Research on the impact of insurance policies on the welfare effects of pork producers and consumers: Evidence from China

Global and EU Agricultural Trade Reform: What is in it for Tanzania, Uganda and Sub-Saharan Africa?

The impact of flight delays on passenger demand and societal welfare

Energy efficiency lags and welfare boons: Understanding the rebound and welfare effects through China's urban households

Australia’s membership of the World Trade Organisation has generated a need for analytical techniques demonstrating that the behaviour of its internal markets and regulatory authorities for food and food-related products conform with the provisions of the Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures (SPS Agreement). However, since quarantine has long been considered a scientific issue, it is as yet unclear what role economic models have to play in this process. This article shows how consumer welfare effects can be integrated with the traditional producer welfare effects in quantitative analytical models using the examples of the mango and tomato industries in Western Australia, both of which enjoy quarantine protection from interstate growers.

Changing the energy subsidy mechanism is a priority of China’s ongoing market-based energy reform. Using the 2007–2012 empirical data, this paper applies an input–output model to evaluate the welfare effects, that is, the expenditure increments of five income groups in 28 provinces, associated with the possible policy scenario of removing the subsidies for fossil fuels. The key findings of this study include, first, that the total indirect welfare effects (i.e. the additional money spent on non-energy commodities) are two-to-three times as large as the direct ones (i.e. the additional money spent on energy). Second, removing the oil subsidy leads to an additional expenditure of 19.74 CNY annually for each resident, which is much larger than the effect of removing the natural gas and coal subsidies. Third, the composition of the indirect effect varies significantly among income groups, because food expenditure contributes to approximately two-thirds of the total indirect effect on average. Finally, the welfare effect is very sensitive to the income level. To promote the smooth reform of the fossil fuel subsidies, we suggest that the government should deal with the coal industry initially, pay special attention to the indirect expense increase, and compensate low-income households for the welfare losses.

Policy effects on transitional welfare in an overlapping generations model: A pay-as-you-go pension reconsidered

Empirical exercises in economics frequently involve estimation of highly nonlinear models. The criterion function may not be globally concave or convex and exhibit many local extrema. Choosing among these local extrema is non-trivial for a variety of reasons. In this paper, we analyze the sensitivity of parameter estimates, and most importantly of economic variables of interest, to both starting values and the type of non-linear optimization algorithm employed. We focus on a class of demand models for differentiated products that have been used extensively in industrial organization, and more recently in public and labor. We find that convergence may occur at a number of local extrema, at saddles and in regions of the objective function where the first-order conditions are not satisfied. We find ownand cross-price elasticities that differ by a factor of over 100 depending on the set of candidate parameter estimates. In an attempt to evaluate the welfare effects of a change in an industry's structure, we undertake a hypothetical merger exercise. Our calculations indicate consumer welfare effects can vary between positive values to negative seventy billion dollars depending on the set of parameter estimates used.

This research article included quantitative estimations of the likely outcomes of the welfare effects, trade diversion effects, changes in export and import quantities, revenue effects, and trade creation effects resulting from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa Customs Unions Commitments (COMESA CU). Kenya was used as the case study in this research project, which utilized the Software for Market Analysis and Restrictions on Trade (SMART) and Pan-Euro-Mediterranean tools (PEM). The World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS)/SMART software has access to the most recent data on Kenya and uses databases and records of trade-related information, including those maintained by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Common Format for Transient Data Exchange for Power Systems (COMTRADE), and the Transportation Reporting and Accounting Information System (TRAINS). The results of the analyses show that COMESA CU has no indication of trade diversion and had a trade-creation impact of US$310.50 million. Further analysis revealed that the COMESA CU procedure is expected to record losses in the amount of US$327 million. Additionally, a US$56.27 million consumer welfare effect was projected for COMESA CU. Imports increased by 2.8% at COMESA CU, but exports fell. The research recommends that export-boosting actions be taken, including bolstering export processing zones, offering export subsidies, developing supply-side infrastructure, offering trade financing, and enhancing export-supporting institutions. Kenya and other developing countries now have the ability to implement policies that will make sure they benefit the most from the various regional trade agreements, thanks to the findings of this study.

Controversy has surrounded the welfare effects of advertising, mainly Concerning consumer welfare effects. Unfortunately, the measures of consumer Welfare effects in most studies have been ad hoc and incorrect. The consumer Welfare consequences of advertising can be measured consistently and accurately When consumer demand equations are derived from an expenditure function. This ls illustrated using the Almost Ideal Demand System, which is popular in econometric estimation of food demand systems. An empirical application uses data on Australian meat consumption to evaluate generic advertising of meats. The results from using a theoretically correct money-metric measure of consumer Welfare effects, taking account of cross-cotnmodity effects of advertising and price Changes, are compared with ad hoc approaches previous studies have proposed. In addition, the consumer welfare measures are combined with measures of Producer benefits in order to compute private and social returns.

