AIDS and food production in East and Central Africa: a research outline

AIDS has penetrated at least 42 countries in Africa. Death of Africans usually occurs within 3 years of diagnosis. Not much is currently known about the demographics of the disease or about its impact on economic and social behavior, farming, and food production. There is currently a food crisis in Africa, so it is appropriate to study how much of an impact this disease has on future food production. In order to study the problem, one must predict the spread of AIDS. 2nd, one must infer how labor loss effects current rural production. Labor loss will cause changes in organization of production, technology, and types of crops grown. As a crisis increases, certain groups will be cut out of the food distribution. Characterizations such as these allow the mapping of areas vulnerable to labor loss. Field analysis and modeling must substantiate the theories and predictions. This paper describes the research design which will be used by 2 researchers from the Overseas Development Group of the University of East Anglia to measure the impact of AIDS on food production, working initially in a high HIV - prevalent area in Uganda.     

Max weber revisited: Some lessons from East Asian capitalistic development

Weber's thesis of the incompatibility of the Confucian ethos and rational entrepreneurial capitalism has been challenged by the economic miracles of many East Asian countries. One thesis presented here is that Confucianism is compatible with and has facilitated Asian capitalism by its influence on managerial values and practices. According to Weber, the release of tensions created by Calvinism was an important motivating force in the development of capitalism in the Occident. Confucianism offers a parallel mechanism to the profit-seeking drive in Western capitalism. We show that, in Confucian societies, there also exists tensions — in this case, between ideals and reality. These tensions are released through the Confucian concept of a ceaseless pursuit of renovation, a motivational mechanism for the development of capitalism in East Asian societies that parallels the West. Weber held that the classic model of bureaucracy, with impersonality at its core, is essential to the development and continuation of capitalism. Our second thesis is that humanism is an important element in Confucian bureaucracy and that humanistic bureaucracy can be both effective and efficient for the development of capitalism.     

Viewpoint: “Customized competitiveness” strategies for horticultural exporters – Central America focus with lessons from and for other regions

This paper presents the idea of “customized competitiveness” as a strategy necessary for overall competitiveness in particular in globalized horticulture markets and in the “second round” of globalization that started in the mid/late 1990s. Customized competitiveness is additional and complementary to basic “structural competitiveness” that is the focus of competitiveness debates today and for the past decade. The paper illustrates the need for this new strategy, using the example of Central America, highlighting the severe challenges (similar to those facing other developing regions) it faces in the second round of globalization of horticulture markets, magnified by market liberalization culminating recently in implementation of CAFTA. The paper then illustrates “solutions” by providing examples of cutting-edge programs in various developing countries of de facto “customized competitiveness” in the form of public–private partnerships and the provision of public and semi-public goods, to help their exporters access and succeed in the new markets. We conclude with policy implications for Central America and other developing regions.     

Bribery and investment: Firm‐level evidence from Africa and Latin America

Research summary : Using a unique database that measures firm‐level bribery in Africa and Latin America, we corroborate extant results in the literature that paying bribes deters firm investments in fixed assets. Our contribution is to explore four mechanisms. By adopting a reverse causality approach (Gelman and Imbens, 2013), we find evidence consistent with one of them: short‐term oriented firms prefer to bribe rather than invest in fixed assets, while the opposite is true for firms with a long‐term orientation. We rule out that bribe payments drain financial resources for investment, that firms that invest do not bribe because fixed assets make them less flexible and more vulnerable to future bribes, and that less efficient firms bribe rather than invest. Managerial summary : We ask whether, along with ethical issues, bribing affects the behavior and performance of firms in Africa and Latin America. Our statistical analysis shows that bribe payments do not reduce the short‐term performance of firms, but frustrate investments in fixed assets, which is the foundation of firms' long‐term growth. It is like seeking a job via nepotism or education. Nepotism makes it likely to find a job in the short term. However, the solid skills generated by education raise the odds of finding better jobs in the future. We rule out some common explanations for the trade‐off between bribing and investment (e.g., bribes drain resources to invest or that less efficient firms bribe and do not invest). Our analysis suggests that firms with short‐term orientations are more likely to bribe and firms with long‐term orientation are more likely to invest. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

