Economic Gains Research Articles

Impact of ozone pollution on crop yield, human health, and associated economic costs in the Indo-Gangetic plains

Ozone pollution is a growing problem in many developing countries posing challenges not only to air quality but also affecting agricultural productivity and human well-being. This is the first study in the Indo-Gangetic Plain exploring how the spatial variation and severity of tropospheric ozone affect both wheat yield and all-cause mortality. We estimated that ozone-related cumulative crop production loss for wheat in selected districts of IGP was 3.4 million tonnes during the study period (2019–2021), which amounted to 923 million USD. The production-weighted Relative Yield Loss (RYL) for wheat in the IGP was 9.3 % in 2019, 12.8 % in 2020, and 11.3 % in 2021. The losses incurred in 2021 could contribute to fulfilling the wheat requirements of 11.4 million people. We also assess the health and economic gains resulting from the attainment of the World Health Organization Air Quality Guidelines (WHO AQG) for ozone concentrations. It is estimated that interventions that achieve AQG would have averted 11,407 premature deaths in 2021 translating into an impressively large health and economic gain. The annual benefits in 2021 totaled to 34 billion USD. We observe that Uttar Pradesh experienced the highest losses, both in terms of crop damage and premature deaths. Our study observes that implementing policies to prepone the planting of wheat enhances food security by mitigating yield losses. Mitigating the health impact of ambient ozone necessitates a reduction in anthropogenic emissions and to attain this objective, we propose adopting an exposure-integrated source reduction approach.

Water-saving and Economic Gains of Micro Irrigation Adoption Scheme “Per Drop More Crop”: A Case of Sugarcane, Banana and Cotton Cultivation in Maharashtra

"Paper estimates the savings in water, electricity, and economic gains of the micro irrigation adoption scheme “Per Drop More Crop” of the Government of India for the cultivation of three crops, namely, sugarcane, banana, and cotton in selected districts of Maharashtra (India). The before-after comparison method is adopted using the data collected from the pre-tested interview schedules from 116 drip irrigation adopters in Maharashtra. Results indicate that after drip irrigation adoption, farmers experienced higher yields, profits and saved water across the three crops. The per hectare yield of banana, sugarcane, and cotton increased by 73%, 36%, and 80%, respectively. After adopting drip irrigation, the power usage for irrigation per hectare was approximately half for banana and sugarcane and 86% for cotton. With drip irrigation, farmers could grow the sample crops with higher intensity. Thus, overall power consumption for irrigation for banana cultivators increased by 20%, while for sugarcane and cotton it was still lower. The benefit-cost ratio indicated that the drip investment for all three crops is economically viable with and without subsidy. Interaction with farmers reveals that marginal and small farmers need financial assistance to deal with the increasing cost of cultivation. Thus, the government must continue to promote the usage of drip technology through extension services as well as provide the subsidy."

Inequality Evolution of Economic Gains and Environmental Losses in Chinese Interprovincial Trade during 2007–2017

A reduction in SO2 emissions is important for sustainable development. However, China uses territorial emissions to determine its SO2 emission mitigation targets, ignoring the emissions that are incorporated into interregional trade. In addition to the transfer of pollution, value added can also be exchanged with trade, resulting in environmental inequality among regions. In this study, we estimate the embodied SO2 emissions (ESE) under production-, consumption-, and income-based accounting principles and quantify the embodied value added (EVA) within the interprovincial trade during 2007–2017 using the multi-regional input–output (MRIO) model. The inequalities between the ESE and EVA are further investigated using the Gini coefficients method and the regional environmental index method. The results indicate that ~34.7–43.4% of SO2 emissions and ~24.6–30.8% of value added were triggered by interprovincial trade. Furthermore, developed provinces mainly outsourced their emissions to less developed provinces, particularly to those nearby. Concerning the value added, it was mainly outsourced from less developed provinces to developed provinces during 2007–2010, with no clear patterns observed during 2012–2017. The study’s findings indicate that the high inequality of SO2 emissions and value added also occurred between developed and less developed provinces. Particularly, the Gini coefficients of value inflow–SO2 outflow (VISO) were larger than those of value outflow–SO2 inflow (VOSI), which indicated that, besides the direct emissions, consumption-based emissions should be considered when allocating the environmental responsibility among provinces. These findings are valuable for shaping pathways towards achieving regional economic coordination and sustainable development.

Estimating Public Economic Gains from Early Breast Cancer and Curative Treatment: A Case Study in Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (HER-2) Positive Targeted Therapies.

