Developments in the Agricultural and Rural Capital Market of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Factor Markets Working Paper No. 9, October 2011

The undeveloped rural capital market in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is constrained by an urban–rural development gap, with limited capacities for rural development and imperfections in the rural capital market. Among the most striking hindrances are the illegal status of a large share of agricultural buildings and other real estate in rural areas, particularly on the individual family farms that prevail in the country, and the insufficient knowledge and abilities of individual farmers in applying for credit. National, EU and other donor funds are being used to improve knowledge, skills and other human resources, and to address the illegal status of buildings and facilities. In recent years, government support for agricultural, rural and regional development has been introduced to promote good agricultural practices, production and economic activity in rural areas. The elimination of imperfections and improvements to the functioning of the capital market – making access to credit and funds easier, especially for small-scale family farms and for rural development – are seen as measures contributing to agriculture and more balanced rural and regional development.

Influence of the Common Agricultural Policy and Heterogeneous Land Quality on Land Rent and Land Allocation. Factor Markets Working Paper No. 38, March 2013

Against the background of the current discussion about the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) after 2013, the question of the impact of government support on land prices is crucially important. Validation of the CAP’s success also hinges on a proper assessment of a choice of policy instruments. This study therefore has the objective of investigating on a theoretical basis the effects of different government support measures on land rental prices and land allocation. The different measures under consideration are the price support, area payments and decoupled single farm payments (SFPs) of the CAP. Our approach evaluates the potential impact of each measure based on a Ricardian land rent model with heterogeneous land quality and multiple land uses. We start with a simple model of one output and two inputs, where a Cobb-Douglas production technology is assumed between the two factors of land and non-land inputs. In a second step, an outside option is introduced. This outside option, as opposed to land use of the Ricardian type, is independent of land quality. The results show that area payments and SFPs become fully capitalised into land rents, whereas in a price support scheme the capitalisation depends on per-acreage productivity. Moreover, in a price support scheme and a historical model, the capitalisation is positively influenced by land quality. Both area payments and price supports influence land allocation across different uses compared with no subsidies, where the shift tends to be larger in an area payment scheme than in a price support scheme. By contrast, SFPs do not influence land allocation.

A Spatial Analysis of Agricultural Land Prices in Bavaria. Factor Markets Working Document No. 50, June 2013

This paper empirically analyses a dataset of more than 7,300 agricultural land sales transactions from 2001 and 2007 to identify the factors influencing agricultural land prices in Bavaria. We use a general spatial model, which combines a spatial lag and a spatial error model, and in addition account for endogeneity introduced by the spatially lagged dependent variable as well as other explanatory variables. Our findings confirm the strong influence of agricultural factors such as land productivity, of variables describing the regional land market structure, and of non-agricultural factors such as urban pressure on agricultural land prices. Moreover, the involvement of public authorities as a seller or buyer increases sales prices in Bavaria. We find a significant capitalisation of government support payments into agricultural land, where a decrease of direct payments by 1% would decrease land prices in 2007 and 2001 by 0.27% and 0.06%, respectively. In addition, we confirm strong spatial relationships in our dataset. Neglecting this leads to biased estimates, especially if aggregated data is used. We find that the price of a specific plot increases by 0.24% when sales prices in surrounding areas increase by 1%.

The ethanol industry in Illinois /

Provides an overview of the ethanol industry in Illinois including a timeline on the history of the U.S. ethanol industry. Also discusses government support of the industry in the state of Illinois and summarizes controversies associated with the industry and its financial impact on the Illinois economy.

Editorial

This article presents information on the September 2005 issue of the "Australian Journal of Communication." The papers by Dunn and Churchman in this issue of the journal were delivered at the very successful Annual Conference of the Australian and New Zealand Communication Association, hosted by Colleen Mills at the University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand, in July 2005. Dunn's presidential address, on the importance of maintaining public broadcasting, is based on her longterm work at the Australian Broadcasting Commission and her current research at the University of Sydney. Many of the other papers in this issue are related to politics and the media in Australia and New Zealand. Cover discusses how the processes of digitisation and a user-based taste for interactivity have far-reaching broadcast television. In her paper, van Vuuren compares the policy and regulation, practice, and theoretical development of the community broadcasting and community information and communication technology (lCT) sectors in Australia, arguing that the ICT sector can benefit from a knowledge of the way in which the older community broadcasting sector has demonstrated an ability to deliver its services with very limited government support.

