Allowing for Group Effects When Estimating Import Demand for Source and Product Differentiated Goods

In this study an import demand model (differential production model) is presented that is used in estimating the demand for source and product differentiated goods simultaneously. Unlike the traditional import demand models, this model can account for changes in relative group expenditures. Expenditure estimates differed when comparing the differential production model and Rotterdam model results. Results showed that if group revenue shares are relatively fixed, then the bias in expenditure estimates due to omitting group effects will be small when using traditional demand models such as the AIDS or Rotterdam models. As relative group shares significantly change and diverge the bias increases, particularly for imports representing a larger share of group expenditures.Import demand, AIDS model, Rotterdam model, product differentiation, source differentiation, Demand and Price Analysis, International Relations/Trade, F17, Q17, Q11.,

International Trade and Competitiveness of Lake Victoria Fillets in the EU

Given the importance of EU demand for chilled fish fillets to the exporting sectors in Tanzania and Uganda, this study estimated the EUs import demand for fillets by country of origin to assess the competitiveness of exporters. Results imply that prices in Tanzania and Uganda had an insignificant impact on total imports expenditures in the EU. Conditional and unconditional cross-price effects indicated that exports from Lake Victoria did not compete with exports from other suppliers, such as Iceland, Norway and ROW. Import demand forecasts showed that market share in the EU should remain relatively unchanged given the trend in prices.fillets, import demand, EU, Lake Victoria, International Relations/Trade, F17, Q17, Q11,

Dynamic Effects of Grain and Energy Prices on the Catfish Feed and Farm Sectors

This study examines the dynamic effects of grain prices and energy prices on catfish feed prices and the price of food-sized catfish at the farm level. Using the autoregressive distributed lag model and bounds testing procedure, a long-run relationship between feed and farm prices and their determinants was confirmed. Given the effect of corn and soybean meal prices on catfish feed prices, and catfish fish feed prices on farm prices, the long-run responsiveness of feed prices to a percentage increase in U.S. ethanol production is 0.325, and the responsiveness of catfish farm prices is 0.064. Although both feed and farm prices increase with ethanol production, the relatively small responsiveness of farm prices when compared with feed prices suggests that catfish farmers are worse off. Results are conditional on ethanol production causing an increase in grain prices.catfish, prices, autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model, ethanol, feed, corn, soybeans, Agribusiness, Agricultural Finance, Demand and Price Analysis, Financial Economics, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, Marketing, Production Economics, Productivity Analysis, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy, C32, Q11, Q22,

Emergence of Sri Lanka in European fish trade

This paper examines European Union (E.U.) demand for chilled fish fillets assuming product heterogeneity due to country of origin and assesses the structural adjustment in demand as indicated by the increase in imports from Sri Lanka since the tsunami in December 2004. The primary objective of this research is to assess how Sri Lanka’s fish exports affected fish exports from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda (Lake Victoria region). Although the results show no significant price competition between the Lake Victoria region and Sri Lanka, the Lake Victoria countries are clearly worse off now that Sri Lanka is a major supplier of chilled fish to the E.U. A comparison of the two periods 2001–2004 and 2007–2009 finds that in the former period, past imports of Lake Victoria fish had a positive impact on present imports, indicating that importers developed a preference for Lake Victoria fish during this time; in the latter period, this effect no longer existed. Most important is the change in the responsiveness of imports from Lake Victoria to real aggregate expenditures on imported fish in the E.U. The results show that a lesser share of aggregate expenditures is allocated to the Lake Victoria region and that the region now benefits less from an increase in aggregate expenditures.Lake Victoria, fish, imports,