美国、日本等国家和中国台湾地区利率自由化的经验与启示

美国、日本、印度、智利等国家以及中国台湾地区利率自由化的经验与教训对中国利率市场化有着重要的启示。通过对其利率自由化步骤和过程的分析可以看出,金融市场比较成熟是其改革的前提,逐步放宽管制是其改革步骤,即在金融市场比较成熟的条件下推进利率自由化。中国不能直接照搬这些操作,而应该先培育金融市场,待实现利率市场化之后,再参考这些经验,深化利率改革。     

Food distribution systems: Evolution in Latin America and the Middle East

The author describes the characteristics of food distribution systems and practices in developing countries, with particular reference to Latin America and the Middle East. He also examines the characteristics of the environmental factors which have an influence on food distribution, and explores the relationship between the environmental factors and the specific characteristics of food distribution systems of developing countries. The intention is to show how structural and operational changes can be induced in the distribution systems of developing countries.     

非常规天然气财税激励政策：美国的经验与借鉴

在非常规天然气产业发展初期,美国政府对非常规天然气开发实施了包括价格激励和税收抵免在内的财税激励政策。这些政策增加了非常规天然气开发的经济效益,调动了生产商的积极性,促进了非常规天然气钻井活动和技术进步,对促进美国非常规天然气的发展起到了关键作用。财税优惠政策是政府在产业发展初期引导行业投资的重要手段。我国非常规天然气开发正处于起步期,急需相关政策和措施的支持与引导,有必要借鉴美国的做法,对非常规天然气进行定义和分类,制定相对统一的财税优惠政策。财税优惠的力度应该建立在对资源、技术和效益的分析基础之上,且优惠政策应该设置有效期和中止条件。     

世界生物燃料产业发展趋势及对中国的启示

全球生物燃料产业规模继续扩大,但经济动力受油价低位运行和市场需求疲软的影响而明显减弱。各国扶持政策保持延续并继续深化,大型石;由企业开始大力介入,技术研发取得积极进展,应用领域扩展到航空领域,推动了生物燃料产业加快升级转型。对生物燃料的社会环境影响的关注继续深化,可持续标准和认证开始施行并构成产业扶持及监管政策的核心内容,有可能重塑生物燃料产业和市场格局。生物燃料的全球化进程逐步推进,在贸易、投资和可持续标准等方面实现全球协调发展的呼声日益增强。中国应加大技术研发示范和财政支持力度,完善市场政策体系,有效推动非粮生物液体燃料的技术进步和产业化进程;积极主动参与关于生物燃料的国际研究、对话、政策协调甚至谈判,加强与相关国际机构在社会环境影响评价、可持续标准和认证、国际贸易政策等方面的沟通和合作,争取并维护自身利益,     

国际能源机构:中东与北非天然气供需展望

根据国际能源机构<2005年世界能源展望>参考情景的预测,2003～2030年中东与北非国家天然气需求总量将增加两倍,达到7670亿立方米.增量的大部分将用于天然气发电.石化原料和生产化肥所需的天然气将显著增加.截至2004年底,中东和北非地区探明天然气储量达到81万亿立方米,相当于世界总储量的45%.伊朗和卡塔尔两个国家拥有中东和北非2/3的储量,占世界总储量的1/3.预计2030年中东和北非地区的天然气产量将从2003年的3850亿立方米猛增到12100亿立方米,产量增长将主要来自卡塔尔、伊朗、阿尔及利亚和沙特阿拉伯.其中,到2010年,该地区1/3的天然气产量增长将来自卡塔尔和伊朗所分享的超巨型的北方/南帕斯气田.中东和北非的天然气净出口量预计将从2003年的970亿立方米增长到2010年的1880亿立方米和2030年的4440亿立方米.出口增量的大部分为液化天然气,并主要输往欧洲.到2010年前后,卡塔尔将取代阿尔及利亚,成为中东和北非地区最大的天然气出口国.     

