Agriculture Diversification in the Mekong Delta: Farmers' Motives and Contributions to Livelihoods

Although specialization is the global trend in agriculture, integrated farming systems have emerged in Vietnam. An important motive was the desire to improve the livelihoods and the diet of the nuclear families; this was evident in the analysis using the household life cycle of five phases. Off-farm diversification was especially important for a new household. At the onset of expansion, the new mothers replaced off-farm with homebound activities. During expansion the farmers increased virtual farm size by keeping more livestock; during accumulation, they invested in land or education, and during consolidation old couples adjusted farm activities to their labor capacity. Livestock, including fish, was essential for livelihood. The distribution of goats instead of cattle by credit or by "passing-on-the-gift " was far more effective for poverty alleviation. Technological innovations on the cultivation of rice and fruits, and the breeding of fish were essential for change. The improved food security and reduced cash income from rice after the 1986 reforms pushed farmers to take risks. The farm area and number of component farm activities providing cash determined the level of cash income from agriculture. Farms with at least four flows of biomass between components earned more, demonstrating that real integration improved profits. A minimum area of land in, or close to, the homestead, and know-how are required for an effective integration of components.Mekong Delta, agricultural diversification

Technological capability of foreign and West German investors in East Germany

Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays an important role for countries or regions in the process of economic catching-up since it is assumed – among other things – that FDI brings in new production technology and knowledge. This paper gives an overview about the development of FDI in East Germany based on official data provided by the Federal Bank of Germany. The investigation also includes a comparison of FDI in East Germany to Central East European countries. But the main focus of the paper is an analysis of the technological capability comparing majority foreign and West German owned firms to majority East German owned firms. It shows that foreign and West German subsidiaries in East Germany are indeed characterized by superior technological capability with respect to all indicators looked at (product innovation, research & development, organizational changes etc.).

The Economic Impact of Capital-Skill Complementarities in German and US Industries Productivity Growth and the New Economy

US labor productivity in ICT-skill intensive industries experienced tremendousincreases in post–1995 trend growth compared to Germany, while other (non-ICT-skillintensive) industries showed similar growth trends in both countries. Examining thesource of industry productivity growth in German ICT-skill intensive sectors, there is noempirical evidence on the influence of ICT-skill complementarities; rather was productivitygrowth of German Motor Vehicles & Other Transports driven by Non-ICT-skillcomplementarities. In case of the US two ICT-skill intensive sectors, Office Machinery &Electronic Equipment and Motor Vehicles & Other Transport, were found to haveexperienced strong productivity growth via ICT-skill complementarities. These findingsshed light on varying sectoral complementarities between physical and human capitaland show a decisive disparity in the source of German-US productivity differentials inthe goods-producing sector during the New Economy. Such differentials originatedfrom a substantial dissimilarity in production processes as well as from higher ICTintensity and skill endowment in the US.Industry productivity growth, heterogeneous labor, capital-skill complementarity, information and communication technology

Economies of scale and technological development in securities depository and settlement systems

The paper investigates the existence and extent of economies of scale in depository and settlement systems. Evidence from 16 settlement institutions across different regions for the years 1993–2000 indicates the existence of significant economies of scale. The degree of such economies, however, differs by size of settlement institution and region. While smaller settlement service providers reveal high potential of economies of scale, larger institutions show an increasing trend of cost effectiveness. Clearing and settlement systems in countries in Europe and Asia report substantially larger economies of scale than those of the US system. European cross-border settlement seems to be more cost intensive than that on a domestic level, reflecting chiefly complexities of EU international securities settlement and differences in the scope of international settlement services providers. The evidence also reveals that investments in implementing new systems and upgrades of settlement technology continuously improved cost effectiveness over the sample period.securities settlement, economies of scale, technological progress

The Implementation of the Integrated Information Center at the University of Minnesota

The implementation and operation of the Integrated Information Center (IIC) can be divided into three, relatively distinct phases corresponding roughly to the 3 years of the grant, from October 1990 to September 1993. This article presents the story of each phase of the implementation.Phase I: October 1990-August 1991; Phase II: August 1991-May 1992; Phase III: May 1992-September 199

Economies of scale and technological development in securities depository and settlement systems

The paper investigates the existence and extent of economies of scale in depository and settlement systems. Evidence from 16 settlement institutions across different regions for the years 1993–2000 indicates the existence of significant economies of scale. The degree of such economies, however, differs by size of settlement institution and region. While smaller settlement service providers reveal high potential of economies of scale, larger institutions show an increasing trend of cost effectiveness. Clearing and settlement systems in countries in Europe and Asia report substantially larger economies of scale than those of the US system. European cross-border settlement seems to be more cost intensive than that on a domestic level, reflecting chiefly complexities of EU international securities settlement and differences in the scope of international settlement services providers. The evidence also reveals that investments in implementing new systems and upgrades of settlement technology continuously improved cost effectiveness over the sample period.securities settlement; economies of scale; technological progress

R&D Spillovers Through Trade in a Panel of OECD Industries

This paper investigates the significance of Research and Development (R&D) spillovers through intra- and international trade in intermediate goods for productivity growth in a panel of OECD industries during 1973-1994. In the model, four different sources of R&D are identified: R&D conducted in the particular industry itself, R&D conducted in the same industries in other countries, R&D conducted in other domestic industries, and R&D conducted in other foreign industries. I find that among R&D sources the most important contributions to productivity growth come from the domestic R&D efforts. Here, own R&D is important for both domestic innovation and for the productivity catch-up process. Evidence that international R&D spillovers also have significant effects on productivity growth is found to be less robust. My analysis also shows that human capital affects productivity directly as a factor of production.

Transfer of Technology and Devloping Nations

In light of the fact that the considerable diplomatic efforts that have been made toward the promulgation of an international code of conduct on the transfer of technology that might soon be crowned with success, this Article examines the so called technology development debate. It considers some of the reasons for the determination of developing countries to obtain a commitment from the industrialized countires to adhere to a code of conduct. The Article attempts to evaluate the likley success that the unfettered access of developing countries to advanced technologies will have in promoting economic development. It also identifies some unintended negative consequences that this access might produce. Finally, the Article examines a number of alternative strategems for the technological transformation of developing countries