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Linking the trends in material flows with poverty in the Philippines
No full textThis paper attempts to link information from national material flow accounts, which have been established for the Philippines only recently, and standard measures of poverty. Since the Philippines economy during the last two decades has undergone significant ups and downs, poverty of parts of the Philippines population is an eminent problem. At the same time, the Philippines is still to a great extent an agricultural economy where both growth in household income and availability of food are related to the efficiency of the agricultural activities. In order to arrive at an analysis of the potential for alleviating poverty, trends in material flows are considered as background information for economic arguments. This is assumed possible for two reasons: first of all, material flows establish a biophysical background for all economic activities and create direct links to other environmental resources such as land. Secondly, material flows are rather stable and slow to change. The finding of the paper, that growth impulse (e.g., rising labour productivity) mainly comes from agriculture does not support an optimistic view for future reduction of poverty since population growth in the Philippines currently overtakes domestic food production and the crops contributing to growth are limited by the availability of land of good quality. Copyright © 2005 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd
The economics of open catch fishery in Taal Lake
No full textResults from a survey of 105 fishing groups of capture Fisherfolk in 1998 showed that the average number of fishers per fishing group was two (2) and that the average number of hours spent fishing per group was nine (9) in addition. an average day u these 105 groups yielded some 1.401 kg of assorted fish belonging to 22 fish species Tilapia constituted forty-two (42) percent of this daily catch The different fish species caught in Taal Lake varied in prices ranging from P10/kg to P350ikg The weighted average price of all fishes. including tilapia. was P65/kg while the weighted average price without tilapia was P76/kg The total gross income per day of all 105 groups was P91 705 with each fisher getting P527 average gross income per day By ratio and proportion if per fishing group caught 13 34 kg per day. and if there were 2.761 subsistence fisherfolk households in 1998. the total catch of capture fishery in 1998 was 13.443.585 kg Gross income for this catch at P65/kg would be P873.833 032 for that year Assuming that fishing costs would amount to 30% of the value of the catch total net annual income for all fisherfolk households would be P611.683.122 The estimated total annual fish production in Taal Lake in 1998 based on this survey of 105 open catch fisherfolk and 70 fish cage operators was 67.445.085 kg. This translates to a gross income of P3.573.908.032. Eighty percent (80%) of this income was derived from fish cages The estimated difference between the total annual net incomes from fish cages and capture fishery was P298.627.878. The difference in incomes between the two groups of fishers should be viewed with the following externalities issues in mind
1 foregone income of capture fishery imposed by fish caging operations
2 wide disparity in fish prices among fish caught in the open and Napo raised in fish cages
3 loss in biodiversity, both actual and potential,
4 pollution costs. and
5 welfare and equity consideration
Potential impacts of various capital gains tax structures on forest investments
No full textThe objective of the study was to determine how various capital gains tax structures affect decisions to invest in new forest investments. These effects were measured by changes in the after-tax present values of bare land under each tax structure. The three capital gains tax structures modeled were: the current federal income tax law without basis indexing, the current federal income tax law with basis indexing, and the accrued income tax with indexing. Other things equal, the direction of effects on present values of bare land of capital gains tax structures and the other factors in the model was the same for White pine Christmas trees and Douglas fir timber. Highest present values occurred with basis indexing and lowest present values were with the accrued income tax structure, in all possible combinations of the above variables. Higher present values with basis indexing were due to tax savings. Tax saving from basis indexing per dollar of cost basis increases, reaches a maximum, then decreases as the payoff period lengthens, at a given inflation rate, with all other things equal. The payoff period that maximizes tax savings per dollar of cost basis decreases, as real interest rates increase. When the capital gains tax rate is 34% and inflation rate is 5%, and when real interest rates range from 3% to 9%, the payoff period with maximum tax savings ranges from 20 to 10 years. Since most forest investments have rotations longer than 20 years, this result implies that basis indexing will probably not affect decisions about new forest investments very much. It will also not affect the timing of gains realization for capital assets, not necessarily forestry in nature only, that had already been held for longer than 20 years.
Two equity criteria were considered in the study. The first criterion requires the tax to be neutral with respect to allocation of land to different uses. The second criterion requires capital gains recipients to pay, at investment maturity and with other things equal, taxes equal to the sum of annual taxes on increases in asset value (accrued income) accumulated with interest.
The study showed that, without inflation, the realized income tax (the current federal income tax) is neutral with respect to allocation of land to uses with different rotations because the tax reduces the bid prices for land uses with different rotations by equal percentages, other things equal. However, with inflation, the results suggest that basis indexing is needed in order to maintain the tax’s neutrality with respect to allocation of land to uses with different rotations.