Diversification and performance: evidence from East Asian firms

We examine the impact of diversification on performance for firms operating in different institutional environments during a relatively stable period and during a major economy‐wide shock. We locate our study in six Asian countries at different levels of institutional development. Results indicate that diversification negatively impacts performance in more developed institutional environments while improving performance only in the least developed environments. Even in the least developed institutional environments, diversification offers limited benefits when an economy‐wide shock strikes. Though successful diversifiers are sometimes affiliated with business groups, diversification is associated with poorer performance for both affiliated firms and independent firms. In sum, we find that the outcomes of diversification are influenced by institutional environments, economic stability and affiliation with business groups. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Price elasticity of demand for broadband: Evidence from Latin America and the Caribbean

In this study the authors analyze fixed broadband retail prices in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and provide estimates about the effect of price changes on broadband adoption. The analysis is based on a survey of plans and tariffs conducted by the authors during Q2 2010. Their results suggest that fixed broadband services in LAC are generally expensive and of poor quality when benchmarked against Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, although there is significant variance between markets in the region. In order to isolate the effect of prices on broadband adoption they use an instrumental-variable approach. Their findings show that broadband demand is relatively elastic to price in LAC but not in the OECD. They estimate that an average price reduction of 10% would result in an increase of almost 22% in the penetration rate in LAC, equivalent to almost 8.5 million additional broadband connections. Several policy implications result from these findings. First, national broadband policies in LAC should pay a closer attention to a deficit of competition in fixed broadband services, as households and firms face high prices for poor quality services, thus deterring adoption. Second, while their findings generally suggest that price reductions could significantly increase penetration, they elasticity estimates reveal that price effects might not be sufficient to achieve the penetration goals set in national broadband plans. This validates the need for complementary policy strategies that affect other determinants of broadband demand. The example of Brazil is used to illustrate this finding.     

中东北非大格局与中国石油企业的应对

2011年以来,受政治体制、经济危机、地缘政治、现代信息技术普及等各种内外部因素的综合影响,中东北非地区政局出现了近30年来少有的动荡。基于相近的价值体系以及长期建立的合作协调机制,美欧在该地区实施的地缘战略一直左右着局势的发展。鉴于中东北非在地缘上的重要性以及丰富油气资源的巨大吸引,美欧不会停止实施其既定地缘战略的步伐,将继续在亲美或中立的国家中通过多种方式推行渐进式变革,并将打击重点转向伊朗、叙利亚和苏丹这三个仍被美国列为支持恐怖主义的中东国家。在此形势下,将中东北非地区作为海外石油战略投资区的中国石油企业,应在积极参与该地区油气投资的同时,明确在不同国家的业务发展定位,加强与美欧石油公司的合作,提升风险管理能力,做好局势情景规划,积极打造参与国际竞争的核心能力。     

Use of blockchain in the agri-food value chain: State of the art in Spain and some lessons from the perspective of public support.

The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) of the European Union, in effect since January 2023, seeks to differentiate products on quality, provide greater transparency on food origin, and on the transactions and the actors involved in the supply chain. At the same time, in Spain, the adoption of new technologies for the digitization of the agri-food sector has been proposed as a solution to address structural issues such as lack of competitiveness and innovation. In fact, systems using blockchain-related technologies for food control and traceability have seen great progress in recent years and, currently, the use of blockchain in supply chain management is almost doubling year on year. In this context, this paper investigates the level of development of blockchain technology in the agri-food sector in Spain and its applications for certifying food production conditions within the supply chain, and how it is supported by public policies. It identifies several challenges that need to be addressed for a widespread adoption could take place, such as data recorded on the blockchain, lack of standards, limited scope of projects, and integration of data capture automatically or with other technologies like RFID and AI. The document proposes to reorient public development policies to address these challenges, such as reusing data from, already in place, European data collections for production control and food traceability, educating users and stakeholders about the use of blockchain technology, and fostering legal and technical provisions which ensure system transparency to facilitate a successful implementation of blockchain.     

