDP比重对房价有显著的影响,房价存在显著的空间溢出效应,经济距离对地区房价影响比地理距离的影响更显著。     

Economic Policy Uncertainty and House Prices: Evidence from Geographical Regions of England and Wales

This article empirically investigates the effect of the economic policy uncertainty on house prices across 10 different geographical regions of England and Wales. The empirical study is conducted by means of the autoregressive distributed lag bounds cointegration test. Results show a stable long‐run relationship (cointegration) between house prices and its determinants (including economic policy uncertainty) in nine of the regions. Results also evince long‐ and short‐term negative effect of uncertainty to house prices. These results clearly indicate the importance of economic policy uncertainty in the determination of UK house prices and demand.     

Pricing process as a capability: a resource‐based perspective

Strategists following the resource‐based view argue that firms can generate rents through value creation. To create value, firms develop and use resources and capabilities that other firms cannot imitate, trade for, or substitute other assets for. Even a firm that has created value, however, may not capture the potential rents associated with that value. To capture rents, a firm must set the right prices for what it sells. Most views of pricing assume that a firm can readily set appropriate prices. In contrast, we argue that pricing is a capability. To develop the ability to set the right prices, a firm must invest in resources and routines. We base our argument on a study of the pricing process of a large Midwestern manufacturing firm. We show that pricing resources, routines, and skills may help or inhibit a firm in setting the right price—and hence in appropriating value created. Our view of pricing as a capability contributes to the resource‐based view because it suggests that strategists should consider the portfolio of value creation and value appropriation capabilities a firm uses to create competitive advantage. Our view also contributes to economics because it suggests that strategic decisions about pricing capabilities have important implications for a fundamental economic action, determining prices. Managers in firms without effective pricing processes may be unable to set prices that reflect the wishes of its customers, so the customers may misuse their resources. As a result, resources may be used ineffectively. Our view of pricing as a capability therefore takes the resource‐based‐view straight to the heart of what is perhaps the central economic question: the best use of resources. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Commodity price inflation, retail pass-through and market power

When commodity prices rise, wholesalers and retailers of products derived from basic commodities respond by passing along at least a portion of the price increase to consumers. In this paper we examine whether firms respond differently to positive commodity price shocks than to negative commodity price shocks; that is, whether commodity price volatility alters market power. We exploit recent volatility in food commodity prices over the period 2007-2010 to investigate how commodity price shocks translate into market power in two different vertically-structured food product industries: potatoes and fluid milk. For potatoes, we find both wholesale and retail market power decreases (increases) during periods of rising (falling) commodity prices. Moreover, price-cost margins widen a substantially greater degree in response to negative shocks than margins narrow in response to positive shocks, indicating that commodity price volatility increases market power. For fluid milk, we find that market power likewise declines during periods of rising commodity prices; however, market power does not significantly change during periods of falling commodity prices, suggesting that commodity price volatility decreases market power.     

Human milk supply in Australia

This paper aims to place a monetary value on the actual and potential supply of human milk in Australia. It estimates the quantity of milk produced in 1992. It considers different bases for determining a `shadow price' for breastmilk, and uses the method established by Oshaug and Botten (Food Policy 19(5), (1994), 479–482). It also calculates scenarios for different prevalences of breastfeeding, looking at the implications on the human milk supply of Australia achieving its National Health Targets, of all mothers breastfeeding according to the optimum regime recommended by the WHO and UNICEF in the Innocenti Declaration of 1990, or of a return to the `human milk famine' of the early 1970s. It concludes that Australian women supplied 33 million kg of breastmilk in 1992, compared to 16 million kg in 1972. Valued at A$67 per litre (the price of expressed human milk) the 1992 production level was worth $2.2 billion. This is around 0.5% of GDP, or 6% of private spending on food. Achieving international standards for `optimal' levels of breastfeeding, with breastfeeding continuing up to age two and beyond, would nearly triple the supply of human milk.     

ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF RETAILER STORE BRAND PRESENCE ON MANUFACTURER BRANDS IN AN EQUILIBRIUM FRAMEWORK*

This article assesses the impact of retailer store brand products on manufacturer brand prices, profitability and consumer welfare in Boston's white fluid milk market. Estimates from a random coefficients logit demand model are used to specify and test a set of pricing games. Under the selected model, milk manufacturers are Stackelberg leaders to retailers, and store brand milks are procured by retailers at cost. The model is used to investigate counterfactual markets without retailer store brand milks. Counterfactual Simulation results indicate that store brands increase channel profits, retailer profits and consumer welfare, while having mixed effects on equilibrium retail prices.     

Assessing the Market Value of Real Estate Property with a Geographically Weighted Stochastic Frontier Model

In this study we consider the problem of sellers, buyers and real estate appraisers in determining the price for a house, taking into account the characteristics of the house and its location as well as the goals of these three different parties. The appraiser's job is to determine the fair market value of the house, while the buyer and seller want to find, respectively, the lowest and highest feasible price for it. We combine recent developments in geography and econometrics to develop an approach that determines local estimates of property values from the perspectives of the buyer, seller and appraiser, taking into account the characteristics of the house as well as its location. We illustrate our approach analyzing closing prices in one residential real estate market.     

俄罗斯国内天然气价格改革及其影响

俄罗斯政府从2006年开始基于市场化原则发展国内天然气市场,进行价格改革,除了保留对居民用户的气价管控外,非居民用户气价开始从政府管控向定价公式转变,定价公式基于国外国内销售同等收益的原则与国际成品油价格挂钩.俄政府允许部分天然气在商品交易所按自由价格出售,并将逐步从管控气价转为管控管输费用.俄国内气价的市场化发展加大了我国引进俄罗斯天然气资源的难度.     

A Methodology for Constructing Vacant Land Price Indices

Existing estimates of movements in vacant land prices are limited to a few metropolitan areas and infrequent time intervals. This paper develops a new methodology for estimating vacant land price trends for subareas within states and metropolitan areas. It utilizes data from a sales ratio study, a large database available in most states. The methodology uses assessed value to control for "hedonic characteristics" associated with the property and its location. A model is developed to correct assessed value for measurement errors. Statistical results for forty-one Connecticut towns indicate that the model provides a reasonable compromise between data availability and accuracy of price trend estimates.     

TARGETED ADVERTISING: THE ROLE OF SUBSCRIBER CHARACTERISTICS IN MEDIA MARKETS*

This paper seeks to establish the importance of targeted advertising in media markets. Using zip‐code level circulation for U.S. newspapers, I show that newspapers facing more competition have lower circulation prices but higher advertising prices than similar newspapers facing little or no competition. I explain this by showing that newspapers in more competitive markets are better able to segment readers according to their location and demographics. This leads to greater homogeneity in the characteristics of subscribers and raises advertisers' willingness to pay for such readers. The results imply a substantial benefit to advertisers and media firms from targeted advertising.     

Why Agency Costs Explain Diversification Discounts

We study diversificsation within the real estate industry because of its relative transparency: portfolio management of assets with well-defined market prices. Diversification is over property types and geographical regions. The major cause of the diversification discount is not diversification per se but anticipated costs due to rent dissipation in future diversifying acquisitions. Firms expected to pursue nonfocusing strategies do indeed diversify more, are valued ex ante at a 20% discount over firms anticipated to follow a focusing strategy, are predominantly privately controlled and use dual-class shares extensively. The ex ante diversification discount is, therefore, a measure of agency costs.     

More theory,in theory

An important aspect of the milk and dairy industry in the European Community is the reaction of milk producers to milk prices. In theory farmers behave like the economic man of basic economic textbooks. In practice, farmers behave quite differently, ie they increase their production when prices fall. For policy makers in the field of dairy products it is essential to know the reaction of the farming industry. Surprisingly this information is not available in the EEC; there are various opinions and estimates but they are heavily disputed. However, we now have the results of a study which can settle the dispute.¹ It is interesting to see the results and to notice that there really is a fundamental problem involved, ie how to discriminate between economic models.     

