Commercialization of agriculture in the Himalayas

Increased market integration and commercialization of traditional agriculture in the Himalayas is part of a development strategy towards growth and better standard of living. More than 97 percent households depend upon agricultural and allied activities for livelihood which constitutes 30 percent of the household income. Given the importance of commercialization of agriculture to improve the productivity, per capita income and thereby the standard of living in the Himalayas, we examine the factors affecting the commercialization of agriculture on the basis of primary survey data. The results reveal that the land size, gender of the household head, livestock assets, ethnicity, education and location are important determinants of commercialization. Although commercialization of agriculture is considered as stimulated private-sector activity, public policy is essential to facilitate driving forces viz., trade and market reforms, rural infrastructure, and the institutional framework for legal and contractual arrangements between farmers and processors.

Factor decomposition of income inequality change : Japan's regional income disparity from 1955 to 1998

We propose a method for the decomposition of inequality changes based on panel data regression. The method is an efficient way to quantify the contributions of variables to changes of the Theil T index while satisfying the property of uniform addition. We illustrate the method using prefectural data from Japan for the period 1955 to 1998. Japan experienced a diminishing of regional income disparity during the years of high economic growth from 1955 to 1973. After estimating production functions using panel data for prefectures in Japan, we apply the new decomposition approach to identify each production factor’s contributions to the changes of per capita income inequality among prefectures. The decomposition results show that total factor productivity (residual) growth, population change (migration), and public capital stock growth contributed to the diminishing of per capita income disparity.

Voting behavior in Indonesia from 1999 to 2014 : religious cleavage or economic performance?

In this study, we examine the voting behavior in Indonesian parliamentary elections from 1999 to 2014. After summarizing the changes in Indonesian parties' share of the vote from a historical standpoint, we investigate the voting behavior with simple regression models to analyze the effect of regional characteristics on Islamic/secular parties' vote share, using aggregated panel data at the district level. Then, we also test the hypothesis of retrospective economic voting. The results show that districts which formerly stood strongly behind Islamic parties continued to select those parties, or gave preference to abstention over the parties in some elections. From the point of view of retrospective economic voting, we found that districts which experienced higher per capita economic growth gave more support to the ruling parties, although our results remain tentative because information on 2014 is not yet available.

Consumption-based accounting of U.S. CO2 emissions from 1990 to 2010

To tackle global climate change, it is desirable to reduce CO2 emissions associated with household consumption in particular in developed countries, which tend to have much higher per capita household carbon footprints than less developed countries. Our results show that carbon intensity of different consumption categories in the U.S. varies significantly. The carbon footprint tends to increase with increasing income but at a decreasing rate due to additional income being spent on less carbon intensive consumption items. This general tendency is frequently compensated by higher frequency of international trips and higher housing related carbon emissions (larger houses and more space for consumption items). Our results also show that more than 30% of CO2 emissions associated with household consumption in the U.S. occur outside of the U.S. Given these facts, the design of carbon mitigation policies should take changing household consumption patterns and international trade into account.

A methodology for territorial distribution of CO2 emission reductions in transport sector

Greenhouse gas emission reduction is the pillar of the Kyoto Protocol and one of the main goals of the European Union (UE) energy policy. National reduction targets for EU member states and an overall target for the EU-15 (8%) were set by the Kyoto Protocol. This reduction target is based on emissions in the reference year (1990) and must be reached by 2012. EU energy policy does not set any national targets, only an overall reduction target of 20% by 2020. This paper transfers global greenhouse gas emission reduction targets in both these documents to the transport sector and specifically to CO2 emissions. It proposes a nonlinear distribution method with objective, dynamic targets for reducing CO2 emissions in the transport sector, according to the context and characteristics of each geographical area. First, we analyse CO2 emissions from transport in the reference year (1990) and their evolution from 1990 to 2007. We then propose a nonlinear methodology for distributing dynamic CO2 emission reduction targets. We have applied the proposed distribution function for 2012 and 2020 at two territorial levels (EU member states and Spanish autonomous regions). The weighted distribution is based on per capita CO2 emissions and CO2 emissions per gross domestic product. Finally, we show the weighted targets found for each EU member state and each Spanish autonomous region, compare them with the real achievements to date, and forecast the situation for the years the Kyoto and EU goals are to be met. The results underline the need for ?weighted? decentralised decisions to be made at different territorial levels with a view to achieving a common goal, so relative convergence of all the geographical areas is reached over time. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Risk Allocation in Toll Highway Concessions in Spain: Lessons from Economic Recession

