Agroecological aspects of evaluating agricultural research and development:

In this paper we describe how biophysical data can be used, in conjunction with agroecological concepts and multimarket economic models, to systematically evaluate the effects of agricultural R&D in ways that inform research priority setting and resource allocation decisions. Agroecological zones can be devised to help estimate the varying, site-specific responses to new agricultural technologies and to evaluate the potential for research to spill over from one agroecological zone to another. The application of agroecological zonation procedures in an international agricultural research context is given special attention.Agricultural research., Technological innovations., Agricultural economics and policies.,

Role of inputs, institutions, and technical innovations in stimulating growth in Chinese agriculture:

Recent attempts to quantify the sources of growth in Chinese agriculture have attributed an exceptionally large share of this growth to the contemporary institutional and market reforms within China. To analyze this important issue we use a newly constructed panel data set that includes an agricultural research or stock-of-knowledge variable. Our results suggest that while still a significant source of growth, the direct growth promoting consequence of institutional change and market reforms have been overstated by these earlier studies, even during the early stages of reforms that included the rapid introduction of the household production responsibility system. Research-induced technical change accounts for nearly 20% of the growth in aggregate agricultural output since 1965 although the share of growth attributable to technological innovation and changes in inputs and institutions varies considerably over time. Disaggregating the results within China also reveals substantial interregional variability in the sources of local growth, as would be expected in such a large and diverse country.Growth economics Models., Agricultural productivity China.,

Collective Action in Plant Breeding

Olson (1965) formulated a "Logic of Collective Action". We investigate whether a logic of collective action in plant breeding - and research and development generally - can be constructed. Using a case study on the Latin American Fund for Irrigated Rice (FLAR) as well as other real-world institutions of collective action in R&D, we construct an expanded logic of collective action, which revolves around two core features: Impure public goods and the tragedy of the anticommons. Provisions of FLAR and other institutions are related to game theory and contract theory, and theoretical, methodological and policy implications are outlined.Institutional and Behavioral Economics,

Slow magic

This report assembles and assesses new evidence regarding investments in agricultural R&D, tracking global trends over the past several decades, and highlighting the critical importance that the accumulated stock of scientific knowledge has for today's productivity and for future innovations and economic growth.Agricultural research Economic aspects. ,Agricultural development. ,Agriculture Research. ,

MULTIDIMENSIONAL OUTPUT INDICES

This abstract describes alternative output aggregates that provide both cross-sectional and temporal comparisons appropriate for the analysis of panel data sets. Several of these multidimensional output indices are constructed using detailed data on agricultural production to illustrate the effects of fixing price weights over time, employing sample average price weights, and choosing between alternative approximations of Divisia indices.Research Methods/ Statistical Methods,

The production and diffusion of policy knowledge

"The published works of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) represent the most immediate and tangible measure of the new policy-related knowledge attributable to the institute, its staff, and research partners. This study provides a quantitative assessment of the number, nature, form, and use of IFPRI's published products since 1979 and compares and contrasts that with the publication performance of several similar agencies, including the economics and social sciences programs of the Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo (CIMMYT) and the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) respectively, the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE), the Bangladesh Institute for Development Studies (BIDS), and the now defunct Stanford University Food Research Institute (SFRI). Overall, IFPRI's circulated output is extensive, published not only in a broad portfolio of leading scholarly journals, but also in a wide range of books, technical reports, and extension documents. The amount of published output has tended to increase throughout IFPRI's history, and it continues to do so. Going beyond counting and classifying IFPRI's published record, we report the results of a bibliometric assessment of IFPRI and the comparison institutes for the period 1981–96 using the publication and citation performance details recorded in the Institute for Scientific Information's (ISI) Science Citation Index and Social Science Citation Index data bases. Citations to published literature are not indicative of an impact on policy or the economy generally but on further research and analysis. An analysis of coauthorship patterns provides an indication of impact too (more directly through the conduct of joint research), as well as indications of the way the research is carried out. Our analysis reveals the role IFPRI plays as a knowledge intermediary between the scholarly community and policy clienteles, but that a high proportion of its research collaborations leading to formal publications (and especially publications in the leading journals covered in ISI's data bases) involve researchers in advanced agencies. This partly reflects the limited capacity to perform food policy research in many developing countries — itself a reflection of local priorities for education and limited, long-term international support to increase scientific capacity in developing countries — and also underscores the role IFPRI could, and arguably should, play in redressing this state of affairs." Authors' AbstractInternational Food Policy Research Institute History ,Research institutes Evaluation ,Communication in learning and scholarship ,Bibliometrics ,Information science Statistical methods ,Knowledge management ,International Food Policy Research Institute Communications systems Evaluation ,Food policy Research ,

Slow magic

Standing on the brink of a biotechnology revolution in agriculture, it is timely to take stock of the investments and institutional trends regarding agricultural R&D worldwide. In this report we assemble and assess new and updated evidence regarding investments in agricultural R&D by public and private agencies, contrasting developments in rich and poor countries.The payoffs to investments in agricultural research are considerable, and appear to remain so, but there are new policy concerns about the roles of the public and private sectors in funding and carrying out the research, especially in light of the revolutionary changes in the underlying sciences and the incentives facing research (as intellectual property regimes become stronger and international trade in science and technologies grows). This report tracks trends in agricultural R&D over the past several decades.We also put research policies in a much longer timeframe, highlighting the critical importance that the accumulated stock of scientific knowledge has on today's productivity performance and its effect on innovation and economic growth in the future.

PATTERNS OF AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE UNITED STATES

International Development,

Public Funding for Research into Specialty Crops

Replaced with revised version of paper 08/14/07.Crop Production/Industries,

The welfare of the visually handicapped in the United Kingdom

The care of the blind is a long standing British tradition. Until the early years of the 20th century there was a strong dependence on voluntary enterprise. However, under the 1920 Blind Persons Act local authorities assumed responsibility for the welfare of the blind in their areas, and after this a triple partnership between voluntary organisations, central government and local authorities became firmly established. By the mid-20th century, through a combination of voluntary and statutory endeavour, services for the welfare of the blind had reached a standard above that for any other handicapped group. The cornerstone of the service was the home teacher. However, following the Seebohm Report, in 1971 the blind welfare system virtually lost its specialist service, and technical and mobility officers, along with generic social workers, became responsible for blind welfare. Services declined in many areas. More and better trained specialist workers are required. Social rehabilitation services could also be improved. However, the Royal National Institute for the Blind's new development programme will help to improve the many services for which it is responsible. The blind could be helped in several other ways. The majority of blind people are elderly and doctors and others should use an outreach approach to help these people. Often simple modifications in home lighting can dramatically improve visual performance. The majority of the partially sighted with acuity in the range 3/ 60 - 6/ 60 should be redesignated registered blind. In this way more of them could be helped by the specialist organisations. Currently the blind do not receive a pension and a blindness allowance should be introduced to compensate them for the extra costs of blindness. The Thatcher Government's social security reforms will not help the blind substantially. It is essential that the blind are integrated into society, and a comprehensive programme of integrated education and a strengthened employment quota would help to achieve this. These are important components of a progressive social policy for the blind