54 research outputs found
How effective is the EU Entry Price System for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables?
No full textThe EU protects EU growers of 15 kinds of fresh fruits and vegetables against international competition not only by the means of ad valorem tariffs of up to 20%, but also by the EU entry-price system (EPS), which is designed to restrict imports below the product-specific, politically designated entry price level. This study investigates the influence of the EPS on import prices of fruits and vegetables per product and country of origin. We utilise a unique data set comprising about 60,000 observations of daily synthetic import prices. We develop two indicators for the effectiveness of the EPS, which serve as variables in a cluster analysis identifying four classes differing in the relevance of the EPS. Results suggest that the relevance of the EPS is heterogeneous among products as well as countries of origin for most fruits and vegetables. Thus, an adequate assessment of the importance of the EPS requires not only a product-specific but also a country-specific analysis. Overall, our results indicate that the effectiveness of the EPS is highest for the import of artichokes, courgettes, cucumbers, lemons, plums and tomatoes. The influence of the EPS on apples, clementines and pears is significantly lower, and of least relevance for EU imports of apricots, mandarins, oranges, peaches and nectarines and table grapes. The EPS has the greatest effect on countries which neighbour the EU, whereas it is of minor importance for exports from far-away countries with the exception of China and South Africa.threshold cointegration, spatial price transmission, vector error correction model, Agricultural and Food Policy, Demand and Price Analysis,
Quality Standards for Food Products - A Particular Burden for Small Producers in Developing Countries?
No full textThis paper develops an analytical framework which structures the problem of whether, how and to what extent small producers in developing countries are disadvantaged by the increasing prevalence of food quality standards. Based on a literature review, the empirical evidence is structured and research gaps are identified. The paper finds that small and medium producers rarely comply without support from downstream actors. In case of well-educated and relatively wealthy farmers, forward integration is also found. No empirical support exists for the intuitively appealing hypothesis of a lower cost of compliance per unit of output for large producers. Zusammenfassung In diesem Papier wird ein Analyserahmen entwickelt, um die Möglichkeit und das Ausmaß der Benachteiligung von Kleinlandwirten in Entwicklungsländern durch die zunehmende Verbreitung von Qualitätsstandards für Produkte der Agrar- und Ernährungsindustrie zu strukturieren. In einer Literaturübersicht werden die Ergebnisse empirischer Studien ausgewertet und Forschungslücken identifiziert. Es wird gezeigt, dass Kleinlandwirte aufwändige Prozessstandards selten ohne die Unterstützung von Unternehmen auf nachgelagerten Stufen der Wertschöpfungskette implementieren. Die einleuchtende und weit verbreitete Hypothese, dass die Cost of Compliance per Produkteinheit für große Produzenten niedriger als für kleine Produzenten seien, wurde bisher empirisch nicht bestätigt.Quality Standards, International Trade, EUREPGAP, Certification, Small Farmers, Developing Countries, Cost of Compliance, Agribusiness, International Relations/Trade,
Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: clinical characteristics, treatment and prognosis in a Norwegian population of patients
No full textAbstractForty-three patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME) is presented. The female to male ratio was 2.9:1. The patients answered a standardized questionnaire pertaining to social situation, medical history, onset of epilepsy, types and frequency of seizures, treatment, experienced control over seizures and consequences of having epilepsy. Myoclonic jerks, which are the hallmark of the condition, are often forgotten by the patients or not considered as epileptic seizures. This could be one reason why ME still seems underdiagnosed. ME may comprise absence, myoclonic and generalized tonic-clonic seizures (GTCS), proposed to occur in age-related sequence. We found that absence seizures may start after onset of other seizures. Our results confirm the need for medication since, during the last year, only 7% were seizure free without medication. Of patients on antiepileptic drugs (AEDs), 79.5% had no GTCS and 41% were seizure free during the last year, which confirms a relatively good response to appropriate treatment. Although most patients used AED daily and many still had one or more types of epileptic seizure, the epilepsy in general had very little impact on their lives