Emerging Structures of Farmer Cooperatives in Vietnam: Case studies from the Mekong Delta

Four farmer groups for mango production and marketing were formed in 2002 in southern Vietnam in response to government support for the creation of market oriented farmer cooperatives. The role and structure of these groups is considered in terms of the degree to which they conform to internationally recognised principles for cooperative formation. Each of the farmer groups studied has evolved in different ways and their degree of compliance with the principles of cooperation varies widely. It is evident that state intervention and market forces may give rise to cooperative structures that differ from that intended under the principles surrounding cooperative law.

Analysis of interactions among variables of renewable energy projects:a case study on renewable energy project in India

This study highlights the variables associated with the implementation of renewable energy (RE) projects for sustainable development in India, by using an interpretive structural modeling (ISM) - based approach to model variables' interactions, which impact RE adoption. These variables have been categorized under enablers that help to enhance implementation of RE projects for sustainable development. A major finding is that public awareness regarding RE for sustainable development is a very significant enabler. For successful implementation of RE projects, it has been observed that top management should focus on improving highdriving power enablers (leadership, strategic planning, public awareness, management commitment, availability of finance, government support, and support from interest groups).

Enhanced renewable energy adoption for sustainable development in India:interpretive structural modeling approach

Poverty alleviation and social upliftment of rural India is closely linked with the availability and use of energy for development. At the same time, sustainable supply of clean and affordable renewable energy sources is required if development is to be sustainable, so that it does not cause any environmental problems. The purpose of this paper is to determine the key variables of renewable energy implementation for sustainable development, on which the top management should focus. In this paper, an interpretive structural modeling (ISM) - based approach has been employed to model the implementation variables of renewable energy for sustainable development. These variables have been categorized under ‘enablers’ that help to increase the implementation of renewable energy for sustainable development. A major finding of this research is that public awareness regarding renewable energy for sustainable development is a very significant enabler. In this paper, an interpretation of variables of renewable energy for sustainable development in terms of their driving and dependence powers has been examined. For better results, top management should focus on improving the high-driving power enablers such as leadership, strategic planning, public awareness, top management support, availability of finance, government support, and support from interest groups.

Effects of the current financial and economic crisis on the rural landscape as well as the agri-food sector in Europe and Central Asia

This paper reviews the expected effects of the current financial crisis and subsequent recession on the rural landscape, in particular the agri-food sector in Europe and Central Asia (ECA) on the basis of the structure of the rural economy and of different organisations and institutions. Empirical evidence suggests that the crisis has hit the ECA region the hardest. Agriculture contributes about 9% to gross domestic product (GDP) for the ECA region as a whole with 16% of the population being employed in the agricultural sector. As far as the impact of the financial crisis on the agri-food sector is concerned, there are a few interconnected issues: (1) reduction in income elastic food demand and commodity price decline, (2) loss of employment and earnings of rural people working in urban centres, implying also costly labour reallocation, (3) rising rural poverty originating mainly from lack of opportunities in the non-farm sector and a sizable decline of international remittances, (4) tightening of agricultural credit markets, and the (5) collapse of sectoral government support programs and social safety-net measures in many countries. The paper reveals how the crisis hit farming and broader agri-business differently in general and in the ECA sub-regions.

Examining Perspectives On China's Near-Monopoly Of Rare Earths

China’s behavior as a near-monopolist of rare earths has come under increasing scrutiny in recent years. This thesis first examines the underlying causes behind China’s rise to the status of rare-earths near-monopolist, including government support; lax environmental controls; unregulated production; and relatively low costs compared to the rest of the world. Second, the thesis also examines the preeminent international and domestic factors influencing China’s behavior as a near-monopolist of rare earths. International factors include international demand; international trade pressure; international price-setting authority issues; and geopolitical factors. I next identify domestic factors that exert influence over China’s rare earths-related behavior: environmental protection; rare earth resource protection; rare earths industry regulation; and protecting and aiding China’s domestic rare earths industry. The study concludes with a synthesis of the factors influencing China’s rare-earths-related behavior in the overall context of support and direction by China’s Central Government.

