299 research outputs found
Assessing environmental management in agriculture
Full text linkThis paper incorporates interdisciplinary New Institutional Economics and suggests a holistic framework for assessing the forms and efficiency of environmental management in agriculture. First, it defines environmental management as a specific system of social order regulating behaviour and relations of various agents related to natural environment, and environmental management in agriculture as eco-management associated with agricultural production. Second, it specifies spectrum of modes and mechanisms of eco-management comprising: institutional environment, market, private, collective, public and hybrid. Third, it suggests stages in analysis and improvement of environmental management in agriculture including: identification of problems, and risks associated with natural environment; assessment of efficiency of available and feasible modes, and specifying cases of market, private, and public failures; assessment of comparative efficiency of alternative modes for new public intervention and selection of the most efficient one(s). Forth, it classifies personal, institutional, technological, natural, and transaction costs factors of management choice. Finally, it builds a principle governance matrix with the most effective market, private, and public modes taking into account the critical dimensions of eco-activity and transactions (appropriability, assets specificity, uncertainty and frequency), and their potential to coordinate and stimulate eco-activities, meet preferences and reconcile conflicts of individuals, protect eco-rights and investments, overcome uncertainty and risk, assure socially desirable level of environmental protection, and minimize overall (implementing, third-party and transacting) costs.environmental and natural resources governance; institutions, market, private, public and hybrid modes; agriculture
Risk Governance in Bulgarian Dairy Farming
Full text linkThis paper identifies and assesses the efficiency of major modes for risk governance in Bulgarian dairy farming. Firstly, New Institutional Economics is incorporated and framework for analyzing governance of natural, market, private, and social (institutional) risks presented. Next, major types of risks faced by the dairy farms are specified and dominant market, private, public and hybrid modes of risk governance assessed. Finally, principal forms of risks caused by the dairy farms are identified, and efficiency of governing structure assessed. The development of Bulgarian dairy farming has been associated with quite specific risk structures facing by and causing from this sector. The huge market and institutional instability and uncertainty, and the high transaction costs, blocked evolution of effective market and collective modes for risk protection. A variety of private modes (internal organization, vertical integration, interlinking) emerged to deal with the significant natural, market, private, and social risks faced by the dairy farms and the other affected agents. Nevertheless, diverse risks associated with the dairy farming have not been effectively governed and persist during transition now. That is a consequence of ineffective public (Government, international assistance) intervention to correct market and private sector failures in the risk governance. The later have had considerable negative impacts on the evolution of farms, development of markets, structure of production and consumption, state of environment etc. Certain risks related to the dairy sector “disappeared” due to the lack of effective risk governance and the declining dairy farming. That would lead to further deformation in development of the dairy and related sectors unless effective public measures are taken to mitigate existing problems and risks.risk management, dairy, Bulgaria, Livestock Production/Industries, Risk and Uncertainty,
Environmental management in Bulgarian agriculture
Full text linkThis paper presents a new framework for analysis and improvement of environmental management based on the achievements of the New Institutional and Transaction Costs Economics. Following that new framework we first, identify the major environmental problems and risks in Bulgarian agriculture. Next, we access efficiency of market, private and public modes of environmental management employed in the sector. And finally, we give prospects and major challenges of environmental management in conditions of EU Common Agricultural Policy implementation. Our analysis shows that post-communist transition of Bulgarian agriculture has changed the state of the environment and brought some new challenges such as: degradation and contamination of farmland, pollution of surface and ground waters, loss of biodiversity, significant greenhouse gas emissions etc. Badly defined and enforced environmental rights, prolonged process of privatization of agrarian resources, carrying out farming in structures not motivating in long-term investment, low appropriability of certain environmental rights and high uncertainty and assets specificity of environment related transactions, all these factors have been responsible for failure of market and private modes of environmental management. The strong needs for a public intervention have not been met by an effective government, community, international assistance etc. intervention. Consequently agrarian sustainability has been severely