How China's Palm Oil Imports Impact Its Soybean Oil Imports

International Relations/Trade,

The impact of federal indemnification on livestock biosecurity

This paper provided a theoretical framework for analyzing the relationship between federal indemnification and livestock biosecurity. Theoretical results show that the responsiveness of biosecurity to indemnity payments depends on a number of factors. First, the responsiveness of biosecurity will depend on the effectiveness of preventive measures in decreasing the growth in animal susceptibility. Second it was found that the responsiveness of disease abatement to changes in an indemnity was an increasing function of the marginal product of abatement. It was also found that abatement was a decreasing function of the rate at which the marginal product diminishes and that the proportion of damages indemnified has a direct affect on abatement. Lastly, it was shown that losses that extend beyond animals values may decrease the impact of indemnification on abatement levels and under certain conditions the level of biosecurity (with added losses)may exceed the no-indemnity optimal.livestock

Preferential trade agreements between the monetary community of Central Africa and the European Union: Stumbling or building blocks? A general equilibrium approach

"This paper uses a computable general equilibrium approach to simulate two opposing views describing regional trade agreements either as building blocks for or stumbling blocks to multilateral trade liberalization. This study focuses on the free trade agreement (FTA) between the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC) and the European Union (EU). Results show that although a regional trade agreement may slightly raise welfare among the members of the agreement, the cost to nonmembers can be high. In this paper we argue that multilateral liberalization and a regional free trade agreement between the EU and CEMAC are not mutually exclusive. Regional trade agreements should be complementary and consistent with a multilateral agreement, not an attempt to replace it. The regional breakdown in our design considers 14 regions, allowing for country-specific analysis for one least-developed country (Democratic Republic of Congo) and one non-least-developed country (Cameroon). Multilateral liberalization amplifies welfare gain for Cameroon. The Democratic Republic of Congo, with its weaker institutional capacity, is affected negatively. An EU-CEMAC FTA without multilateralism produces gains for both Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The gain for Cameroon is, however, moderate compared with that achieved when the EU-CEMAC FTA is accompanied with a multilateral agreement." from authors' abstractRegional trade, multilateral trade, Computable General Equilibrium Models, European Union, Development strategies,

An Assessment of Dynamic Behavior in the U.S. Catfish Market: An Application of the Generalized Dynamic Rotterdam Model

The generalized dynamic Rotterdam model was used in estimating U.S. demand for disaggregated catfish. The overall goal was to examine habit persistence in consumption and to determine the adjustment process in demand. Results indicated that it took up to 1 month for catfish-product demand to fully adjust to changes in expenditures and prices. Additionally, habit persistence played a role in demand where present consumption of a given product was positively affected by past consumption of that product. Consequently, U.S. catfish demand was significantly more elastic in the long-run.catfish, demand, dynamics, partial adjustment, Rotterdam model, Agribusiness, Consumer/Household Economics, Demand and Price Analysis, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Institutional and Behavioral Economics, C51, Q11, Q13, Q17,

European Union preferential trade agreements with developing countries and their impact on Colombian and Kenyan carnation exports to the United Kingdom:

"United Kingdom (UK) demand for carnations by exporting country was estimated using a production version of the Rotterdam model, and model estimates were used to assess the effects of EU preferential trade agreements on import demand. Of particular importance was how these agreements affected Colombian and Kenyan carnation exports to the UK, the second largest market for Colombian carnations and the largest market for Kenyan carnations. Results showed that Colombia benefited from preferential access to the UK more so than Kenya: the benefit to Colombia was due to both trade creation and diversion, whereas the benefit to Kenya was mostly due to trade diversion. Results further showed that the competition between Colombian and Kenyan carnations was insignificant, and there was no evidence that the preferences given to Colombia harmed Kenya or vice versa." from authors' abstractCarnations, Preferential trade agreements, Trade diversion, Development strategies,

The Demand for Imported Apple Juice in the United States

This study estimates U.S. demand for imported apple juice by exporting country. Given that China has emerged as the top supplier to the U.S., we focus on the impact of China on competing exporting countries. Results show that U.S. imports from Argentina, Chile, and the rest of the world (ROW) were significantly responsive to apple juice prices in China. U.S. imports from China were significantly responsive to prices in Argentina, Chile and the ROW as well; however, the responsiveness of imports from China to apple juice prices in these countries was relatively smaller than the responsiveness of imports from these countries to China’s price.Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, International Relations/Trade,