Agriculture as a provider of public goods: a case study for Norway

A valid argument for support is that subsidies are remedies for market failures. Agriculture contributes positively to public goods as food security, landscape preservation and maintenance of population in remote areas. Using a numerical model we simulate what Norwegian agriculture would look like if the only purpose of supporting agriculture was to provide such public goods. This is compared to the consequences of the Uruguay round in GATT and possible future EU membership for Norwegian agriculture. Although the GATT agreement will change agriculture in the desirable direction, the agreement puts no substantial pressure on the current agricultural policy. EU membership on the lines laid down by the accession treaty between EU and Norway prior to the referendum in 1994 would have given a stronger impetus towards the optimal solution.     

Multiple objectives and perceptions of optimal management: The Danish industrial fishery in the North Sea

Fisheries management involves many stakeholders with differentopinions about how the fishery should be optimally managed.This paper presents a multi-objective bio-economic model, whichis able to incorporate the preferences of managers and otherstakeholders. The model is a weighted goal programme coveringthe Danish industrial fishery. Economic, political and biologicalconcerns are considered simultaneously and, by applying thepreference structures of different stakeholders, it shows howthe optimally managed fishery would look from the perspectiveof managers and various interest groups. Managers, in this casethe Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, areprovided with a management tool that shows the consequencesof their preferences towards the objectives, and can be comparedwith optimal solutions as perceived by other stakeholders.     

The structural effect of cooperatives on price volatility in the European dairy sector

Theoretical models and empirical evidence suggest that high market shares of cooperatives can force investor-oriented firms to pay higher producer prices within a region. In the same vein, cooperatives may force investor-oriented firms to reduce price volatility. We use panel data from 27 European Union member states over the period 2001–2015 to investigate how the market share of cooperatives in a country affects milk price volatility. Our key finding is that a higher market share of cooperatives reduces price volatility at the national level. Volatility is influenced by a number of other variables, such as fluctuation in raw milk production, oil price volatility spillover and the number of dairy processors. Policymakers should consider that the promotion of cooperatives might positively affect price stability in the dairy sector.     

Plant-level employment development before collective displacements: comparing mass layoffs,plant closures and bankruptcies

This article analyzes the development of employment levels and worker flows before bankruptcies, plant closure without bankruptcies and mass layoffs. Utilizing administrative plant-level data for Germany, we find no systematic employment reductions prior to mass layoffs, a strong and long-lasting reduction prior to closures, and a much shorter shadow of death preceding bankruptcies. Employment reductions in closing plants, in contrast to bankruptcies and mass layoffs, do not come along with increased worker flows. These patterns point to an intended and controlled shrinking strategy for closures without bankruptcy and to an unintended collapse for bankruptcies and mass layoffs.     

Developing CSR in retail–supplier relationships: a stakeholder interaction approach

The purpose of this research is to explore how a stakeholder interaction perspective can add to the understanding of the dynamics of the process of corporate social responsibility (CSR) development in retail buyer–supplier relationships. Firstly, we find that interaction with suppliers and other stakeholders seems to have a pivotal role in the development towards sustainable retail supply chains. Secondly, and by addressing the phases of initiation, implementation and maturation of CSR development, we find that the role and intensity of interaction in stakeholder interaction changes over time and that the salience of particular stakeholders can be pivotal in the phases of the process of CSR development. Thirdly, we find that there is not necessarily one active and one passive party in the stakeholder interaction. Although suppliers in developing countries are typically asked to follow codes of conducts of retailers, suppliers are also acting and taking initiatives, and organizing themselves to better meet the demands on CSR.     

Avoiding Backlash or Proving One’s Manhood? Beliefs About Gender Differences in Negotiation

Group Decision and Negotiation - Gender differences in negotiation are typically explained by processes that concern women (e.g., women anticipate backlash for assertive behavior). Research has...     

Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Potentials in Europe by Sector: A Bootstrap-Based Nonparametric Efficiency Analysis

Environmental and Resource Economics - The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions is the key action to limit global warming. An important source of greenhouse gas emissions and pollution is...     

The stock market and NO2 emissions effects of COVID-19 around the world

In this paper, we study the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic in estimated panel vector autoregression models for 92 countries. The large cross-section of countries allows us to shed light on the heterogeneity of the responses of stock markets and nitrogen dioxide emissions as high-frequency measures of economic activity. We quantify the effect of the number of infections and four dimensions of policy measures: (1) containment and closure, (2) movement restrictions, (3) economic support, and (4) adjustments of health systems. Our main findings show that a surprise increase in the number of infections triggers a drop in our two measures of economic activity. Propping up economic support measures, in contrast, raises stock returns and emissions and, thus, contributes to the economic recovery. We also document vast differences in the responses across subsets of countries and between the first and the second wave of infections.