compromised. The assessment of likely impact of EU CAP implementation under “Bulgarian” conditions indicates that the main beneficiary of various new support measures will be the biggest operators. Income, technological and environmental discrepancy between different farms, sub-sectors and regions will be further enhanced. Our analysis has been also supported by field survey data from different type dairy farms from two major milk producing regions of the country. We have found out that a great number of farms have no sufficient capacity for adaptation to new EU requirements for the dairy sector. The bulk of milk producers expect no positive impact of CAP measures on their income, volume and technology of production, investment level, product quality, access to public programs, improvement of environmental care, improvement of animal welfare, development of infrastructure, possibilities for new income generation, and social status of farm households.environmental management; market, private and public governance; agrarian transition; CAP implementation; governing agrarian sustainability; comparative institutional analysis; transaction costs; Bulgaria
Governing of agrarian innovations
Full text linkThis paper adapts the principles of the new developing New Institutional and Transaction Cost Economics (integrating Economics, Organization, Law, Political and Behavioral Sciences) to the area of agrarian research and innovations. The major institutional, behavioral, dimensional, technological and transaction costs factors for governing research and innovation activities are determined. The specific market, private, public and hybrid modes for organization of agrarian innovations are specified. The effective boundaries of different governing modes are assessed, and needs and forms for public intervention in agrarian research and innovation are clarified.governance, agrarian research and innovation, research and innovation institutions, new institutional economics, public, private and hybrid organizations
Risk governance in agriculture
Full text linkThis paper identifies and assesses the efficiency of major modes for risk governance in agriculture on the base of Bulgarian dairy farming. Firstly, the New Institutional and Transaction Costs Economics is incorporated and a framework for analysis of the governance of natural, market, private, and social (institutional) risks presented. Next, the pace and challenges of the dairy farming development during the post-communist transition and EU integration is outlined. Third, major types of risks faced by the dairy farms are specified, and the dominant market, private, public and hybrid modes of risk governance assessed. Finally, principal forms of risks caused by the dairy farms are identified, and efficiency and impacts of governing structure assessed. Development of Bulgarian dairy farming has been associated with quite specific risk structures facing by and causing from this important sector of agriculture. The huge market and institutional instability and uncertainty, and the high transaction costs, have blocked evolution of effective market and collective modes for risk protection. A great variety of private modes (internal organization, vertical integration, interlinking etc.) has emerged to deal with the significant natural, market, private, and social risks faced by the dairy farms and other affected agents. Nevertheless, diverse risks associated with the dairy farming have not been effectively governed and persist during the transition now. That has been a consequence of ineffective public (Government, international assistance) intervention to correct market and private sector failures in risk governance. The later has had considerable negative impacts on evolution of size, productivity, and sustainability of farms, development of markets, structure of production and consumption, state of environment etc. What is more, certain risks related to the dairy sector have “disappeared” due to the lack of effective risk governance and declining dairy farming. That would lead to further deformation in development of dairy and related sectors unless effective public (regulations, assistance, control etc.) measures are taken to mitigate the existing problems and risks.natural, market, private, and institutional risk management; governance; dairy farming; transition; CAP implementation; new institutional economics, Bulgaria
GOVERNING OF LABOR SUPPLY IN BULGARIAN FARMS
Full text linkThis is the second paper from a series of articles on governing of different types of transactions in Bulgarian farming applying the framework of New Institutional and Transaction Cost Economics. It is based on a large scale microeconomic data from 194 typical commercial farms of different sizes and types from all regions of the country. This study concentrates on factors and modes for organization of labor supply in Bulgarian farms. Structure of kind of labor (permanent, seasonal, irregular, others), and type of labor use (in production, in administration, in management, for protection, others), and labor source (own labor, family labor, hired labor, cooperative members, others) in farms of different types and sizes has been determined. Microeconomic factors responsible for various organizational and contract choices for labor supply (own cultivation, using of family labor, hiring of workers, cooperation etc.) have been specified. Dominant governing modes have been explained by