Spain has a long tradition of encouraging toll highways by granting concessions to private companies. Concessions in Spain have been characterized by a willingness to transfer considerable risk to the private sector. Traffic demand, acquisition of the right-of-way, and financial risk have often been allocated to the private sector. From 1996 to 2011, 16 toll highway concessions, covering a total distance of 835 km, were awarded by the central government of Spain with this approach. Some of those highways started their operations just before the economic recession began. The recession had negative consequences for Spain's economy. The gross domestic product per capita plummeted, and the unemployment rate increased from 9% to 20% of the working population in just 2 years. The recession also had severe consequences for the economic performance of toll highway concessions. Traffic levels declined at a much greater rate than did the gross domestic product. In addition, the conditions imposed by the financial markets on borrowers became much stricter because of the liquidity crisis. This study analyzes the impact that the economic recession ultimately had on the performance of toll highway concessions in Spain and the actions that the government adopted to avoid the bankruptcy of the concessionaires. It was found that the economic recession helped identify some deficiencies in how risk had been allocated in Spain. The measures that both Spain and the European Union are adopting so as to improve risk allocation are discussed.

Probabilistic meta-analysis of risk from the exposure to Hg in artisanal gold mining communities in Colombia

Colombia is one of the largest per capita mercury polluters in the world as a consequence of its artisanal gold mining activities. The severity of this problem in terms of potential health effects was evaluated by means of a probabilistic risk assessment carried out in the twelve departments (or provinces) in Colombia with the largest gold production. The two exposure pathways included in the risk assessment were inhalation of elemental Hg vapors and ingestion of fish contaminated with methyl mercury. Exposure parameters for the adult population (especially rates of fish consumption) were obtained from nation-wide surveys and concentrations of Hg in air and of methyl-mercury in fish were gathered from previous scientific studies. Fish consumption varied between departments and ranged from 0 to 0.3 kg d?1. Average concentrations of total mercury in fish (70 data) ranged from 0.026 to 3.3 lg g?1. A total of 550 individual measurements of Hg in workshop air (ranging from menor queDL to 1 mg m?3) and 261 measurements of Hg in outdoor air (ranging from menor queDL to 0.652 mg m?3) were used to generate the probability distributions used as concentration terms in the calculation of risk. All but two of the distributions of Hazard Quotients (HQ) associated with ingestion of Hg-contaminated fish for the twelve regions evaluated presented median values higher than the threshold value of 1 and the 95th percentiles ranged from 4 to 90. In the case of exposure to Hg vapors, minimum values of HQ for the general population exceeded 1 in all the towns included in this study, and the HQs for miner-smelters burning the amalgam is two orders of magnitude higher, reaching values of 200 for the 95th percentile. Even acknowledging the conservative assumptions included in the risk assessment and the uncertainties associated with it, its results clearly reveal the exorbitant levels of risk endured not only by miner-smelters but also by the general population of artisanal gold mining communities in Colombia.

Probabilistic assessment of risk from the exposure to mercury in artisanal gold mining communities in Colombia

Colombia is one the largest per capita mercury polluters as a consequence of its artisanal gold mining operations, which are steadily increasing following the rising price of this metal. Compared to gravimetric separation methods and cyanidation, the concentration of gold using Hg amalgams presents several advantages: the process is less time-consuming and minimizes gold losses, and Hg is easily transported and inexpensive relative to the selling price of gold. Very often, mercury amalgamation is carried out on site by unprotected workers. During this operation large amounts of mercury are discharged to the environment and eventually reach the fresh water bodies in the vicinity where it is subjected to methylation. Additionally, as gold is released from the amalgam by heating on open charcoal furnaces in small workshops, mercury vapors are emitted and inhaled by the artisanal smelters and the general population

Gravidez na adolescência: estudo descritivo de variáveis psicológicas, sócio-demográficas e das relações objetais em adolescentes gestantes e sexualmente ativas

