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on Central and Western Asia |
| By: | Privitera, Donatella; Rognetta, Bernardo |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the product specialisation of Italian trade over the period 2000-2006 to identify the roots of Italy’s sluggish trade performance with respect to India. In particular, the analysis focuses on the role of product specialisation in relation to world trade growth and competition from emerging countries. We used trade indicators to describe and asses the state of trade flows and trade patterns of a particular country like India and also to monitor these flows over time and across countries. Till the early 1990s, India was a closed economy: average tariffs exceeded 200 percent, quantitative restrictions on imports were extensive, and there were stringent restrictions on foreign investment. The country began to cautiously reform in the 1990s, liberalizing only under conditions of extreme necessity. Since that time, trade reforms have produced remarkable results. The economy is now among the fastest growing in the world. This leads some to see India as a ‘rapid globalizer’ while others still see it as a ‘highly protectionist’ economy. India however retains its right to protect when need arises. Agricultural tariffs average between 30-40 percent, anti-dumping measures have been liberally used to protect trade. India is now aggressively pushing for a more liberal global trade regime, especially in services. |
| Keywords: | Emerging Countries, Trade Indicators, Competitive Pressures, Q17, |
| Date: | 2009–03–11 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:isae08:48177&r=cwa |
| By: | Haq, Zahoor; Karl, Meilke |
| Abstract: | This study develops an import demand model to explore the role of income in explaining the trade performance of low, middle and high-income countries with a special emphasis on Brazil,Russia, India and China – the BRIC economies. The study estimates the impact of the growth in per capita income on the trade of agrifood products using data for 52 countries and 20 agrifood products for the years 1990 to 2006. The results suggest that China, Russia and Brazil have more income elastic import demand than other middle-income countries. Conversely, the income elasticities of import demand in India are similar to other low-income countries and for the most part statistically equal to zero. |
| Keywords: | Emerging economies, BRIC economies, Food trade, Income elasticities, Economic growth, Agricultural and Food Policy, International Development, International Relations/Trade, |
| Date: | 2009–02 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:catpwp:48122&r=cwa |
| By: | Gayathri Devi, Mekala; Samad, Madar; Davidson, Brian; Boland, Anne-Maree |
| Abstract: | The current study uses contingent valuation technique to estimate the value of clean water in river Musi in Hyderabad, India. The main source of pollution of the river is untreated domestic and industrial wastewater from the urban area of Hyderabad. Therefore, people’s Willingness To Pay [WTP] for the treatment of their wastewater to different quality levels (Level C, B & A) is estimated using a payment card method. Four variables were considered to influence the willingness to pay - number of years the household lived in Hyderabad; individual perceived importance of controlling water pollution; household income levels and proximity to the river. The results of the logistic regression confirmed that the variables - perceived importance of the respondent of controlling water pollution and household incomes have a significant influence on people’s WTP. Only 30% of the respondents were willing to pay for wastewater to be treated to level C. It was concluded from the survey results that 100% cost recovery of sewerage services and wastewater treatment would not be possible in Hyderabad in the current situation. However, a phased increase in the water tariffs accompanied with simultaneous improvements in service delivery mechanisms and awareness among consumers may be successful in the long-run. |
| Keywords: | Contingent Valuation, Wastewater Treatment, Musi, Hyderabad, Willingness to Pay, |
| Date: | 2009 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aare09:48164&r=cwa |
| By: | Davenport, Scott; Chadha, R; Gale, R |
| Abstract: | This paper forms part of a project titled ‘Facilitating Efficient Agricultural Markets in India: An Assessment of Competition and Regulatory Reform Requirements funded by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR). The project follows from previous research which found that India’s border reforms need to be complemented by ‘behind-the-border’ domestic reforms if government policy objectives of improved productivity, higher rural employment and incomes and enhanced food security are to be met. The project is being undertaken by Indian and Australian collaborators with expertise in agricultural policy development. Stage 1 of the project is designed to develop a common understanding among those collaborators of contemporary market based policy development principles and the extent to which they have been adopted in other developing countries. The BRICs economies of Brazil, Russia, India and China, as well as South Africa, were chosen for this purpose. A comparative overview of agricultural policy developments in these economies is underway drawing observations about policy reform impacts on agricultural production and the extent to which policy reforms have been consistent with competition policy and microeconomic reform principles applied in developed economies, such as Australia. The extent to which trade practices law has emerged in developing economies as an alternative to direct regulation is also considered. Preliminary findings are reported to facilitate broader discussion and encourage input from interested parties. Stage 2 of the project, commencing later in 2009, will involve the application of competition policy principles to the marketing regulations of a selection of agricultural industries in India. Consideration will be given to clarifying regulatory objectives, assessing their consistency with accepted forms of ‘market failure’ and assessing whether regulatory measures address those policy objectives in a manner least restrictive on competition. As well as facilitating efficient policy reform within India’s agricultural sector, the project aims to enhance the development of market based agricultural policy frameworks and the policy development skills of Indian and Australian policy makers. |
