Economic Geography, Comparative Advantage and Trade within Industries: Evidence from the OECD

A large share of world trade, especially among the OECD countries, is two-way trade within industries, so called intra-industry trade. Despite this, few attempts have been made to examine why countries export some products within industries, whereas they import others. We examine this issue, by means of regression analysis, by examining the shares of IIT that are vertical and horizontal and by examining price dispersion. The regression results suggest that an abundant human capital endowment as well as a large domestic market increases the quality of OECD-countries´ manufacturing exports, thus offering support for comparative advantage models as well as newer geography models. But, human capital becomes an increasingly important determinant of quality over time.comparative advantage; economic geography; intra-industry trade; vertical differentiation

National Product Preferences and International Trade

We show that when two countries are the same size then the country with stronger preferences in favour of domestic varieties of differentiated goods produced under increasing returns (IRS) will be the net exporter of that good. It is also shown that strong preferences for domestic varieties reduce welfare in the other country and that unilateral trade barriers will necessarily improve welfare there. Moreover, the country with the weaker preferences for domestic varieties may benefit from trade restrictions even when this leads to a trade war. We also show that such preferences may explain low import penetration in IRS-goods. Finally, we discuss the policy implications of such preferences. It is argued that this model can be used to for example capture aspects of US-Japan trade in high-tech goods.national preferences; trade war; Japan

Identification of key factors for reducing N and P leaching from organic crop rotations

Leaching of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) for different 6-year organic crop rotations was examined in separately tile-drained field plots on two different sites in southwest Sweden. On each site, two different farming systems, one with dairy cows and one without stock, were evaluated to identify parts of the crop rotations with the greatest risks of N and P leaching and to examine the scope for improvement. Although organic farming methods themselves already led to a reduction in nutrient leaching, critical periods in the crop rotation could nevertheless be identified for the two soil types. While P leaching is of major importance on clay soils, sandy soils are strongly susceptible to N leaching. From the present study it could be concluded, that key factors for reducing N and P leaching from clay soils are late ploughing, avoidance of early incorporation of clover-grass leys in order to sow a winter cereal, the use of undersown crops and an even distribution of nutrients within the crop rotation. For the sandy soil, where measures like undersown crops and spring tillage were already integrated in the studied crop rotation, potato cultivation and application of farmyard manure were identified as the main sources of N losses to the drainage water

An examination of the interaction between morality and self-control in offending : a study of differences between girls and boys

Background: There is a well-documented gender difference in offending, with evidence that boys, on average, are more involved in crime than girls. Opinions differ, however,on whether the causes of crime apply to girls and boys similarly.Aims: Our aim is to explore crime propensity in boys and girls. Our research questions were (1) are there differences between boys and girls in moral values and self-control;(2) are these attributes similarly correlated with offending among girls and boys; and (3) is any interaction effect between morality and self-control identical for girls and boys. Methods: Data were drawn from the Malmö Individual and Neighbourhood Development Study, which includes 481 girls and boys aged 16–17. An 8-item self-control scale was derived from Grasmick’s self-control instrument; we created a 16-item morality scale. Analysis of variance was used to test for differences in scale scores.Results: There were significant gender differences in moral values but not self-control.Moral values and self-control were significantly correlated with offending among both girls and boys. In the multiple regression analysis, the three-way interaction term used to test the interaction between gender, self-control and moral values was non-significant, indicating that the magnitude of the self-control–moral value interaction is not affected by gender.Conclusions: Our findings indicate that effects of morality and self-control are general and apply to girls and boys similarly, so more research is needed to explain gender differences in crime prevalence

All about the marine/sea ice diatom Nitzschia lecointei

Generally, in terms of growth N. lecointei seems quite tolerant to changes in pH and pCO2, probably due to the fact that this species grows in an environment with large seasonal variations in the carbonate system. However, increased pCO2 resulted in physiological changes that may have important ecological consequences, such as cellular stoichiometry. For instance, we observed changes in carbon metabolism, and fatty acid content and composition, that did not affect the growth rate. When the experimental period was increased (194 days, ca. 60 asexual generations), we observed a small reduction in growth at 960 µatm pCO2 after 147 days. Carbon metabolism was significantly affected, resulting in higher cellular release of dissolved organic carbon. When studying the synergism between temperature (−1.8 and 2.5°C) and pCO2 (390 and 960 μatm), synergism was detected in growth rate and acyl lipid fatty acid content. Carbon enrichment only promoted (3 %) growth rate closer to the optimal growth, but not at the control temperature (−1.8°C). Optimal growth rate was observed around 5°C in a separate experiment. The total content of fatty acids was reduced at elevated pCO2, but only at the control temperature. PUFAs were reduced at high pCO2. When combining increased temperature and different salinity conditions, the growth rate was higher at 3°C than at -1.8°C. Salinity 10 clearly limited growth rate and the highest growth rates were found at salinity 20 and 35. In another experiment, high and low temperature together with treatments simulating ice formation and melting conditions were studied. Here, the highest levels of oxidative stress were found in low temperature and ice melting treatments, respectively. With respect to 9 weeks in the dark, cell numbers were higher at -1.5°C compared to 3°C, but when retrieved to light conditions, after one week higher cell numbers were observed at 3°C versus -1.5°C. Furthermore, cell numbers were lower when acetateUniversidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Utlakning av kväve i fältmässig frilandsodling av sallat

