1,721,396 research outputs found
Shenggen Fan, "LAUNCH EVENT: 2019 Global Food Policy Report"
No full textShenggen Fan SPECIAL EVENT LAUNCH EVENT: 2019 Global Food Policy Report Washington, DC, USA MAR 27, 2019 - 12:15 PM TO 01:45 PM ED
Shenggen Fan - Agricultural Development: New Perspectives in a Changing World
No full textShenggen Fan BOOK LAUNCH Agricultural Development: New Perspectives in a Changing World FEB 4, 2021 - 08:30 AM TO 09:30 AM ES
Assessing potential impact of avian influenza on poultry in West Africa: a spatial equilibrium model analysis
Full text link"In this paper, the authors analyze the potential economic impacts of avian influenza (AI) in West Africa, taking Nigeria as an example. They find that, depending on the size of the affected areas, the direct impact of the spread of AI along the two major migratory bird flyways would be the loss of about 4 percent of national chicken production. However, the indirect effect—consumers' reluctance to consume poultry if AI is detected, causing a decline in chicken prices—is generally larger than the direct effect. The study estimates that Nigerian chicken production would fall by 21 percent and chicken farmers would lose US$250 million of revenue if the worst-case scenario occurred. The negative impact of AI would be unevenly distributed in the country, and some states and districts would be seriously hurt. This study is based on a spatial equilibrium model that makes use of the most recent spatial distribution data sets for poultry and human populations in West Africa. The study shows that, while most of the attention has focused on preventing global influenza pandemic, preventive measures are also needed at the national, subnational, and local levels, because AI could potentially have a huge negative impact on the poultry industry and the livelihood of smallholder farmers in many regions in West Africa.." Authors' AbstractComputable general equilibrium (CGE) modeling, Small farmers, Spatial analysis (Statistics),
Regional Inequality In China: An Overview
Full text linkChina’s spectacular growth and poverty reduction has been accompanied by growing inequality which threatens the social compact and thus the political basis for economic growth and social development. The regional dimension of inequality— rural/urban, inland/coastal and provincial—dominates in a country as large as China, and especially with its particular history. The three of us have been researching Chinese regional inequality for over a decade. In a series of papers which have been published in peer reviewed journals, we have been involved in a systematic investigation into the nature and evolution of regional inequality in China. The object of this volume is to bring together a selection of these papers by us and our co-authors, so that researchers and policy makers can have access to them in one place. This introduction provides an overview of the volume.Inequality, China, Food Security and Poverty, International Development, Political Economy,
Economics of patenting a research tool: participation and productivity
Full text linkWhen a new technology consists of sequences of innovations that culminate in a final consumer product, the balance between successive innovators is one of the main concerns in the design of the patent system. While intertemporal aspects of incentive are critical in this environment of sequential innovations, time plays a minor role in existing literature on dynamic models. By focusing on the incentives of follow-on innovators who commercialize an initial invention, this study examines the dynamic implications of the patent instrument (e.g., patent life) via a positive analysis. It shows that a long patent life may encourage innovation incentives and increase social welfare, contrary to existing arguments that argue that long patent life always discourages the incentive for subsequent innovations. This study also examines the implications of finite patent system in different market structures.Patents Economic aspects., Research Technological innovations., Licensing Agreements.,
International exchange of genetic resources, the role of information and implications for ownership: the case of the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System
Full text link"Changing perceptions of resource ownership have altered international exchange of genetic resources. After summarizing the role of genebanks and issues related to property regimes, this paper presents an empirical study of one of the largest national genebanks, the U.S. National Germplasm System. The demand for its genetic resources appears to be substantial, both domestically and internationally. Utilization rates are higher than suggested by past studies. The role of information in enhancing the usefulness of NPGS resources is explored with an econometric model that indicates that accompanying data make germplasm more useful. U.S. requestors account for most of the germplasm demanded, but developing countries appear to make greater use of these resources, proportionally, in terms of overall usefulness, secondary sharing, and the presence of useful data. Demand for public germplasm is likely to increase in the future, particularly from developing countries." Authors' AbstractCrop genetic resources, Genebanks, Germplasm collection, Genetic resource management, Developing countries,
Agricultural trade liberalization under Doha: the risks facing African countries
