Spatial Price Linkages and Imperfect Competition in Regional Cattle Markets

This paper analyzes non-competitive market conduct in the U.S. cattle procurement markets. Rather than relying on estimation of conduct parameters or measures of market concentration the analysis is based on the dynamics of price adjustment across regional markets. A VAR model is estimated using a multiple co-integration technique as a test for spatial market integration. The results are then related with hypotheses about pricing conduct in spatial markets.

Cohomological properties of non-standard multigraded modules

In this paper we study some cohomological properties of non-standard multigraded modules and Veronese transforms of them. Among others numerical characters, we study the generalized depth of a module and we see that it is invariant by taking a Veronese transform. We prove some vanishing theorems for the local cohomology modules of a multigraded module; as a corollary of these results we get that the depth of a Veronese module is asymptotically constant

High value products or staple crops? A discussion on development strategies for Southern Africa

Unexploited agricultural potential and regional trade opportunities together with the presence of South Africa and other middle-income countries, offer Southern Africa the unique opportunity to foster agricultural growth through regional linkages. In this study a global general equilibrium model that focuses on Southern Africa is used to analyze the implications that these specific characteristics of the regional economy have on growth choices of low-income countries. Three groups of growth scenarios are define to analyze the role of South Africa as a possible engine of growth, the role of own growth engines in low-income countries, and growth linkages between middle- and low-income countries. Results of the simulation scenarios show that larger benefits to low-income countries can be expected from grain and livestock productivity growth as a result of high multiplier effects and the large share of these activities in GDP. Productivity growth in grain and livestock results in higher GDP growth, higher agricultural output and food consumption, and lower agricultural imports than with productivity growth in non-traditional export crops. Unlike other regions where growth in grain production is likely constrained by domestic demand, growing middle-income economies in Southern Africa can provide additional demand to grains and livestock, slowing down the decline in grain prices in the region.Community/Rural/Urban Development,

An updated look at the recovery of agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa:

"We analyze the evolution of Sub-Saharan Africa's agricultural total factor productivity (TFP) over the past 40 years, looking for evidence of recent changes in growth patterns using a nonparametric Malmquist index. Our TFP estimates show a remarkable recovery in the performance of Sub-Saharan Africa's agriculture during the 1984–2003 period after a long period of poor performance and decline. That recovery is the consequence of improved efficiency in production resulting from changes in the output structure and an adjustment in the use of inputs, including an overall net reduction in fertilizer use but increased fertilizer use in most of the best-performing countries. Policy changes African countries conducted between the mid-1980s and the second half of the 1990s together with technological innovations available at that time appear to have played an important role in improving agriculture's performance. As TFP growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is mainly a result of catching up to the frontier, we expect growth to slow in the coming years unless African countries accelerate the incorporation of innovations into the production process and increase the speed of technical change." from authors' abstractAgriculture, Efficiency, Malmquist index, Total factor productivity, Technical change, Development strategies,