Input Bundle Research Articles

Effect of combined use of supplementary irrigation, manure and P fertilization on grain yield and profitability of soybean in northern Nigeria

Declining soil fertility particularly phosphorus deficiency, low organic carbon, moisture stress and high cost of input are factors limiting soybean yield in the Nigeria savanna. Supplementary irrigation, nutrient application and inoculation with Bradyrhizobium could increase the grain yield of soybean. We evaluated the effects of Rhizobia inoculant, phosphorus fertilization, manure, and supplementary irrigation on the nodulation and productivity of a tropical soybean variety in two locations in northern Nigeria in the 2017 and 2018 cropping seasons. The treatments consisted of five input bundles: Supplementary irrigation +17.5 kg P ha−1 + 4 t ha−1 poultry manure + nodumax inoculant (S + P + M + I); 17.5 kg P ha−1 + 4 t ha−1 poultry manure + nodumax inoculant (P + M + I); 17.5 kg P ha−1 + nodumax inoculant (P + I); 17.5 kg PP ha−1 (P); and nodumax inoculant (I). Economic analysis was done to determine the benefit-cost ratio (BCR) for each input bundle. In Kano, the input bundle S + P + M + I produced mean number of nodules that were 38, 102, 200 and 352% higher than that of input bundles P + M + I, P + I, P and I, respectively. At Lere, the application of input bundle S + P + M + I increased mean number of nodules by 33, 81, 93 and 182% over that of input bundles P + M + I, P + I, P and I, respectively. Mean grain yield in Kano was greater for input bundle S + P + M + I over P + M + I, P + I, P and I bundles by 31, 50, 64 and 223%, respectively. In Lere, grain yield for input bundle S + P + M + I was higher than that of input bundles P + M + I, P + I, P and I only, by 27, 47, 41 and 184% respectively. The input bundle P + M + I produced the highest BCR (1.4) in Kano and application only of P produced the highest BCR (1.3) in Lere. Supplementary irrigation was not found to be profitable due to the high cost of supplementary irrigation.The application of P with or without manure/inoculant is recommeded for profitable soybean production in the savannas of Nigeria.

Production network diversification and economic development

We provide empirical evidence and a theoretical analysis of the influence of production network diversification on countries' economic performance, reflected in their GDP per-capita levels. Using a panel sample of 55 countries, we find a strong positive association between the number of active links in the input-output network of a country and its GDP per-capita over time, even after controlling for several country characteristics. To complement and scrutinize our empirical finding, we advance economic theory on the link between network diversity and economic development by proposing a multisector model with input-output linkages, non-unitary elasticity of substitution in production, and a love of diversification in the bundle of intermediate inputs that rationalize our empirical results. In the long run, when labor and intermediates are substitute inputs, denser production structures enjoy higher productivity in the intermediate input bundle and also amplify positive shocks more strongly than less connected networks. Hence, our model predicts that economies with denser production structures display higher income.

21st century progress in computing

In the search for explanations for slower productivity growth since the mid-2000s in many countries, one possibility is a slower pace of progress in digital technologies. In this paper we show that the cost of computation has continued to decline rapidly, taking into account innovation in chip types and cloud computing. This is a continuation of its long-run trend; the decline has slowed since 2010, but not earlier. As firms use computational power along with other inputs including relevant human and organisational capital, to the extent that the productivity slowdown is linked to technology use the explanation is likely to lie in these other elements of the input bundle.

TECHNICAL EFFICIENCY OF SOYBEAN PRODUCTION IN NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

The efficiency with which farmers use resources and technologies available to them are imperative in boosting production. However, activities of armed bandits, conflict between farmers and pastoralists, rising prices amid decreasing consumer purchasing power and diminishing household incomes are some factors that impede agricultural production. Therefore, the objective of this study was to determine the technical efficiency of soybean production among small holder farmers in Niger State. A three stage sampling technique was used to select 150 respondents for the study. Primary data collected with the aid of structured questionnaires were analyzed using stochastic frontier Cobb-Douglas production function model. Results showed that the mean technical efficiency level of the respondents was 0.89 which implies that a typical soybean farmer in the study area could increase output by 11% using the same input bundle. Also, the efficiency model shows that coefficients of farm size, seed quantity and labour were positively significant which indicates that that increase in these variables will lead to increase in technical efficiency. The inefficiency model reveals that coefficients of credit and extension visit were positively significant while those of age and farming experience were negatively significant. This means that as credit and extension visit increases, technical efficiency decreases; while increase in age and farming experience will increase technical efficiency. The study recommended that extension services should be streamlined so that farmers do not receive conflicting information as this could hinder efficiency in production. Also, credit given to farmers should be monitored to ensure effective utilization.

