Argentine Agricultural Policy: Producer and Consumer Support. Estimates 2007-2012

This paper analyzes agricultural policy in Argentina and calculates the degree of support received by producers and consumers. We present a summary of developments in the agricultural policy environment that have occurred in the last decades in Argentina, as well as the resulting performance of the agricultural sector. The concepts of Producer Support Estimates, Consumer Support Estimates, General Services Support Estimates, Producer Nominal Assistance Coefficient and Nominal Protection Coefficient are used to analyse different dimensions of transfers occurring between agricultural producers, consumers and taxpayers in the period 2007-2012. Total transfers from producers have averaged US$ 11.000 million annually or 26% of total gross farm receipts. Support flowing from the public sector to producers in the form of R&D, infrastructure and other “public good” type of inputs totalize some 500 million annually.Fil: Gallacher, Guillermo Marcos. Universidad del Cema; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Lema, Daniel. Universidad del Cema; Argentina. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria; Argentin

Electoral Budget Cycles: The case of the Argentine Provinces

This paper presents subnational evidence of electoraly-motivated changes in the level of public expenditures, budgetary deficits and composition of public expenditures in Argentina. The empirical study is made using a dynamic panel data analysis (GMM) for 22 provinces during period 1985-2001. We find evidence of political cycles in policies around the election date. Results shows that deficits and public expenditures increase in election years. Evidence also suggest that expenditures shift toward more visible public investment and away from current consumption goods.Electoral Budget Cycles, Argentina, Political Economy, Fiscal Policy

Temporal aggregation in political budget cycles

While existing cross-country studies on political budget cycles rely on annual data, we build a panel with quarterly and monthly data from Latin American and OECD countries over the 1980-2005 period. Disaggregated data allow to center the electoral year more precisely, and show the effects are concentrated in a three-quarter window around elections. Cycles are statistically significant only in Latin America, but the pattern is similar to OECD countries: the budget surplus/GDP ratio falls in the election period and rises in the post-election period. In line with the logic of rational opportunistic manipulation, these effects cancel out.temporal aggregation, electoral window, pre- and post-electoral effects, political budget cycles, rational opportunistic cycles

Discretional political budget cycles and separation of powers

In contrast to previous empirical work on electoral cycles, which implicitly assumes the executive has full discretion over fiscal policy, this paper contends that under separation of powers an unaligned legislature may have a moderating role. Focusing on the budget surplus, we find that stronger effective checks and balances explain why cycles are weaker in developed and established democracies. Once the discretional component of executive power is isolated, there are significant cycles in all democracies. Whether the political system is presidential or parliamentary, or the electoral rules are majoritarian or proportional, does not change the basic results.political budget cycles, asymmetric information, discretion, separation of powers, checks and balances, veto players, rule of law

Food demand elasticities in Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia. Econometric estimation from household surveys

This paper presents the methodology and estimation of food demand elasticities for Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia using household survey data. The paper reviews the theoretical and empirical approach behind the applied food demand estimation. The empirical approach consists in the estimation of a censored corrected LinQuad incomplete demand system using microdata from national household surveys. The empirical implementation and results are consistent with the state of the art in applied demand estimations using censored cross sectional data.Fil: Lema, Daniel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Economía y Sociología; Argentina.Fil: Brescia, Víctor. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Economía y Sociología; Argentina.Fil: Berges, Miriam. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Sociales; Argentina.Fil: Casellas, Karina. Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Sociales; Argentina

Argentine agricultural policy: economic analysis and impact assessment using the producer support estimate (PSE) approach

This paper analyzes agricultural policy in Argentina and calculates the degree of support received by producers and consumers. We present a summary of developments in the agricultural policy environment that have occurred in the last decades in Argentina, as well as the resulting performance of the agricultural sector. The concepts of Producer Support Estimates, Consumer Support Estimates, General Services Support Estimates, Producer Nominal Assistance Coefficient and Nominal Protection Coefficient are used to analyse different dimensions of transfers occurring between agricultural producers, consumers and taxpayers in the period 20072012. Total transfers from producers have averaged US$ 11.000 million annually or 26 per cent of total gross farm receipts. Support flowing from the public sector to producers in the form of RD, infrastructure and other "public good" type of inputs totalize some 500 million annually.El trabajo analiza la política agrícola en Argentina y estima el grado de apoyo recibido por los productores y los consumidores. Se resume la evolución de la política agrícola en las últimas décadas así como del comportamiento del sector agrícola. Se sigue la metodología de la OECD para estimar los PSE y analizar diferentes dimensiones de las transferencias que se producen entre los productores agrícolas, los consumidores y los contribuyentes en el período 2007-2012. Las estimaciones muestran que las transferencias totales de los productores agropecuarios hacia los consumidores y el estado en Argentina han tenido un promedio de 11.000 millones de dólares anuales en el período 2007-2012.Instituto de EconomíaFil: Lema, Rolando Daniel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Economía; ArgentinaFil: Gallacher, Marcos.Universidad del CEMA. Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Forest fires and economic incentives: impact of forest protection laws in Argentina

This paper evaluates the potential impact of the recently enacted forest protection laws on the number of forest fires in Argentina. The forest protection laws (at a federal and provincial level) restricts the use of forestry land in several ways, and limit the expansion of the agricultural frontier. This restriction can make forest arson potentially profitable to clear land and to expand the agricultural frontier circumventing the laws. We present a conceptual model based in the economic theory of crime to analyze forest arson decisions, and to predict individual behavior. Using panel data from 2002 to 2014 at a provincial level we present empirical evidence of systematic effects in the occurrence of forest fire as a function of the new regulation and its sequential implementation. Fixed effects and difference-in-differences estimates show that the number of fires increased transitory some 100% -200% in the main crop producer provinces during the law implementation process (2009-2011).Este documento evalúa el impacto potencial de las leyes de protección forestal recientemente promulgadas sobre el número de incendios forestales en Argentina. Las leyes de protección forestal (a nivel federal y provincial) restringen el uso de tierras forestales de varias maneras y limitan la expansión de la frontera agrícola. Esta restricción puede hacer que los incendios forestales sean potencialmente rentables para despejar la tierra y expandir la frontera agrícola eludiendo las leyes. Presentamos un modelo conceptual basado en la teoría económica del delito para analizar las decisiones de incendios forestales y predecir el comportamiento individual. Utilizando datos de panel de 2002 a 2014 a nivel provincial, presentamos evidencia empírica de efectos sistemáticos en la ocurrencia de incendios forestales en función de la nueva regulación y su implementación secuencial. Los efectos fijos y las estimaciones de diferencias en diferencias muestran que el número de incendios aumentó de forma transitoria entre un 100% y un 200% en las principales provincias productoras de cultivos durante el proceso de implementación de la ley (2009-2011).International Association of Agricultural EconomistsInstituto de EconomíaFil: Lema, Rolando Daniel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Economía; ArgentinaFil: Egolf, Patricia. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Economía; Argentin

Diseño de un dispositivo difusor de aromas para espacios comerciales cerrados

El proyecto presenta el desarrollo de diseño de un producto flexible a mercados emergentes, con el fin de brindar a las empresas un medio innovador para entrar en la mente de los consumidores y quedar plasmado dentro de estas, de manera positiva y permanente -- Este proyecto está establecido por el desarrollo y el diseño de un difusor de aromas, para ambientar espacios comerciales cerrados, con el cual se pretende conquistar nichos de mercado con muy poca oferta, así como crear una herramienta que ayude a las empresas nacionales e internacionales a fortalecer sus estrategias de marketing con innovación, generando por medio de éste, experiencias vivenciales memorables e impactantes en los consumidores y usuarios de estos espacios durante la compra o consumo de bienes y servicios -- La idea del desarrollo del producto surgió de las investigaciones tanto médicas como psicológicas que se han desarrollado en el mundo alrededor del tema de los sentidos y el olfato y su relación con la decisión de compra de las personas, además de las nuevas tendencias del marketing y la búsqueda incansable por encontrar alternativas y herramientas que ayuden a los productos y a las marcas a generar recordación, identidad, aumentar las emociones y sentimientos agradables en los consumidores e igualmente aumentar las venta

Eficiência nas agências bancárias sob restrições gerenciais e regulatórias

The main purpose of this paper is to assess the cost-efficiency of Banco Ciudad de Buenos Aires’s bank branches using a Stochastic Frontier Analysis (SFA). With the results, management can decide on new branching dimension. Also, if some regulatory or managerial limits could be lift, such as closure or opening of new branches without the central bank authorization, or redundant staff reduction, the results could be important for management. We detect best and worst behaved branches. The more cost-efficient branches and the least cost-efficient ones differ in their size and input mix. Nonetheless, they present a similar output mix.El principal objetivo de este artículo es evaluar la rentabilidad de las sucursales bancarias del Banco Ciudad de Buenos Aires utilizando un Análisis de la Frontera Estocástica (AFE). A partir de los resultados, la gerencia puede dimensionar nuevas sucursales. Además, puede considerar si se pueden levantar algunas restricciones regulatorias o administrativas, como el cierre o la apertura de nuevas sucursales sin autorización del banco central, o la reducción de personal redundante, por lo tanto, los resultados podrían ser importantes para la administración. Con los resultados se detectan sucursales de mejor y peor comportamiento. Las sucursales más y menos costo-eficientes difieren en su tamaño y mezcla de insumos. No obstante, presentan una mezcla similar de productos.O principal objetivo deste artigo é estimar a eficiência de custo das filiais do Banco Ciudad de Buenos Aires usando a Análise de Fronteira Estocástica (em inglês, Stochastic Frontier Analysis, SFA). Com essas informações, pode-se ajudar o gerenciamento a dimensionar novas agências. Além disso, se as restrições regulatórias ou gerenciais pudessem ser levantadas (por exemplo, fechando ou abrindo agências sem consultar o banco central, ou corrigindo pessoal redundante, se houver), os resultados poderiam ser importantes para a administração. Detectam-se agencias de melhor e pior comportamento. As agências mais e menos econômicas diferem em tamanho e mix de insumos. No entanto, apresentam um mix similar de produtos

A meta-frontier approach to measuring technical efficiency and technology gaps in beef cattle production in Argentina

In this paper the stochastic metafrontier method is applied to estimate technical efficiency (TE) and metatechnology ratios (MTR), in beef cattle production for three distinct regions in Argentina. A deterministic stochastic metafrontier production function model is estimated that envelops the individual stochastic frontiers of the three regions. Our results show that firms from Pampean region, the most favored in terms of environment conditions, have an average (TE) of 53.7per cent, meanwhile for others regions the TE is around 58.966.97per cent. The average MTR for Pampean region is 96.8per cent, in contrast, the others regions have an average MTR of 42per cent. Our results suggest that, farms in the Pampean region could improve their performance through a better management using the available technologies and resources. In regions II and III the improvement of the productivity is likely to require additional investment in research to adapt and develop new technologies.Instituto de EconomíaFil: Brescia, Victor. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Economía; ArgentinaFil: Lema, Rolando Daniel. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Economía; ArgentinaFil: Gatti, Nicolás. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Instituto de Economía; Argentin