Surrogate modelling of a detailed farm-level model using deep learning

Technological change co-determines agri-environmental performance and farm structural transformation. Meaningful impact assessment of related policies can be derived from farm-level models that are rich in technology details and environmental indicators, integrated with agent-based models capturing dynamic farm interaction. However, such integration faces considerable challenges affecting model development, debugging and computational demands in application. Surrogate modelling using deep learning techniques can facilitate such integration for simulations with broad regional coverage. We develop surrogates of the farm model FarmDyn using different architectures of neural networks. Our specifically designed evaluation metrics allow practitioners to assess trade-offs among model fit, inference time and data requirements. All tested neural networks achieve a high fit but differ substantially in inference time. The Multilayer Perceptron shows almost top performance in all criteria but saves strongly on inference time compared to a Bi-directional Long Short Term Memory.     

How far is how far enough? Safety perception and acceptance of extra-high-voltage power lines in Germany

The results of a 2?×?2 factorial online experiment are reported. The first factor refers to the information on precautionary measures and the second factor on the information regarding the share of EMF exposure from extra-high-voltage power lines compared to overall EMF exposure measured in-house. The study is based on a community sample of 440 subjects. Information on the share of EMF exposure from extra-high-voltage power lines at the in-house overall EMF exposure has no statistically significant effect of safety distances and acceptance distances. Further findings indicate that communications of precautionary measures produce a countervailing effect: on average, subjects require a higher distance from their homes compared to those who were not informed about precautionary measures. However, there is also a positive effect of precautionary information on the acceptance belief. Subjects who received this information are, in average, less negative about the claim that compliance with the value limit is sufficient in order to agree with the construction of a power line. Possible explanations of the findings such as cognitive dissonance, negativity bias, and style of information processing are discussed.     

Farmers at the heart of the ‘human capital revolution’? Decomposing the numeracy increase in early modern Europe†

Did the early development of skills and numerical abilities occur primarily in urban centres and among the elite groups of society? This study assesses the human capital of different occupational groups in the early modern period and partially confirms this finding: skilled and professional groups had higher levels of numeracy and literacy than persons in unskilled occupations. However, there was another large group that developed substantial human capital and represented around one‐third of the total population: farmers. By analysing numeracy and literacy evidence from six countries in Europe and Latin America, we argue that farmers contributed significantly to the formation of human capital and, consequently, to modern economic growth.     

Gender diversity in academic publishing—comment on Galak and Kahn (2021)

Marketing Letters - Galak and Kahn (Marketing Letters, 2021) report that females and underrepresented minorities face a less favorable organizational climate within academic marketing as compared...     

Soziale Netzwerke im Internet — Marketingkommunikation für morgen

Zusammenfassung  Die Rahmenbedingungen für Marketingkommunikation haben sich ver?ndert: Marketingstrategen haben heute mit sinkenden Kontaktwahrscheinlichkeiten, einer Informationsüberflutung der Konsumenten und mangelnder Glaubwürdigkeit zu k?mpfen. Besonders problematisch ist der bestehende Zielkonflikt zwischen Aufmerksamkeitsgenerierung und der Bildung stabiler, positiver Einstellungen. Der Austausch der Konsumenten via Internet ist hier eine wichtige Option, allerdings eine mit Risiken. Ein Ausblick auf neue Kommunikationsformen und ihre Zukunftsf?higkeit. Prof. Dr. Martin Eisend Inhaber des Lehrstuhls für Allgemeine Betriebswirtschaftslehre, insb. Internationales Marketing an der Europa-Universit?t Viadrina. Seine Forschungsschwerpunkte sind die Marketingkommunikation sowie Methoden der empirischen Generalisierungen Dipl.-Kffr. Franziska Küster-Rohde Wissenschaftliche Mitarbeiterin und Doktorandin am Marketing-Department der Freien Universit?t Berlin. Ihre Forschungsschwerpunkte liegen im Bereich der Marketingkommunikation     

TRQ‐complications: who gets the benefits when the EU liberalizes Mercosur's access to the beef markets?

The European Union (EU) and the Mercosur countries resumed negotiations on trade liberalization in May 2010 after several years of interruption. The article analyzes who stands to benefit and who is likely to lose if the EU liberalizes Mercosur's access to domestic beef markets. This economic assessment is performed using a partial equilibrium model for beef operating at a low level of product aggregation, paying specific attention to the role of Tariff Rate Quotas (TRQs). Consultations with experts from the meat sector allowed us to identify the allocation of the quota rents to different stakeholders. Under an agreement based on the EU's negotiation proposal, trade impacts are projected to be small due to the present quota overfill. As expected, impacts are more pronounced under the conditions set out in Mercosur's proposal. The results confirm that the distribution of quota rents can be decisive in determining welfare effects.