Partial versus General Equilibrium Calorie and Revenue Effects of a Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Tax

The current obesity crisis in the United States is generating numerous alternative policy options for combating the problem. One alternative that has been widely proposed is an excise or sales tax on sugar-sweetened non-alcoholic beverages. This literature started out within a very simple partial equilibrium framework. Not considering the feedback effects (or general equilibrium effects) across interrelated market is a shortcoming of these partial equilibrium analyses. Our study is carried out to ascertain stochastic partial and general equilibrium calorie, body weight and revenue effects of a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages as well as incidence of such tax. We used Nielsen Homescan data on prices and quantities of selected non-alcoholic beverages purchased over the period January 1998 through December 2008. Probability density functions (pdfs) generated using simulations of calorie outcomes reveal that the calorie reduction due to tax on sugar-sweetened beverages is between 465 and 716 calories per person per month. However, consideration of both direct and indirect effects in generating the effect of the tax on sugar-sweetened beverages reveal reduction as low as 199 calories per person per month and as high as707 calories per person per month.Partial equilibrium, general equilibrium, tax effects, sugar-sweetened beverages, beverage tax, calorie effects, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Health Economics and Policy, D11, D12, I18,

Human Development and Pastoral Care in a Postmodern Age:Donald Capps, Erik H. Erikson, and Beyond

This article discusses Donald Capps’s use of Erik H. Erikson’s life-cycle theory as the basic psychological framework for his theory of pastoral care. Capps was attracted to Erikson’s existential-psychological model, his hermeneutic approach, and his religious sensitivity. Capps’s thought develops from first exploring biblical foundations for using Eriksonian theory for pastoral care to gradually embracing certain postmodern features. The article concludes with reflections on the usefulness of Erikson’s life-cycle theory and Capps’s work for contemporary pastoral care

Samuelson´s full duality and the use of directed acyclical graphs

To date, mixed demand systems have been all but ignored in empirical work. A possible reason for the scarcity of such applications is that one needs to know a priori which prices and quantities are endogenous in the mixed demand system. By using a directed acyclical graph (DAG), causal relationships among price and quantity variables are identified giving rise to a causally identified mixed demand system. A statistical comparison is made of the traditional Rotterdam model, a synthetic demand system, which subsumes the traditional Rotterdam model, and a Rotterdam mixed demand system identified through the use of a DAG. In this analysis, the respective demand systems consist of five products: steak, ground beef, beef roasts, pork, and chicken.directed acyclic graphs, mixed demand systems

EXAMINATION OF ALTERNATIVE HETEROSCEDASTIC ERROR STRUCTURES USING EXPERIMENTAL DATA

Impacts of alternative specifications for heteroscedastic error structures are examined by estimating various production functions for corn in Central Texas. Production- and profit- maximizing levels of input and the shape of the profit equation obtained from models not corrected for heteroscedasticity differed from those obtained from models corroded for heteroscedasticaity. Using the profit-maximizing input levels for each production function gave essentially the same estimated yield and profit, regardless of the specification for heteroscedasticity employed. Differences of up to one-quarter to one-third are noted, however, in the amount of profit-maximizing levels of input used, depending on the heteroscedasticity correction.Corn, Heteroscedasticity, Production function, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

The Economic Effects of New Product Beef Promotion in Guatemala

The implementation of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) has expanded trade opportunities for U.S. agricultural producers. U.S. beef is an important product affected by the agreement, and the United States Meat Export Federation (USMEF) invested in a new product promotion program to increase exports of U.S. beef to Guatemala. Consumer responsiveness and the effectiveness of the U.S. branded beef promotion program are analyzed in this study. Demand responses to promotion activities that launched three new U.S. beef value cuts in Guatemala’s Hotel, Restaurant and Institutional (HRI) sector were estimated by applying the Parks Model of Generalized Least Squares regression to pooled, time-series and cross sectional data. Results show a negative relationship between own price and sales quantity, while the effect of advertising on quantity sold is positive. Demand for the U.S. beef value cuts increased as a result of the promotion, although the costs of the promotion program exceeded the additional revenue generated as a result of promotion activities.Livestock Production/Industries, Marketing,

Arkansas Cotton Variety Test 1999

The primary aim of the Arkansas Cotton Variety Test is to provide unbiased data regarding the agronomic performance of cotton varieties in the major cotton growing areas in Arkansas. This information helps seed dealers establish marketing strategies and assists producers in choosing varieties to plant. In this way the annual test facilitates the inclusion of new, improved genetic material into Arkansas cotton production. The 1999 test had 67 entries (including 25 transgenic genotypes and 35 first-year entries), which were evaluated at sixsites in eastern Arkansas. The presence of four transgenic and five first-year entries among the top 10 yielding entries suggests that improvement is being accomplished in varietal development. This report also includes the Mississippi County Variety Test (an on-farm evaluation of selected varieties) and on-farm variety trials conducted by the Cooperative Extension Service

CONTRIBUTIONS OF NONALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES TO THE U.S. DIET

This report analyzes consumer demand and nutritional issues associated with nonalcoholic beverages purchased for at-home use by looking at demographic variables such as household size, household income, education level, and region. The beverages include milk, carbonated soft drinks, bottled water, fruit juices, fruit drinks, coffee, tea, and isotonics (sports drinks). The report's focus is on the impact of nutritional quality from beverage purchase choices that a household makes, looking at the household's availability of calories, calcium, vitamin C, and caffeine from these beverage choices. Using the Daily Values on the Nutrition Facts portion of the food label as a reference, we find that nonalcoholic beverages purchased for at-home consumption provided, on a per-person basis: 10 percent of daily value for calories; 20 percent of the daily value for calcium; 70 percent of daily value for vitamin C. Statistical analyses included the use of descriptive cross-tabulations and regression analyses, with profiles of households that were more or less likely to purchase the beverages, as well as key determinants associated with the probability of purchasing selected beverages.nonalcoholic beverages, nutrient intake, cross-tabulations, regression analyses, probit analyses, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,