Economic-engineering energy-demand model for the pulp and paper industry. Phase I report

The first phase of a project to develop an economic-engineering energy demand model for the paper industry has been completed. The Phase I model has four components: (1) a paper demand submodel; (2) a pulp and paper process submodel; (3) a fuel-share submodel; and (4) an energy-conversion submodel. The report begins with a brief discussion of the structure and technology of the industry. After the details of the four submodels are presented, the results of the model are compared to historical data. The report concludes with a reference energy demand forecast, sensitivity analysis, and an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the model. Typical results for the Phase I model are as follows. Conservation causes the growth rates for all purchased fuels to be less than the growth rate for paper production. The demand for coal grows more rapidly than the demand for petroleum but petroleum remains the dominant purchased fuel. Demand for natural gas decreases but natural gas provides more energy than coal through 1990. Conservation of steam and an increased demand for electricity cause a decrease in the growth rate of electricity produced by cogeneration and an increase in the growth rate for purchased electricity

Domestic Support and Border Measures for Processed Horticultural Products

In horticultural markets, trade barriers often apply to the processed products whereas domestic support applies to farm-produced raw commodities. Here we assess the effects of such trade barriers and domestic support by simulating the effects of policy reform on global processing tomato markets, which are faced with modest processed product tariffs and high domestic support in the European Union (EU). Both protection and EU subsidy drive down world welfare, but we find that reducing import tariffs for tomato products would yield greater effects on markets and larger welfare impacts outside Europe than would reductions in EU domestic support. Copyright 2008, Oxford University Press.

Changes in aflatoxin standards: Implications for EU border controls of nut imports

This is a pre-copyedited, author-produced version of an article accepted for publication in Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy following peer review. The version of record Garcia-Alvarez-Coque, J.-M., Taghouti, I. and Martinez-Gomez, V. (2020), Changes in Aflatoxin Standards: Implications for EU Border Controls of Nut Imports. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 42: 524-541. doi:10.1093/aepp/ppy036 is available online at: https://doi.org/10.1093/aepp/ppy036.[EN] Food safety concerns about the risk of aflatoxin (AF) contamination have been growing in many regions, particularly in the European Union (EU). To protect consumers from health risks, the EU has established strict standards for maximum acceptable AF levels in food products; these standards have changed several times. This article examines the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) database, which contains notifications on border controls on AF levels in tree nuts and peanuts. A count data model was used to analyze the impact of political economy considerations, past alerts, and path-dependence effects on RASFF border controls. Policy changes, including the harmonization and relaxing of the EU¿s AF standards, significantly affected the frequency of border controls, with diverse effects among exporting countries. It is believed that the present study provides some insights to the modeling of food standards for explanation or forecasting purposes.García Alvarez-Coque, JM.; Taghouti, I.; Martinez Gomez, VD. (2020). Changes in aflatoxin standards: Implications for EU border controls of nut imports. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy. 42(3):524-541. https://doi.org/10.1093/aepp/ppy036S524541423Bagwell, K., & Staiger, R. W. (2001). Domestic Policies, National Sovereignty, and International Economic Institutions. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 116(2), 519-562. doi:10.1162/00335530151144096Baylis, K., Martens, A., & Nogueira, L. (2009). 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