comparative advantages for saving on transacting costs (for finding partners, contracting, monitoring of hired labor, conflict resolutions, renewal of contracts etc). Limits of farm extension (optimization) through effective alternative (to outside labor supply) modes for “internal” service, and inputs, and land supply have been determined. Transaction costs economizing framework has been used through analysis of: types of wage formation (time based, output based, mixed) for different categories of labor; reasons for hiring labor (extension of business, support of own labor, support of family labor, replace of family labor, others); ways of application of hired labor (in production, in administration, in management, in protection, others); personality of different types of hired labor (relatives; close friends; known before hiring; unknown before first hiring; same persons every time; from universities, agricultural schools etc; others); frequency of experiencing problems leading to suspension of labor contracts; main reasons for conflicts with hired labor (lack of qualification; lack of desire for hard work; lack of entrepreneurial spirit; cheating, stealing etc); kind of contracts with different types of labor (informal, written) and extend of specifications of contract obligations; ways of income formation (fixed monthly wages, daily based, output based, based on final year results, others) of different categories of labor in crop, livestock, services and management. Relative level of farms transaction costs associated with labor supply (for finding needed labor, negotiation and contracting, for directing and monitoring of hired labor, for contract enforcement and disputing etc.) has been determined. Besides high governing costs associated with labor contracts other factors restricting farm enlargement of Bulgarian farms as present stage are: high enforcement costs of contracts in general, and enormous credit supply and marketing costs. According to estimate of farm managers most important factors for future development of farms relate to improvement of institutional environment (guaranteed marketing, enforcement of Laws and private contracts, macro-economic stability, legislation framework, access to free markets) and own and family experience in farm management.type of labor and service contract, organization of labor, governing of labor and service supply, farm organization, transaction costs, transitional farming structure
Study on Agrarian Contracts in Bulgaria
Full text linkThis paper suggests a holistic framework for analysis of agrarian contracts and investigates the contractual structure in transitional Bulgarian agriculture. Firstly, it incorporates the interdisciplinary New Institutional and Transaction Costs Economics (combining Economics, Organization, Law, Sociology, Behavioral and Political Sciences) and describes major mechanisms of governance of agrarian activity – institutional environment, market competition, private, collective and public order; and defines features of agrarian sale-purchase, lease, employment, service, loan, insurance and coalition contracts; and identifies technological, institutional, behavioral, dimensional, and transaction costs factors for contractual choice and specifies effective modes for contractual arrangements in agriculture; and determines the effective boundaries and sustainability of farm and agrarian organizations. Secondly, it analyzes the post-communist institutional and organizational modernization of Bulgarian agriculture, and assesses the efficiency of various modes for governing of land supply, and labor supply, and service supply, and inputs supply, and finance supply, and insurance supply, and marketing of output in different type of farms.mechanisms of governance; contract management; type of agrarian contracts; factors and efficiency of contractual choice; economic boundaries and sustainability of farm; transitional agriculture; Bulgaria
EFFICIECY OF AGRARIAN ORGANISATIONS
Full text linkThe goal of this paper is to incorporate achievements of the New Institutional and Transaction Costs Economics to analysis of efficiency of agrarian organizations in transitional economies. That modern framework for analysis of agrarian organizations is based on their role to govern transactions between individual agents. Since governing (coordination, organization) of transactions is associated with significant costs (for finding best prices and partners, for negotiation and contracting, for monitoring and enforcement of contract terms, for adjustment and re-negotiation according to changed conditions of exchange, for dispute resolutions etc.), the economic efficiency of agrarian organizations has to assess not only their capacity to minimize the production costs, but their potential to economize transacting costs as well. Initially, main kinds of transactions of the managers of agrarian transactions (farms entrepreneurs) are clarified as land, labor, service, inputs, and finance supply; marketing; and collective actions. After that, the alternative market, non-market, and mixed modes for organization of different types of agrarian transitions are identified. Next, various types of costs associated with each form of transacting are determined. And then, the comparative efficiency of different governance structures is estimated according to (minimum) transacting costs criteria. One direction for evaluation of comparative efficiency of governing