Integrative cooperation between agricultural market entities as the foundation for the stable functioning of enterprises in the dairy industry

The development of measures and means to ensure the stable work of agricultural and processing enterprises is exemplified by the clusterization of the dairy branch of the agricultural sector in Perm krai. The potential solution to the stated problem comes to applying the basic principles of clusterization that encourage the stable work of agricultural businesses for controlling the activities of agricultural market entities.     

The Pension Age as a Factor Regulating the Deficit of the State Pension System

Contrary to the widely held attitude towards the necessity of immediately raising the retirement age, this article demonstrates the absence of demographic conditions for changing the existing regulations in granting pension insurance. The demographic factors are recognized as the basic development conditions of the state pension system; however, they have a multichannel impact on it, which requires a holistic and qualified analysis of all the relevant parameters for the governmental regulation. The pension age is viewed from the perspective of achieving the objectives of pension reform and strategic benchmarks in the long-term development of the Russian Pension system.     

Scientific and technological interactions between Russia and Ukraine: Forecasting opportunities and mechanisms for their implementation

The paper presents the research results of an investigation into the state of scientific, technological, trade and economic interactions between Russia and Ukraine in terms of their potential, prospects, and problems impeding their cooperation. It is shown that there is a considerable scientific and technological potential both in Russia and Ukraine. Opportunities and conditions for the modernization of both countries’ economies are shown to depend on the coordinated use of their potentials.     

论碳交易平台对碳交易成本的影响--以深圳碳排放权交易体系为例

根据科斯定理,市场可以在政府不干预的情况下以有效方式消除温室气体污染的外部性。碳交易成本的大小对碳排放交易机制能否起作用有重要影响。碳交易平台对交易成本中的交易费用有直接影响,对交易成本中的管理成本和机会成本有一定程度的影响,对交易成本中的监测、报告和核查成本基本没有影响。交易平台可以从结构性和市场性两方面影响交易成本。     

Simulating the Effects of Railroad Mergers

The purpose of this paper is to add to the empirical literature regarding merger simulation analysis by examining the effect of railroad mergers on railroad market power. This is done by measuring railroad profits and revenue/variable cost ratios corresponding to different degrees of intrarailroad competition for movements of Kansas export wheat to Houston, Texas. Two models are developed to achieve the objectives of the study. A network model of the wheat logistics system is used to identify the least cost transportation routes from the Kansas study area to the market at Houston. A profit improvement algorithm, which identifies Nash equilibrium prices, is developed to measure the amount by which railroads can profitably raise their prices above variable cost. The results of the study have implications for U.S. railroad merger policy. The paper indicates that railroad mergers do not necessarily increase railroad market power or make railroad shippers worse off. Instead, the study demonstrates that the impact of railroad mergers on shippers and railroads depends on factors that vary geographically, such as the degree of intrarailroad and intermodal competition in the area.     

Analyzing social policy alternatives through modeling and forecasting of the consumption,composition, and incomes of the population

The article continues researches started under the guidance and with active participation of E.Yu. Faerman, Dr. Sci. (Econ.), within the framework of the RAS Central Economics and Mathematics Institute Population, Incomes, and Consumption system, aimed at modeling and forecasting the population composition, incomes, and consumption using a number of methods (including the multilevel complex structuring of the population and its incomes and consumption, modeling and forecasting shadow employment and incomes, and so on) and a complex statistical database. Comparative analysis of the results of four variants of inertial forecasts of socioeconomic indicators of different levels (the population as a whole, its functional layers, and their social and socioeconomic constituent groups) has been performed, including official and unofficial incomes and shadow employment; scenarios of social policy have been studied, including the income policy, labor compensation problems, and the social transfer policy; and economic consequences of the income legalization scenario have been evaluated.     

Natural resources valuation in the system of national accounts: Statistical calculation challenges and experience

The concept and application of the rent-based method of valuation of natural resources in the system of national accounts are discussed. The untenability of direct transfer of the bookkeeping method, which for all intents and purposes underlies the formation of the SNA balance of nonfinancial assets, to the domain of macrostatistical measurements is demonstrated.     

Losses of agricultural products and productive resources in the Russian federation

The paper is devoted to the problem of losses in the agroindustrial complex at all stages of production and processing of products. The data of balances of food supplies are analyzed, indicating a poor accounting level of losses. It is proved that the actual level of losses of agricultural products and food supplies makes up a significant amount, which affects increase of production value and food prices.     

A discussion of the market and policy failures associated with the adoption of herbicide-tolerant crops

Weed control in the U.S. Midwest has become increasingly herbicide-centric due to the adoption of herbicide-tolerant (HT) crops in the 1990s. That integrated weed management (IWM) practices, including ecological and mechanical controls, are scarcely used is concerning. IWM would be a more sustainable form of farming for two reasons. First, it would reduce the negative health and environmental externalities associated with herbicide use. Second, it would reduce the selection pressure on weed populations and the development of weed resistance to some herbicides, thereby reducing the uncertainty of the long-term effectiveness of herbicidal weed control. In this context, we develop an economic framework to clarify the interplay among the different market failures that either contribute to the herbicidal ‘lock-in’ or make it problematic. We then analyse the evidence for and perceptions of these market failures based on twenty-four semi-structured interviews with farmers and experts conducted in 2017, as well as on discussions in the academic literature. To this end, we put into perspective the possible self-reinforcing effects in the adoption path of HT crops, such as increasing farm size, changes in farm equipment, increasing incentives for simplified crop rotations, and the loss of practical knowledge of IWM practices.