Low-cost soybean input bundles impact women farmers’ subsistence livelihood traps: evidence from Ghana

The Soybean Uptake and Network Survey was administered to a random sample of 832 smallholder male and female farmers in northern Ghana to explore gender and other factors related to soybean production. We investigated the effect of receiving a Soybean Success Kit (i.e., certified seed, fertilizer, inoculum) on soybean yield and income from soybean, controlling for factors such as gender. This analysis includes farmers who 1) resided in districts where Kits were distributed, 2) planted soybean in the past 12 months, and 3) for whom we had complete information for district and gender (n = 371). When results were disaggregated by gender among Kit recipients, average soybean yield (ASY) for males was 108% and average soybean income (ASI) was 97% of that for females. When results were disaggregated by gender among Kit non-recipients, ASY for males was 142% and ASI was 147% of that for females. When results for males were disaggregated by whether the respondent received a Kit, ASY for male Kit recipients was 113% and ASI was 112% of that for male non-recipients. When results for females were disaggregated by whether the respondent received a Kit, ASY for female Kit recipients was 148% and ASI was 170% of that for female non-recipients. These results suggest that providing smallholder female farmers with access to low-cost (˂USD6) input bundles to which they customarily have little or no access can help eliminate the gender gap in agricultural productivity. These results may be applicable to other sub-Saharan Africa countries, where targeting smallholder female farmers as input bundle beneficiaries may positively impact agricultural productivity.

Credit-linked insurance bundles in Zambia: evidence from the aftermath of a shock

PurposeThis research seeks to assess the impact of a credit-linked insurance bundle in Zambia, in terms of the inputs used and the amount of maize subsequently produced and sold.Design/methodology/approachTo estimate the impact of a credit-linked insurance bundle, this research relies on a natural field experiment. A cross-sectional survey, conducted among 409 households that enrolled in a credit-linked insurance program prior to a drought and adverse market conditions, revealed that 252 households dropped out of the program. Of these, 113 households left for an exogenous, involuntary reason (i.e. group loan was not repaid on time).FindingsA comparison of households that used the program and those that dropped out reveals that smallholders who lost the credit-linked insurance bundle purchased less fertilizer (−36%), and this input restriction resulted in diminished harvests (−27%) and less quantity sold (−31%).Research limitations/implicationsRisk-exposed smallholders tend to be severely credit constrained, so they cannot invest in sufficient inputs to increase their yields. A credit-linked insurance scheme provides such risk-exposed smallholders, who lack or have only limited collateral, with commercial agricultural credit services and greater access to input. The current analysis cannot specifically attribute the impact of individual components of the bundle (i.e. credit, insurance and input supply), but the overall impact is substantial. The implication of this research is that policy initiatives which support a credit-linked insurance system should not only encourage upscaling but also resilience of the scheme.Practical implicationsAligning government and public support programs with private initiatives suggests opportunities for greater benefits.Social implicationsAfrican farmers are mainly smallholders, so they face inherent production risks. They also tend to be severely credit constrained, with few means to mitigate these risks, so they suffer from a limited capacity to invest in improved farm technology systems that might increase their productivity. Insured input bundles could help farmers to cope better with adverse risks and facilitate increase productivity.Originality/valueThis research design exploits the peculiarity of the data, including group liability and a strict time window for loan repayments to remain eligible in a forthcoming growing season. This impact assessment approach is rigorous in controlling for self-selection bias and thus offers opportunities to establish how households in each sub-sample (eligible or not) are (un)able to ride out a lean season, following a drought and adverse market conditions.