Current preferences of Southern Mediterranean Countries and their erosion after variations of the entry price system
No full textIt has been calculated the value of the preference margin granted to Euro-Mediterranean partners in the cases of reduced entry prices in force, and then it has been simulated the impact of EU trade liberalisation for F&V on such values after two different alternatives of EP system variations resulting from a WTO agreement. The results of current preferences indicate that in monetary terms there is only a significant relevance of the preferential EPs in the case of Moroccan tomatoes and, to a lesser extent, in Moroccan clementines. Very little is the relevance for Jordanian tomatoes and cucumbers and Moroccan courgettes, cucumbers and artichokes. In the cases of oranges from Egypt, Morocco, Israel and Jordan, preferential EP has not meant potential monetary transfers to these preference-receiver countries. Instead, the ad valorem tariff exoneration seems crucial in almost all the products. With regard to the erosion of preferences as a result of a WTO agreement, the magnitude of the erosion depends crucially on the variation/no-variation of the current trigger EPs, and the undermining of preferences is concentrated mostly on Moroccan tomatoes.Entry prices, erosion of trade preferences, Euro-Mediterranean trade, fruits and vegetables, International Relations/Trade,
The Übermensch comes to Scandinavia: rereading Hamsun and Dinesen in the light of Nietzsche's philosophy
No full textThesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2000This dissertation seeks to clarify the works of Knut Hamsun (1859--1952) and Isak Dinesen (1885--1962) in the light of Friedrich Nietzsche's philosophy (1844--1900). The author considers Hamsun and Dinesen a "step-son" and a "step-daughter" of modernity, in line with Georg Brandes' interpretation of Nietzsche as a "step-child" in his time---in opposition to modern civilization, culture, philosophy, and morality---when he presented Nietzsche to his Scandinavian audience through his lectures in Copenhagen in 1888.Both Hamsun's and Dinesen's critiques of modernity are, like Nietzsche's, fundamental to their works. Rejecting the rigid rules and norms of modern philosophy and Christian Puritan ethics, they do not formulate a new political program for a future society, but focus their attention instead on the individual who they see as the mover of cultural change on the artistic-existential level. Hence, the author focuses in particular on the Nietzschean protagonists in the works of Hamsun and Dinesen, discussing, for instance, their use of masks to survive as outsiders and to defend their artistic-existential projects. Further, the author argues that these projects are fueled by a pantheistic conviction in line with Nietzsche's Dionysian pantheism and the eternal recurrence Nietzsche's prophet Zarathustra preaches.Finally the author discusses Hamsun's fascination with and Dinesen's disturbing views on Hitler as symptomatic of their disregard for the majority of people while celebrating the artistic-existential projects of great individuals. The author emphasizes the importance of recognizing this as a weakness related to their artistic-existential philosophy; a risk that they may be inclined to support a political alternative that is socially destructive while focusing on the opportunities it implies for the individual. This does not, however, mean that we must reject their work. Rather we should approach their work critically and separate the constructive from the destructive in their critiques of modernity
The Participation of the Kings in the Early Norwegian Sailing to Bjarmeland (Kola Peninsula and Russian Waters), and the Development of a Royal Policy Concerning the Northern Waters in the Middle Ages
No full text... In earlier times Finmark and the inner parts of Troms were not inhabited by Norwegians but by a Finnish-Ugrain-speaking nomadic people, few in numbers, called Fins. ... [The author traces the movement of Norwegians into Finmark and the polar regions from the early account of King Alfred the Great, informed by Ottmar, through to the Middle Ages. The Danish monarchs inherited the sea empire and became entangled in conflict with England, Germany, Holland, Sweden and Russia as the struggle for free economic enterprise increased.
