QUALITY INDICATORS AND INTERMEDIATE PRODUCTS: A NON-PARAMETRIC APPROACH

In this paper we propose a methodology to measure the characteristics and composition of intermediate products using productivity indicators based on directional distance functions. We evaluate how quality attributes interact with the quantity level in grapes production, and find evidence of a trade-off between quantity and aggregate quality for Chardonnay.Marketing,

PRODUCER ORGANIZATIONS AND SELF-REGULATION IN AGRICULTURAL MARKETS

The analysis proposed in this paper is concerned with the welfare effects of self-regulation by Producer's Organizations (PO) as an alternative to market or public intervention. Using the advances of the economics of incentives, it studies the interaction of asymmetric information and the democratic process in the quality choices of a group of heterogenous producers. With a simple model of adverse selection it presents the pricing rules and the quality provision in a group of producers facing an opportunity to gain from their collective capacity to establish a reputation for their quality products. This paper explicitly considers the democratic process through which quality-based reward schemes are decided upon and enforced in the PO. It distinguishes between a constitutional phase, in which each potential participant votes on whether to form a PO and the rules by which the PO will be run, and a working phase, in which the rules, including quality regulation, are enforced by the PO.Demand and Price Analysis, Industrial Organization,

THE WELFARE IMPACT OF SELF-REGULATION

This paper is concerned with welfare effects of self-regulation. It considers one group of heterogeneous producers modelling incentives they face when collectively deciding about production and trade of a commodity and employing a technology that take into account the trade-off between quality and quantity.Political Economy,

Technology shape, distance to frontier, or frontier shift? Modeling the determinants of TFP growth

We investigate the determinants of TFP growth of Italian manufacturing firms. Using stochastic frontier techniques, we consider three approaches to take into account the influence of external factors, i.e., the determinants of growth. First, external factors may affect the shape of the technology. Second, they may influence the distance from the frontier. Third, in a novel approach, the external factors influence the technological progress, that is the shift of the frontier. Using a sample of manufacturing firms in 1998-2003, we find that the exports, technological investments and spillovers, public infrastructures, and banking efficiency all have a positive effect on TFP growth. We also find that the first model best fits the data.TFP, growth accounting, stochastic frontiers, R&D spillovers, banking efficiency, infrastructures

Bad loans and efficiency in Italian Banks

The problem of taking into account the quality attributes of different goods has a long tradition in economics A strand of literature deals with the environmental impacts in the measurement of efficiency and productivity growth. Färe et al. (1989) indeed started what has become now a relatively vast literature extending efficiency measurement when some outputs are undesirable. The central notion of this paper is that of weak disposability of outputs. To credit firms for their effort to cut off on pollutants, technology is modeled so that it can handle the case when the reduction of some (bad) outputs requires the reduction of some of the other outputs and/or the increase of inputs.Besides the concept of output weak disposability, an interesting and useful idea for this setting is the directional distance function, a generalization of the radial distance function introduced to production economics by Chambers, Chung and Färe (1996). In this fashion it is possible to evaluate the performance of the firms that need to increase the production of the good outputs and decrease that bad outputs.

ADVERTISING, COLLECTIVE ACTION, AND LABELING IN THE EUROPEAN WINE MARKETS

In this paper we consider the role for collective action in advertising investments needed to compete on foreign markets and/or to enter into new markets. We model the choices facing producers in regions where both AO (high quality) and table (low quality) wines are produced. By joining forces with producers of other regions to invest in advertising, producers may penetrate into new markets. We show that it is profitable to enter into the new markets when, other things being equal, the size of the new market is relatively big, when the traditional market is relatively small, and when the size of the fixed investment in advertising is relatively small. We discuss the policy implications of the results, examining possible modifications of the AO system to facilitate collective action and improve investment levels.Marketing,

Collective Reputation in Agricultural Markets

In agriculture, there are many instances of coordination obtained via collective reputation, such as geographical indications, marketing and processing cooperatives, membership in labels such as Label Rouge, etc. We discuss some of their problems in agricultural markets, where they are managed by otherwise independent firms through a democratic decision-process. After selectively reviewing the published literature, we highlight some relevant problems for the industry and for policy-making and we suggest some venues for future research

A SIMPLE MODEL OF VOLUNTARY VS MANDATORY LABELLING OF GMOS

We consider the welfare impact of the mandatory and voluntary labelling to inform consumers on GMOs content in foods. With a model of vertical differentiation in competitive markets, we evaluate the effects on price equilibrium and welfare levels. We find that the mandatory labelling scheme would be optimal in those countries with more GMO-averse consumers and no-GMOs practices producers. Voluntary labelling would instead optimally be chosen in those countries where producers are using GMOs and consumers are more concerned about the costs savings resulting in this technology adoption.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,

Productivity or Discrimination? Beauty and the Exams

Do good looks make people more productive? An impact of looks on earnings has been found in the empirical literature: plain people earn less than average-looking people who earn less than the good-looking. However, an important question remains unanswered: is the impact of beauty due to pure discrimination or productivity? We provide evidence against the hypothesis of Becker-type discrimination stemming from tastes and in favor of productivity-related discrimination.Physical appearance; discrimination; productivity.

Labeling Policies in Food Markets: Private Incentives, Public Intervention, and Welfare Effects

This study considers the welfare impact of labeling policies of agricultural commodities with specific characteristics. Using a model of vertical differentiation, the effects on equilibrium and welfare levels are calculated. The introduction of the regulation and the emergence of two differentiated competitive markets leaves consumers and high-quality producers better off, while low-quality producers are worse off. With high costs and low quality differences, the total welfare impact of the regulation can be negative. Findings show that when high-quality producers can exercise market power, the regulation could be more easily accepted by producers, but it would have a negative effect on consumers.asymmetric information, food markets, labeling, market power, vertical differentiation, welfare effects, Agricultural and Food Policy,