Comparing Parts with the Whole: Willingness to Pay for Pesticide-Free, Non-GM, and Organic Potatoes and Sweet Corn

Auction experiments were used to investigate demand relationships and willingness to pay (WTP) for four versions of potatoes and sweet corn—conventional, organic, and two parts of organic: no pesticides and non-genetically modified (non-GM). Elasticities showed strong and asymmetric substitute relationships between organic and its parts. Combined premiums of the parts were not significantly different than the whole organic premium, suggesting WTP for the attributes are not additive. A two-stage heteroskedastic tobit model found significant WTP for each part dependent on demographics and beliefs about conventional versions. Results suggest segments for parts of organic could be established alongside the whole.auction experiments, organic, pesticides, potatoes, sweet corn, willingness to pay, Demand and Price Analysis, Livestock Production/Industries,

BOOK REVIEW: Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, ed., The Gene Revolution: GM Crops and Unequal Development. London: Earthscan, 2007, xxx + 248 pp., $42.50 paperback, ISBN 978-1-84407-409-9.

Agribusiness,

Polychromatic Colorings on the Hypercube

Given a subgraph G of the hypercube Q_n, a coloring of the edges of Q_n such that every embedding of G contains an edge of every color is called a G-polychromatic coloring. The maximum number of colors with which it is possible to G-polychromatically color the edges of any hypercube is called the polychromatic number of G. To determine polychromatic numbers, it is only necessary to consider a structured class of colorings, which we call simple. The main tool for finding upper bounds on polychromatic numbers is to translate the question of polychromatically coloring the hypercube so every embedding of a graph G contains every color into a question of coloring the 2-dimensional grid so that every so-called shape sequence corresponding to G contains every color. After surveying the tools for finding polychromatic numbers, we apply these techniques to find polychromatic numbers of a class of graphs called punctured hypercubes. We also consider the problem of finding polychromatic numbers in the setting where larger subcubes of the hypercube are colored. We exhibit two new constructions which show that this problem is not a straightforward generalization of the edge coloring problem.Comment: 24 page

Polychromatic Colorings on the Integers

We show that for any set $S\subseteq \mathbb{Z}$, $|S|=4$ there exists a 3-coloring of $\mathbb{Z}$ in which every translate of $S$ receives all three colors. This implies that $S$ has a codensity of at most $1/3$, proving a conjecture of Newman [D. J. Newman, Complements of finite sets of integers, Michigan Math. J. 14 (1967) 481--486]. We also consider related questions in $\mathbb{Z}^d$, $d\geq 2$.Comment: 16 pages, improved presentatio

Decoding mode-mixing in black-hole merger ringdown

Optimal extraction of information from gravitational-wave observations of binary black-hole coalescences requires detailed knowledge of the waveforms. Current approaches for representing waveform information are based on spin-weighted spherical harmonic decomposition. Higher-order harmonic modes carrying a few percent of the total power output near merger can supply information critical to determining intrinsic and extrinsic parameters of the binary. One obstacle to constructing a full multi-mode template of merger waveforms is the apparently complicated behavior of some of these modes; instead of settling down to a simple quasinormal frequency with decaying amplitude, some $|m| \neq \ell$ modes show periodic bumps characteristic of mode-mixing. We analyze the strongest of these modes -- the anomalous $(3,2)$ harmonic mode -- measured in a set of binary black-hole merger waveform simulations, and show that to leading order, they are due to a mismatch between the spherical harmonic basis used for extraction in 3D numerical relativity simulations, and the spheroidal harmonics adapted to the perturbation theory of Kerr black holes. Other causes of mode-mixing arising from gauge ambiguities and physical properties of the quasinormal ringdown modes are also considered and found to be small for the waveforms studied here.Comment: 15 pages, 10 figures, 2 tables; new version has improved Figs. 1-3, consistent labelling of simulations between Tables I & II, additional/corrected references, and extra hyphen

Aid for Trade: An Action Agenda Looking Forward

The current postcrisis environment—and fragile economic recovery—increases the importance of aid for trade. Global rebalancing and tightened fiscal budgets in the short to medium term also place renewed emphasis on aid effectiveness. This note identifies four options to enhance the effectiveness of the multilateral aid for trade initiative: (i) expanding market access for least-developed countries (LDCs) through leadership by middleincome G-20 members; (ii) creating a mechanism to identify good practices in domestic regulation of service markets and other “behind-the-border” trade-related policies; (iii) leveraging the dynamism and knowledge of the private sector to improve trade facilitation and build capacity; and (iv) making a concerted effort to expand data collection and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of aid for trade.aid, trade, aid for trade, economic recovery, aid effectiveness, market access, least-developed countires, G-20, monitoring and evalutaion, M&E, middle-income

Factor and Cluster Analysis of Willingness to Pay for Organic and Non-GM Food

A large segment of consumers appear to value niche products including organic, “non-GM,†“pesticide-free,†and “no antibiotics used†more in fresh products than in processed. About ten percent of the respondents were especially interested in non-GM products. These consumers feel that GM labeling is important, but felt that other types of food labels were relatively unimportant. The non-GM audience defied easy demographic profiling. Data were collected by both surveys and experimental auctions, with factor analysis and cluster analysis used to interpret the data. The survey and experimental auction data yielded different willingness-to-pay values but showed similar patterns of consumer preferences.Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety,

Consistency of Willingness to Pay and Preferences in Auction Experiments

Agricultural and Food Policy,

Confounded by the Field: Bidding in Food Auctions When Field Prices Are Increasing

Auction experiments are commonly used to determine consumers’ willingness to pay for various food items. While their non-hypothetical nature is a positive, market substitutes create a probable confounding of bids by field prices. This study examines the influence of field prices on bids for four foods in two versions by conducting auctions before and after large price increases in 2007. Results show that bids were capped at given field prices and were significantly higher in sessions conducted after store prices increased. Percentage premiums, however, were not significantly different across sessions, suggesting that effects of field prices could be reduced. Overall, researchers must be conscious of how field prices affect bids.auction experiments, field prices, organic, bidding, Consumer/Household Economics, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Marketing,

Aid for trade : building on progress today for tomorrow's future

Since 2005, donors and development agencies have increased the overall value of aid for trade and put in place several mechanisms to channel such aid and to ensure that it targets national priorities. This paper reviews recent trends in the allocation of aid for trade and analyses of its effectiveness. It identifies a number of opportunities for concerted action to enhance the impact of aid for trade initiatives, including greater involvement by middle-income countries in the initiative (through improved market access, investment flows, and knowledge transfers); deeper engagement with the private sector -- a key source of information on what works and what does not; a stronger focus on improving the"behind the border"policies that affect the efficiency of key services sectors and help determine firm-level competitiveness; and a stronger focus on monitoring and evaluation of results.Economic Theory&Research,Emerging Markets,Free Trade,Trade Policy,Trade Law