Cancer diagnosis influences the choices that patients make regarding current and future labor market activity. These choices have implications for governments based on resulting changes in taxes paid and benefits received. In this analysis we explore how human growth receptor 2 (HER2)-positive residual invasive breast cancer and different treatments influence government accounts excluding health costs. HER2-positive early breast cancer (eBC) health states from a published disease model were used to establish likelihood of working and wage impact at different stages of disease. The indirect productivity losses for an average woman aged 49years were translated into fiscal consequences to government by applying an established government perspective-modeling framework. The fiscal projections (discounted) include gross tax revenue by disease stage, government transfer costs related to time off work and early retirement ,and net fiscal balance (e.g., gross taxes-transfers) in three countries Canada, Portugal, and Brazil. The net fiscal balance in Canada for a healthy woman was C$109,551 compared with a HER2-positive eBC woman treated with trastuzumab emtansine (C$69,767) or trastuzumab (C$62,971). A similar pattern was observed in the three countries but reflecting the overall tax burden in each country, labor force activity, and available public benefits. Age at diagnosis was an important determinant of the likely net fiscal balance, as this influences the remaining working years. Women diagnosed with HER2-positive eBC were estimated to pay less lifetime gross taxes and receive more in sickness benefits compared with healthy women. Treatments that improve outcomes are likely to offer fiscal gains for government from improved work force participation.

Impact of Paddy Varietal Demonstrations in Adoption, Knowledge Gain and Economic Perspective of Tiruvallur District, T.N., India

Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Tiruvallur has been instrumental in conducting frontline demonstrations on high yielding, pest and disease resistant, submergence and salinity tolerant paddy varieties like CO 51, TKM 13, CR 1009 Sub 1 and TRY 3 in order to improve the existing yield level, net returns and also to address the specific environment related issues faced by the farmers. The KVK, Tiruvallur and the Department of Agriculture conducted varietal demonstrations and extension activities resulting in the adoption of CO 51 across 11,580 ha (25.7% of short-duration paddy area) and TKM 13 across 8,915 ha (17.29% of mediumduration paddy area). CO 51 provided an additional income of Rs. 24,935/ha over ADT 43, with a cost saving of Rs. 5,510/ha. While TKM 13 yielded Rs. 25,330/ha more than BPT 5204, with a cost saving of Rs. 8,600/ha. Economic impact realized by way of cultivating CO 51 in an area of 11580 ha and TKM 13 in 8915 ha is 28.87 and 22.58 crores respectively. The introduction of CR 1009 Sub 1 in coastal area has helped farmers realize additional income of Rs.24150/ha over the check variety BPT 5204 and cost saving of Rs.5650/ ha with economic gain of Rs. 72.45 lakhs in 300ha. The introduction of TRY 3 variety has gained popularity among the coastal farmers and cultivated in about 215 ha and earned an economic gain of Rs. 7,33,150 to the farmers apart from addressing problems due to salinity like poor establishment and grain sterility. Cost saving of Rs. 3700/ha and additional net income of Rs.3410 over the check variety BPT 5204 has also been realized. This study clearly indicates the higher economic gains attained by the farmers. The area spread of the popular varieties shows an increasing trend and more area coverage is expected in the coming years. The knowledge gain by the farmers of various blocks of Tiruvallur had significantly improved after intervention where 82-86 per cent farmers had more than 50% knowledge about the high yielding varieties.

Impacts of Multi-Strategy Nitrogen Fertilizer Management on Potato Yield and Economic Gains in Northeast China

Differentiated nitrogen (N) application styles and dosages can directly affect crop yield and planting costs. To maximize the efficiency of N fertilizer utilization and solve the problem of increasing production without increasing income, the Decision Support Systems for Agrotechnology Transfer (DSSAT) model was used in this study to carry out experiments simulating different N application styles and dosages for potatoes at 15 meteorological observation stations in the northeast region of China during 2013–2017. The present study aims to analyze the relationship among yield, cost, and net gains under different N fertilizer management scenarios by combining the cost-benefit method. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) the staged and incremental application of N fertilizer during the potato growth period can promote a yield increase. The lowest yield was achieved by a one-time basal application of N fertilizer at sowing, and the highest yield was observed when N fertilizer was applied in a 1:1 ratio at sowing and the end of tuber formation, respectively. (2) The range for N fertilizer application to achieve the highest potato yield at each station is 275–330 kg·ha−1. (3) The highest potato yield under sufficient N application treatments did not correspond to the highest net gains. Potato net gains at all stations showed an increasing-then-decreasing trend with the increase in N application. The highest gains were obtained when 220 kg·ha−1, 220 kg·ha−1, and 275 kg·ha−1 of N fertilizer were applied in a 1:1 ratio as a basal fertilizer and supplementary fertilizer at sowing, and the end of tuber formation in Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning provinces, respectively. This study provides a reference program for potato planting with the highest benefits for regional governments, farmers, and enterprises and aims to improve the status quo of potato planting, increasing production without increasing income.