J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter, and contemporary society : the Harry Potter books as social criticism
No full textThere are many possible ways of reading J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series because it has borrowed elements from several genres, ranging from the detective story to the bildungsroman. While recognizing the series as fantasy, this thesis focuses on its realistic elements in order to explore the possibility of reading the Potter saga as an expression of Rowling's social criticism. Even though the topics are interrelated, they have been divided into five categories/chapters. The first chapter deals with the middle class and how its members can be criticized for their materialism, conformity, and shallowness. In addition, even though it is a critique of contemporary society as a whole, comsumerism has also been included. Chapters two and three, which deal with different social classes, including slavery, and race, most clearly show that Rowling can be seen as an ethical writer who believes in personal integrity, regardless of class and race. The fourth chapter is concerned with a somewhat different matter: ambiguity. By presenting several ambiguous characters in the series, there is reason to believe that the author is trying to warn as against the danger of seeing things as just black or white. Finally, the last chapter deals with two kinds of authorities: media and government. While Rowling's humorous writing is evident throughout the series, her satirical portrayals of media as well as a malfunctioning government are perhaps the best examples to show how she manages to use humor as an effective weapon
Der Stakeholderdialog zwischen Regulierung und Rhetorik: eine empirische Studie der dargestellten Dialogorientierung in deutschen und dänischen Geschäftsberichten
No full text"Ausgehend von den Rahmenbedingungen der Geschäftsberichterstattung, u.a. von Corporate Governance Richtlinien, wird untersucht, inwieweit und wie sich deutsche und dänische Unternehmen der Chemischen Industrie nach außen als dialogorientiert darstellen. Darüber hinaus wird auf Dilemmas bei der Darstellung des Stakeholderdialogs und auf ungenutzte Potenziale dieser Darstellung als Differenzierungsparameter gegenüber der Konkurrenz aufmerksam gemacht." (Autorenreferat)"Stakeholder dialogues are part of Corporate Governance Regulations and therefore a management instrument that many companies deal with and communicate about. This article investigates how German and Danish chemical companies present and construct dialogue with stakeholders in their annual reports. This entails analyzing, first, to what extent stakeholder dialogue is articulated, second bow the stakeholder dialogue is evaluated linguistically and, third, what approaches to stakeholder dialogue are expressed in the reports. Moreover, the author addresses some possibilities for better communication about stakeholder dialogue as a means of differentiation and corporate identity profiling in relation to competitors." (author's abstract
Grethe Kjaer: 'Thomasine Gyllembourg, Author of a Story of Everyday Life'
No full textNo description availabl
AHC Interview with Margaretha Wolf 1903-1997
No full textMargaretha Wolf was born in a well-to-do Jewish family in 1903 in Vienna. The family lived first in an elegant house in the second district, and later on in the Boersegasse, the first district. Her parents were both born in Czechoslovakia and raised in Vienna. Her mother’s relatives, the Mangold family, was well known in Vienna. Her parents got married in 1900. Her father owned a textile business. Recollections of paternal grandparents in Hungary. Grethe and her younger brother Franz grew up with a nanny and a French governess. She took piano lessons with the pianist Margarethe Levitt. Her teacher convinced Grethe’s parents to enroll their daughter in the Beamtentoechterlyceum, where she was able to continue her education. Recollections of World War One and the death of the Kaiser. Her father served in the Austrian Army during the war. The family was not religious, but they celebrated Passover. Grethe transferred to the Cottagegymnasium, where she graduated with Matura. Summer vacations in Baden. Grethe practiced sports such as skiing, tennis, ice skating and dance. She grew up in a progressive environment. Passion for music and art. Travels with her mother to Velden, Berlin and Venice, Italy. 1927 Marriage with the physician Max Wolf, who came from a family of physicians, artists and PhD’s. He had a number of famous patients, such as the brother of Kaiser Karl, his wife Zita, and the author Stephen Swift. Margaretha worked in her husband’s practice and a few afternoons at her father’s business. Travels throughout Europe. Her husband had an international reputation as a dermatologist. Recollections of the Anschluss in 1938. With the help of her husband’s patient Albert Goering, the brother of the infamous Hermann Goering, they were able to leave Austria via Jugoslawia. They had an affidavit for the United States and arrived in New York in 1939. Her husband studied to get his American licence and Margaretha worked in order to support the familHer husband had a successful practice. The couple lived in Elmhurst, Queens and were members of Humanitas, an organizations of émigrés to the United States.Margaretha Wolf was born as Margaretha Langer in 1903 in Vienna. She grew up in the progressive environment of a well-to-do family. She was a student of the Beamtentoechterlyceum and the Cottagegymnasium. In 1927 she got married to the physician Max Wolf, who had an international reputation and a number of famous patients. In 1939 they emigrated to the United States.May 11, 1997 and July 6, 1997Austrian Heritage Collectio
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