Modeling and Measuring Productivity in the Agri-Food Sector: Trends, Causes and Effects

This article overviews recent trends in modeling and measuring productivity patterns, and in distinguishing their determinants and implications, for the agri-food sector. Theoretical methodologies as well as empirical implementation and results are discussed, with a view toward identifying those with potential for facilitating understanding of productivity measures, and ultimately using them for policy guidance. Productivity growth evidence for the food systems of the U.S., Canada and the U.K. is summarized, and recent studies distinguishing underlying causes of production structure patterns and linking them with market-structure patterns are reviewed, as a basis for assessing the key messages from and trends in this literature.
L'auteurfait un survol de révolution récente dans les domaines de la modélisation et de la mesure des courbes de productivité ainsi que de la caractérisation de leurs determinants et de leurs significations pour le secteur agroalimentaire. Il passe en revue les méthodes théoriques aussi bien que les applications empiriques et leurs résultats afin d'en dégager ceux qui pourraient faciliter la comprehension des mesures de la productivité et qui, éventuellement, pourraient servir de guide awe décideurs. L'auteur analyse les signes de croissance de la productivité des filières agroalimentaires observés aux Etats-Unis, au Canada et au Royaume-Uni. Enfln il examine les études récentes sur les causes sous-jacentes des évolutions des structures de production et sur leurs liens avec l'évolution des structures de marché, dans le but d'en dégager les messages et les tendances dés.     

Estimation and inference in unstable nonlinear least squares models

There is compelling evidence that many macroeconomic and financial variables are not generated by linear models. This evidence is based on testing linearity against either smooth nonlinearity or piece-wise linearity, but there is no framework that encompasses both. This paper provides an econometric framework that allows for both breaks and smooth nonlinearity in between breaks. We estimate the unknown break-dates simultaneously with other parameters via nonlinear least-squares. Using new central limit results for nonlinear processes, we provide inference methods on break-dates and parameter estimates and several instability tests. We illustrate our methods via simulated and empirical smooth transition models with breaks.     

Dimand-Dore on cournot-bertrand: A reply and more

This note refutes the novel thesis of Jean Magnan de Bornier [1992] that all of Cournot's analysis in his 1838 classic was about price rivalry. It also reiterates the proposition that Cournot treated both quantity and price rivalry and that Cournot was clearly aware of the symmetry between quantity conjectures and price conjectures in 1838. It is conjectured that the many misinterpretations of Cournot derive from failure to work through Cournot's simple mathematics and a mental truncation of the Recherches into just Chapter VII.     

Productivity and Efficiency Measurement in Our “New Economy”: Determinants,Interactions, and Policy Relevance

Interpreting and using productivity and efficiency measures requires establishing the determinants and implications of observed performance. This is not a simple task, however, given the complex interactions among economic entities in modern markets. Identifying and quantifying performance drivers often involves parametric estimation of models with explicit performance factors build into functions representing technology and behavior. Here I overview some such studies in the literature on food system economic performance, to emphasize the potential to empirically represent a more complex web of technological and market phenomena than in standard productivity analyses, to enhance the measures' interpretability and relevance for policy guidance.     

The influences of Confucianism, Feng Shui and Buddhism in Chinese accounting history

This paper attempts to examine the influences of Confucianism, Feng Shui and Buddhism on the evolution of Chinese accounting before recent accounting reforms commencing in the 1980s. Chinese cultural variables (e.g. Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism, etc.) have been widely utilized in studying Chinese accounting systems, the accounting profession and the evolution of Chinese accounting techniques. However, the literature has not taken into account the traditional Chinese Feng Shui belief, which was broadly considered as the most important part of Chinese traditional culture. There is much evidence to show that Chinese accounting development was not only influenced by Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism, but also by the prevalence of Feng Shui belief in ancient China over thousands of years. This paper first discusses the concepts of culture and describes Confucianism, Feng Shui and Buddhism in China, and then examines the influences of Confucianism, Feng Shui and Buddhism on the evolution of Chinese accounting. The influences discussed are those on bookkeeping methods, accounting information, accounting profession/accountants, regulating and standardizing accounting practice, government accounting and private-sector accounting respectively. This paper also identifies some areas for future research in Chinese accounting history and culture.     

Dual-route communication of destination websites

To understand the communication route of destination websites, this study employed the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) which is a dual-route, multi-process model of persuasive message processing. That is, this study proposed a theoretical model for the dual-route persuasive process based on ELM, investigated its antecedents and consequences, and identified the moderating effect of involvement. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is used to test the validity of the conceptual model. The results indicate that highly involved people are inclined to elaborate on information (central route), while people with low involvement are likely to make judgments based on simple cues (peripheral route). Website design characteristics are an important antecedent of both central and peripheral-route persuasions. Attitudes resulting from careful consideration via the central route are more predictive of conation and behavior (further information searching and travel intentions) than those formed via the peripheral route. The study provides a foundation for further tourism research investigating the Internet as a persuasive tool, and suggests strategies for website designers.     

中国需求带动全球金属回收

过去5年，由于金属价格大涨，全世界范围内爆发了一股金属盗窃浪潮——盗窃目标从教堂屋顶上的铅到下水道的钢质井盖，无所不包。但也正因为废品经销商四处搜罗金属，本轮金属牛市也促使了废弃生锈汽车、农用机器和废弃建筑材料得以回收。     

The Balassa–Samuelson Hypothesis in the Asia‐Pacific Region Revisited*

In a study of nine Asia‐Pacific countries' real exchange rates, Chinn (2000) finds some evidence in support of the Balassa (1964) and Samuelson (1964) hypothesis. His findings, however, are based on the application of a model containing several potentially restrictive simplifying assumptions to a dataset of limited span. Consequently, we look to assess the effect on Chinn's findings of considerably increasing the sample size and relaxing these assumptions. We find a comparable level of evidence for the Balassa–Samuelson hypothesis when applying Chinn's model to the larger sample, but obtain significantly greater support when a less restrictive approach is adopted.     

Economic performance, cost economies and pricing behaviour in the US and Australian meat products industries

The cost and demand structures of meat products industries in the US and Australia from 1970 to 1991 are examined. Scale economies, technical change and trade impacts and output pricing behaviour are evaluated, using short- and long-run input cost and input and output demand elasticities. The greatest technological impacts stem from large-scale economies, which are similar across countries. Unit cost savings from output expansion involve capital investment and materials saving in the long run, although input-specific patterns vary by country. Import competition appears to motivate capital expansion further. Finally, large mark-ups of price over marginal cost are found, which are consistent with low profits as a result of the underlying scale economies.