Chinese Loan to Africa in the lens of Pragmatism Economics

This paper examined the reasons behind China’s decision to provide loans to African states, a group that had been traditionally been considered not creditworthy by MDBs. Utilizing a descriptive-explorative research method, primary to secondary data ranged from 1999 to 2022, and the framework of economic pragmatism, this paper analyzed and found some pragmatic implications. The findings concluded that China’s lending strategy was mostly motivated by a pragmatic approach aimed at gaining early access to African markets, securing vital natural resources, assisting Chinese corporations, and creating economic dependence. China’s loans were used to fund infrastructure projects, reducing logistics costs for Chinese businesses and diversifying foreign exchange reserves. This paper posited that China’s policy was driven by empirical facts, adaptiveness to global economic conditions, and a focus on concrete economic benefits, such as increasing imports from China and gaining access to natural resources. Therefore, this paper describes China’s efforts to strengthen its influence and obtain tangible economic advantages through its lending practices in Africa Keywords: Africa, China, Development Loan, Economic Gains, Political-Economy

The Synergistic Benefit Mechanism of Medical and Recreational Marijuana: Economic Gains of Cannabis Taxation based on US Federal Law for Corporate Governance and Sustainability

Purpose: Marijuana legalization is brought about by the demands of people as social utility either for medical or recreation consumption. It is essential that the control of cannabis fulfills the goals of corporate governance and sustainability. This paper aims to measure the profitability of marijuana taxation over a time period as trend analysis of economic gains.
 Methodology: The socio-legal taxation of marijuana in the United States follows a descriptive research design. The beneficial gains of marijuana as medical use created this substance to be controlled under contract law transactions. The removal of cannabis in US Pharmacopeia modified the tort law restriction for legalization of marijuana as recreational consumption. The recreational cannabis taxation together with medical marijuana state taxes are essential to fulfill the 4 pillars of corporate governance and sustainability for strengthening constitutional rights. The legalization of marijuana through votes of the people repeals the criminal punishments imposed by federal law to advocate the synergistic concepts of economic theory.
 Findings: State tax theory creates voluntary principles in transactions together with trend analysis in prices and demands of people resulting to efficiency in mutual gains through lessening the value of participation under a harmful environment. Hence, Pigouvian tax follows the public welfare of medical marijuana and common revenue of recreational cannabis diminishes the overall costs of social consumption. Federal laws control marijuana usage through Pigouvian taxes of medical use with lessened participation in externalities and common revenue in cannabis consumption, as a legalization process of other states in reinstating tort law for business purposes, while still enforcing criminal penalties to remaining states, in compliance with US federal laws, not in favor of medical and recreational marijuana use. The economic theory supports the legalization of medical and recreational cannabis use through taxation as profitable gains by allowing voluntary market transactions of marijuana as fulfillment to corporate governance and sustainability for more allocation of public funds. From 2002 to 2018, medical and recreational cannabis users increased to 70% of social utility through lessening the value of participation, a win-win in efficiency of economic design. In 2010, marijuana taxation generated $8.7 billion as federal public funds, with accompanied criminal penalties to other states.
 Recommendations: Economic theory is a conceptual design supporting the beneficial gains of legalizing marijuana via taxation. This economic design promotes fair responsibility of market gains while still in strict compliance of enforcing criminal punishments to violators. The people’s votes for legalization of marijuana taxation indicates that this economic policy has come by choice in a particular state as constitutional right of either a medical opinion or business ethics. However, cannabis is deemed to be a substance subject for criminal liabilities, similar to other patent drugs under taxation as well. Hence, it is suggested to create artificial intelligence using authorless works for clinical trials and other relevant studies subject to patent law of marijuana use, as advocacy of public welfare and safety since voluntary transactions are apparent harmful environment.

Carbon Trading in China Reduces the Dependence of Household Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Recycling on Government Subsidies.

