Measuring technical efficiency in the Greek agricultural sector

This paper measures the degree of technical efficiency of Greek farms at discrete points in time. Stochastic frontier production functions are estimated from four annual Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) surveys of the 1992–1995 period. From the results, a measure of technical efficiency is calculated for each farm for each year. The four distributions of technical efficiency values are examined and compared. All four samples show a wide range of farm-specific technical efficiency but efficiency is improving over the period. The paper also presents frontier estimates for small and large farms classified according to economic size. In that case, technical efficiency measures are calculated and their distributions are examined and compared. The results show that large farms are more efficient than small farms. However, efficiency is improving in both size farms over the period. In general, the results of this study indicate that there is substantial scope for improving technical efficiency of Greek farms.     

Modelling policy options in the Indonesian agricultural sector

This paper persents a simple model framework for quantitative multi-market agricultural sector policy analysis. Although the example refers to the Indonesian case, the model structure is also applicable for other country studies. Since either prices or trade requirements can be set exogenously, the model is particularly useful for policy analysis in countries using trade controls to pursue food self-sufficiency targets. Data requirements are limited to supply-and-demand elasticities, some technical coefficients on the relationship between food and non-food prices, non-price induced trends in single commodity markets and in the non-food sector as an aggregate and a base-year data set. The model was developed to be relatively transparent to policy-makers and to allow for an easy revision of the magnitude of policy parameters or trend estimates if so needed. For the case study, econometric estimates, which are consistent with the requirements of neoclassical theory, have been used to parameterize the model. Model simulations have been run for the price run-up period of 1986 to 1988 and also for the Fifth Plan period 1988 to 1993. The results show that the model is a useful instrument to investigate in multi-market and multi-sector interrelationships of a country focussing on agriculture. For the Indonesian setting moel results suggest that during the Fifth Plan period rice self-sufficiency targets are easily met without the need of a particular investment or subsidy scheme. However, rice self-sufficiency and on-target performance of other important agricultural commodity markets in Indonesia will not come along automatically with the creation of jobs up to an amount needed to fight increasing rural underemployment.     

Marketization and Poland's transfer payments

This study will examine the effects of Poland's transition on structural and policy changes in the primary categories of central government transfer payments, family assistance programs, pensions, and unemployment benefits. In this paper, changes in the structure of transfer payments for 1990 through 1997 will be quantified, and the relevant programs are described. This paper also examines the regulatory and policy framework of transfer payments. The welfare effects of transfer payment changes on Poland's different societal groups will be calculated, and certain policy recommendations are presented.     

On transformation of public sector research: A preliminary post-STBL assessment in Taiwan

The paper examines the impact of the Science and Technology Basic Law (STBL) enactment of 1999 on the transformation of public sector research (PSR) in Taiwan. The paper proposes a research framework to assess the changes on PSR mainly through four dimensions: (1) new infrastructure build-up, (2) industrial research links, (3) patenting and licensing, and (4) industrial education/training. Nine research hypotheses are developed. Based on the survey data of 107 PSR establishments, the paper reveals that Taiwan PSR has experienced a burgeoning infrastructure build-up and a more active partnership with industry in the post-STBL period. However, the paper argues that the scientific-economic transformation of PSR in Taiwan tends to develop better “industrial collaborative research and training capabilities” than “patenting and licensing capabilities” in the preliminary post-STBL period. The divergence on patenting, licensing and partnership capabilities still persists between experienced PSREs and non-experienced ones, suggesting a learning effect. These findings provide crucial policy implications to delineate appropriate roles of PSR in the new scientific-economic regime.     

