Reconsidering the evidence on returns to T&V extension in Kenya

The authors revisit the widely disseminated results of a study (Bindlish and Evenson 1993, 1997) of the impact of the training and visit (T&V) system of management for public extension services in Kenya. T&V was introduced in Kenya by the World Bank and has since been supported through two successive projects. The impact of the projects continues to be the subject of much debate. The authors'paper suggests the need for greater vigilance in empirical analysis, especially about the quality of data used to support Bank policy and the need to validate potentially influential findings. Using household data from 1990, Bindlish and Evenson found the returns from extension to be very high. But the authors find that the returns estimated by Binslish and Evenson suffer from data errors, and limitations imposed by cross-sectional data. After correcting for several data processing and measurement errors, the authors show the results to be less robust than reported by Bindlish and Evenson and highly sensitive to regional effects. When region-specific effects are included, a positive return to extension cannot be established, using Bindlish and Evenson's data set and cross-sectional model specifications. After testing the robustness of results using a number of tests, the authors could not definitively establish the factors underlying strong regional effects, largely because of the limitations imposed by the cross-sectional framework. Household panel data methods would have allowed greater control for regional effects and would have yielded better insight into the impact of extension. The impact on agricultural productivity in Kenya expected from T&V extension services is not discernible from the available data, and the impact may vary across districts. The hypothesis that T&V had no impact in Kenya between 1982 and 1990 cannot be rejected. The sample data fail to support a positive rate of return on the investment in T&V.Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Statistical&Mathematical Sciences,Environmental Economics&Policies,Labor Policies,Economic Theory&Research,Economic Theory&Research,Health Economics&Finance,Agricultural Knowledge&Information Systems,Environmental Economics&Policies,Statistical&Mathematical Sciences

A compilation of information and data on the Manson impact structure

A problem for the impact hypothesis for the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K-T) mass extinction is the apparent absence of an identifiable impact site. The Manson Impact Structure is a candidate because it is the largest recognized in the U.S.; it is relatively close to the largest and most abundant shocked quartz grains found at the K-T boundary; and its age is indistinguishable from that of the K-T boundary based on paleontological evidence, fission track dates, and preliminary Ar-40/Ar-39 measurements. The region of northwest central Iowa containing the Manson Impact Structure is covered by Quaternary glacial deposits underlain by Phanerozoic sedimentary rocks (mostly flat-lying carbonates) and Proterozoic red clastic, metamorphic, volcanic, and plutonic rocks. In a circular area about 22 miles (35 km) in diameter around Manson, Iowa, this normal sequence is absent or disturbed and near the center of the disturbed area granitic basement rocks have been uplifted some 20,000 ft (6000m). Attention was drawn to Manson initially by the unusual quality of the groundwater there. Within the structure three roughly concentric zones of rock associations have been identified: (1) displaced strata; (2) completely disrupted strata, and igneous and metamorphic rocks. Manson was established as an impact structure based on its circular shape, its central uplift, and the presence of shocked quartz within the granitic central uplift. A gravity survey identified locations of low-density brecciated rocks and high-density uplifted crystalline rocks, but the outer boundary of the structure could not be established. Aeromagnetic and ground magnetic surveys showed locations and depths of shallowly buried crystalline rock and the locations of faults. A refraction seismic survey identified the crystalline central uplift, determined that the average elevation of bedrock is 70 ft (20 m) higher outside the structure than within, and was used to map the bedrock topography within the structure. A connection between the Manson impact and the K-T boundary may be established or refuted through study of the impact energy, the impact time, and composition of host rock, possible impactors, and impact melts

Developing the Spatial Dimension of Farm Business Models

A non-linear mathematical farm business optimisation model, that is set within a spatial economic framework, has been developed. The model incorporates factors such as location, spatial market orientation and technology use, and identifies the business strategy that is optimal in different market and policy environments. Farm household time-use is incorporated centrally within the model, enabling it to examine how on-farm and off-farm activities compete for limited farm household human resources. The model is applied to a beef and sheep farm that can choose between selling livestock to meat processors or processing on-farm and selling direct to consumers. Model simulations reveal when it is optimal for the farm business to innovate in this way and how this decision is affected by changes in key parameters. The farm business model is solved using the GAMS/LINDOGlobal mathematical programming software package. While traditional nonlinear programming and mixed-integer nonlinear programming algorithms are guaranteed to converge only under certain convexity assumptions, GAMS/LINDOGlobal finds guaranteed globally optimal solutions to general nonlinear problems. The model and model results are discussed within the context of theoretical underpinnings, model tractability, and potential applications.Farm Management,

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationIn this dissertation, I defend the thesis of comparability, understood as the claim that agents are always able to choose by taking one of three deliberative stances: regardless of what the choice options are, agents possess the capacity to prefer one option to another or to be indifferent between them. I will present an interpretation of utility theory to serve as an account of how agents might, as a practical matter, reason their way through any given choice situation. This economic account of choice is explicitly folk psychological insofar as the internal mental states of choosing agents play functional roles in it, though the descriptions of the mental states are intentionally parsimonious. The economic account given therefore steers a course between competing theoretical extremes: revealed-preference theory, which is meant to account for choice without appealing to internal mental states, and value accounts of choice, which attempt to detail the internal mental workings that give rise to agent preferences. In the account I favor, the notion of preference is regarded as a theoretical primitive and value can be understood as a derived concept. Many objections to comparability arise from the assumption that value judgements are necessary in order to compare; I show how such objections are answered if value is understood as being derived from preference instead of vice-versa. Eliminating value as a theoretical necessity for choice does not counter all incomparabilist objections. I provide a response to one of the most trenchant remaining objections, the small improvement argument, which seems to show that any trimodal theory of choice, whether it assumes values are necessary in order to choose or not, can lead to self-defeating choices, and therefore fails as an account of rational choice. I show that the small improvement argument can be answered without abandoning the assumption of comparability. Finally, I consider the constitutive objection to comparability, and note that while it cannot establish that comparability must fail, it does, when understood as a subjective objection, suggest that in addition to having the capacity to compare any two options, agents also possess the capacity to refuse to compare them

Pyeongchang v Pyongyang: The Endless Game of Inter-Korean Sports

Since their division, North and South Korea have fluctuated between a peaceful and chaotic relationship. This project explores the role of athletics within inter-Korean relations, using a multidimensional conceptual framework. In particular, this research examines the significant role sports play within each country’s political affairs, how this phenomenon has evolved, and the impact of sports on how South Koreans view their neighbors and the idea of reunification. Through in-depth historical and quantitative analysis, we see that sports can be understood as a political tool that has matured over time. Initially emerging as a means to gauge the status of affiliation between North and South Korea, sports has since evolved into a medium which promotes diplomacy while reflecting public perception. The results of this project not only allow audiences to comprehend inter-Korean relations through a new lens but provides vital context for the upcoming 2021 and 2032 Olympic Games

Contracting for Force: the effects of transaction costs on mercenary employment by the Italian city states of the 13th to 15th centuries

ABSTRACT The market for force in Italy through the 13th to 15th century is examined, through the medium of contracts between city states and mercenary soldiers. The historical era is divided into three distinct periods; each period is characterized by a typical contract type. Based on historical descriptions of these periods, it appears that the transaction costs associated with hiring private force providers varied significantly from period to period and regression analysis is performed in an attempt to determine the relationship between these costs and the number of private soldiers employed by the city states of Milan, Venice, and Florence in each period. The results of the analysis suggest that the effect of transaction costs in the market for force may be insignificant when compared to other considerations, particularly the ability of force providers to appropriate wealth directly