Plant variety protection in developing countries. A report from the field

The establishment of intellectual property rights (IPRs) for plant varieties has caused considerable controversy, but there is relatively little empirical evidence on performance and options in developing countries. This paper summarizes the results of a recent five-country study, concentrating on the conduct of plant variety protection (PVP) regimes. It examines PVP in the context of other mechanisms that provide incentives for plant breeding. It discusses the principal options available to developing countries and examines the ability of PVP to offer protection from competing firms and from on-farm seed saving. It also looks at the administrative and management requirements of PVP regimes. Although the paper does not discuss patent protection for biotechnology it examines the IPR requirements for the introduction of transgenic varieties. Developing countries need to establish an appropriate PVP system, but PVP should be seen as part of a broader strategy for seed system development.     

我国林木良种基地建设与管理现状与对策

我国林木良种良种使用率“九五”末期为28%,目前提高到43%;基地供种率达到37%,但良种基地建设与管理中还存在一些问题。结合广西、贵州等省(区)林木良种基地建设的现状,分析了基地建设投入机制、总体规划、经营管理、资源收集与保存等问题,并提出了今后林木良种基地建设与管理的对策和建议。     

甘蔗新品种园林17号在广西蔗区的栽培适应性研究

以当地主栽品种新台糖22号、新台糖16号为对照,在广西5个不同生态蔗区开展甘蔗新良种园林17号1年新植蔗、1年宿根蔗栽培适应性试验,研究园林17号主要农艺性状和经济性状在不同生态蔗区的综合表现,为加快园林17号的繁殖和推广提供参考。结果表明：园林17号的萌芽率、分蘖率、宿根发株数、有效茎数、茎径、单茎重等性状均优于对照,蔗糖分稍低于对照,平均蔗茎产量7419．0m^2／667m^2、亩含糖量1078．4m^2／667m^2,分别比对照提高14．81％、12．52％。应用模糊评分法作综合评判结果,园林17号春植蔗、宿根蔗主要农艺性状和经济性状在不同生态蔗区的综合表现均优于对照,在桂中、桂中北蔗区较对照品种的优势比桂南、桂东、桂西蔗区更明显。因此,园林17号适宜在广西各主要蔗区推广种植,尤以在桂中、桂中北蔗区的应用推广潜力更大。     

英国“20:20小麦”研究项目调查

2012年6月13日,英国洛桑研究所和英国生物技术与生物科学研究理事会联合发起了雄心勃勃的"20:20小麦"研究项目,计划在未来20年内,即到2032年,使英国的潜在粮食产量从目前的大约8 t/hm~2增至20 t/hm~2。实施"20:20小麦"项目可使小麦潜在产量最大化;可确定小麦根系吸水和养分的情况,以提高小麦光合作用的效率;可对作物进行改良。洛桑研究所是英国最大的农业研究中心,有得天独厚的试验条件和世界领先的研究技术,并注重国际合作和开放创新。期望通过对"20:20小麦"研究项目的介绍,为我国农业科研提供参考和借鉴。     

Testing the Alchian–Allen theorem for three goods using the pseudo Poisson model

We show that the Alchian–Allen theorem holds in three‐good world. We empirically test the theorem by examining the relative demand for three quality‐differentiated coffee varieties sold globally and confirm that a common per‐unit charge increases the overall quality of coffee demanded. Our empirical specification employs the Poisson pseudo maximum likelihood method, which prevents sample selection bias when zero flows between country pairs occur and estimated parameter inconsistency when the data exhibit heteroscedasticity. This is a significant improvement compared to previous practice of using the ordinary least squares to estimate the log‐log formulation, which led to both biased and inconsistent parameter estimates.     

Board structures,liberal countries,and developed market economies. Do they matter in environmental reporting? An international outlook

Previous empirical evidence has shown the effect of most corporate governance mechanisms on corporate social responsibility and environmental disclosure. However, there is scant empirical evidence that examines the influence of liberal countries, developed market economies, and board structures on environmental disclosure. Thus, this research aims to explore how liberal and developed countries and board structures affect environmental reporting. We hypothesise a linear and positive association between companies located in countries with liberal and developed market economies and environmental reporting. Moreover, we hypothesise that one‐tier board structures negatively affect environmental disclosure. Focusing on 13,100 companies domiciled in 39 different countries from 2005 to 2015, it is established that those companies located in liberal and developed economies are more likely to disclose environmental information, whereas one‐tier boards have a negative effect.     

Multi-Site Bundling of Drought Tolerant Maize Varieties and Index Insurance

Drought Tolerant Maize Varieties (DTMV) and Rainfall Index Insurance (RII) are potential complements, though with limited empirical basis. We employ a multivariate spatial framework to investigate the potential for bundling DTMV with a simulated multi-site and multi-environment RII, designed to insure against mild, moderate and severe drought risk. We use yield data from on-farm trials conducted by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and partners over 49 locations in Eastern and Southern Africa spanning 8 countries and 5 mega-environments (dry lowland, dry mid altitude, wet lower mid altitude, low wetland and wet upper mid altitude) in which 19 different improved maize varieties including DTMV were tested at each location. Spatially correlated daily rainfall data are generated from a first-order two-state Markov chain process and used to calibrate the index and predict yields with a hierarchical Bayes multivariate spatial model. Results show high variation in the performance and benefits of different bundles which depend on the maize variety, the risk layer insured, and the type of environment, with high chances of selecting a sub-optimal and unattractive contract. We find that complementing RII with a specific DTMV produces contracts with lower premiums and higher guaranteed returns especially in dry lowland increasing the chances of scaling up RII within this environment.     

Can a comparative capitalism approach explain fiscal policy activism?

This study investigates the implications of models of capitalism for the responsiveness of countries’ fiscal policies during business cycles using new data for member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and China. We expand the literature by adding the category of East Asian nonliberal capitalism to the established distinction of liberal market economies and nonliberal coordinated market economies. These three differ substantially not just in their fiscal policies, but also in monetary policies, degree of financial market orientation, exchange rate regime, and labor market organization. As in previous studies, we find that governments of liberal economies adopt more countercyclical fiscal policies. Departing from existing studies, however, among the nonliberal models of capitalism, (East Asian) state-led models have more countercyclical fiscal policies than (European) coordinated market economies, perhaps as countercyclical as liberal economies, both historically and during the 2007–9 crisis. This is due to less independent central banks, managed float of exchange rates, and limited financial market orientation and financial openness in East Asia, which allow for more active fiscal policy. Among political factors, left-of-center governments, fractionalized party systems, and election years are associated weakly with countercyclical fiscal policy, as expected. Labor market coordination and welfare generosity have unclear roles in regard to fiscal policy, a topic for future research.     

The dilemma of cheap food and self-sufficiency: The case of wheat in Iran

Self-sufficiency in wheat has been one of the major goals of Iranian agricultural policies since the Revolution of 1979. Even so, the country failed to achieve this goal by the early 2000s, despite a satisfactory growth in wheat production. This paper addresses this failure and the political difficulties in introducing reforms that would reduce the need for import. First, the production and consumption of wheat are examined. The conclusion is that the cheap-bread policy has mainly been responsible for the imbalances between domestic supply and demand, and the continued reliance on wheat imports. Moreover, the paper argues that the subsidy program is an expensive safety net for the needy and shows that the Iranian government has intended to reform the program since the early 1990s. However, subsidy reforms are politically sensitive, especially in developing countries where subsidies are considered very important, both for supporting the poor and for political stability. An analysis of the Iranian attempts at subsidy reform suggests that they have not yet succeeded, mainly due to such political considerations.