Pole placement for overdetermined 2D systems

We formulate and solve a pole placement problem by state feedback for overdetermined 2D systems modeled by commutative operator vessels. In this setting, the transfer function of the system is given by a meromorphic bundle map between two holomorphic vector bundles of finite rank over the normalization of a projective plane algebraic curve. The obstruction for a solution is given by an existence of a certain meromorphic bundle map on the input bundle. Reducing to the 1D case, this gives a functional obstruction which is equivalent to the classical pole placement theorem. Our result improves on, and gives a new approach to pole placement even in the classical case, and answers a question of Ball and Vinnikov.

An efficient reversible ECG steganography by adaptive LSB approach based on 1D FDCT domain

Based on the processing of one-dimensional fast discrete cosine transform (1D FDCT) coefficients, we present an efficient reversible data hiding method for electrocardiogram (ECG) signal. The proposed method is implemented in two phases. The purpose of phase-I is to classify the FDCT (host) bundles, where each input bundle will be attributed to one of four different bundles. The aim of phase-II is to embed data bits in the selected coefficients of the classified bundles according to a predetermined bit-index table (which generated from phase-I) via adaptive least significant bit (LSB) technique. Simulations confirmed that hidden bits were extracted without distortion and the original ECG signal can be completely recovered. Furthermore, a good perceived quality and a hiding capacity superior to existing techniques were achieved. Moreover, our method is robust against attacks such as noise addition, inversion, truncation, translations, and so on. Notice that the robustness is rarely seen in conventional reversible ECG steganography methods. Since this method has a fast computation speed, it is feasible for real-time applications and can be installed in the health care devices such as the wearable ECG measure equipment.

Misallocation in the Market for Inputs: Enforcement and the Organization of Production*

AbstractThe strength of contract enforcement determines how firms source inputs and organize production. Using microdata on Indian manufacturing plants, we show that production and sourcing decisions appear systematically distorted in states with weaker enforcement. Specifically, we document that in industries that tend to rely more heavily on relationship-specific intermediate inputs, plants in states with more-congested courts shift their expenditures away from intermediate inputs and have a greater vertical span of production. To quantify the effect of these distortions on aggregate productivity, we construct a model in which plants have several ways of producing, each with different bundles of inputs. Weak enforcement exacerbates a holdup problem that arises when using inputs that require customization, distorting both the intensive and extensive margins of input use. The equilibrium organization of production and the network structure of input-output linkages arise endogenously from the producers’ simultaneous cost-minimization decisions. We identify the structural parameters that govern enforcement frictions from cross-state variation in the first moments of producers’ cost shares. A set of counterfactuals show that enforcement frictions lower aggregate productivity to an extent that is relevant on the macro scale.

Agronomic and economic assessment of input bundle of soybean in moderately acidic Savanna soils of Ghana

AbstractIntegrated input for crop productivity can increase food security among smallholder farming systems. The study evaluated agronomic and economic response of four input bundle treatments on five soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] cultivars conducted under rain‐fed conditions over a 4‐yr period in Ghana. Experiments were a randomized complete block in factorial arrangement with four replications. Input bundles were NoduMax inoculant (I), phosphorus application (P), inoculated seed followed by phosphorus application (I+P), and certified seed as control treatment. Cultivars were Afayak, Jenguma, Quarshie, Songda, and Suong‐Pungun. Soils were moderately acidic (5.7 pH) with macro‐ and micronutrient deficiencies. Grain yield, mean gross margin (MGM), and benefit–cost ratio (BCR) for input bundles were in descending order I+P bundle > P bundle > I bundle > control. Yield was greater in I+P bundle over I bundle, P bundle, and control by 27, 16, and 65%, respectively. Grain yield, MGM, and BCR in descending cultivar order were Afayak > Jenguma > Suong–Pungun > Quarshie > Songda. Grain yield was greater in Afayak over Jenguma, Suong‐Pungun, Quarshie, and Songda by 3, 11, 13, and 21%, respectively. Cultivar yield differences may be genetically driven. This study suggests smallholders can benefit from increased returns from inoculation + phosphorus synergy. The results indicate that low soybean yields in smallholder farms are not the result of high input cost or low prices but rather are due to the inability of farmers to shift from low input productivity to innovative production technologies. Integrating soybean as a commercial crop within staple crops of smallholder farmers can provide additional income and nutrition for households.

