Natural resources conservation management and strategies in agriculture

This paper suggests a holistic framework for assessment and improvement of management strategies for conservation of natural resources in agriculture. First, it incorporates an interdisciplinary approach (combining Economics, Organization, Law, Sociology, Ecology, Technology, Behavioral and Political Sciences) and presents a modern framework for assessing environmental management and strategies in agriculture including: specification of specific “managerial needs” and spectrum of feasible governance modes (institutional environment; private, collective, market, and public modes) of natural resources conservation at different level of decision-making (individual, farm, eco-system, local, regional, national, transnational, and global); specification of critical socio-economic, natural, technological, behavioral etc. factors of managerial choice, and feasible spectrum of (private, collective, public, international) managerial strategies; assessment of efficiency of diverse management strategies in terms of their potential to protect diverse eco-rights and investments, assure socially desirable level of environmental protection and improvement, minimize overall (implementing, third-party, transaction etc.) costs, coordinate and stimulate eco-activities, meet preferences and reconcile conflicts of individuals etc. Second, it presents evolution and assesses the efficiency of diverse management forms and strategies for conservation of natural resources in Bulgarian agriculture during post-communist transformation and EU integration (institutional, market, private, and public), and evaluates the impacts of EU CAP on environmental sustainability of farms of different juridical type, size, specialization and location. Finally, it suggests recommendations for improvement of public policies, strategies and modes of intervention, and private and collective strategies and actions for effective environmental protection

Mechanisms of Governance of Sustainable Development

In this paper we incorporate the interdisciplinary New Institutional and Transaction Costs Economics (combining Economics, Organization, Law, Sociology, Behavioral and Political Sciences), and suggest a framework for analyzing the mechanisms of governance of sustainable development. The agricultural sector is used to illustrate the approach, test the framework, and support with examples. Firstly, we discuss the modern concepts and the economics of sustainability. Secondly, we present a new framework for analysis and improvement of the governance of sustainable development. This new approach takes into account the role of specific institutional environment; and the behavioral characteristics of individual agents; and the transaction costs associated with the various forms of governance; and the critical factors of economic activity and exchanges; and the comparative efficiency of market, private, public and hybrid modes; and the potential of production structures for adaptation; and the comparative efficiency of alternative modes for public intervention. Finally, we identify specific modes for environmental governance in Bulgarian agriculture; and access the efficiency of market, private and public modes; and estimate the prospects for evolution of environmental governance in the conditions of EU CAP implementation. Agrarian development is associated with specific (different from other European states) environmental challenges such as degradation and contamination of farmland, pollution of surface and ground waters, loss of biodiversity, significant greenhouse gas emissions etc. That is a result of the specific institutional and governing structure evolving in the sector during the past 20 years. Implementation of the common EU policies will have unlike results in “Bulgarian” conditions enlarging income, technological, social and environmental discrepancy between different farms, sub-sectors and regions. Dominating subsistence farming, production cooperatives, small-scale commercial farms, and large business firms will be highly sustainable in years to come.mechanisms of governance; sustainable development; institutions, market, private, public and hybrid modes of governance; transaction costs; agrarian sustainability; environmental governance; Bulgaria

Management of chemical and biological risks in agri-food chain

Paper presents diverse modes of governance of chemical and biological risks in agri-food sector, assesses their efficiency, complementarities, and challenges, and suggests recommendations for public policies improvement. It defines governance as system of social order responsible for particular behavior of agents; specify various (institutions, market, private, public) mechanisms of risk governance and (natural, technological, behavioral etc.) factors of efficiency; and suggest a framework for analysis and improvement of risk governance. New opportunities for risks governance relate to: modernization of technologies and institutional environment; specialization, concentration, and integration; “willingness to pay” and consumers and media involvement; national and transnational cooperation. Risk management challenges are associated with: new threats and risks; separation of risk-creation from risk-taking; vulnerability of mass production, distribution and consumption; high adaptation and compliance costs; unequal norms, implementing capability, policies and private strategies; public failures; and informal sector. Policies improvement is to incorporate governance issues taking into account type of threats and risks, specific factors, and comparative benefits and cost (including third-party, transacting, time); employ more hybrid modes introducing and enforcing new rights, and supporting private and collective initiatives; give greater support to multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary research on factors, modes, and impacts of risk-governance.risk management; market, private, public governance; agri-food chain