| Date: | 2009 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aare09:48154&r=cwa |
| By: | Haggblade, Steven; Hazell, Peter B. R.; Reardon, Thomas |
| Abstract: | "Rural residents across the developing world earn a large share of their income—35–50 percent—from nonfarm activities. Agricultural households count on nonfarm earnings to diversify risk, moderate seasonal income swings, and finance agricultural input purchases, whereas landless and near-landless households everywhere depend heavily on nonfarm income for their survival. Over time, the rural nonfarm economy has grown rapidly, contributing significantly to both employment and rural income growth. Long neglected by policymakers, the rural nonfarm economy has attracted considerable attention in recent years. In poor agrarian countries struggling with growing numbers of marginal farmers and lackluster agricultural performance, such as those in much of Africa, policymakers view the rural nonfarm economy as a potential alternative to agriculture for stimulating rural income growth. In countries whose economies are successfully shifting from agriculture to other sectors, policymakers see the rural nonfarm economy as a sector that can productively absorb the many agricultural workers and small farmers being squeezed out of agriculture by increasingly commercialized and capitalintensive modes of farming. Given frequently low capital requirements in the nonfarm economy, policymakers in both settings view the rural nonfarm economy as offering a potential pathway out of poverty for many of their rural poor. Expectations everywhere are high. How realistic are these expectations? Can the rural nonfarm economy indeed grow rapidly enough to productively absorb a growing rural labor force? And in doing so, can it, in fact, provide a pathway out of poverty for the rural poor? A recent book published for IFPRI by Johns Hopkins University Press and Oxford University Press in India, Transforming the Rural Nonfarm Economy: Opportunities and Threats in the Developing World, marshals empirical evidence from around the globe to explore these key policy questions. The book, edited by Steven Haggblade, Peter B. R. Hazell, and Thomas Reardon, examines key factors affecting growth and equity in the rural nonfarm economy in order to identify settings and policies that favor rural nonfarm growth and enable the poor to participate in growing segments of the evolving rural nonfarm economy." from text |
| Keywords: | Agricultural industries Developing countries, Agriculture Economic aspects Developing countries, Developing countries Rural conditions., Nonfarm economy, |
| Date: | 2009 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:fpr:issbrf:58&r=cwa |
| By: | Salarpour, Mashallah; Hasanpour, Hadi |
| Abstract: | This study explains the results of trade reforms for a scenario where reduced tariffs for all imported commodities under the Uruguay Round (UR) since 1995. The Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) analysis and input-output data for Iran using a base year, 1991, were applied simulating the short and long-run effects under the UR. It was proposed that 24 per cent and 27 per cent decreases in ad valorem tariffs on imported agricultural and non-agricultural commodities, respectively, could occur in the short run from 1995. The same scenario was simulated in the long run to examine the impact of trade reforms on Iran for the past decade. Three crops results of this scenario were analysed by considering the projections. The results confirm a positive impact on the economy of Iran if tariffs were reduced under the UR. The domestic prices and production costs would fall and primary factors such as labour and capital would move to industries which have a greater comparative advantage. Rice was estimated to grow by 2.98 per cent but sugar beet and sugar cane decreased by 1.02 per cent in the short run. |
| Keywords: | Tariff reduction, CGE Model, Uruguay Round (UR), Iranian economy, Agricultural products, |
| Date: | 2009 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:ags:aare09:48170&r=cwa |
| By: | Hammoudeh, S.M.; Yuan, Y.; McAleer, M. (Erasmus Econometric Institute) |
| Abstract: | Upon examining own volatility dependency for the three major sectors, namely Service, Industrial and Banking, in four GCC economies (Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and UAE), the empirical findings suggest that Banking seems to be the least sensitive among the sectors to past own volatility, while Industrial is the most volatile to the onset of past shocks or news. Sector volatility spillovers show that Saudi Arabia has the least inter-sector spillovers, while tiny Qatar has the most. Saudi Arabia seems to be the most sensitive to geopolitics, while Kuwait is the least affected. The constant conditional correlations between the three sectors for all four GCC markets echo different economic advantages and varying roles in the economy. We also provide two examples using the estimates of the GCC equity sector markets for portfolio designs and hedging strategies. |
| Date: | 2008–11–10 |
| URL: | http://d.repec.org/n?u=RePEc:dgr:eureir:1765013780&r=cwa |