Measuring Farm and Market Level Economic Impacts of Improved Maize Production Technologies in Ethiopia: Evidence from Panel Data

While it is often recognised that agricultural technology adoption decisions are intertwined and best characterised by multivariate models, typical approaches to examining adoption and impacts of agricultural technology have focused on single technology adoption choice and ignored interdependence among technologies. We examine farm‐ and market‐level impacts of multiple technology adoption choices using comprehensive household survey data collected in 2010/11 and 2012/13 in Ethiopia. Economic surplus analysis combined with panel data switching endogenous regression models are used to compute the supply shift parameter (K‐shift parameter), while at the same time controlling for the endogeneity inherent in agricultural technology adoption among farmers. We find that our improved technology set choices have significant impacts on farm‐level maize yield and maize production costs, where the greatest effect appears to be generated when various technologies are combined. The change in maize yield and production costs results in an average 26.4% cost reduction per kilogram of maize output (the K‐shift parameter). This increases the producer and consumer surpluses by US$ 140 and US$ 105 million per annum, respectively. These changes in economic surplus help to reduce the number of poor people by an estimated 788 thousand per year. We conclude that deliberate extension efforts and other policies that encourage integration of technologies are important for maize technologies to yield their full potential at both farm and market levels.     

Inflation,uncertainty, and monetary policy

Low inflation likely reflects factors whose influence should fade over time. But many uncertainties attend this assessment, and downward pressures on inflation could prove to be unexpectedly persistent. My colleagues and I may have misjudged the strength of the labor market, the degree to which longer-run inflation expectations are consistent with our inflation objective, or even the fundamental forces driving inflation. In interpreting incoming data, we will need to stay alert to these possibilities and, in light of incoming information, adjust our views about inflation, the overall economy, and the stance of monetary policy best suited to promoting maximum employment and price stability. How should policy be formulated in the face of such significant uncertainties? In my view, it strengthens the case for a gradual pace of adjustment. But we should also be wary of moving too gradually. It would be imprudent to keep monetary policy on hold until inflation is back to 2%.     

关于完全半解析函数的概念及性质的初步研究

给出完全半解析函数及其可调和的概念。讨论了线性性质及封闭性,研究了完全半解析函数的可调和性。得到了完全半解析函数的一些可调和条件,给出了完全半解析函数的构成。     

TAX‐LIMITED REACTION FUNCTIONS

This paper models for the first time a spatial process in local tax policies in the presence of centrally imposed fiscal limitations. Focusing on the frequently encountered case of a tax rate cap, we evaluate three empirical approaches to the analysis of spatially dependent limited tax policies: (i) a Bayesian spatial approach for censored dependent variables; (ii) a Tobit corner solution model augmented with a spatial lag; (iii) a spatial discrete hazard model. The evidence arising from an investigation of severely state‐constrained local vehicle taxes in Italy suggests that ignoring tax limitations can lead to substantial underestimation of inter‐jurisdictional fiscal interaction. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

CEO Gender and the Malt Brewing Industry: Return of the Beer Witch,Ale-Wife,and Brewster

Beer companies may not come to mind as a warm and welcoming environment for women in management. Indeed, few other mainstream industries utilize advertising as openly hostile to women. Yet in contrast to the 2% CEO positions held by women in Fortune 500 firms, 20% of U. S. large and medium sized malt brewing companies are headed by women. Historical research reveals that Ale-Wives, or Brewsters, held ownership of beer making as a spiritual as well as nutritional contribution to village life for some 20,000 years in a broad array of cultures and geographic locales. Dark Age witch hunts combined with sanitation spoilage to allow the Church and monasteries to wrest control of this high status and lucrative activity; industrial revolution mechanization completed the process of moving beer brewing firmly into the hands of men. Contemporary Microbrewer and Craft Beer concern with sustainable production and community, and thus a possibly more spiritual focus beyond consumption of the product itself, may help explain this female malt brewing leadership regression to the mean.     

Lobbying for Education in a Two‐Sector Model

Firms specialized in two different sectors lobby to induce the government to subsidize the type of education complementary to their production. Lobbying is endogenous. We show that, if lobbying is not costly, both sectors will lobby in equilibrium and the education policy will induce the same skill composition that would be chosen by the social planner. However, if lobbying is costly and there is sufficient asymmetry between the sectors, only one sector will exert pressure on the policy‐maker in the attempt to direct resources toward the type of education required by its production. Which sector will engage in lobbying depends on relative size, productivity, and price. We also provide some preliminary evidence that lobbying activity by firms may influence the production of skills needed by those firms.     

递延所得税项目、条件稳健性与非条件稳健性

以所得税会计准则的执行以及企业所得税改革为背景,从条件稳健性与非条件稳健性两方面考察了中国上市公司2007～2010年递延所得税项目对会计稳健性的影响,证明了递延所得税资产和递延所得税收益(费用)既导致了非条件稳健性,又导致了条件稳健性；而递延所得税负债引起了条件稳健性,在非条件稳健性方面,不但没有表现出稳健性,反而表现出一定的激进性,说明企业在对递延所得税负债的确认上,不但没有高估负债,反而可能低估负债.     

Overseas Investment,Encouraging Long Journey

In the context of the financial crisis, international capital flows, cross-border investment, as well as the mergers and acquisitions generally continues shrinking at a large range in 2009, while China＇s foreign investment and overseas cooperation still maintains a good momentum of development.     

韩国高速铁路投融资体制和运营管理模式

研究韩国高速铁路投融资模式和运营管理模式,系统总结韩国高速铁路建设发展的特点和经验。韩国是通过引进国外先进技术并进行再创新的途径发展高速铁路,深入研究韩国高铁建设运营的实践经验,对于推动我国铁路现代化建设、实现高速铁路可持续发展具有重要的参考价值。     

Creating Value in the Supply Chain for Australian Farmed Barramundi: Whole of Chain Perspective

This article investigates 4 key areas of supply chain management to identify opportunities to create value for Australian farmed barramundi. These key areas are product attributes, material flow, information flow, and relationships. This exploratory study forms the first stage of a value chain mapping study. Based on data gathered from 13 in-depth interviews, 7 with farmers and 6 with wholesalers/retailers, a preliminary map of the value chain for Australian farmed barramundi was developed. From a producer perspective, 3 key issues emerged: lack of collaboration, inconsistency of product quality, and lack of knowledge of what consumers value. Although wholesalers/retailers identify product consistency as a key issue, they further identify product dumping and the growth of imports as areas of major concern. These findings laid the foundation for strategy development at both the individual and industry level. The insights from this case highlight the value of chain analyses as a diagnostic tool for strategy development.