Effects of EU CAP implementation on Bulgarian farms

This paper assesses impacts of EU CAP implementation on Bulgarian farms of different type and specialization. First, a framework for assessing the CAP effects on farms is presented. Next, an evaluation is made of the impacts of CAP on: economic results and income of farms; production and governance efficiency of farms; level of competitiveness of farms; and economic, social, and environmental sustainability of farms. Finally, factors for improvement of CAP impact on farms in the country are identified.impacts of EU CAP, income, efficiency, competitiveness, and sustainability of farms

ASSESSMENT OF SUSTAINABILITY OF BULGARIAN FARMS

The New Institutional and Transaction Costs Economics framework is incorporated to transitional Bulgarian agriculture, and level of sustainability of dominating subsistent farming, production cooperatives, small-scare commercial farms, and large agro-firms assessed. New framework for assessing sustainability of farms and for governing of sustainable development is suggested taking into account: role of specific institutional environment, comparative efficiency of various market, private, public and hybrid governing modes, transaction costs and critical factors (frequency, uncertainty, asset specificity, and appropriability) of farm transactions. Analysis of sustainability of different types of Bulgarian farms is made, and further domination of subsistence farming, cooperatives, large agro-firms, and some part of small commercial farms projected.assessment of sustainability of farms, governing of agrarian sustainability, sustainability of Bulgarian farms

MECHANISMS OF GOVERNANCE OF SUSTAINBLE DEVELOPMENT

In this paper we incorporate the interdisciplinary New Institutional and Transaction Costs Economics (combining Economics, Organization, Law, Sociology, Behavioural and Political Sciences), and suggest a framework for analyzing the mechanisms of governance of sustainable development. Our new approach takes into account the role of specific institutional environment; and the behavioural characteristics of individual agents (personal preferences, bounded rationality, tendency for opportunism, trust, risk aversion); and the transaction costs associated with the various forms of governance; and the critical factors of economic activity and exchanges (such as appropriability, frequency, uncertainty, and asset specificity of transactions); and the comparative efficiency of market, private, public and hybrid modes; and the potential of production structures for adaptation; and the comparative efficiency of alternative modes for public intervention. Agricultural sector is used to illustrate that new approach and support with examples.institutions, market, private, public and hybrid modes, agrarian sustainability

Quasar optical variability: searching for interband time delays

Aims. The main purpose of this paper is to study time delays between the light variations in different wavebands for a sample of quasars. Measuring a reliable time delay for a large number of quasars may help constraint the models of their central engines. The standard accretion disk irradiation model predicts a delay of the longer wavelengths behind the shorter ones, a delay that depends on the fundamental quasar parameters. Since the black hole masses and the accretion rates are approximately known for the sample we use, one can compare the observed time delays with the expected ones. Methods. We applied the interpolation cross-correlation function (ICCF) method to the Giveon et al. sample of 42 quasars, monitored in two (B and R) colors, to find the time lags represented by the ICCF peaks. Different tests were performed to assess the influence of photometric errors, sampling, etc., on the final result. Results. We found that most of the objects show a delay in the red light curve behind the blue one (a positive lag), which on average for the sample is about +4 days (+3 for the median), although the scatter is significant. These results are broadly consistent with the reprocessing model, especially for the well-sampled objects. The normalized time-lag deviations do not seem to correlate significantly with other quasar properties, including optical, radio, or X-ray measurables. On the other hand, many objects show a clear negative lag, which, if real, may have important consequences for the variability models.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted in A&