The Sensitivity of Capital Use to Price in Higher Education

We test whether U.S. colleges and universities adjust their physical capital intensity to differences in factor prices by regressing the square feet of space per student on construction prices across institutions. The results indicate that physical space at selective liberal arts colleges and private comprehensive universities is unresponsive to relative factor prices but do reflect differences in institutional wealth. At public comprehensive universities and two-year colleges the evidence suggests that students enjoy more space per student where building costs are lower.     

The Subsequent Market Value of Former REO Properties

In this study, we find the subsequent price for a property initially sold as a real estate owned (REO) property occurs at market prices. The subsequent price to the REO purchaser is related to indicators that the property has been remodeled, renovated, or updated. This suggests that the difference between the price received by servicers/lenders that foreclose and sell a REO property, and the price received by subsequent property owners that sell is in large part due to timely improvements made postforeclosure. Lenders are not selling REO properties at irrational prices, but rather at prices that reflect the condition of the properties.     

What is the intrinsic value of fertilizer? Experimental value elicitation and decomposition in the hill and terai regions of Nepal

We use Becker-DeGroot-Marshak value elicitation methods to derive the intrinsic value that farmers in Nepal place on fertilizers. Eliciting values under three distinct procurement scenarios, we are able to decompose the total intrinsic value of fertilizer into a willingness-to-pay (WTP) to travel to procure fertilizer, a WTP for assured fertilizer supplies, and a WTP for the productivity benefits of fertilizer. Disaggregating our sample according to location (hills versus terai), we are able to estimate differences in total intrinsic value as well as value components along these geographical dimensions. While farmers in the hills are generally willing to pay more for urea than their counterparts in the terai, the total amount they are willing to pay is, on average, less than the market price for urea. We explore heterogeneity in valuations and discuss the implications of our findings on fertilizer procurement and distribution policies, as well as direct support policies that the Nepal government may consider. While support policies such as subsidies may encourage increased utilization of fertilizers, policies that lower barriers to private sector entry and increase the density of fertilizer retailers could also increase fertilizer utilization.     

Transportation, Sorting and House Values

In this paper, we examine the importance of accessibility to employment and transportation system attributes for residential location choice, car ownership and house values. Using the 1980 Census of Housing and Journey to Work data merged with transportation system data, we find strong evidence of residential sorting based on employment location. We find that suburban areas with good commuter rail access to the CBD have significantly greater fractions of their labor force working in the CBD, own fewer cars and have higher house prices than similar neighborhoods and houses in census tracts without service. The house value premium is over 6.4%.     

Private and public milk standards in Argentina and Brazil

This article focuses on the development of public and private standards for milk as an input to the dairy processing sector in Argentina and Brazil. From 1950 to 1990, the dominant trend was the development of public standards for basic safety and hygiene of milk. These induced the incipient modernization of dairy farming, post harvest, and processing technologies, even though implementation of the regulations was only partial. The dairy sectors were liberalized and privatized circa 1990. This spurred the rapid rise of private standards set by large processors over the 1990s and into the 2000s. These standards are much more stringent than public standards, and induced rapid concentration at the processing and farm levels due to stiff investment requirements. In Brazil, private standards were set mainly to drive down costs in the supply chain in order to reduce the consumer prices in the mass commodities market. In Argentina, private standards were used to develop quality differentiation in the product market. In both countries, in the 2000s a debate has emerged on new roles and approaches for public standards.     

PRICES,SPATIAL COMPETITION AND HETEROGENEOUS PRODUCERS: AN EMPIRICAL TEST*

Homogeneous‐producer models attribute lower prices in denser markets solely to lower optimal markups. I argue here that when producers have different production costs, competition‐driven selection on costs also reduces prices. This selection mechanism can be distinguished from the homogenous‐producer case because it implies that higher density leads not only to lower average prices, but to declines in upper‐bound prices and price dispersion as well. I find empirical support for this mechanism in the prices of ready‐mixed concrete plants. I also show these findings do not simply reflect lower factor prices in dense markets, but result instead because dense‐market producers are more efficient.