Productivity Change of Indian Commercial Banks: A Non-Parametric Study

With the growth of Indian economy, the volume of transactions of commercial banks has grown manifold. The study attempts to investigate the total factor productivity change of four leading Indian commercial banks using non-parametric data envelopment analysis (DEA) and distance function based Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) over FY2007 to FY2016. The operating approach (or income-based approach) is adopted for input-output selection, viewing the banks as decision-making units (DMU) transforming a bundle of inputs (costs) to produce a set of outputs (revenues). A DMU is considered efficient which maximizes the revenues without increasing the costs. The results indicate that the annual TFP growth registered by these four banks is 3.3%. While two banks recorded productivity growth, the productivity of two other banks declined during the period. Highest productivity growth was recorded during FY2015 and FY2016. TFP growth is further decomposed to Efficiency change (EFFCH) and Technical change (TECHCH) components to study the catchup by less efficient DMUs.

The role of imports for exporter performance in Peru

AbstractUsing highly disaggregated firm‐level customs data for imports and exports in Peru over the 2000–12 period, we explore the relationship between imports of intermediate inputs and firm export performance. The evidence shows that greater use, variety and quality of imported intermediate inputs are significantly correlated with higher export levels and growth, greater market diversification and higher export quality at the firm level, even after controlling for unobserved firm heterogeneity. Exporter–importers exposed to higher tariffs, and non‐tariff measures import less in total and exhibit lower import variety, whereas those using an advance customs clearance procedure designed to facilitate imports exhibit higher imports and a more diversified bundle of inputs.

Discusssion On The Idea And Technology In Labor Augmenting Solow Model Besides Physical And Human Capital Complementarity

It is suggested that developing countries could catch up with the developed world if only they attained increased levels of human development. The links between growth and human development are complex even with human capital its self and human capital to the physical capital. Besides large disparities in indicators of human well-being, such as life expectancy and educational attainment, not all countries with relatively higher levels of human development handles to achieve high long-term economic growth rates (United Nations, 2006). As data points out that in order to reach the convergence among the countries, not only the physical to human capital ratio plays crucial role but also the income level specific effects. What these income level specific effects indicate in our study? How they are related with technology and ideas? Technologies are the way in which inputs to the production process are transformed into output and ideas improve the technology of production. Therefore, a new idea allows a given bundle of inputs to produce more or better output and ideas are non-rivalrous. Once an idea is created, anyone with knowledge of the idea can take advantage of it. Ideas are partially excludable while technologies in the inputs are mostly excludable since goods and inputs suffer from tragedy of commons. Thus, in order to benefit efficiently from the ideas and technology, the macro economic stability, social cohesion, common structural habits or feeling secure about the life, geography, religion, corruption, quality of institutions and governance structures matter for economic growth. That is what dummies stands for and that goes with what Bulutay (1995) emphasizes about the ambiance created by the countries.

Measurement and determinants of academic research efficiency: a systematic review of the evidence

What is academic research efficiency and what determines the differences between scholars' academic research efficiency? The literature on this topic has evolved exponentially during the last decades. However, the divergence of the approaches used, the differences in the bundles of outputs and inputs considered to estimate the efficiency frontiers, and the differences in the predictors of efficiency variability among scholars that are considered in prior studies, make it interesting to have an overview of the literature dedicated to this topic. Relying on a systematic review of empirical studies published between 1990 and 2012, this article proposes and discusses a framework which brings together a set of outputs and inputs related to academic research efficiency, and the individual, organizational, and contextual factors driving or hampering it. The ensuing results highlight several avenues which would help university administrators and policy makers to better foster academic research efficiency, and researchers to better channel their efforts in studying the phenomenon.

