CREDIT-PRODUCT INTERLINKAGE, CAPTIVE MARKETS AND TRADE LIBERALIZATION IN AGRICULTURE: A THEORETICAL ANALYSIS IN AGRICULTURE: A THEORETICAL ANALYSIS

This paper builds a model of fragmented duopsony in backward agriculture following Basu and Bell (1991) in which the purchasers (traders) have captive markets each but compete in a contested market. We focus on the formation of captive markets through trader-farmer interlinkage in the form of interlinked credit-product contracts (ICPCs). ICPC (or the formation of captive markets) is not an entry-preventive strategy in the model. Its motive is to push the farmers to their reservation income level. However, the captive and the contested markets are linked by the requirement that the reservation income of a captive farmer has to equal the income of a farmer in the contested market. In general, in our model strategic considerations determine the extent of use of ICPCs rather than explaining their existence. In this set-up we examine the effects of trade liberalization in agriculture on the village economy. We show that a reduction in the credit subsidy will raise the size of the captive market, leads to deterioration in the welfare of the farmers and may lower the agricultural productivity of the economy. On the contrary, an increase in the international price of the crop unambiguously improves the welfare of the farmers but the effect on the agricultural productivity is ambiguous. The paper argues that unless the developed countries liberalize trade in their agricultural sector, it would be premature for the developing countries to go in for agricultural trade liberalization and remove all farm subsidies, as this policy may in fact be counterproductive.Trader, Farmer, Captive segment, Contested segment, Interlinkage, Nash equilibrium, Trade liberalization in agriculture

A multidimensional Gini index

This paper considers the problem of construction of a multidimensional Gini index (MGI) of relative inequality satisfying normatively acceptable conditions. One of the conditions considered is that of Correlation Increasing Majorization (CIM) which has been studied in the existing literature. A new condition called Weighting of Attributes under Unidirectional Comonotonicity (WAUC) is introduced. It requires that, in the case where the allocation of all attributes are comonotonic and attribute i is more unequally distributed than attribute j, a reduction of inequality of i is socially more beneficial than that of inequality of j. An MGI is constructed by taking each individual's well-being to be a weighted average of the attribute levels and applying the univariate Gini formula to the resulting vector of individual well-beings. The weights, same for all individuals, are determined by the attribute levels of all the individuals. It is shown that the suggested MGI satisfies both CIM and WAUC. The existing literature does not seem to contain any other MGI satisfying these two conditions simultaneously.Multidimensional inequality Gini index

A New Approach to Astronomical Data Analysis Based on Multiple Variables

Data analysis for a sample of celestial bodies generally is preceded by the completeness test in order to verify whether the sample objects are proper representatives of the corresponding part of the universe. A data set following a multivariate, continuous, uniform distribution is said to be “complete in space.” This paper introduces a new approach to check for this completeness for any astronomical data set under a multivariate setup. Our proposed procedure, using the multiple tests of hypotheses based on nonparametric statistics, and consequently, combining their p values, outperforms others from the literature

<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";mso-ansi-language:EN-US; mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">Graft copolymerisation of methyl methacrylate onto silk fibre using Ce⁺³/K₂S₂O_g as redox initiator under visible light in a limited aqueous medium</span>

285-288<span style="font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%; font-family:" calibri","sans-serif";mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-fareast-font-family:="" "times="" new="" roman";mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;mso-hansi-theme-font:="" minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:"times="" roman";mso-ansi-language:en-us;="" mso-fareast-language:en-us;mso-bidi-language:ar-sa"="">Photograft copolymerisation of methyl methacrylate (MMA) onto mulberry silk fibre has been done in limited aqueous medium using cerrous ammonium sulphate (Ce+3)/potassium persulphate (K2S2Og) as the redox initiator and compared with the graft copolymerization done in dark under the same conditions. Grafting, total conversion, grafting efficiency and pH dependency of the system have been studied and analysed. The mechanism of polymerisation and graft copolymer formation are discussed. FTIR spectra and SEM studies show the evidence of grafting on the fibre backbone.</span