Våren 2003 anlades ett ca 0,8 ha stort observationsfält på sydsluttningen av Bjärehalvön med syftet att under tre år registrera kväveläckaget via dräneringsvattnet från en intensiv sallatodling. Jordarten var moränsand. Vattenflödet mättes kontinuerligt och vattenprov uttogs flödesproportionellt. Grödorna var bäddodlad sallat i två kulturer per år. Ca 75% av fältytan utgjordes av odlingsbäddar. I den första kulturen odlades planterad sallat och i den andra s.k. babyleaf (späd bladsallat) som såddes med 12 cm radavstånd. Två av åren odlades fånggröda (havre) efter avslutad skörd av den sista kulturen. Odlingen sköttes av odlaren på vanligt sätt, gödsling etc. och skördar rapporterades årligen. I medeltal var den årliga kvävetillförseln ca 350 kg/ha bädd (drygt 260 kg/ha fältareal). Total medelskörd per år var 33 ton/ha färskvikt och N-skörden 92 kg/ha. N-koncentrationerna i dräneringsvattnet varierade mellan 11 och 103 mg N/liter, och årsutlakningen av total-N mellan 42 och 128 kg/ha. Den sammanvägda medelhalten under hela perioden blev för totalkväve 42 mg N/liter och för nitratkväve 38 mg N/liter. Den årsvisa medelutlakningen blev 95 resp. 87 kg N/ha. Sista året, 2005, genomfördes ett enkel demoförsök med isbergssallat där effekten på gröda och mineralkväve (ammonium- och nitratkväve) i marken av tre olika gödslingsstrategier och gödslingsnivåer studerades. Resultaten visade bl.a. att man kan sänka startgivan vid planteringen till 1/3-del om man placerar gödseln enbart invid plantan, i stället för att fördela den jämnt över hela bäddytan, utan att plantvikten vid skörd minskade. Att placera en låg giva startgödsel bara omkring plantan gjorde också att man hittade betydligt mindre restkväve djupt nere i marken vid skörd. Med stor sannolikhet går det att få ett bättre utnyttjande av kväve och att sänka kväveutlakningen genom att utveckla bättre gödslingsstrategi och gödslingsteknik. Men det behövs också förbättrad kunskap om grödornas egentliga kvävebehov eftersom mängden kväve man behöver använda tycks vara starkt förknippad med vilken teknik eller strategi man använder att tillföra gödseln. Detta gäller inte bara kvävet utan kan vara lika viktigt när det gäller andra växtnäringsämnen, som t.ex. fosfor. Metoden att placera en låg startgiva nära den späda plantan känns värd att utveckla vidare, men den måste kompletteras med lämpliga gödslingsnormer för hela växtperioden. Genom att placera gödsel nära plantan säkerställs den nysatta plantans tillgång till både fosfor och kväve. Dessutom undviker man att gödsla markytor som ännu inte innehåller några växtrötter som kan ta upp näring och vatten. Därigenom minimerar man risken att gödselkväve från startgivan som befinner sig vid sidan om den aktuella rotzonen lakas ner till markskikt nedanför grödans maximala rotdjup. Nerlakningen vid sidan om rotzonen förstärks av att det där inte heller sker något vattenupptag som minskar den neråtgående vattenströmmen vid nederbörd och bevattning.

High-Technology Subsidies in General Equilibrium: A Sector-Specific Approach

We use a specific-factor model to examine the conditions under which policy-makers are able to increase aggregate production of high-tech goods by production or R&D-subsidies in the short and long run. The difficulties for the policy-makers in designing a subsidy scheme that succeeds in expanding aggregate high-tech production involve taking into account the trade-off between resources used in R&D and production of high-tech goods, the relative impact of different R&D activities on productivity, and the ease with which resources may be attracted from the non-high-tech sector of the economy to the various high-tech industries

Simulation of rail roughness growth on small radius curves using a non-Hertzian and non-steady wheel–rail contact model

A time-domain model for the prediction of long-term growth of rail roughness (corrugation) on small radius curves is presented. Both low-frequency vehicle dynamics due to curving and high-frequency vehicle–track dynamics excited by short-wavelength rail irregularities are accounted for. The influence of non-Hertzian and non-steady effects in the wheel–rail contact model on rail wear is studied. The model features a contact detection method that accounts for wheelset yaw angle as well as surface irregularities and structural flexibilities of wheelset and rail. The development of corrugation on a small radius curve is found to be highly influenced by the wheel–rail friction coefficient. For vehicle speed 25 km/h and friction coefficient 0.3, predictions of long-term roughness growth on the low rail show decreasing magnitudes in the entire studied wavelength interval. For friction coefficient 0.6, roughness growth is found at several wavelengths. The corresponding calculation for the high rail contact of the trailing wheelset indicates no roughness growth independent of friction coefficient. The importance of accounting for the phase between the calculated wear and the present rail irregularity is demonstrated