ASPECTS OF FARM PROFITABILITY: AN OUTMODED CONCEPT? PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS

The paper begins by recording Journal articles since 1952 of relevance to farming incomes and efficiency, and follows by reviewing the literature on measuring farmers' incomes and the problems entailed, including consideration of non-farming incomes and capital gains and their relevance to agricultural policy. Definitions of ‘profit’ in selected economic texts are then compared, together with attempts to measure ‘pure profit’ from farming. Suitable charges for management and interest are then determined and estimates made of net profits and losses from different types of farming in 1986/7 and 1987/8 for both average and ‘top’ farms. Real farming incomes and capital gains from land from 1938 to 1988 are then discussed. The paper concludes by summarising why the concept of profitability from farming has now largely lost its significance—though not for all farmers.     

AIDS and agricultural production. Report of a land utilization survey,Masaka and Rakai districts of Uganda

Increased AIDS mortality and other preexisting conditions have contributed to agricultural productivity declines in the districts of Masaka and Rakai in Uganda. These two districts were the most fertile in Uganda and also had the highest HIV seroprevalence rates in Africa. 66% of study households experienced land use decline to some extent over the past 5 years. The 11% decline in poultry production and 32% decline in cattle production was reportedly due to poor management and loss of grazing land from overpopulation and larger scale farms. The most frequently reported reasons for crop reductions were death and sickness; these was estimated as affecting 8% of families with children under 5 years in the study area. Morbidity and mortality as a reason for the decline was reported two times as much as poverty and decline in international coffee prices. Other reasons for loss of productivity were food shortages and insecurity, loss of income, and reduced ability to respond to educational and medical needs. Cassava is replacing the culturally preferred matooke banana as a crop that is more disease-, pest-, and drought resistant. The banana weevil has been a recent problem. Marginal farming systems have been the most affected by declines in land use and livestock production, but fertile areas have not been spared the impact from AIDS and adult mortality. Poverty has decreased the use of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers in the districts. Policy has had an impact on agricultural practices: population growth and inheritance have added to loss of individual land holdings and contributed to fallow periods and infertility. Appropriate land management practices have not been adequately promoted in the agricultural extension service. Civil wars and the drop in coffee prices have reduced the number of farm laborers. Common grazing land has been turned over to large commercial ranches. Government should maintain research and monitoring of declines in food and cash crop production and manpower needs. Policy must be designed to respond to the complicated factors affecting productivity. High AIDS prevalence areas and marginal areas where reduced production effects would be the most severe must be given priority status. Development of cash crop alternatives must be examined and perhaps supported on an experimental basis by donor agencies. Maximum productivity should be encouraged by rural extension and education agencies. A number of other specific recommendations were made for individual survival strategies to maintain high agricultural productivity.     

The Local Economic Impacts of the North American Waterfowl Management Plan in Saskatchewan

The North American Waterfowl Management Plan seeks to improve wildlife habitat and increase waterfowl numbers through voluntary transactions with farmers to modify their land management practices. The impact of modified land use practices on the incomes of participating farmers and the regional economy are estimated. The compensation offered under the Plan for modification of land use is determined to adequately offset any loss in participants' income. Income losses to the community due to reduced farm input sales were more than offset by the increase in NAWMP direct expenditures (excluding compensation payments). Distributional effects and externalities must be recognized and monitored to ensure success of the program     

当前我国面临的国际经济环境与未来发展趋势

本文从当前国际关系、世界经济、全球和区域多边及双边贸易体制、国际分工、国际竞争战略等多个领域的深刻变化,概略分析了我国当前和未来面临的国际经济环境的突出特点和主要趋势;提出了世界经济的中国因素和中国经济的世界因素在迅速增大,面临机遇和挑战大量增多的国际经济环境,我们必须同时增强机遇观念和忧患意识。     

The Long Run Growth and Productivity Performance of the United Kingdom

This paper examines Britain's long run growth and productivity performance since the late nineteenth century, taking an international comparative perspective and disaggregating by sector. Britain was richer than the United States and Germany in 1870 largely because of high levels of labour productivity in services and agriculture rather than in industry, together with a highly favourable structure, particularly a small share of the labour force in agriculture. By 1990, the productivity gap in manufacturing had not grown bigger. Rather, the deterioration in Britain's overall comparative labour productivity position has been concentrated in services and agriculture, together with the effects of structural change, particularly the later shift of labour out of agriculture in the United States and Germany.     

HETEROGENEOUS EFFECTS OF THE ACA MEDICAID EXPANSION ON HOSPITAL FINANCIAL OUTCOMES

This study examines the effect of the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion on hospital financial outcomes. A key innovation relative to prior studies is that we explicitly account for heterogeneity across states in the timing and extent of the expansion as well as across hospital types. We find that Medicaid expansion led to a decrease in uncompensated care expenditures and an increase in average operating margins. The effects were larger in states where the Medicaid expansion led to a greater increase in program eligibility. Operating margins improved most for public hospitals and facilities located in rural areas. (JEL I11, I13, I18)     

国家武神关羽明初兴起考——从姜子牙到关羽

清代关羽被尊为武圣,与文圣孔子相对称,因此学界多认为国家武神关羽的地位确立于清。本文根据相关的史料,指出唐宋元时期关羽神在军事作战方面灵异突出,已成为民间武神。洪武二十一年,在偃武修文政策的指导下,相延六百多年的武成王(姜子牙)庙制度被废除。但军队不能没有武神崇拜,于是具有忠义性格的关羽就被选为国家的武神而列入中央祀典,因此国家武神关羽的地位实乃确立于明洪武中期。     

公司选聘关系型独董仅是任人唯亲吗?—基于商业关系维护视角的分析

在我国人情交织的商业背景下,许多公司聘请了与高管存在社会关联的独立董事,由此产生了拖累企业治理效果的担忧.然而,企业聘请这类独立董事仅仅是关系作用下任人唯亲的行为吗?文章通过收集我国上市公司独立董事与董事长或总经理的社会关系数据,以2008-2015年上市公司作为研究样本,发现较多地与商业伙伴进行关系型交易的企业更倾向于聘请关系型独董.其原因在于,社会关系带来的信任使关系型独董能够为企业保守交易过程中的商业信息,并且支持企业为稳固商业关系而做出的相关决策.这一现象在企业处于激烈的行业竞争及较差的地区商业环境时更加明显.经济后果分析表明,这类企业聘请关系型独董后进行了更多的专有资产投资,并获得了更快的销售增长.文章研究表明,企业选择关系型独董不仅仅是关系使然,很可能是企业权衡自身特质后的一种理性选择.