Can Cooperative Movements Be Successful in Traditional Societies? The Case of Southern Senegal

In spite of professional and political support for cooperatives in West Africa, their record of accomplishments is very spotty. Advocates of cooperatives have been blamed for not tailoring the movement to the needs, social practices, and orientations of traditional societies. In this paper, an attempt is made to show how indigenous groups can be organized to improve the coordination of traditional groups, local governments, financial institutions, and aid donors. Village cooperatives, called "Groupement Villageois," in southern Senegal were allowed to organize their own business affairs. Credit was provided to the cooperative group by the development agency. Cooperative activities were structured around cultural norms, village traditions, and production systems, rather than merely Rochdale principles. The village chief and elders were responsible for linkages and contacts with external entities. The whole village, and not just individual members, was responsible for credit, marketing, and distribution. After two years of operation, cooperative repayment of credit funds averaged 90 percent. Input use of food crops had increased and member contributions to cooperative equity were on the rise. Applications of this cooperative model were expanding rapidly throughout the region.Agribusiness,

A unified approach to compute foliations, inertial manifolds, and tracking initial conditions

Several algorithms are presented for the accurate computation of the leaves in the foliation of an ODE near a hyperbolic fixed point. They are variations of a contraction mapping method in [25] to compute inertial manifolds, which represents a particular leaf in the unstable foliation. Such a mapping is combined with one for the leaf in the stable foliation to compute the tracking initial condition for a given solution. The algorithms are demonstrated on the Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation

Environmental Perceptions and Behavioral Change of Hillside Farmers: The Case of Haiti

Land degradation is one of the most serious problems facing resource-poor tropical hillside farmers. Studies examining determinants of farmers’ decisions to invest in land improvement technologies have focused on economic and financial factors, neglecting individuals’ perceptions and awareness of the problems and how they affect land use and behavioral change that enhance environmental sustainability. This study examines Haitian peasants’ environmental behavior structure using a structural equation modeling approach. Specifically, the study examines the effects of perceived susceptibility, seriousness, benefits, and barriers to change on attitude, and the causal effect of attitude on behavior. The influence of the level of resources extracted from the land per capita on perceptions, attitude, and behavior is examined. Results show that Haitian peasants’ attitudes toward the environment are significantly affected by their perceived susceptibility and severity of land degradation. The path coefficients linking perceived susceptibility, severity, and benefits to attitude are 0.49 (t=5.43) and 0.21 (t=3.78), respectively. A positive attitude toward the environment seems to cause a greater inclination to behavioral change. The coefficient from attitude to behavior is 0.21 (t=3.81). The results indicate that agricultural productivity significantly shapes hillside farmers’ perceptions of susceptibility to and severity of land degradation. Per capita resource extraction significantly affects people’s perceptions of the benefits of good environmental quality and the barriers to behavioral change.Farmers, environment, perception, behaviour and degradation, agricultural productivity, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

Seafood Import Demand in the Caribbean Region

Cointegration analysis and an Error Correction Model are used to estimate aggregate seafood import demand functions for selected Caribbean countries. The results show that seafood import demand is price elastic. Exchange rate has a negative effect on seafood import quantity. Income and tourist arrivals have positive impacts on seafood imports. Seafood import negatively affects domestic fishery production. Tariff and production support policies reduce seafood imports, and enhance domestic production. Both policies increase producer surplus, but a tariff reduces consumer surplus, and a production expansion policy increases consumer surplus. A production expansion subsidy is a more appropriate policy instrument than a tariff for small open economies, like the Caribbean States, to increase domestic production and generate net economic surplus.Seafood, import demand, cointegration, economic surplus, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Relations/Trade, Q17, Q22, C32,

Exchange Rates and Commodity Markets: Global Exports of Corn, Cotton, Poultry, and Soybeans

The effects of exchange rates and risk on major commodity exporters are examined in markets constructed from the top five importers and top three exporters from 1961 to 2000. Depreciation typically stimulates exports but the impacts vary considerably. Exchange risk has virtually no negative impacts. Importer incomes raise exports for about half the exporters, and major competitor market shares affect about half the exporters.Exchange rates, commodity exports, market shares,

The Adoption and Management of Soil Conservation Practices in Haiti: The Case of Rock Walls

Farmers are usually reluctant to adopt measures to reduce the toll of soil erosion; and even when soil conservation structures are adopted, farmers fail to manage them. This study investigates factors that influence adoption and management of soil conservation structures in Fort-Jacques, Haiti. The results show that personal characteristics of farmers, institutional factors, such as local group membership, training in soil conservation, per capita income and size of farm influence soil conservation adoption in Forte-Jacques. Age, education, per capita household income, participation in local groups, the interaction of per capita household income and farmers’ age influence rock wall management.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

