Turbulence, Inequality, and Cheap Steel

Iron and steel production grew dramatically in the U.S. when mass production technologies for steel were adopted in the 1860s. According to new measures presented in this study, earnings inequality rose within the iron and steel industries about 1870, perhaps because technological uncertainty led to gambles and turbulence. Firms made a variety of technological choices and began formal research and development. Professional associations and journals for mechanical engineers and chemists appeared. A national market replaced local markets for iron and steel. An industrial union replaced craft unions. As new ore sources and cheap water transportation were introduced, new plants along the Great Lakes outcompeted existing plants elsewhere. Because new iron and steel plants in the 1870s were larger than any U.S. plants had ever been, cost accounting appeared in the industry and grew in importance. Uncertainty explains the rise in inequality better than a skill bias account, according to which differences among individuals generate greater differences in wages. Analogous issues of inequality come up with respect to recent information technology.technological change, Bessemer steel, technological uncertainty, turbulence, inequality, innovation

A Proposed Method of Correcting the Construction Entries in the 2006 Philippine Input-Output Table

The construction of national input-output (IO) tables follows internationally acceptable standards such as the United Nations Systems of National Accounts (UN SNA) and European System of Accounts (ESA). These standards are used to ensure tractability and coherence between country tables. The 2006 Philippine IO table published by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) assumes that the construction sector does not provide any input to the production of output for any economic sector. With the booming infrastructure development in the Philippines, this assumption that intermediate demand for construction output has a value of zero is unreasonable. This study proposes a corrective approach to determine the entries for the construction sector by utilizing the sectoral shares of intermediate demand from the 2000 Philippine IO table. This yields a more realistic inter-industry transactions matrix that will provide better insights for economic planning and impact analysis

Case study of ILVA, Italy : The impact of failing to consider sustainability as a driver of business model evolution

Part of: Seliger, Günther (Ed.): Innovative solutions : proceedings / 11th Global Conference on Sustainable Manufacturing, Berlin, Germany, 23rd - 25th September, 2013. - Berlin: Universitätsverlag der TU Berlin, 2013. - ISBN 978-3-7983-2609-5 (online). - http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:83-opus4-40276. - pp. 25–30.The case of ILVA steel works in Taranto, Italy demonstrates the potential impacts associated with failing toadequately consider environmental and social sustainability issues within the business model of the firm. This paper provides a review of the situation at ILVA today; the decisions and actions that contributed to the current situation since privatisation of the firm in 1995; and the choices now facing government, the local community, and the firm’s owners going forward including a review of Best Available Techniques (BATs). The review is supported with relevant sustainability literature and explores how a more comprehensive assessment of sustainability considerations might be better integrated into business model evolution. The paper demonstrates that an inappropriate technology investment strategy that fails to consider broader concepts of value for the society and environment does not pay in the long-term, and that expectations of government support to mitigate negative impacts of business are becoming increasingly untenable

Dynamics of agrarian landscapes in Western Thailand : Agro-ecological zonation and agricultural transformations in Kanjanaburi Province: hypotheses for improving farming systems sustainability

Ce document traite de la zonation agroécologique à petite échelle, comme outil essentiel dans la recherche orientée sur les systèmes agraires en vue du développement. Ces systèmes sont définis comme modes d'exploitation adaptés à l'environnement (naturel et humain) y compris échanges de produit et patrimoine culturel; l'étude comprend systèmes de production et de culture, et types d'utilisation des sols. Les diverses relations entre éléments sont analysées dans l'espace et le temps de façon à dégager la dynamique des transformations. Le projet a fait intervenir des équipes pluridisciplinaires comprenant agronomes et spécialistes des ressources naturelles en sociologie et télédétection; le tout aux niveaux de la parcelle et de l'exploitation agricole. Le texte, qui comporte un glossaire technique précis, est illustré de six clichés en couleurs (cultures de maïs, cotonnier, manioc, manguiers) et d'une image digitale en couleurs d'une partie de l'ouest de la Thaïlande vue du satellite Landsat-T