O processo de formulação do Programa Universidade para Todos: atores, coalizões e interesses

This thesis aims to analyze how the performance of the coalitions affected the formulation process of the Programa Universidade para Todos ─ Prouni. This is a program in which students from public high school, or who have been integral stock in private colleges and universities receive scholarships in private institutions, which receive tax incentives in federal taxes. As analytical framework, was used the advocacy coalition framework (ACF) framework developed by Sabatier and Jenkins-Smith (1993) that conceives the process of formulation of policies as a result of competition between groups of actors called coalitions, which are involved or interested in an issue of public policy. The actors coalesce into coalitions from beliefs, values, technical postures and positions on operational matters of public policy and act coordinately to defend their interests, interfering in the formulation of policies. With regard to methodological aspects, it is a qualitative study that used a narrative structure to present the development of Brazilian higher education and Prouni, analyzing official documents, shorthand notes of public congressional hearings and interviews with servers who worked in Ministry of Education (Brazil) time of program formulation, legislative counsel of the brazilian congress, plus the former deputy rapporteur of the Bill 3.582 / 2004, which led to Prouni. Two coalitions were identified: statist, which stood contrary to the program, and privatized, which defended its formulation. The clashes, which occurred mainly in Congress, highlight the strategies to operationalize beliefs. The two coalitions heavily used technical information and mobilization, through militancy (mobilizate troops). However, privatizing coalition acted more strongly in this case and was able to turn their beliefs into more effective action strategies. The final configuration of the Prouni was beneficial for private institutions, and showed a change in public policies related to higher education, since government support through tax breaks, before granted only to non-profit IES, became extensive also the IES with lucrative purpose.

Inclusão social de catadores de materiais recicláveis: estudo da política nacional de resíduos sólidos e da efetivação do trabalho decente em Natal/RN

The integrated management of municipal solid waste in Brazil is held legally responsible by the city council administration. This is done since the year 2010 with the publication of the National Solid Waste Policy term. According to the policy and law, each city must encourage the implementation of selective collection and the participation of waste picker´s entities aiming social inclusion. However, these actions haven’t yet reached its legal aims. These workers are considered regarding collection actions but are stripped of certain basic labor rights not in conformation with the Decent Work concept. This type of work, according to International Labour Organization, must be seen as work that is properly paid for and must be done regarding conditions of freedom, equity, security and able to provide workers with a dignified life conditions. Thus, this work aims to investigate the implementation process regarding the Solid Waste National Policy in Natal-Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil. This is done considering socio-productive insertion of recyclable material collectors. The research is substantiated by a qualitative approach as well as documental and bibliographical research. A field research considering the cooperatives as well “in locco" observation and semi-structured interviews were carried out between the time span of 2013 and 2014. In order to investigate decent daily working conditions the research emphasized municipal management actions in Natal towards social inclusion that aim to reflect on the progress and difficulties experimented. It is seen that even when these cooperatives receive government support there are still important struggles that need to be overcome. The worker´s tasks are risky, the work environment in not safe or is adequate in terms of health issues. There is the stigma of it being considered an occupational task, the low individual income distancing the activity regarding parameters of the Green Employment and Decent Work concept. On the other hand, the survey showed potential as the relentless pursuit on behalf of the cooperatives that still search better work condition improvement.

PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO, PRODUÇÃO ACADÊMICA, INTERDISCIPLINARIDADE E SOCIALIZAÇÃO DO CONHECIMENTO: A PRODUÇÃO CIENTÍFICA DO GRANDE ABC À LUZ DO PNPG 2011-2020

O objetivo desta investigação foi verificar se, diante da autonomia e vocação que possuem, bem como da possibilidade de receber amparo e incentivos governamentais, as universidades pertencentes à região do Grande ABC atenderam as recomendações feitas pelo PNPG vigente. Para tanto, foram analisadas cinquenta e sete dissertações e duas teses da área de ciências sociais aplicadas, publicadas no período entre 2011 e 2014, pelas seguintes instituições: Universidade Metodista de São Paulo (UMESP); Universidade Municipal de São Caetano do Sul (USCS); Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC) e Faculdade de Engenharia Industrial (FEI). Essa averiguação se deu ao redor de dois eixos organizadores do PNPG 2011-2014: o terceiro eixo – o aperfeiçoamento da avaliação e sua expansão para outros segmentos do sistema de CT&I (formação de pós-graduados voltados para atividades extra-acadêmicas/setor empresarial) e o quarto eixo – a multi e a interdisciplinaridade entre as principais características da pós-graduação e importantes temas da pesquisa (promover, por meio de programas, áreas de concentração e linhas de pesquisa, a convergência de temas e compartilhamento de problemas em oposição à sua mera associação ou sobreposição). Este estudo – qualitativo, bibliográfico, documental, exploratório, descritivo, tipo estado do conhecimento – se desenvolveu por meio de pesquisa documental e de análise de conteúdo temático categorial. A coleta de dados foi feita por meio dos repositórios digitais de teses e dissertações mantidos na internet pelas Universidades, cuja produção científica foi investigada. Após a análise dos dados ficou demonstrado que aproximadamente 68,96% da produção científica da área de ciências sociais aplicadas, publicada pelas universidades do Grande ABC, no período entre 2011 e 2014, corresponde às expectativas do PNPG atual no que diz respeito às recomendações constantes no terceiro eixo. Em relação às recomendações feitas no texto do quarto eixo, vemos que aproximadamente 31,03% dos trabalhos selecionados atendem às expectativas do Plano, apresentando em sua estrutura, segundo a fundamentação teórica utilizada neste trabalho, características de interdisciplinaridade.

