The problem of food waste : A legal-economic analysis

This chapter reviews, building on legal-systematic and economic analysis, the origins for food waste vested in food law and states possible remedies. Several causes are identified: A policy of 'zero-tolerance', food information requirements, bans on use of hazardous materials, a policy of 'structural precaution' and strict top-down plant pest controls. In all of these, uncertainties as to how to behave and what the real risks are seem to play a key role in the early discard of consumable foodstuffs. Solutions can come from technical, legal as well as social sciences. In food law and policy, rule-makers should be more aware of the adverse effects of requirements on businesses that foster food safety. Technical sciences may provide solutions through nano- and it-innovations. From social sciences, it can be learned what factors induce humans to overemphasise risk exposure. Moral issues are connected to possible solutions, especially to certain potentially hazardous new techniques (like nanotechnology) and the acceptability to nudge, channel and restrict free human will and choice to reduce the waste stream

A dynamic profit function with adjustment costs for outputs

Dynamic factor demand, Dynamic optimization, Quasi-fixed factors, Fixed factors, D21,

Total Factor Productivity Growth: Indian Ports in the Era of Globalisation

Globalisation has led to the increasing importance of port performance. Productivity and efficiency are the two important concepts in measuring performance. The present study aims to assess the total factor productivity (TFP) growth of the Indian port sector. TFP is a measure of technological change in industry. This study shows that ports in India are becoming more capital intensive in the post-liberalisation period, and except one, the rest of all Indian ports came out with statistically significant TFP changes in last quarter century. The study also finds that, contrary to popular belief, the economic climate in post-reform period has yet to make any substantial impact on the performance of Indian ports in terms of the most popular measure of performance, TFP. Maritime Economics & Logistics (2006) 8, 366–386. doi:10.1057/palgrave.mel.9100164