Long-haul flights and tourist arrivals

Travel cost is a barrier for many tourists who wish to visit faraway destinations. This affects exotic tourism destinations located far from key markets since it the great majority of travelers from these markets will find travel cost prohibitively high. However, exotic tourism destinations might attract more visitors if they are able to improve market access through improved international air connectivity. The objective of this study is to test whether an increase in the number of long-haul flights has positive impacts on the number of tourist arrivals. We estimate a dynamic demand model using panel data of tourist arrivals to Peru and flight connections from 75 origin countries spanning the years 2004 to 2009, and find significant positive direct and indirect effects of long haul flights on demand for air travel to Peru.Air travel demand, nonstop flights, tourism arrivals, Peru

Productivity Growth in the Supply Chain—Another Source of Competitiveness for Aquaculture

Salmon, Productivity growth, Supply chain, Environmental Economics and Policy, International Relations/Trade, Q110,

New aquaculture species. Entering the whitefish market

,Aquaculture; whitefish; pangasius; tilapia

The Price Responsiveness of Salmon Supply in the Short and Long Run

Productivity growth and competitiveness indicate that salmon supply is price responsive. However, in the short run supply is likely to be constrained by the biological production process, regulations, and capacity constraints. In this article, we estimate a restricted profit function for Norwegian salmon producers, which allows us to examine the industry’s short-run and long-run supply responsiveness separately. Using data spanning 1985 to 2004, we find that there is close to zero, own-price supply responsiveness in the short run. In the long run, this changes substantially as supply becomes elastic. This result can contribute to explaining the observed cyclical profitability in the salmon farming industry.Restricted profit function, supply, salmon farming, profit cycles, Demand and Price Analysis, Productivity Analysis, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, D24, Q21, Q22,

Modelling Production Risk in Small Scale Subsistence Agriculture

In this paper we are investigating how production risk may influence the way a risk averse producer like a subsistence farmer chooses optimal input levels. Risk averse producers will take into account both the mean and the variance of output, and therefore we expect them to choose input levels which differ form the optimal input level of risk neutral producers. Production risk is of particular importance in developing countries, since variance in production here may have grave consequences for the farmer and his family. To model the production decision problem under such circumstances we have made use of the fact that production risk can be treated as heteroskedasticity. Our analysis is based on a dataset obtained from a survey on smallholders in the Kilimanjaro region in Tanzania. Since evidence of output risk in inputs is found, we reestimate the mean and variance function using a maximum likelihood estimator, and correct the standard errors to provide valid inference.Farm Management,

Long-haul flights and tourist arrivals

Travel cost is a barrier for many tourists who wish to visit faraway destinations. This affects exotic tourism destinations located far from key markets since it the great majority of travelers from these markets will find travel cost prohibitively high. However, exotic tourism destinations might attract more visitors if they are able to improve market access through improved international air connectivity. The objective of this study is to test whether an increase in the number of long-haul flights has positive impacts on the number of tourist arrivals. We estimate a dynamic demand model using panel data of tourist arrivals to Peru and flight connections from 75 origin countries spanning the years 2004 to 2009, and find significant positive direct and indirect effects of long haul flights on demand for air travel to Peru

Economic Inefficiency and Environmental Impact: An Application to Aquaculture Production

In industries that are characterized by frequent innovations and high productivity growth, substantial variation in both produced quantity and input use may occur and lead to increased cost. As both excessive input use and misallocation of inputs are costly for the producer, firm-specific measures of both technical and allocative inefficiency are important for understanding the causes behind variations in cost. Allocative inefficiency is also of particular interest in industries interacting with the environment, as a suboptimal input mix can increase negative environmental externalities if environmentally damaging inputs are overused. In this paper, we estimate technical and allocative efficiency for a sample of Norwegian salmon farmers, an industry with substantial productivity growth during the data period. By modifying a shadow cost system to account for time and individual differences, the model allows us to estimate individual technical inefficiency as well as individual and time-varying allocative inefficiency. Our results show that both technical and allocative inefficiency are significant in explaining the level and variation in farms' costs. They suggest that farms may have caused unnecessary negative externalities to the environment through overuse of feed in the early years. Furthermore, the results provide some basis for assessing the effects of government regulations on the average level and distribution of economic efficiency

Evaluation of Interceptor long-lasting insecticidal nets in eight communities in Liberia

BACKGROUND: By 2008, the WHO Pesticide Evaluation Scheme (WHOPES) recommended five long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs) for the prevention of malaria: Olyset((R)), PermaNet 2.0((R)), Netprotect((R)), Duranet((R)) and Interceptor((R)). Field information is available for both Olyset(R) and PermaNet((R)), with limited data on the newer LLINs. To address this gap, a field evaluation was carried out to determine the acceptability and durability of Interceptor((R)) LLINs. METHODS: A one-year prospective field study was conducted in eight rural returnee villages in Liberia. Households were randomized to receive Interceptor((R)) LLINs or conventionally treated nets (CTNs). Primary outcomes were levels of residual alpha-cypermethrin measured by HPLC and participant utilization/acceptability of the ITNs. RESULTS: A total of 398 nets were analysed for residual alpha-cypermethrin. The median baseline concentrations of insecticide were 175.5 mg/m2 for the Interceptor((R)) LLIN and 21.8 mg/m2 for the CTN. Chemical residue loss after a one year follow-up period was 22% and 93% respectively. Retention and utilization of nets remained high (94%) after one year, irrespective of type, while parasitaemia prevalence decreased from 29.7% at baseline to 13.6% during the follow up survey (p = < 0.001). Interview and survey data show perceived effectiveness of ITNs was just as important as other physical attributes in influencing net utilization. CONCLUSION: Interceptor((R)) LLINs are effective and desirable in rural communities in Liberia. Consideration for end user preferences should be incorporated into product development of all LLINs in the future, in order to achieve optimum retention and utilization

Genome-wide analysis identifies 12 loci influencing human reproductive behavior.

The genetic architecture of human reproductive behavior-age at first birth (AFB) and number of children ever born (NEB)-has a strong relationship with fitness, human development, infertility and risk of neuropsychiatric disorders. However, very few genetic loci have been identified, and the underlying mechanisms of AFB and NEB are poorly understood. We report a large genome-wide association study of both sexes including 251,151 individuals for AFB and 343,072 individuals for NEB. We identified 12 independent loci that are significantly associated with AFB and/or NEB in a SNP-based genome-wide association study and 4 additional loci associated in a gene-based effort. These loci harbor genes that are likely to have a role, either directly or by affecting non-local gene expression, in human reproduction and infertility, thereby increasing understanding of these complex traits