Price mimicking under cost-of-service regulation: the Swedish water sector

This study provides an empirical test of price mimicking among publicly owned water utilities. Using a fixed effects spatial Durbin model with data from Swedish municipalities during 2002–2012, I estimate the elasticity of the own relative to neighbors’ average price to 0.14. This behavior can be explained in terms of an informal yardstick competition: when consumers use neighboring municipalities’ prices as benchmarks for costs or as behaviorally based reference prices, policy makers will face the risk of consumer complaints and reduced voter support if deviating too much from neighboring municipalities’ prices. Further, I find some evidence that price mimicking is more pronounced in municipalities where voter support for the ruling coalition is weak.     

The impact of trade openness on technical efficiency in the agricultural sector of the European Union

The aim of this study is to analyse the impact of trade openness on technical efficiency of the European Union’s (EU) agricultural sector. There are no systematic theories linking trade policy to technical efficiency; hence, the relation between trade liberalization and technical efficiency is fundamentally ambiguous. Stochastic frontier analysis is used to model the relationship between EU’s production resources and agricultural output, as well as the importance of trade openness on technical efficiency of a country. The data for 16 of the 28 EU members were available for the period 1980–2007 including land, capital, fertilizer, labour, agricultural GDP, foreign direct investments (FDI), exports and import data. Results indicate that trade openness has an immediate, negative impact on efficiency in the EU agricultural sector. Over time, however, trade openness does increase efficiency. The FDI outflows increase efficiency. This suggests that an initial reduction in capital supply forces EU nations to utilize other factor inputs more efficiently. However, there is the unexamined potential that over time the depletion of capital results in a decrease in efficiency. Finally, formerly communist member-countries of the EU are found to have the lowest technical efficiency scores whereas Southern European nations have the highest efficiency.     

新兴市场应从波兰大变革中吸取的七条经验教训

人们普遍认为,后社会主义的转型是从波兰开始的。但这种说法并不全面。虽然促成1980年代深刻变革的各个进程确实在波兰获得了最大的推动力,但是其他中欧和东欧国家也并不是一成不变。另外,人们普遍认为,后社会主义的转型是从1989年开始的,发轫于波兰,然后在整个区域产生了连锁效应。对这个巨大转型带来的挑战,波兰在许多方面都比其他国家做得更好。其他国家,尤其是所谓的新兴市场国家必定能从波兰的转型中吸取到不少经验。对什么起作用,为什么起作用？什么不起作用,为什么不起作用等问题作更深入的考察,是有价值的。     

Establishment and embedding of innovation brokers at different innovation system levels: Insights from the Dutch agricultural sector

In the systems perspective on innovation, co-operation between several different types of actors is seen as key to successful innovation. Due to the existence of several gaps that hinder such effective co-operation, the scientific and policy literature persistently points at the need for intermediary organizations to fulfill bridging and brokerage roles. This paper aims to provide an overview of the insights from the literature on such ‘innovation brokers’, and to contribute to the literature by distilling lines of enquiry and providing insights on one of the lines identified. Taking as an empirical basis experiences with different types of innovation brokers that have emerged in the Dutch agricultural sector, it identifies a number of tensions with regard to the establishment and embedding of such organizations. The paper indicates that, despite being perceived to have a catalyzing effect on innovation, innovation brokers have difficulty in becoming embedded as their clients and/or financiers find it difficult to grasp the nature and value of their activities.     

探索养老金改革之路:波兰多支柱的社会保障体系

世界各国的养老金体系都存在急需解决的财务困难.处理养老金体系的问题通常有三种途径.最富有的国家,特别是欧盟国家,倾向不断从公共税收给予补贴的方案.那些无力提供大量补贴的国家采取了第二种方案:试图寻求增收节支使他们的养老金体系合理化.第三种……     

Choosing the size of the public sector under rent seeking from state coffers

This paper incorporates rent seeking from state coffers into a general equilibrium model of economic growth and endogenous policy. Self-interested individuals try to extract, for personal benefit, part of tax revenues that could be used to finance public investment. We solve for a non-cooperative Nash equilibrium in individual agents' behavior. The determinants of rent seeking in general equilibrium are identified and we consider the efficient size of public sector given the rent-seeking activity. Cross-country data from 108 rich and developing countries provide support for our predictions.     