The is reportedto experience middle-class squeeze, where they arefacing a decliningrelative income and simultaneously rising costs of living particularly with regards to housing, educqtion and health care. Besides, the is also reported to face the trap, where on one hand, they are regarded ai too rich to qualifi for any government support, but on other hand, they found themselves in realily too rich to sustain their lives withoutfacing hardships. These observations unfortunately seem to be equally true in Malaysia, which raises need to scrutinise likely impact of government policy on middle-class. Iilith recent fuel subsidy rationqlisation in Malaysia, this paper attempts to analyse likely welfore impact of this policy towards the middle-class in Malaysian society. Examining this issue is crucial and desirable since problems faced by the middle-class tend to be overlooked by policy makers. In our analysis, we use various definitions of middle-class as suggested in literature, and examine direct, indirect qnd total welfare effects of fuel subsidy removal on them using data from Household Expenditure Survey (HES) 2004/2005 as well as Input-Output Table for 2004/2005. Ourfindings reveal that, in line with common perception, benefts offuel subsidy accrued mostly to the rich. Ironically, costs of subsidy removal are borne mostly by in terms of direct effect. Yet in terms of indirect welfare effect, costs of subsidy removal are borne equally by as well as the lower and upper class. Since indirect welfure effect outweighs direct welfare effect, we conclude that while the rich get most of benefitsfromfuel subsidy, its removal hurts most. Ourfnding implies that fuel subsidy rationalisation must befollowed by a practical strateglt and program to lessen negative impact offuel subsidy removal not only for poori but also for middle-clqss as well.

This study addresses the growth of multicultural education through a policy analysis paradigm. This study focuses on the growth and current status of multicultural education through policy formation, the administration of multicultural education through policy implementation and the effects of multicultural education through policy impact. To obtain data regarding the three areas of multicultural education policy status, implementation and impact, a survey was sent to all fifty chief state school officers (CSSOs). The survey inquired about the current status of multicultural education policy mandates and administrative processes used in policy implementation. Policy impact was assessed through CSSO's responses to ten perceptual statements about the impact of multicultural education. The findings reveal that thirty-three states have at least multicultural programming policy mandate in the areas of multicultural education, bilingual education, ethnic studies, affirmative action, textbook adoption procedures, or inservice education and technical assistance. The frequency of these policy mandates has decreased since 1980. The usage of certain common administrative practices were examined to determine multicultural education policy and program implementation. The most frequently used practices are (1) the involvement of students, teachers, administrators and community members in planning at the state level (2) a reflection of multicultural education in state education agency organizational structure and (3) assignment of specific personnel the responsibility for implementing multicultural programming. The impact of multicultural education is viewed by CSSOs as a positive force in schools; however, it has not been evenly implemented within or across the states nor has it been a major focus in most states. An examination of the response patterns of two groups of CSSOs (those with mandated multicultural education policies in their respective states and those without) reveals that the two groups view multicultural educational impact differently. Those CSSOs with mandated state policies responded more positively to the impact of multicultural education. From examining the data regarding policy status, implementation and impact, certain inferences are drawn about the current status and future of multicultural education.

Product innovation and employment

The direction leadership of Lai Chau Province Party committees and authorities at all levels, from the province to the local government, following the documents of the Central Party Committee, plays an important role in the implementation of social insurance (SI) and unemployment insurance (UI) policies. As can be seen, after 9 years of implementing Resolution No. 21/NQ-TW, dated November 22, 2012, of the Politburo, on enhancing the Party's leadership on SI and health insurance (HI) policies in the 2012-2020 period, the awareness of the Party Committee, authorities, officials, party members, and ethnic groups in the province has increased significantly. The direction leadership of implementing resolutions of Party committees and authorities at all levels has been strengthened to properly fulfill policies that affirm the role of SI and UI policies in the social security system. Besides, many insurance policies have been implemented effectively, in line with the province's socio-economic development. The SI management system has been gradually consolidated, modernized, and operated effectively; facilities, service quality is increasingly improved.

Information about consumer welfare effects associated with quantity changes in demand is important for agricultural and food policy decision-makers because many policy options are directly related to controlling supplies as a means to stabilize or raise commodity prices and farmers' income. A new method is developed to measure the consumer welfare effects by using the estimates of an inverse demand system and a modified quantity-adjusted Malmquist index to represent the efficiency in quantity metric welfare. The methodology is validated by applying it to a U.S. inverse food demand system consisting of 13 food groups and a nonfood sector.

Environmental Tax Reform and Producer Foresight: An Intertemporal Computable General Equilibrium Analysis