O presente estudo consta de uma etapa quantitativa e outra qualitativa; tem como objetivos descrever variáveis sócio-demográficas e psicológicas de adolescentes sexualmente ativas e primigestas de um Programa de Assistência Médica e Psicossocial à Adolescência (PAMPA) no período de 2000-2002. Descrever o conteúdo intrapsíquico de fantasias inconscientes em adolescentes. Identificar e correlacionar o conteúdo de fantasias inconscientes de adolescentes sexualmente ativas e primigestas em diferentes situações conjugais. Foram utilizadas as instalações do PAMPA na aplicação de uma entrevista semidiretiva e o Teste de Relações Objetais de Phillipson. Na análise sócio-demográfica verifico-se uma distribuição das adolescentes nas faixas etárias de 16 a 17 anos (31,1%), 14 a 15 anos (23,8%) e, 12 a 13 anos. 93,3%, das adolescentes são solteiras e, 6,7% é casada ou encontra-se em união consensual. Um terço das adolescentes encontra-se abaixo da escolaridade esperada para a faixa etária. A renda per capita de 48,6%, varia entre 0,5 e 1 salário mínimo. 40,2% das adolescentes tiveram a sexarca e destas 10,6% pertencem à faixa etária de 12 a 13 anos; e 48,5% de 16 a 17 anos. Metade das adolescentes sexualmente ativas estão grávidas. 57,6% das gestantes têm de 16 a 17 anos. Das adolescentes que iniciaram a vida sexual na faixa etária de 12 a 13 anos, 52,6% está grávida. 51% das adolescentes que tiveram a sexarca na faixa etária de 14 a 15 anos estão gestando e representam 45,5% do total de gestantes. Quanto à situação conjugal das primigestas, 54,5% é solteira e possui parceiro; já 30,3% encontra-se em união consensual ou é casada como conseqüência da gravidez. Não existem diferenças significativas da renda per capita das gestantes em relação à amostra em geral. 60,6% das gestantes buscaram assistência pré-natal a partir do segundo trimestre gestacional. 62,5% das adolescentes realizaram parto vaginal, 21,9% um parto por fórceps e 15,6% parto por cesariana. Observamos semelhanças no funcionamento psíquico em relação ao Sistema Tensional Inconsciente Dominante entre gestantes e adolescentes sexualmente ativas. Fatores como o não planejamento da gravidez e união conjugal em função da gravidez, são mais significativos, mostrando que o relacionamento conjugal e a maternidade não foram ainda elaborados e intensificam o processo de luto próprio da adolescência. No funcionamento psíquico, das gestantes, existem dificuldades em organizar a identidade sexual, negando modificações próprias da adolescência na tentativa de preservar relações vinculares infantilizadas. O conflito edípico permeia como principal nas relações triangulares, devido ao predomínio de objetos parciais persecutórios, incapacidade de conter o par combinado envolvendo sempre um terceiro excluído. Existe também a necessidade de manutenção de relações fusionais com exclusividade do vínculo não erotizado que levam a angústias intensas nas fantasias de separação, abandono e perda, sentimentos de fragmentação e medo de ataques destrutivo-vingativos. Quanto à período gravídico, as gestantes demonstram ambivalência na aceitação e necessidade de consentimento das figuras parentais, vinculadas à angústia surgida pelo medo de rejeição e abandono

Gravidez na adolescência: estudo descritivo de variáveis psicológicas, sócio-demográficas e das relações objetais em adolescentes gestantes e sexualmente ativas

O presente estudo consta de uma etapa quantitativa e outra qualitativa; tem como objetivos descrever variáveis sócio-demográficas e psicológicas de adolescentes sexualmente ativas e primigestas de um Programa de Assistência Médica e Psicossocial à Adolescência (PAMPA) no período de 2000-2002. Descrever o conteúdo intrapsíquico de fantasias inconscientes em adolescentes. Identificar e correlacionar o conteúdo de fantasias inconscientes de adolescentes sexualmente ativas e primigestas em diferentes situações conjugais. Foram utilizadas as instalações do PAMPA na aplicação de uma entrevista semidiretiva e o Teste de Relações Objetais de Phillipson. Na análise sócio-demográfica verifico-se uma distribuição das adolescentes nas faixas etárias de 16 a 17 anos (31,1%), 14 a 15 anos (23,8%) e, 12 a 13 anos. 93,3%, das adolescentes são solteiras e, 6,7% é casada ou encontra-se em união consensual. Um terço das adolescentes encontra-se abaixo da escolaridade esperada para a faixa etária. A renda per capita de 48,6%, varia entre 0,5 e 1 salário mínimo. 40,2% das adolescentes tiveram a sexarca e destas 10,6% pertencem à faixa etária de 12 a 13 anos; e 48,5% de 16 a 17 anos. Metade das adolescentes sexualmente ativas estão grávidas. 57,6% das gestantes têm de 16 a 17 anos. Das adolescentes que iniciaram a vida sexual na faixa etária de 12 a 13 anos, 52,6% está grávida. 51% das adolescentes que tiveram a sexarca na faixa etária de 14 a 15 anos estão gestando e representam 45,5% do total de gestantes. Quanto à situação conjugal das primigestas, 54,5% é solteira e possui parceiro; já 30,3% encontra-se em união consensual ou é casada como conseqüência da gravidez. Não existem diferenças significativas da renda per capita das gestantes em relação à amostra em geral. 60,6% das gestantes buscaram assistência pré-natal a partir do segundo trimestre gestacional. 62,5% das adolescentes realizaram parto vaginal, 21,9% um parto por fórceps e 15,6% parto por cesariana. Observamos semelhanças no funcionamento psíquico em relação ao Sistema Tensional Inconsciente Dominante entre gestantes e adolescentes sexualmente ativas. Fatores como o não planejamento da gravidez e união conjugal em função da gravidez, são mais significativos, mostrando que o relacionamento conjugal e a maternidade não foram ainda elaborados e intensificam o processo de luto próprio da adolescência. No funcionamento psíquico, das gestantes, existem dificuldades em organizar a identidade sexual, negando modificações próprias da adolescência na tentativa de preservar relações vinculares infantilizadas. O conflito edípico permeia como principal nas relações triangulares, devido ao predomínio de objetos parciais persecutórios, incapacidade de conter o par combinado envolvendo sempre um terceiro excluído. Existe também a necessidade de manutenção de relações fusionais com exclusividade do vínculo não erotizado que levam a angústias intensas nas fantasias de separação, abandono e perda, sentimentos de fragmentação e medo de ataques destrutivo-vingativos. Quanto à período gravídico, as gestantes demonstram ambivalência na aceitação e necessidade de consentimento das figuras parentais, vinculadas à angústia surgida pelo medo de rejeição e abandono