GATS所需的我国服务贸易立法

《服务贸易总协定》（GATS）是专门针对国际服务贸易并对成员方具有法律效力的多边规则。入世对我国涉及服务贸易的法律制度提出了及时立、改、废之需求,世贸原则、服务贸易通行规则将伴随着入世深深影响和大力推动我国服务贸易立法的创制和修改。一、GATS的规则导向世贸组织根据服务的性质把服务业分为11个部门：商业服务、金融服务、销售服务、通信服务、建筑及有关工程服务、教育服务、环境服务、健康与社会服务、与旅游有关的服务、文化与体育服务以及运输服务等。GATS要求各成员方在非歧视原则基础上逐步开放本国服务市场,减少…     

The Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on Poland's Trade with the European Union

Over 75% of FDI in Poland originates from the EU. The EU also predominates in the exports and imports of FDI companies. The objective of this article is to examine whether FDI is likely to replace trade or to create new trade flows. In particular, the article shows the influence of FDI on Poland's trade with the EU. The FDI impact on Polish trade can be seen as its contribution to export creation. Moreover, externalities caused by trade and FDI inflow are influencing Polish specialisation patterns, which is important in the process of integrating the economy into the world market.     

WTO框架下我国农业补贴政策发展趋势

WTO的《农业协议》规定了三个基本的农业政策,即"黄箱政策"、"绿箱政策"以及"蓝箱政策"。"黄箱政策"明确规定了中国作为发展中国家应该达到的关于粮食补贴的水平,而我国加入WTO11年来,在不断调整的过程中仍然与WTO的规定有着一定差距,这在一定程度上制约了我国农业生产的发展。通过立法和完善政策等方式弥补差距,是促进我国农业生产、保证粮食安全以及实现农民增收的必然选择。     

Poland's Accession to the European Union: Demand for Protection of Selected Sensitive Products

This paper analyses the expected changes in external tariffs and imports in Poland after accession to the European Union. We find that around 14% of all manufacturing commodity groups in the Harmonised System will experience tariff reductions of over 10 percentage points, while for agricultural goods tariff comparisons are complicated by very different tariff systems and may be overrated, since applied tariffs are often lower than those legislated. Based on gravity estimates we also find onlly few relatively narrowly defined commodities will experience import growth rates of above 20%. More widely defined sensitive commodities are subject to much smaller but still important import growth     

Agility evaluation in public sector

Agility metrics are difficult to define in general, mainly due to the multidimensionality and vagueness of the concept of agility itself. In this paper, a knowledge-based framework is utilized for the measurement and assessment of public sector＇s agility by A. T. Kearney model. In this research, the authors used Z2 test in SPSS software. So, the authors discovered that the General Office of Standards ＆ Industrial Research of Sistan ＆ Baluchestan Province in Iran is agile. Finally, the authors determine the weakness points of organization by Friedman test.     

Economic growth and sector dynamics

This paper analyzes the endogenous determination of sectors in a growing economy. It assumes that there are traditional sectors and modern sectors and economic growth is driven by rising productivity of the modern sectors. It also assumes that individuals are heterogeneous, which leads to increasing marginal opportunity costs in creating new modern sectors. We show that under these main assumptions, economic growth first increases diversification to sectors and then reduces it. We also show that for the equilibrium to be stable and well-behaved, it is required that the modern and traditional sectors should be substitutes and not complements.     

Urban informal sector and poverty

Many studies have explored the connection between trade and poverty theoretically and empirically for the developing world. We offer another look at the possible implications of trade liberalization on urban poverty by using the urban informal sector as a catalyst. The theory shows that trade liberalization in the import competing sector raises informal wage across occupational types, and expands production and employment in the informal industrial segment. Further, using Indian provincial data on wage, capital stock and value added in the informal sector we show that real informal wage increased with trade reform and transmitted favorable impact on urban poverty reduction.