Full text linkAfrican countries tend to be affected by global agricultural policies in the same way as other economies but with much more severe economy-wide repercussions... The present discussion paper 1) examines the vulnerability of Africa economies with respect to global agricultural trading policies and their induced changes in world agricultural markets, based on the above characteristics; 2) analyzes the efficiency effects within Africa's agricultural sector of world market distortions resulting from agricultural trading policies; 3) illustrates the impact of global protectionism on poverty levels and distribution among rural households in Africa and the implication for the objective of poverty reduction; 4) reviews the options and risks facing African countries in their pursuit of opportunities for greater participation in the global trading system, in particular in connection with the Doha trade agenda; and 5) discusses options for global trade liberalization that would best benefit African economies. The paper argues that the insistence on the part of African countries on Special and Differential Treatment entails much more risks than benefits for their economies. It also indicates that trade preferences have been less beneficial to African economies than usually assumed and at any rate have not been significant enough to compensate African countries for the negative impact of global protectionism. Finally, the paper also disagrees with the widely accepted conclusion that African countries would suffer from liberalization of global agricultural policies because they tend to be net food importers. That conclusion does not sufficiently take into consideration the dynamic long term effects of global policy changes on production and trading patterns among African countries and the potential efficiency effects that would emanate there from.Agricultural policies, International trade, agricultural sector, Protectionism, Doha agreement, trade liberalization, Poverty reduction, Rural households,
Does efficient water management matter?: physical and economic efficiency of water use in the river basin
Full text linkWith growing water scarcity and increasing competition across water-using sectors, the need for water savings and more efficient water use has increased in importance in water resources management. Improvement in the physical efficiency of water use is related to water conservation through increasing the fraction of water beneficially used over water applied, while enhancing economic efficiency is a broader concept seeking the highest economic value of water use through both physical and managerial measures. Physical and economic efficiency measures are both useful indicators for water management at the irrigation system and river basin level. However, the relationship between physical efficiency and economic efficiency is not always clear and the values of these measures may indicate different directions for water policy and investments in irrigation. Open research questions include, for example: does enhancement of physical water use efficiency always lead to improved economic water use efficiency? How does the change in responsiveness of water allocation and irrigation technology to economic incentives affect physical and economic irrigation efficiency? What is the impact on physical and economic efficiency of various structural and nonstructural improvements? To explore these issues, an integrated economic-hydrologic river basin model is applied to the Maipo River Basin in Chile. A series of modeling scenarios are defined and policy implications from physical and economic efficiencies for basin-wide irrigation water management are analyzed.Irrigation Economic aspects., Water resources development., Water conservation., Chile.,
Consumption effects of genetic modification: what if consumers are right?
Full text linkThis paper develops a model of differentiated consumers to examine the consumption effects of genetic modification (GM) under alternative labeling regimes and segregation enforcement scenarios. Analytical results show that if consumers perceive GM products as being different than their traditional counterparts, genetic modification affects consumer welfare and, thus, consumption decisions. When the existence of market imperfections in one or more stages of the supply chain prevents the transmission of cost savings associated with the new technology to consumers, genetic modification results in welfare losses for consumers. The analysis shows that the relative welfare ranking of the “no labeling” and “mandatory labeling” regimes depends on: (i) the level of consumer aversion to genetic modification, (ii) the size of marketing and segregation costs under mandatory labeling; (iii) the share of the GM product to total production; and (iv) the extent to which GM products are incorrectly labeled as non-GM products.Genetically modified foods Economic aspects., Consumers., Consumption (Economics),
Community natural resource management: the case of woodlots in northern Ethiopia
Full text linkThis paper examines the nature of community management of woodlots and investigates the determinants of collective action and its effectiveness in managing woodlots, based on a survey of 100 villages in Tigray, northern Ethiopia. We find that collective management of woodlots generally functions well in Tigray. Despite limited current benefits received by community members, the woodlots contribute substantially to community wealth, increasing members' willingness to provide collective effort to manage the woodlots. We find that benefits are greater and problems less on woodlots managed at the village level than those managed at a higher municipality level, and that the average intensity of management is greater on village-managed woodlots. Nevertheless, we find little evidence of differences in collective management of woodlots or its effectiveness on village vs. municipality-managed woodlots, after controlling for other factors. The factors that do significantly affect collective action include population density (higher collective labor input and lower planting density at intermediate than at low or high density), market access (less labor input, planting density and tree survival where market access is better), and presence of external organizations promoting the woodlot (reduces local effort to protect the woodlot and tree survival). The negative effect of market access suggests that higher opportunity costs of labor and/or increased “exit options” undermine collective resource management. The findings suggest collective action may be more beneficial and more effective when managed at a more local level, when the role of external organizations is more demand-driven, and when promoted in intermediate population density communities more remote from markets. In higher population density settings and areas closer to markets, private-oriented approaches are likely to be more effective.resource management, Forest management, Population density, Collective behavior, Ethiopia,
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