Trade costs, quality and the skill premium

AbstractWe develop a monopolistic competition model with non‐homothetic factor input bundles where increasing quality requires increasing use of skilled workers. As a result more skill abundant countries export higher quality, higher priced goods. Using a multi‐country dataset, we test and confirm the findings in Schott of a positive effect of skill abundance on unit values identified with US data. We extend the core model with per unit trade costs leading to the Washington apples effect that goods shipped over larger distance are of higher quality. The combination of high‐quality goods being relatively skill intensive with the Washington apples effect implies that countries at a larger distance from their trading partners display a higher skill premium. Simulating our model, we find that a doubling of distance of a country relative to all its trading partners raises the skill premium in a country by about 1.6%.

Measuring efficiency with products, by-products and parent-offspring relations: A conditional two-stage DEA model

In the usual data envelopment analysis (DEA) setting, as pioneered by Charnes et al. (1978) [1], it is assumed that a set of decision making units (DMUs) is to be evaluated in terms of their relative efficiencies in converting a bundle of inputs into a bundle of outputs. The usual assumption in DEA is that each output is impacted by each and every member of the input set. One particular area of recent research is that relating to partial input to output impacts where the main issue addressed is that in many settings not all inputs impact all outputs. In that situation the authors view the DMU as consisting of a set of mutually exclusive subunits, with each subunit having its own unique bundle of inputs and outputs. Examined as well in this area, is the presence of multiple processes for generating sets of outputs. Missing from that earlier work is consideration of the presence of outputs in the form of by-products, giving rise to a parent-offspring phenomenon. One of the modeling complications there is that the parent assumes two different roles; as an input affecting the offspring, while at the same time being the dominant output. This gives rise to a model that we refer to as conditional two-stage. Another complication is that in the presence of multiple processes, by-products often arise out of only a subset of those processes. In the current paper we develop a DEA-type of methodology to handle partial input to output impacts in the presence of by-products.

High-Brightness Incoherent Combination of Fiber Lasers in 7 × 1 Fiber Couplers at Average Powers > 5 kW

We report on the experimental realization of two different low-loss single- to multimode fiber coupler designs, each combining more than 5 kW of output power. The adiabatic mode evolution in the seven-fiber input bundle provides a brightness close to its theoretical maximum. The all-glass structures exhibit very low heat loads mainly due to small avoidable contamination, indicating room for improvement. To the best of our knowledge, regarding all-fiber geometrical combined power generation, beam quality and heat stability, the presented results had never been reported before.

Modeling efficiency in the presence of multiple partial input to output processes

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is a methodology used to measure the relative efficiencies of peer decision-making units (DMUs). In the original model, it is assumed that in a multiple input, multiple output setting, all members of the input bundle affect the entire output bundle. There are many situations, however, where this assumption does not hold. In a manufacturing setting, for example, packaging resources (inputs) only influence the production of those products that require packaging. This is referred as partial input-to-output interactions where the DEA model is based on the view of a DMU as a business unit consisting of a set of independent subunits, such that efficiency of the DMU can be defined as a weighted average of the efficiencies of those subunits. The current paper presents an extension to that methodology to allow for efficiency measurement in situations where there exist multiple procedures or processes for generating given output bundles. The proposed model is then applied to the problem of evaluating the efficiencies of a set of steel fabrication plants.

An input-output analysis of the construction sector in emerging markets

Construction is a major industry in fast growing countries and plays a leading role in the process of economic development. Using input-output tables, the performance of the construction sector in six emerging countries (Brazil, Russia, India, Indonesia, China and South Africa) is compared from 1995 to 2005. First, the construction performance in these developing economies, by using standard indicators based on value added, gross output, final demand and intermediate inputs, is investigated. Then, the similarity cosine index is introduced to assess structural change and differences in input expenditures between countries. This index is a useful tool for identifying input bundles that require a probing international comparison of construction performance.

Solution to the bundle-to-bundle mapping problem of geometric optics using four freeform reflectors.

Here we present a method for the coupled design of four freeform reflective surfaces that will control a bundle of rays. By this, we mean that given an input bundle of rays, we can construct an optical system that will map it to a given output bundle, where a ray-to-ray correspondence is realized as per the prescribed data. The method makes use of the Cartan-Kähler theorem of exterior differential systems. Sample imaging applications are given.