Temporal variation, dormancy, and coexistence: A field test of the storage effect

Theoretical models suggest that overlapping generations, in combination with a temporally fluctuating environment, may allow the persistence of competitors that otherwise would not coexist. Despite extensive theoretical development, this “storage effect” hypothesis has received little empirical attention. Herein I present the first explicit mathematical analysis of the contribution of the storage effect to the dynamics of competing natural populations. In Oneida Lake, NY, data collected over the past 30 years show a striking negative correlation between the water-column densities of two species of suspension-feeding zooplankton, Daphnia galeata mendotae and Daphnia pulicaria. I have demonstrated competition between these two species and have shown that both possess long-lived eggs that establish overlapping generations. Moreover, recruitment to this long-lived stage varies annually, so that both daphnids have years in which they are favored (for recruitment) relative to their competitor. When the long-term population growth rates are calculated both with and without the effects of a variable environment, I show that D. galeata mendotae clearly cannot persist without the environmental variation and prolonged dormancy (i.e., storage effect) whereas D. pulicaria persists through consistently high per capita recruitment to the long-lived stage.

Política de aplicação das agências financeiras oficiais de fomento : subsídios para a análise do projeto de lei de diretrizes orçamentárias para 2004

Inclui anexos: Aplicações consolidadas das agências financeiras de fomento por região do Brasil; aplicações consolidadas das agências de fomento por distribuição per capita; aplicações consolidades das agência de fomento por estado e financiamentos do BNDES, segundo critério populacional de 1995 a 2001

Controle de Gastos Públicos, Crise Econômica e Governabilidade no Brasil : indicadores sociais e econômicos no Brasil

Inclui tabelas com dados sobre : crescimento econômico versus qualidade de vida na Costa Rica, Venezuela, México e Brasil, PIB, PIB per capita, PIB setorial, comportamento dos juros, metas do acordo do Brasil com o FMI, saldo da balança comercial, taxas de juros de desemprego, dívida líquida do setor público e déficit público, comportamento das reservas cambiais, dívida líquida, dívida pública, carga tributária e despesas com investimentos no Brasil

On strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Equity is of fundamental concern in the quest for international cooperation to stabilize greenhouse gas concentrations by the reduction of emissions. By modeling the carbon cycle, we estimate the global CO2 emissions that would be required to stabilize the atmospheric concentration of CO2 at levels ranging from 450 to 1,000 ppm. These are compared, on both an absolute and a per-capita basis, to scenarios for emissions from the developed and developing worlds generated by socio-economic models under the assumption that actions to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions are not taken. Need and equity have provided strong arguments for developing countries to request that the developed world takes the lead in controlling its emissions, while permitting the developing countries in the meantime to use primarily fossil fuels for their development. Even with major and early control of CO2 emissions by the developed world, limiting concentration to 450 ppm implies that the developing world also would need to control its emissions within decades, given that we expect developing world emissions would otherwise double over this time. Scenarios leading to CO2 concentrations of 550 ppm exhibit a reduction of the developed world's per-capita emission by about 50% over the next 50 years. Even for the higher stabilization levels considered, the developing world would not be able to use fossil fuels for their development in the manner that the developed world has used them.

Assisting developing countries toward food self-reliance

Per capita food availability in the developing world has increased by 20% since the early 1960s, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, and today the world has twice as many people but 150 million fewer hungry people than in 1960. The world agricultural system has not done too bad a job over the past 35 years. It is likely that global agricultural production will continue to at least match growth in food demand over the next decade, assuming no major weather anomalies. Continued support of the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research and programs involving U.S. universities is important to sharing knowledge about agriculture with colleagues in the developing world. This paper explores the reasons for providing agricultural development assistance, the benefits to the United States that come from doing so, and the special challenges facing the world over the next few decades.