The Incidence of EU Per‐Hectare Payments on Farmland Rental Rates: A Spatial Econometric Analysis of German Farm‐Level Data

This article analyses determinants for 2001 farmland rental prices from 3,819 farms in Germany. Based on specification tests we estimate a general spatial model to account for both spatial relationships among rental prices of neighbouring farmers and spatially autocorrelated error terms. A €1 per hectare higher rental price in a farmer’s neighbourhood coincides with a €0.72 higher rental price paid by the farmer. The marginal incidence of EU per‐hectare payments paid for eligible arable crop land on rental rates amounts to €0.38 for each additional €1 of premium payments. Regional livestock density, which is indirectly influenced by different policies, is also a major determinant of rental prices. Results are confirmed by sensitivity analyses. Consequently, German farmland rental rates are heavily influenced by agricultural policy instruments and therefore, these policies exhibit substantial distributional effects.     

The impact on allocation and return to labor and capital of a reduction of customs duties in the developed countries in their trade with less developed countries

Zusammenfassung Die Wirkung einer Zollsenkung in entwickelten L?ndern in ihrem Handel mit weniger entwickelten L?ndern auf die Allokation und die Ertr?ge von Arbeit und Kapital. — Die vorliegende Abhandlung geht von der Annahme aus, da\ die Textil- und Schuhindustrien in den weniger entwickelten L?ndern einen komparativen Vorteil haben, w?hrend die gleichen beiden Industrien in den entwickelten L?ndern einen komparativen Nachteil aufweisen, und da\ daher die Exporte dieser Industrien aus den weniger entwickelten L?ndern gef?rdert werden sollten. Die Auswirkungen einer Abschaffung der Z?lle auf Textilien auf die Ertr?ge von Arbeit und Kapital in diesen Industrien wird für Norwegen gesch?tzt. Die Untersuchung ergibt, da\ die Abschaffung der Z?lle die Ertr?ge von Arbeit und Kapital in den Textil- und Schuhindustrien um 26–27 vH verringern wird. Dies scheinen auch ann?hernd die Wirkungen auf die Ertr?ge von Arbeit und Kapital in den meisten anderen entwickelten L?ndern zu sein.

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Résumé L’effet qu’exerce sur le rendement du travail et du capital une baisse du tarif douanier dans les pays développés en ce qui concerne leur commerce avec des pays moins développés. — Cet article suppose que les industries textiles et des chaussures dans les pays moins développés en ont un avantage comparatif, tandis que les mêmes industries dans les pays développés ont un désavantage comparatif, et que, par conséquent, il faudrait encourager á l’exportation ces deux industries dans les pays moins développés. Ensuite, est estimé pour la Norvège l’effet qu’exercerait sur le rendement du travail et du capital une abolition des tarifs de douane sur les textiles. On arrive á la conclusion qu’une telle abolition ferait baisser de 26 á 27 pour cent le rendement du travail et du capital dans les industries textiles et des chaussures. Il para?t que le même effet se produirait dans la plupart des autres pays développés.

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Resumen El impacto de una reducción arancelaria en paises desarrollados en su comercio con paises menos desarrollados sobre la alocación y los rendimientos del trabajo y del capital. — El présente estudio parte del supuesto, que las industrias textiles y del calzado tienen ventajas comparativas en paises menos desarrollados y desventajas comparativas en paises desarrollados, y que por lo tanto deberfanse fomentar las exportaciones de estas industrias de los pafses menos desarrollados. El autor présenta una estimaci?n para Noruega sobre el efecto que tendria la abolici?n del arancel de productos textiles y del calzado sobre los rendimientos de trabajo y capital. El resultado es que dichos rendimientos se reducirian en un 26 a 27 por 100. Esto équivale mas o menos al impacto que cabria esperar en la mayoria de los demás paises desarrollados.

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Riassunto L’effetto di un abbassamento dei dazi in Paesi sviluppati nel loro commercio con Paesi meno sviluppati sull’allocazione e sui provenu di lavoro e capitale. — II présente articolo parte dall’ipotesi che le industrie tessili e calzaturiere nei Paesi poco sviluppati hanno un comparativo vantaggio, mentre queste due stesse industrie presentano un comparativo svantaggio nei Paesi sviluppati e che perció le esportazioni di queste industrie dovrebbero essere favorite dai Paesi poco sviluppati. Le ripercussioni di un’abolizione dei dazi su tessili sui proventi di lavoro e capitale in queste industrie vengono valutate per la Norvegia. L’indagine dá corne risultato che l’abolizione dei dazi ridurrá del 26–27% i proventi di lavoro e capitale nelle industrie tessili e calzaturiere. Questi sembrano anche essere approssimativamente gli effetti sui proventi di lavoro e capitale nella maggior parte degli altri Paesi sviluppati.