structures is based on direct assessment of items of costs for transaction in different organizations. However, that manner is often restricted since: difficulties (or impossibility) to measure absolute level of transaction costs; opposite dynamics of different items of costs in various organizations; great use of complex (and interlinked) rather than pure modes in transitional agriculture; and not existence (missing) of alternative form for organization (the base for comparison). Another direction is through comparative structural (qualitative) analysis of alternative governing forms. Firstly, critical factors of transactions in particular institutional environment are identified. These factors affect transaction costs variation, and they are associated: with behavioral characteristic of agrarian agents (bounded rationality, tendency for opportunism, building of reputation, risk aversion, level of trusts); and with economic dimensions of individual transactions (frequency, uncertainty, assets specificity and appropriability). Secondly, assessment is made on effective potential of alternative organizational modes to: minimize bounded rationality of agrarian agents and uncertainty associated with transacting; to appropriate and protect private investments from possible opportunism; to recover long-term investments for organizational development through high recurrence of transactions between same agents; to exploit economy of size and scale on specific for relationship with a particular partner capital etc. Third, principal matrix of generic organizational modes is build for effective governance of transactions with different combination of critical dimensions: free market mode if effective to carry out transactions with high appropriability and low assets specificity; the special contract form is appropriate for transactions with high frequency, and increased uncertainty and assets specificity; the internal integration can manage effectively repeated transactions with high capital dependency and big uncertainty; the hybrid and public modes are the most effective forms for occasional transactions with low appropriability and high assets specificity. Finally, effective horizontal and vertical boundaries of every specific form within each generic modes could be determined through comparison of their potential to explore economy of size (scale) on specific or (and) specialized assets, and their comparative efficiency to minimize bounded rationality and to control opportunism of counterparts.agrarian governance, efficiency of agrarian organizations, new institutional and transaction costs economics
Competitiveness of Bulgarian farms
Full text linkThis paper suggests a holistic framework for assessing farm competitiveness, and analyses competitiveness of different type of Bulgarian farms. First, it present a new approach for assessing farm competitiveness defining farm competitiveness and its three criteria (efficiency, adaptability and sustainability), and identifying indicators for assessing the individual aspects and the overall competitiveness of farms. Next, it analyzes evolution and efficiency of farming organizations during post communist transition and EU integration in Bulgaria, and assesses levels and factors of farms competitiveness in the conditions of CAP implementation.efficiency, adaptability, sustainability, and competitiveness of farms, transitional agriculture, EU integration, CAP, Bulgaria
Integration of dairy farms in supply chain in bulgaria
Full text linkThis paper presents a new business model for an effective market inclusion of numerous small-scale dairy farms developed by a private entrepreneur. Firstly, it gives insight on development and challenges of Bulgarian dairy sector. Next, it describes the innovation, identifies drivers and changes of inclusion, and assesses its efficiency and sustainability. Finally, it evaluates the possibilities for up-scaling of the model, and suggests business and policies recommendations. Major features of the model include: developing a competitive dairy processing enterprise for locally produced milk; installing milk collecting, cooling, and controlling facilities in the neighborhood and within farms; modernizing milk supply and processing quality according to the top industry standards; building an effective system for governing relations (coordination, stimulation, control, conflict resolution) with individual farmers; developing a company mark and reputation for high quality products; introducing a great variety of specific, original and locally produced products into regional, national, and international markets. Critical factors for evolution of the model have been identified as: private entrepreneurship, experience and skills, technological discipline, available resources, introduction of innovations, effective governance (control, incentives, adjustment) of vertical relations, building a good reputation, development of markets and formal regulations. Integration of farmers has been associated with needs of progressive changes in breed of animals, technology of production, and labor organization, and led to higher income, quality of production, stability of sells and prices, care for animals and environment, and possibility for modernization and adaptation to formal requirements.chain governance, vertical integration, business innovation, farmers inclusion, dairy farming, Bulgaria
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