Agricultural price policy in the Republic of South Africa, the Southern African Customs Union, and food security in Botswana

This analysis is concerned with the direct impacts of the regulation of food markets under SACU on food security in the BLS countries. There are two basic rules in SACU determining trade in food and non-food products (Ettinger, 1974; Maasdorp, 1986). The first of these is that common tariffs exist for trade with the rest of the world. The second is that the internal market of SACU represents a free-trade area. The common external tariffs of SACU are fixed by the Republic of South Africa. These rules of SACU link the agricultural price policy in the Republic of South Africa with food imports and food security in the BLS countries. It is the objective of this paper to investigate this linkage which has been hitherto ignored in the literature. The paper analyzes quantitatively how the agricultural policy of the Republic of South Africa affects food security in Botswana and particularly how this was transmitted via the rules of SACU during the period 1969-84. The analysis begins by describing the institutional relationship between agricultural price policy in South Africa and food security in the BLS countries. Section 3 considers empirically what impacts agricultural policy in South Africa has had upon the food import sector of Botswana, and the magnitude, trends and instabilities of these economic variables are investigated. The analysis is based upon econometrically estimated food import demand equations for Botswana. Section 4 takes into consideration the effects of the customs union remittances received from SACU by Botswana. The effects of customs union membership, as they apply to food security in Botswana are tested by the hypothesis as to whether the joint impact of the external tariff policy on food and of customs union revenues was positive or negative. Finally, in section 5 the main results of the analysis are summarized and suggestions for further research are indicated.

A Descriptive and Comparative Case Study of Undergraduate Psychology Students\u27 Feedback Processes When Developing a Research Proposal Paper

The current study was conducted to examine undergraduate psychology students’ feedback processes associated with developing a research proposal paper. Previous research has investigated how feedback can be effective for student learning, but it has been limited by not considering the effectiveness of multiple, smaller assessments and the frequent feedback provided on them, from both instructors and peers, as students complete a single, larger assignment. It also has been limited by not considering the application of one model of feedback at the postsecondary education level. The case study research design was selected both to describe my students’ feedback processes when completing a semester-long assignment and to compare these feedback processes when the feedback was provided by either me or other students. Course-based data, including students’ assessments, the feedback provided on them, and their responses to questionnaire items, from two class sections were analyzed using pattern matching within the two cases and cross-case syntheses between the two cases. The findings indicated students’ feedback processes were: (a) informing them of the type and level of performance to be attained, (b) helping them to progress and attain the type and level of performance, (c) providing them with information associated with performance, (d) conveying their progress and how they should proceed, (e) impacting student learning, and (f) leading to greater possibilities for student learning. In general, students indicated these processes were more helpful when I provided feedback rather than when other students provided feedback, although most feedback provided by both me and other students was directed at the same levels

The International Court of Justice on Israel's Separation Barrier: Pro and Con

Streaming audio requires RealPlayer.The University Archives has determined that this item is of continuing value to OSU's history.A panel of experts discusses the recent ruling of the International Court of Justice on Israel's barrier wall on the Palestine border. Panelists include: Richard Herrmann (Ohio State Mershon Center), John Quigley (Moritz College of Law), and Amos Guiora (Case Western College of Law).Ohio State University. Mershon Center for International Security StudiesEvent webpage, streaming audio, flye

Singularity analysis: a tool for extracting lithologic and stratigraphic content from seismic data

In this work, we test an amplitude-independent method of seisimic data analysis designed to extract lithologic information about stratigraphic horizons. We apply the method of singularity characterization in an attempt to determine the sharpness of lithologic boundaries. We infer the sharpness of the boundary based upon a fractional integration of the seismic trace. The order of fractional integration is taken to represent the abruptness of the lithologic transition responsible for a given reflector. We find that the method output behaves in a geologically reasonable manner which suggests that our method is responding to lithologic variations along boundaries responsible for prominent reflectors in the data

Differential effects of habitat isolation and landscape composition on wasps, bees, and their enemies

Habitat loss and fragmentation are major threats to biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Effects of these usually intercorrelated processes on biodiversity have rarely been separated at a landscape scale. We studied the independent effects of amount of woody habitat in the landscape and three levels of isolation from the next woody habitat (patch isolation) on trap nesting bees, wasps, and their enemies at 30 farmland sites in the Swiss plateau. Species richness of wasps was negatively affected by patch isolation and positively affected by the amount of woody habitat in the landscape. In contrast, species richness of bees was neither influenced by patch isolation nor by landscape composition. Isolation from woody habitats reduced species richness and abundance of natural enemies more strongly than of their hosts, so that parasitism rate was lowered by half in isolated sites compared to forest edges. Thus, population regulation of the hosts may be weakened by habitat fragmentation. We conclude that habitat amount at the landscape scale and local patch connectivity are simultaneously important for biodiversity conservatio