     

Trade and allocation of resources in a distorted economy

This paper has tried to analyse the effects of a reduction of customs duties on the Norwegian economy. Traditional international trade theory usually studies production and allocation effects of trade in a two commodities, two factors of production world where everything behaves in accordance with the rules of perfect competition. This paper has, by contrast, tried to study international trade problems within a multisector model assuming distortions in the factor market in the sense that capital has been considered immobile between sectors and wages fixed.Given the distortions assumed in this paper, and also assuming full employment, employment and production effects in the different sectors, due to customs duties reductions, have been estimated. Price changes in sectors sheltered from foreign competition have also been studied. These sectors have been assumed to employ those becoming unemployed in the import- competing industries, due to a customs duties reduction.     

Relief instead of development aid

Formerly an active supporter of the western industrialized countries’, and particularly Sweden’s, policy of development aid, Gunnar Myrdal has in recent years become increasingly critical of the present form of aid. In the following paper the Swedish Nobel Prize winner presents his case for a new line of aid policy.     

Students’ attitudes toward technology: exploring the relationship among affective,cognitive and behavioral components of the attitude construct

International Journal of Technology and Design Education - When studying attitudes toward technology education, the affective attitudinal component has primarily been the focus. This study focuses...     

Note respecting the application of »The reduced number of deaths»

Abstract

This note is merely intended to supplement the remarks on the reduced number of deaths made by Olav Aabakken III his paper in this number of the journal ¹ Olav Aabakken: Appraisement of Under-average Lives in Norway, p. 126. .     

On the optimum spacing of sample quantiles from a normal distribution. Part I

Abstract

Assume that a large number of observations are made on a normal random variable with the density function where σ σ 0, When the sample is very large the ordinary estimates of µ and a involve considerable computational work. In order to simplify the estimation of µ and/or σ it is sometimes convenient to select a small number of sample quantiles and to use estimates which are linear functions of these sample quantiles, Such a procedure is particularly convenient when the observations occur naturally in order of magnitude, which happens in life testing, for instance, Let      

Vertically Linked Industries,Product Quality and Minimum Quality Standards

This paper extends the seminal model of vertical product differentiation by Ronnen (1991) to a two‐tier supply chain. While Ronnen considers the duopoly case, we add a vertical structure such that each downstream firm procures an input from a monopolistic upstream supplier. While simultaneous up‐ and downstream regulation in the form of a minimum quality standard restores Ronnen's findings, if only one firm is regulated in the vertical chain, a free‐rider effect results: all the bargaining power is given to the non‐regulated member of the chain, which uses it to free‐ride on the pressure exerted by the regulator onto the other member.     

From risk to vulnerability: the role of perceived adaptive capacity for the acceptance of contested infrastructure

Infrastructure projects such as repositories for nuclear waste or hazardous waste sites impose risks (in the form of potential burdens or losses) over extensive timescales. These risks change dynamically over time and so, potentially, does their management. Societies and key actors go through learning processes and subsequently may be better able to deal with related challenges. However, social scientific research on the acceptance of such projects is mainly concerned with (static) risk perception issues and does not include dynamic aspects. Adaptive capacity, which is part of the concept of vulnerability, therefore represents a promising complementing facet for this line of research. The aim of this paper is to examine the role of perceived adaptive capacity (PAC) for the acceptance of contested long-term infrastructure for the two issues of nuclear and hazardous waste. In an online experimental survey (N?=?300) examining either the acceptance of a nuclear waste repository or of a hazardous waste site, we demonstrate that (i) PAC can be separated empirically as a psychological construct from risk and benefit perception, and (ii) PAC explains a significant additional share of variance in the acceptance of both waste types beyond risk and benefit perception. Furthermore, we report what adaptation mechanisms of PAC participants expect to occur in the future. We conclude that such a dynamic perspective yields important insights in understanding individual decision-making regarding long-term infrastructure projects.     

Interest rate risk of German financial institutions: the impact of level,slope, and curvature of the term structure

We investigate here the sensitivity of the equity values of a large sample of German financial institutions to movements in the term structure of interest rates. While similar approaches rely on a single interest rate factor only, we quantify the exposure to changes in level, slope, and curvature, which are the driving factors of term structure changes. Our main findings are: (i) banks and insurances are exposed to level and curvature changes but only marginally to slope movements; (ii) the interest rate risk exposure depends on the banking sector investigated; (iii) level and curvature changes are priced in the cross-section of stock returns.