Under the second criterion, a forestry example was compared with a bank account, both with equal value growth rates. It showed that taxes paid on realized capital gains at investment maturity are lower than the sum of annual taxes on accrued income accumulated with interest, given the same tax rate. Thus, the current federal income tax, which taxes capital gains upon realization, does not meet the second equity criterion. Based on this criterion, the tax favors assets that yield capital gains over assets with annual incomes.
In order to meet the second equity criterion, realized capital gains should pay taxes at the ERITAX rate. The ERITAX rate, when applied to realized capital gains, gives tax revenues equal to accrued income taxes accumulated with interest to investment maturity. However, when the annual accrued income tax rate is high, or when the rotation is long, or when the timber value growth rate is low relative to the interest rate, the ERITAX rate can exceed 100% of the capital gains, thus driving some bare land values below values in alternative uses. This result is consistent with the finding that the accrued income tax is non-neutral with respect to allocation of land to different uses and is biased against land uses with long payoff periods, given the same establishment costs. Thus, when the second equity criterion is met, the tax becomes biased against land uses with long rotations.
These results indicate that none of the taxes modeled can meet the two equity criteria simultaneously. Even so, among forest investments, the current federal income tax with basis indexing is the most desirable because it is least likely to distort allocation of land to forestry.Ph. D
The on-site economic value of soil erosion control
No full textUsing the productivity change approach, the on-site economic value of one ton of avoided soil loss in moderately degraded upland farms was estimated to range from P2,100 to P8,280 per ha per year, depending on the rate of fertilization for the alley crop. Severely drgraded farms showed a net economic value ranging from zero to P1,860 per ha per year. Results suggest that in severely degraded upland farms, soil erosion control alone does not increase crop yields. In such sites, erosion control must be accompanied by full fertilization regimes, at least up to such time when the soil\u27s natural fertility had been restored or built up
Measuring adaptive capacity of farmers to climate change and variability: application of a composite index to an agricultural community in the Philippines
No full textFarming households in the Philippines are most vulnerable to climate change and variability due to their climate/weather-sensitive livelihood and lack of resources to finance adaptation measures. In order to formulate appropriate programs and policies addressing this vulnerability, it is essential to understand their adaptive capacity.
This study analyzed the adaptive capacity to climate change and vulnerability of 520 farming households in Dumangas, a town in central Philippines confronting climate/weather-induced risks. The Objectives were: to determine the levels of adaptive capacity of farming households to climate change, analyze the factors that cause the differences in adaptive capacity and find out whether adaptive capacity translates to adoption.
The level of adaptive capacity of each farming household was determined using a composite index based on previous studies. The index included five indicators namely human resources, physical resources, financial resources, information and diversity. Results showed that variations in adaptive capacity were caused by differences in information resources, physical and financial resources. Farming households that scored low in these three indicators had lower adaptive capacity. It was also found out that despite their level of adaptive capacity, households employed measures to adopt to climate change and variability. Households with higher adaptive capacity however employed more adaptation strategies
The on-site cost of soil erosion by the replacement cost methods in Inle Lake Watershed, Nyaung Shwe Township, Myanmar
No full textOn-site cost of soil erosion from cultivated and abandoned or resting rice-and-corn upland areas in the eastern side of Inle Lake Watershed at Nyaung Shwe Township, Myanmar was estimated using the replacement cost method. The calculations, in 2006 constant kyat terms, were based on reported average erosion rates of 4.35 t ha yrˉ¹ (94,438 m³) and 8.95 t ha yrˉ¹ (194,752 m³) on cultivated and abandoned plots, respectively. The replacement value consisted of costs for garden soil, inorganic fertilizers for replacing lost N, P, and K, and labor wages for topsoil and fertility restoration. Total replacement cost was 70,519 kyat ha yrˉ¹ (US 143.50 ha yrˉ¹) for abandoned land.
To minimize on-site erosion costs, abandoned or resting upland areas should have appropriate vegetative cover, and economic crops should be soil-conserving as much as possible. Research should be undertaken to identify site-specific and appropriate erosion control measures. Upland farmers should be encouraged to compare replacement cost estimates with the cost of appropriate erosion control measures. Also, benefits from regular restoration of topsoil and soil fertility should be compared with benefits from sustained productivity due to effective erosion control measures. A rational choice can then be made between erosion prevention and topsoil restoration
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
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