Focus on Mainland Tanzania:(Progress & Impact Series)

Tanzania's National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP) has provided strong, stable leadership in coordinating malaria control activities since 1995. Because of continuity and focus on programme implementation, both the number of partners and resources have been growing, most notably over the last seven years. Between 2003 and 2010, about US$ 450 million in external funding was allocated to scale up the malaria control programme. These increasing contributions have been used to deliver preventive and curative services. 18 562 571 insecticide-treated mosquito nets (ITNs) were distributed between 2007 and 2010 through mass campaigns and the national voucher scheme. Indoor residual spraying (IRS) began in 2007 and had expanded to cover 94% of the targeted structures in 18 districts by March 2011.Rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) and artemisininbased combination therapies (ACTs) have been deployed to reach half of the population so far, and health workers have been trained in using them. Efforts have also been made to make these new treatments available in the private sector, where up to 40% of the rural population seek care for fever. This deployment of interventions has resulted in improved coverage. 63% of households owned at least one ITN in 2010, compared with 23% in 2004–2005. 64% of all children under five and 56% of all pregnant women nationwide used an ITN the night before the 2010 survey—a more than twofold increase since 2007. In addition, between 2001 and 2006, Tanzania changed its recommended antimalarial drug from chloroquine to sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine (SP) to ACTs, thereby providing access to more effective antimalarials. Because of good coverage results, the Tanzanian government has been able to reduce disease burden and save lives. In the Ifakara surveillance area, the prevalence of parasitaemia in children under five was reduced by more than 5-fold, from 25% in 2004–2005 to less than 5% in 2010. Nationally, severe childhood anaemia was halved, dropping from 11% in 2004–2005 to 5.5% in 2010. All-cause under-five child mortality fell by 45% between 1999 and 2010—from 148 deaths per 1000 live births in 1999 to 81 per 1000 live births in 2010. According to the Lives Saved Tool (LiST estimation model), the lives of 63 000 children under five have been saved by malaria control interventions since 1999. Tanzania's improved malaria and health indicators are all signs that malaria control efforts are working and delivering results. Consideration of other factors that might explain the declines in all-cause under-five mortality leads to the conclusion that the improvement in child health is due in large part to malaria control efforts. The country is also achieving equitable impact on major mortality and malaria coverage indicators. With demonstrated ability to deliver and achieve impact on child survival, Tanzania has articulated even more ambitious malaria control goals: universal ITN coverage, IRS in half of the country, and enhanced diagnosis and ACT treatment of all malaria cases. This will require increased funding and a strengthened health infrastructure. If challenges of resource mobilization, boosting the work force, and strengthening the health system can be met, Tanzania will have paved the way towards unprecedented public health achievements and protection of its population against a major scourge.\u

Tropical and Subtropical Maize in Asia: Production Systems, Constraints, and Research Priorities

This book examines future technological and policy prospects for the sustainable intensification of rainfed upland maize production in Asia, and derives R&D priorities for specific maize production environments and markets. Village-level and farmer-group surveys were conducted to characterize upland maize production environments and systems in China, India, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. Survey findings, particularly farmer-identified constraints to maize production, complemented with other relevant data, were used in country-level, R&D priority-setting workshops. High on the list of farmer constraints was drought, estimated to affect three production environments that are home to about 48 million rural poor and produce an estimated 16 million tons of maize, and others such as downy mildew, stem borers, soil erosion/landslides, waterlogging, poor agricultural extension/ technology transfer services, and poor access to low-interest credit and markets. Farmers felt that socioeconomic and policy-related constraints impact maize productivity more than technical constraints do. It is important to recognize that technology is not the only key to increasing productivity and bettering the conditions of marginal maize farmers in Asia. There is a growing trend towards commercializing and intensifying maize production that is different from the staple food self-sufficiency paradigm that has been the cornerstone of agricultural policy in most developing countries. Appropriate government policies could help alleviate the adverse consequences of commercialization and promote sustainable intensification of maize production, especially in marginal environments inhabited by resource-poor subsistence farmersMaize, Agricultural development, Farming systems, Production policies, Environmental factors, Cropping systems, Research projects, Project management, Asia, Crop Production/Industries, E10,