Understanding Antenatal Genetics Services in Sri Lanka: Current Landscape of Screening and Diagnostic Services and Contextual Factors Influencing Their Availability and Uptake

Background: Too little information is available on Sri Lanka’s current capacity to provide community genetic services—antenatal genetic services in particular—to understand whether building that capacity could further improve and reduce disparity in maternal and child health. This qualitative research project seeks to gather information on congenital disorders, routine antenatal care, and the current state of antenatal screening testing services within that routine antenatal to assess the feasibility of and the need for scaling up antenatal genetics services in Sri Lanka. Methods: Nineteen key informant (KI) interviews were conducted with stakeholders in antenatal care and genetic services. Seven focus group discussions were held with a total of 56 Public Health Midwives (PHMs), the health workers responsible for antenatal care at the field level. Transcripts for all interviews and FGDs were analyzed for key themes, and themes were categorized to address the specific aims of the project. Results: Antenatal genetic services play a minor role in antenatal care, with screening and diagnostic procedures available in the private sector and paid for out-of-pocket. KIs and PHMs expect that demand for antenatal genetic services will increase as patients’ purchasing power and knowledge grow but note that prohibitive abortion laws limit the ability of patients to act on test results. Genetic services compete for limited financial and human resources in the free public health system, and inadequate information on the prevalence of congenital disorders limits the ability to understand whether funding for services related to those disorders should be increased. A number of alternatives to scaling up antenatal genetic services within the free health system might be better suited to the Sri Lankan structural and social context. Conclusions: Scaling up antenatal genetic services within the public health system is not feasible in the current financial, legal, and human resource context. Yet current availability and utilization patterns contribute to regional and economic disparities, suggesting that stasis will not bring continued improvements in maternal and child health. More information on the burden of congenital disorders is necessary to fully understand if and how antenatal genetic service availability should be increased in Sri Lanka, but even before that information is gathered, examination of policies for patient referral, termination of pregnancy, and government support for individuals with genetic disease are steps that might bring extend improvements and reduce disparity in maternal and child health.

An Investigation into the Failure to Implement a Universal School Lunch Program during WWII and Postwar Reconstruction in Canada: The Case of Ontario

The purpose of this research is to investigate the various social, political and economic factors that contributed to Canada’s failure to implement a universal school lunch program during the 1940s. Although Canada developed several other social welfare programs in the post-war period, it remains one of the only industrialized nations that does not provide hot meals to children in elementary or secondary schools. Data from the province of Ontario, a major site of postwar reconstruction and policy-making, has been taken up to inform the broader national discourse on school lunches from the 1940s. National, Ontario provincial and City of Toronto archival records were collected and analyzed according to common themes, in order to identify key barriers that constrained government support of a hot meal program. Archival records were identified using key words, and were limited to materials created between 1930-1952. Analysis suggests that sufficient need for a hot meal program had not been established during the 1940s. Despite misleading nutrition messages, rates of malnutrition and nutrient-related disease were at an all-time low, and many Ontario school boards did not appear to have the necessary infrastructure required to supply all pupils with hot meals. The Canadian government had already employed significant resources to improve existing social security programs by coupling them with health education. This strategy reflected a shift in understanding malnutrition as a knowledge-based problem, as opposed to income-based. This understanding was further reinforced through the moralized dissemination of nutrition information, which placed blame on women for improperly raising their children. Ultimately, the strong uptake of nutrition as a public health issue in Ontario may have limited prospective responses to solutions already utilized in the public health domain, and directed favour away from a universal school lunch program for Canada.