Defining elasticities for PMP models by estimating marginal cost functions based on FADN Data - the case of Swiss dairy production

The Swiss agricultural sectoral information and forecasting system (SILAS) is based on the PMP standard approach. The marginal cost functions are estimated by exogenous elasticities. Due to the lack of empirical data the elasticities were set for all activities to unity. Based on total milk production costs of FADN farms, regional supply functions were estimated. The results are used to adjust the marginal cost functions of organic and non-organic dairy cow activities in the model SILAS to the empirically estimated functions. The results show that the marginal cost functions in the sectoral model are in general a bit steeper than in the FADN estimations, when elasticities by the value one are applied. Major differences between organic and non-organic milk production could not be observed. Adjusting the slope of the marginal cost functions to the empirically estimated ones leads to slightly different forecast results. Mainly the number of organic cows is higher in the FADN adjusted scenario than in the reference scenario without any adjustments.Marginal cost function, milk production costs, PMP-based sectoral model, Demand and Price Analysis, Livestock Production/Industries,

Evaluation of political control instruments for the Swiss alpine region

This paper analyses different direct payments system for the Swiss alpine region based on the multi-agent model SWISSland. Moreover, the future demand and management of the alpine pastures are simulated under different scenarios until 2020. In the model, agents are representing existing summer farms and are able to interact with each other. The results imply that the current direct payment system for the Swiss alpine region is effective and able to maintain a stable development until 2020. Since the land management in the alpine region is the activity that provides public goods, it would be reasonable to enforce payments that maximize the area of summered land. A change to contributions coupled to the surfaces could achieve the desired management of the alpine pastures meaning, at the same time, a need of proper monitoring systems.multi-agent models, policy analysis, simulation, alpine region, Agricultural and Food Policy, C16, Q18.,

Interpreting the Oscar Night on Italian TV: an interpreters’ nightmare?

Simultaneous interpreting is recognised to be an extremely complex cognitive activity placing high demands on linguistic abilities, extra-linguistic knowledge and communication skills of those who perform it. Specific difficulties identified in literature as the main factors contributing to the complexity of the interpreters’ task include high information density, especially if combined with a high speed of talk and/or not well structured utterances, proper names, figures, culture-bound references, humorous, ironical or highly emotional passages, unfamiliar accents and pre-prepared speeches read out with no chance for the interpreter to have access to them. Simultaneous interpreting for live media ceremonies entails even more difficulties due to the peculiar features, structure and time constraints of the broadcast event. This study discusses simultaneous interpreting of two Academy Award Ceremonies – in 2000 and 2010 – focusing on two specific difficulties: proper names and culture-bound references. The interpreters’ performance is analysed using rendition categories based on the work by Wadensjö (1998). Results are discussed in the light of previous studies and Relevance Theor

El proyecto ImPLI, la interpretación en la etapa previa al juicio en Italia y la transposición de la directiva 2010/64/UE

This paper focuses on the right to court interpreting and police interpreting in Italy. The data presented about the situation in Italy are derived from the results of ImPLI (Improving Police and Legal Interpreting), a European research project funded by DG Justice which collected facts and figures about police interpreting in Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom. The transposition of directive 2010/64/UE into Italian law is analysed to understand its impact on interpreting rights for people under investigation, accused persons and witnesses in Italy. The main drawbacks as well as improvements of the directive transposition are highlighted and discussedEl proyecto ImPLI, la interpretación en la etapa previa al juicio en Italia y la transposición de la directiva 2010/64/UE Este artículo está dedicado a la interpretación en tribunales y en entornos policiales en Italia. Los datos que presentamos sobre la situación en Italia proceden de los resultados del proyecto de investigación europeo ImPLI (Improving Police and Legal Interpreting), financiado por la DG Justicia, para el que se recogieron datos y cifras relativos a la interpretación en entornos policiales en Bélgica, la República Checa, Francia, Alemania, Italia y el Reino Unido. Se analiza la transposición de la Directiva 2010/64/UE a la legislación italiana para entender las consecuencias que tiene en el derecho a la interpretación de las personas sometidas a investigación, los acusados y los testigos en Italia. Se ponen de relieve y se debaten los problemas y las mejoras que trae consigo la transposición de la directiva

The best interest of the child in interpreter-mediated interviews – Researching children’s point of view

Children’s rights enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) can be substantiated only if children can understand them and can communicate their point of view effectively. Whenever children do not speak the same language of the country where they live, and no action is taken to guarantee their right to communicate in their mother tongue, their rights are at risk. Yet, interpreting is still generally considered as a service activity for adults also in research and interpreter education, and the perception of interpreting by children and adolescents is understudied so far. This paper contributes to filling this gap by giving voice to a group of 18 Italian children and adolescents aged between 6 and 17 who communicated via an interpreter for the first time and expressed their preferences and concerns. The aim was to collect information about their perception of some aspects of an interpreter-mediated interview, in particular how they felt during the interview, what was their perception of role and rapport building and their preferred seating arrangements. We hope with this study to inspire further research in thisarea and also, possibly, specialised training for interpreters who work with children

Montalbano e la voce dell’interprete

Uno degli ultimi romanzi del ciclo di Montalbano (L'altro capo del filo 2016) vede tra i protagonisti un medico e una giovane donna tunisini che, nel contesto degli sbarchi di migranti in Sicilia, fungono da interpreti per il commissario. Il contributo svolge un'analisi di queste due figure all'interno della struttura narrativa del romanzo e della sua collocazione nella realt\ue0 dell'Italia contemporanea. I tratti salienti dei due personaggi di Camilleri vengono analizzati da diversi punti di vista, ricorrendo anche all\u2019analisi della conversazione, e messi a confronto con caratteristiche della figura dell'interprete percepite da gruppi di utenti reali di servizi di interpretazione. In particolare si far\ue0 riferimento ad alcuni studi recenti seguiti dall\u2019autrice, tra cui uno sull'interpretazione per il contingente italiano stanziato in Libano e uno sull'interpretazione per bambini e adolescenti condotto all'interno di una serie di progetto di ricerca europea sull'interpretazione in ambito penale. Il confronto rivela sorprendenti analogie nella rappresentazione dell'interprete nella finzione letteraria e la sua percezione in contesti reali.One of the last novels by Andrea Camilleri starring inspector Montalbano (L'altro capo del filo 2016), set in the context of the landings of migrants in Sicily, features two Tunisians, a physician and a young woman who act as lay interpreters. This paper sheds light on these two figures within the narrative structure of the novel and its place in the reality of contemporary Italy. Salient traits of the two characters are analysed from different points of view, using also conversation analysis, and compared with characteristics of the interpreter role perceived by groups of real-life users. In particular, reference is made to some recent studies by the author, including one on interpretation for Italian soldiers deployed in Lebanon and one on interpretation for children and adolescents in criminal justice settings carried out as part of a European research project. The comparison reveals surprising similarities in the representation of the interpreters in literary fiction and their perception in real contexts

K�nnen Produktionsentscheidungen als Investitionsentscheidungen modelliert werden?

Interviews with Swiss farmers lead to the hypotheses that production decisions, also in crop growing, are not made annually, but similarly to investment decisions in the long run. This hypothesis is backed by non-parametric time-series analysis for Switzerland and Germany. This creates a theoretical basis for combining Positive Mathematical Programming with flexibility constraints in optimization models. Results of the forecasting model SILAS show that forecasting quality is improved through this approach.Flexibility constraints, production decisions, optimization models, forecasting quality, Farm Management,

HOW CAN THE ENERGY USE IN SWISS AGRICULTURE BE ASSESSED IN ECONOMIC AND ECOLOGICAL TERMS?

Replaced with revised version of paper 12/05/07.Energie-Input, Einkommensmaximierung, Mehrzieloptimierung, Effizienz, Energy use, Income maximisation, Multi-objective programming, Efficiency, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Swiss Parks of National Importance as model regions of sustainable development – An economic success story for farmers?

Evidence on the socioeconomic effects of the protected area status of affected regions is mixed. While some studies highlight positive outcomes for these regions, others point in the opposite direction. Consequently, this study aimed to add to the discourse on whether protected area status fosters the socioeconomic development of these regions or not. The study focuses on the agricultural sector in protected areas, because this sector is of particular importance for local communes in these regions. Our study aimed to investigate whether the status Swiss Park of National Importance (henceforth park) positively or negatively influenced economic indicators of local farms (i.e., direct payments, income, and revenues). Specifically, the study answers the following question: How would economic farm indicators have developed if the territory had not gained park status? Thus, the study compared the economic indicators of farms located in a park with economic indicators of farms from neighboring regions outside the park. The analyses focused on the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Biosphere Reserve Entlebuch and the Nature Park Gantrisch as case study regions. The empirical findings revealed that gaining the park status had neither positive nor negative significant effects on income of farms inside a park compared to similar farms outside. However, results also showed that gaining the park status had positive rather than negative effects on further economic indicators such as direct payments and revenues

Determinants of the perceived administrative transaction costs caused by the uptake of an agri-environmental program

Farmers’ subjectively perceived that administrative transaction costs are of high importance for the uptake of agri-environmental programs with direct effects on the effectiveness and efficiency of these programs and the well-being of farmers. This paper empirically estimates private administrative transaction costs resulting from an uptake of the newly introduced grassland-based milk and meat program in Switzerland, based on farmers’ perceived administrative workload. Using ordered logit models, we analyze how the administrative tasks and farm and farmer characteristics influence the perceived administrative workload. We find that the time spent on monitoring or inspection tasks has no effect. In contrast, an outsourcing of program-related administrative tasks significantly reduces the perceived administrative workload. We also find that a better understanding of agricultural policy regulations significantly reduces the farmers’ perceived administrative workload. We recommend that public administration improve the communication of agricultural policy regulations, rather than investing in the simplification of administrative forms