U.S. Import Demand for Tilapia from Selected FTAA Countries

Seafood consumption in the U.S. has increased over the period 1990 to 2003. A large percentage of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported. The most important seafood products imported to the U.S. are shrimp, Atlantic salmon, tilapia, catfish, crayfish, mussels and a mixture of mollusks. In 2003, the U.S. imported 199 million pounds of tilapia and tilapia products, at a value of $241.2 million, a 38$77,952 (Aquaculture Outlook, 2004). Given that tilapia culture may be a promising enterprise for CARICOM and FTAA member countries, it is important to evaluate changes in U.S. market demand for tilapia from CARICOM countries. A Source Differentiated Almost Ideal Demand System (SDAIDS) model was used to conduct an import demand study for tilapia and tilapia products in the U.S. The own price elasticity of Jamaica frozen fillet was found to be -0.23, and significant which means that it is price inelastic and which means that increases in exports, other factors remaining constant, may lead to a fall in total revenue. The Jamaican frozen fillet is complementary to that of the rest of the world (ROW) and fresh fillet from Ecuador, but competitive (substitute) to fresh-frozen fillet from Thailand. Fresh fillet from Ecuador, with a cross price elasticity of 0.29, is a substitute for the fresh fillet from Costa Rica. The fresh fillet from Costa Rica is complementary to the fresh-frozen from Thailand. The fresh fillet from Honduras with a cross price elasticity of 1.13 is a substitute for the fresh fillet from Ecuador. However, the fresh fillet from Honduras is a complement to the frozen fillet from Thailand. Seafood consumption in the U.S. has increased over the period 1990 to 2003. A large percentage of the seafood consumed in the U.S. is imported. The most important seafood products imported to the U.S. are shrimp, Atlantic salmon, tilapia, catfish, crayfish, mussels and a mixture of mollusks. In 2003, the U.S. imported 199 million pounds of tilapia and tilapia products, at a value of $241.2 million, a 38$77,952 (Aquaculture Outlook, 2004). Given that tilapia culture may be a promising enterprise for CARICOM and FTAA member countries, it is important to evaluate changes in U.S. market demand for tilapia from CARICOM countries. A Source Differentiated Almost Ideal Demand System (SDAIDS) model was used to conduct an import demand study for tilapia and tilapia products in the U.S. The own price elasticity of Jamaica frozen fillet was found to be -0.23, and significant which means that it is price inelastic and which means that increases in exports, other factors remaining constant, may lead to a fall in total revenue. The Jamaican frozen fillet is complementary to that of the rest of the world (ROW) and fresh fillet from Ecuador, but competitive (substitute) to fresh-frozen fillet from Thailand. Fresh fillet from Ecuador, with a cross price elasticity of 0.29, is a substitute for the fresh fillet from Costa Rica. The fresh fillet from Costa Rica is complementary to the fresh-frozen from Thailand. The fresh fillet from Honduras with a cross price elasticity of 1.13 is a substitute for the fresh fillet from Ecuador. However, the fresh fillet from Honduras is a complement to the frozen fillet from Thailand. The FTAA member states, other than Ecuador, are not major players in the frozen whole tilapia market. Large non-member countries, such as Thailand, Taiwan, and China, may be serious threats to CARICOM and FTAA member country tilapia products in the U.S. market. The FTAA member countries have concentrated on the fresh-frozen fillet and may have a comparative advantage for this product line because of proximity to the market.Tilapia, sea-food, Almost-Ideal-Demand-System, import, FTAA countries, Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Food Security and Poverty, International Relations/Trade, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

EVALUATION OF THE POSSIBLE THREAT OF NAFTA ON U.S. CATFISH INDUSTRY USING A TRADITIONAL IMPORT DEMAND FUNCTION

The effects of increased exports from NAFTA member countries on the U.S. domestic catfish industry were evaluated. Results showed that the quantity of catfish imported will fall if the domestic price of catfish falls relative to the import price. Past imports have no effect on present imports. The income elasticity was negative indicating that imported catfish may be an inferior good. Doubling present levels of imports from NAFTA member countries is not a threat to the U.S. catfish industry.International Relations/Trade,

Globalization Equity and Justice in Small Nation States

The effects of globalization on smaller nation Caribbean states have not been thoroughly examined, and the trade performance of these states has not been evaluated since the WTO came into existence. In this paper, we report on a study that conducted a comparative analysis of selected Caribbean nation states with other countries at different stages of development to determine their levels of performance from 1990 to 1995, the period before the WTO began full operation, and the period 1996 to 2002, the period after globalization. The selected Caribbean countries were Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname. The measures for comparison are changes in GDP per capita, capital investment as a percentage of GDP, foreign direct investment, current account balance, trade balance, export services, infant mortality, literacy rates, and agricultural and service labor force change. We also compared the economic and social performance of these countries with those of selected countries of North America, South and Central America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. The economic performance of the Caribbean states varied and compared favorably with other developing economies and developed economies, but the socioeconomic indicators worsened for Suriname and other nation states. The current account and the trade balances were negative for Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, in spite of their positive changes in GDP per capita since the WTO came into operation. No factors provide evidence of how well the countries are likely to perform in the future with the implementation of the WTO. In general, the Caribbean states performed worse before, rather than after, the implementation of the WTO. Model results show that the Caribbean states should concentrate on the export of services and the increase of the agricultural labor force to stimulate significant economic growth. The factors influencing the growth of other regions vary, but export of services seemed to have a general effect on economic growth. In terms of social indicator improvement, countries in Asia and Africa should reduce infant mortality while North America and South America could benefit from improvement in literacy rates.Caribbean states, regression analysis, globalization, equity., Agricultural and Food Policy, Agricultural Finance, International Development,

The development of direct payments in the UK: implications for social justice

Direct payments have been heralded by the disability movement as an important means to achieving independent living and hence greater social justice for disabled people through enhanced recognition as well as financial redistribution. Drawing on data from the ESRC funded project Disabled People and Direct Payments: A UK Comparative Perspective, this paper presents an analysis of policy and official statistics on use of direct payments across the UK. It is argued that the potential of direct payments has only partly been realised as a result of very low and uneven uptake within and between different parts of the UK. This is accounted for in part by resistance from some Labour-controlled local authorities, which regard direct payments as a threat to public sector jobs. In addition, access to direct payments has been uneven across impairment groups. However, from a very low base there has been a rapid expansion in the use of direct payments over the past three years. The extent to which direct payments are able to facilitate the ultimate goal of independent living for disabled people requires careful monitoring