Rural nonfarm employment : a survey

So little is known about the rural nonfarm sector that those making policy to assist rural small-scale enterprises have done so largely"unencumbered by evidence". The Lanjouw survey of nonfarm data and policy experience attempts to correct this. Until recently, the commonly held view was that rural nonfarm employment was relatively nonproductive, producing goods and services of low quality. The rural off-farm sector was expected to wither away with development and rising incomes, and this was viewed as a positive, rather than a negative, event. A corrollary of this view was that the government need not actively worry about the sector -- or be concerned about how policies elsewhere might harm it. More recently, opinion has swung the other way, and it is increasingly argued that neglect of the sector would be mistaken. The survey highlights the positive roles that the rural nonfarm sector can play in promoting both growth and welfare. In the widespread situation of a rural workforce growing faster than the employment potential in agriculture, the nonfarm rural sector can lower unemployment and slow rural-urban migration. It is particularly useful in employing women and providing off-season incomes. The technologies used in small-scale rural manufacturing may be more appropriate and thus generate greater income from available productive inputs. What role could government play in promoting the nonfarm sector? The emphasis of government policy has been on large-scale urban industry as the main engine of growth. More recently, there has been a move toward a more"broad-based growth"approach, with greater emphasis on the development of agriculture and the rural economy. Increasingly countries have targeted project assistance schemes, for example to provide training, infrastructure, and technology to support small-scale and rural enterprises. Nonetheless, in most countries it remains true that projects to support the nonfarm rural sector are undertaken in a policy environment which is biased against this sector.Environmental Economics&Policies,Municipal Financial Management,Economic Theory&Research,Banks&Banking Reform,Labor Policies,Environmental Economics&Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Banks&Banking Reform,Municipal Financial Management,Crops&Crop Management Systems

Modelling Processes and Products in the Cereal Chain

[EN] In recent years, modelling techniques have become more frequently adopted in the field of food processing, especially for cereal-based products, which are among the most consumed foods in the world. Predictive models and simulations make it possible to explore new approaches and optimize proceedings, potentially helping companies reduce costs and limit carbon emissions. Nevertheless, as the different phases of the food processing chain are highly specialized, advances in modelling are often unknown outside of a single domain, and models rarely take into account more than one step. This paper introduces the first high-level overview of modelling techniques employed in different parts of the cereal supply chain, from farming to storage, from drying to milling, from processing to consumption. This review, issued from a networking project including researchers from over 30 different countries, aims at presenting the current state of the art in each domain, showing common trends and synergies, to finally suggest promising future venues for research.The authors would like to acknowledge networking and article processing charge support by COST Action CA15118 (Mathematical and Computer Science Methods for Food Science and Industry).Carvalho, O.; Charalambides, MN.; Djekic, I.; Athanassiou, C.; Bakalis, S.; Benedito Fort, JJ.; Briffaz, A.... (2021). Modelling Processes and Products in the Cereal Chain. Foods. 10(1):1-18. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods10010082S11810

Modelling Processes and Products in the Cereal Chain

ReviewIn recent years, modelling techniques have become more frequently adopted in the field of food processing, especially for cereal-based products, which are among the most consumed foods in the world. Predictive models and simulations make it possible to explore new approaches and optimize proceedings, potentially helping companies reduce costs and limit carbon emissions. Nevertheless, as the different phases of the food processing chain are highly specialized, advances in modelling are often unknown outside of a single domain, and models rarely take into account more than one step. This paper introduces the first high-level overview of modelling techniques employed in different parts of the cereal supply chain, from farming to storage, from drying to milling, from processing to consumption. This review, issued from a networking project including researchers from over 30 different countries, aims at presenting the current state of the art in each domain, showing common trends and synergies, to finally suggest promising future venues for researchinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio