Trade Liberalisation and Poverty in Bangladesh: A General Equilibrium Approach

This paper uses a computable general equilibrium (CGE) model to investigate the impact on poverty of trade liberalisation in Bangladesh. The simulation results show that the complete removal of tariffs favours export oriented sectors in the economy. With trade liberalisation, rural and urban areas experience an overall reduction in poverty in the short run. However, a marginal increase in the poverty gap and poverty severity for urban areas is projected, implying that the poor become poorer in urban areas. Moreover, poverty incidences vary among various socio-economic groups. In the short run, poverty incidence increases for rural landless and urban illiterate and low-educated household groups. In contrast, the long run results highlight that trade liberalisation reduces absolute poverty for all groups both in rural and urban areas.Trade Liberalisation, Poverty, Bangladesh, Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) model., International Relations/Trade, Food Security and Poverty,

User evaluation of the performance of information systems

Information technologies (IT) are considered the primary survival factor for many organizations and the most critical success factor in businesses today. To justify the necessary investment in IT, user evaluation of information systems\u27 performance in organizations is a key consideration. This research investigated a comprehensive and convenient means for end users to assess this performance. Among the existing theories and models on the evaluation of information system performance based on intrinsic technological properties, the Web of System Performance (WOSP) model provides the most comprehensive basis for information system evaluation, and therefore merited further investigation. The research question was how well the eight WOSP performance criteria, namely functionality, usability, flexibility, reliability, security, extendibility, connectivity, and privacy, applied in the context of an individual evaluating one or more information systems for use by an organization. For this, it was important to show that, while these performance criteria were abstract concepts, they can be established and identified clearly, in a manner that is valid in the sense of the meaning and that users would consider important. Illustrative statements for each of the eight criteria were therefore obtained, which users were asked to evaluate. Next, it was necessary to show that users prefer the choice of the eight WOSP criteria to the current dominant instrument for evaluation when evaluating software. This was done using a preference questionnaire where subjects rated both the WOSP model and an alternative means of evaluation along various dimensions, the results being compared by statistical analysis. Finally, it was necessary to show that users rate at least three of the WOSP criteria as being important for evaluating information systems. For this, conjoint analysis was used. A browser was selected as the experimental software for this research. The results showed that users found illustrative statements clear, valid and important for the evaluation of browsers. They also preferred using the WOSP model for the evaluation of browsers over TAM, the current dominant model. Finally, while users attached different levels of importance to the various performance criteria for the selection of browsers, five of the criteria were important to a significant degree

Economic analysis of alternative breeding programs

An optimization method was developed for sire selection based on net return and risk of genetic merit of sires. Expected income (net present value) of a sire realized through the offspring was proposed as the composite criterion for selection. This considered the revenue corresponding to his predicted transmitting ability for milk, fat, and protein yields, cost of dystocia corresponding to his expected progeny difference for dystocia, and other fixed and variable costs. Variance of income (risk) of a sire was a function of his reliability estimates. Expected income-Variance frontier developed for a pool of sires based on quadratic programming provided the minimum risk combination of sires for an intended expected income. The combination of sires that maximizes the 95% lower confidence boundary of the frontier (that maximizes 95% guaranteed future income) determined the optimum set of sires to be selected;The optimization method explained above was applied to a simulated pool of young (pedigree tested) and proven (progeny tested) sires to determine the optimum proportion of young sire use. Young sires were riskier and, on the average, had higher expected income (low semen cost) than proven sires. The representation of young sires in the optimum set of sires that maximizes 95% guaranteed income determined the optimum proportion of young sire use. The optimum proportion of young sires was 34 percent for the pool that simulated the current Holstein population in the United States. The proposed method can be used to define the best set of sires where reliability estimates are included in the selection criteria in addition to predicted breeding values;Long term inbreeding, genetic and economic gains associated with cloning were estimated. Random and rotational mating systems for full-sib clones were considered. Production of more than 50 clones could keep inbreeding coefficient below 5 percent for 10 generations. Break-even costs per clone for modern progeny testing schemes were 83 and 41 per clone with one and five clones produced per dam, respectively. Technology of cloning and infrastructure enhancements should be developed further to lower the cost of cloning below the break-even levels for commercial use of cloning to be economically viable;Genetic and phenotypic (co)variance components were estimated from a multiple trait animal model for 305-day milk, fat, and protein yields, days open, number of services and percent cow mortality during lactation for Holsteins. Restricted maximum likelihood estimates based on expectation-maximization algorithm for the traits were similar to those from previous literature. Genetic and phenotypic relationships between yield and fertility were antagonistic. Genetic correlations between yield traits and cow mortality were unfavorable but phenotypic correlations were favorable. Evidently, modern management practices provide better management for better cows resulting in reduced mortality of high producing cows with poor genetic potential in terms of survival ability

Multiple use of water for opium eradication

Shifting cultivation practised communities do not have sufficient land for irrigated paddy growing. Subsistence farming in highlands does not generate income: hence cash crop is the opium poppy cultivation. Communities engaged in shifting cultivation do change locations of villages periodically, in search of fertile land. These communities do not have access to: primary health care, water and environmental sanitation, schools, agriculture extension services etc. and high level of opium addiction persists amongst inhabitants. Provision of a pure and adequate supply of water coupled with environmental sanitation, introduction of primary health care with a first-aid box with medicines and community mobilization along with participatory approaches to development have changed the life styles and improved living standards. Use of water for: drinking purposes, environmental sanitation, power extraction for house lighting, for lift irrigation, including paddy cultivation and de-husking of paddy have tremendously contributed to rural development and eradication of opium poppy cultivation

Studies On Aeromonas Hydrophila Isolated From Epizootic Ulcerative Syndrome (Eus) Positive Fish In Malaysia

The present study indicates that the only portal of entry of A . hydrophila serovar I isolate V which induces EUS - l ike lesions in C. batrach us is the intramuscular injection and the effective dose is 6 .5 X 1 0 6 CFU / fish . The lesions do not develop into putrefied necrotic ulcers but heals gradually within 14 - 18 days of initial injection . Immersion exposure and oral administration of A . hydrophila serovar I isolate V were incapable of inducing EUS - like lesions in C . batrachus .Intramuscular injection of A . hydrophila serovar I strain V cause severe pathological changes in C . batrachus , only at the site of injection and did not produce systemic infection . Clarias batrachus mounts a strong inflammatory response against A.hydrophila following intramuscular infection and is capable of eliminating bacteria from the infected tissue s and efficient in fast wound healing and repair of the dermal lesions

Effects of global trade liberalisation on forestry products and forest sustainability using the GTAP model

The paper analyses the effects of trade liberalization amongst the leading exporters and importers of forest products, in particular, as well as global merchandise, in general. The study utilises the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) model and its database, version 7. Given that forest products only comprise a small proportion of world merchandise trade, it is expected that trade liberalisation would cause small changes in terms of trade, real GDP, production, consumption and prices of forest products in most countries. In the short-run, national welfare in China and Japan would increase substantially by more than $US400 million while the opposite is true for the United States. In the long-run, national welfare in China, Mexico and Thailand would increase between$US230 million and $US295 million. Food production in Australia, Chile and New Zealand would increase slightly but significantly compared to other countries/regions. Similarly, food consumption in Malaysia and Thailand would increase by about 0.10 per cent

Analysing the causes of deforestation in a CGE framework: The case of the Philippines

A computable general equilibrium (CGE) model is developed to evaluate some of the causes of deforestation in the Philippines. To quantify deforestation effects, the elasticities of various parameters of deforestation as identified in the literature are evaluated. The main conclusion derived is that the factors that have a relatively more direct influence on the level of harvest such as annual allowable cut would have a greater effect on deforestation rate than population growth and off-farm employment opportunities