A MODEL OF NEW ZEALAND APPLE SUPPLY RESPONSE TO TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE*

A supply response model for New Zealand apples is specified and equations for new plantings, removals, yields and adoption of an innovation are estimated. The model expands on perennial crop models previously estimated by incorporating the time pattern of adoption of a planting innovation and formulation of a measure of yield expectations given technological change.     

Money and economic activity,inventories and business cycles

Incomplete information is a necessary condition for any real effects produced by monetary impulses. An alternative to the local-global inference problem is explored in this paper. Agents are confronted with permanent and transitory shocks. Even with full knowledge about the stochastic structure their best perception at any particular time will usually be erroneous. Prices for each period are set at the beginning of the period on the basis of market conditions. The realization of the shock process thus creates a short-run ‘disequilibrium’ absorbed by inventory adjustments. This adjustment translates perceived transitory monetary shocks into serially correlated output movements. The analysis proceeds within the context of rational expectations It offers a generalization of equilibrium analysis in two respects. Prices are always in equilibrium relative to perceived conditions, but they do not reflect all ongoing shocks. Quantity adjustments reflect the perceived transitory shocks. The framework used involves moreover a stock-flow interaction operated by inventory adjustments. The stock-flow interaction imposes at any time a future expected adjustment path (for price-level and quantities) to the system's unique stock equilibrium. A major implication of the analysis resolves a puzzle experienced in a recent paper by Robert Hall. It reconciles intertemporal substitution with lagged effects of monetary impulses. It also reconciles small and inconclusive cyclic movements in real wages with the occurrence of production function and large variations in unemployment. Lastly, the nature of the inference problem determined by the pattern of incomplete information produces serially correlated movements conditioned on large permanent shocks.     

CAPITAL BUDGETING,INTERTEMPORAL PROGRAMMING MODELS,WITH PARTICULAR REFERENCE TO AGRICULTURE

Investment decision processes typically involve the selection of projects, the timing of their initiation and the determination of the amount to be invested in each time period. A linear programming model considered appropriate for solving such models is described, in which the multi-dimensional criterion function is expressed as a linear combination of the appropriately-weighted objectives. An empirical application is then discussed, the objectives of the firm being the maximization of tax-free cash and assets on hand at the end of the planning period. Finally, the appropriate length of the planning horizon, and some approaches to capital budgeting under non-certainty, are discussed.     

Agricultural development in Southern Africa: Theory,lessons and the food crisis in Africa

In this paper a household economics theory of farm‐household production in the Southern African context is presented which (a) places a new interpretation on the causes of low productivity per person and unit of land in the African farming sector, (b) demonstrates that even where improved food crop technology is widely adopted it may have a very limited impact on marketed production, and (c) contributes to an understanding of why Africa's food production per person continues to fall despite per capita aid inflows which have exceeded those for any other continent over the last decade.     

THE INFLATION ADJUSTMENT OF CORPORATE ACCOUNTS: THE CASE OF MONETARY ITEMS

This paper investigates the sensitivity of the computed loss from holding monetary items to alternative numerical estimating techniques. Using data from 38 companies for the fiscal year 1980-81, we find that estimation of the loss from holding monetary items is robust with respect to the calculating technique utilized, provided the monetary base is broadly defined. The implications of this for “market model” type studies of the impact of inflation adjustments are discussed.     

A Spectral Analysis of Australia's Leading and Coincident Indexes of Cyclical Economic Growth

Using the methodology of the National Bureau of Economic Research, Boehm and Moore (1984) have recently constructed leading and coincident indexes of Australian cyclical economic growth. The present article examines the reliability of the leading index by investigating the coherence between these two measures of economic activity at different cycle-lengths using the technique of cross-spectral analysis.     

AN EVALUATION OF A NEW ZEALAND MARKETING BOARD'S SUPPLY DIVERSION STRATEGIES

It appears that the agricultural economics literature lacks much evidence upon which we can judge the performance of statutory boards as marketing institutions. This paper reports the achievements of the New Zealand Apple and Pear Marketing Board in two areas of supply diversion—the allocation of fruit between fresh and process markets, and the allocation of fresh fruit sales over time. Results indicate that the Board has achieved considerable gains for producers in the first of these areas, while in the second its behaviour has favoured consumers.     

Restructuring for the 21st century: The end of ideology or rediscovering corporatism?

Commission of the European Communities, Directorate-General for Regional Policy, 1991: Europe 2000. Outlook for the Development of the Community's Territory. Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, no price stated.

Kennedy, R. 1991: London. World City Moving into the 21st Century. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, £24.95 cloth.

Sheffield Economic Regeneration Committee, undated: Sheffield 2000. Phase One. Sheffield: Sheffield Economic Regeneration Committee, £7.50 in Sheffield, £25.00 outside Sheffield.

Stanworth, J. and Stanworth, C. 1991: Work 2000. The Future for Industry, Employment and Society. London: Paul Chapman Publishing, £15.95 cloth.     

Immigrants,Financial Knowledge,and Financial Behavior

This research seeks to identify gaps in financial knowledge and behaviors between immigrants to Canada and individuals who are born in Canada. The research aims to evaluate to what extent immigrants involve themselves in financial planning and avoid harmful financial behaviors. Employing the Canadian Financial Capability Survey (2009), the findings of the study suggest that immigrants are less likely to show high levels of financial knowledge compared to born citizens. The knowledge gap between immigrants and born citizens narrows as an individual resides longer in Canada. In addition, immigrants are less likely to prepare themselves financially for their retirement or to have long-term investments. The findings provide a basis for addressing the implications of weak financial knowledge.