The assessment of Government support for industrial research: lessons from a study of Norway

Abstract: This paper summarises the results of a recent study carried out by the Science Policy Research Unit for the Norwegian Royal Commission on Industrial Research (the 'Industriforskningsutvalget'). We assess in broad terms the effectiveness of existing Norwegian mechanisms for supporting Industrial research in institutes and firms, focussing in particular on the mechanical engineering and electronics sectors. A range of evaluation techniques are utilised in examining (a) research institute performance, (b) the research institute/industry interface, and (c) the general mode of operation of the funding system. It is suggested that the methodology adopted in the study may be of more general value in evaluating national systems for funding R & D.     

Smallholder market participation: Concepts and evidence from eastern and southern Africa

This paper reviews the evidence on smallholder market participation, with a focus on staple foodgrains (i.e., cereals) in eastern and southern Africa, in an effort to help better identify what interventions are most likely to break smallholders out of the semi-subsistence poverty trap that appears to ensnare much of rural Africa. The conceptual and empirical evidence suggests that interventions aimed at facilitating smallholder organization, at reducing the costs of intermarket commerce, and, perhaps especially, at improving poorer households’ access to improved technologies and productive assets are central to stimulating smallholder market participation and escape from semi-subsistence poverty traps. Macroeconomic and trade policy tools appear less useful in inducing market participation by poor smallholders in the region.     

Multidimensionality and Renegotiation: Evidence from Transport-Sector Public-Private-Partnership Transactions in Latin America

Multidimensional auctions are a natural, practical solution when governments pursue more than one objective in their public-private-partnership transactions. However, multi-criteria auctions seem difficult to implement and vulnerable to corruption and opportunistic behavior of both parties involved. Using data from road and railway concessions in Latin America, the paper examines the probability of renegotiation in connection with the selected award criteria. It shows that auctioneers tend to adopt the multidimensional format when the need for social considerations, such as alleviation of unemployment, is high. But more renegotiations would likely happen when the multidimensional format is used. Good governance, particularly regulatory quality and anti-corruption policies, can mitigate the renegotiation problem.     

Affirmative Action and Intersectionality at the Top: Evidence from South Africa

Previous research shows that gender‐based board quotas alone do not increase women's share in senior management positions. We study the effects of an affirmative action policy in South Africa, which stipulates group‐based targets for senior management roles, beyond boards, focusing on representing intersectional identities, sex, and race. Our findings show that the policy led to a sizable increase in employment probability in top positions for Black women relative to their employment in these positions in the counterfactual scenario of no policy. We extend our analysis and estimate policy spillovers in education, wages, and self‐employment.     

Subcontracting in banking: some evidence from Britain and France

The oversimplified analysis of subcontracting in terms of the relations between small and large firms needs to be abandoned in favour of a broader societal approach. Drawing on empirical evidence from Britain and France it is argued that such an approach can identify a wider range of political, social and economic factors affecting the decision to subcontract.     

Telecommunications development in Israel: The growth of public services and lessons from developing countries

The article begins with a discussion of the importance of the public services sector in the development of a modern economy, with specific reference to the organization and growth of public services in Israel. While the telecommunications sector is becoming increasingly important in national economies, it is often mismanaged in developing countries and its profits are used to subsidize other areas of the economy, particularly the postal services, which are run at a loss. The author analyses the various reasons for the lack of effective telecommunications policies in developing countries, and concludes with a series of recommendations for Israel which arise from that analysis.