China's enterprises of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) recycling suffer from low profitability that is highly dependent on government subsidies. This low economic gain impedes the sustainable growth of China's WEEE-recycling sector and also adds to the government's financial burden. Prior life-cycle studies have approved the carbon reduction potentials or net carbon credit of recycling WEEE. However, policymakers fail to know whether the revenue from selling carbon credits can offset the government's financial subsidy. We performed life-cycle and cost-benefit analyses for a case recycling enterprise that processes six categories of household appliances. The results show that the reduction potentials of greenhouse gases range from 930-3450 kgCO2e by recycling per ton of household appliances and materials substitution. The recycling enterprise would gain extra revenue ranging from 32 to 160 RMB per ton of appliance if the carbon credits were sold at China's current carbon price, i.e., 45-60 RMB tCO2e-1. Recycling waste refrigerators exhibits the highest carbon revenue, offsetting 6-17% of the government's financial subsidy. Microcomputers, by contrast, indicate the lowest carbon revenue, equivalent to 1-3% of its highest government subsidy. For each household appliance category, when the carbon price reaches 270-600 RMB tCO2e-1, selling carbon credits can fully offset the government's financial subsidy. Constrained by the processing capacity of the case enterprise, optimizations for appliance-recycling composition contribute a 15-25% profit growth to the current economic gains. Interpreting the specific profit depends on the predefined scenarios of carbon price and the substitution rate of the regenerated materials for the virginal ones. Our findings show that raising the profitability of WEEE recycling enterprises through the carbon trading policy contributes to the sustainable growth of China's WEEE-recycling sector while alleviating the government's financial burden.

Economic Gains Obtained by the Collectors from Non-Timber Forest Products in the Jammu Region of Jammu and Kashmir

Non-timber forest products (NTFP) income played a vital role in the household economy of forest-dwelling communities. This study used the data from 150 sample households in the three forest divisions of the Jammu region of Jammu and Kashmir State to analyze the significance of economic gains obtained from NTFPs. Data collection was carried out through face-to-face interviews. This study found that NTFP income contributed 29 per cent, and on-farm and off-farm income contribute 16 and 55 per cent to the total household income, respectively. Major NTFPs included Gucchi (Morchella esculenta), Patis (Aconitum chasmanthum), Nag chhatri (Trillium govanianum), Muskbala (Valeriana hardwickii), Banafsaha (Viola canescence), Dhoop (Jurinea macrocephala), Kaurd (Picorhiza kurroa), Zakham-e-Hayat (Bergenia ciliata), Kasrot (Diplazium esculentum), wild honey and Jungli thome (Allium sativum) were collected. Regression analyses showed that NTFP availability, agriculture as the main occupation, NTFP collection experience, and on-farm income positively contributed to the dependent variable. In contrast, the regression coefficient of off-farm income and source of information were negative contributors to the NTFPs' income. The study further suggested that providing education and other skill development training to local people in the collection, storage, and scientific grading of the NTFPs should be conducted.

Sustaining insect biodiversity in agricultural systems to ensure future food security

An additional threat to sustainable food production, besides climate change, is declining biodiversity, especially in insects. To mitigate this threat, we need to determine the drivers of biodiversity decline. Insect biodiversity decline can be mainly attributed to the intensification of agriculture with the main drivers being habitat loss and use of agro-chemicals. We must view changes to more sustainable practices in agricultural management critically to determine whether these changes will sustain insect biodiversity. The first consideration for farmers is to make a profit and the priority in choosing a certain farming practice will be based on agronomic and economic gains. Damage to crops by insects, pathogens and weeds has always been a major limitation to crop yield and the management of pests, pathogens and weeds is therefore an important consideration. To reach the goal of sustaining biodiversity farmers will have to find a tradeoff between economic gain and protecting biodiversity. They will have to decide how much land they can spare for natural areas and still make a profit. Farmers will also need incentives to consider this. We will have to concentrate more on the restoration of habitats in agricultural lands and find interventions to limit the expansion of land use for agricultural development. This will enable us to reach the goal of the half-earth theory,proposed by Prof E.O. Wilson, where half of the land is conserved to safeguard biodiversity,

N-Map: High-resolution groundwater N-retention mapping and modelling by integration of geophysical, geological, geochemical, and hydrological data

A key aspect of protecting aquatic ecosystems from agricultural nitrogen (N) is to locate (i) farmlands where nitrate leaches from the bottom of the root zone and (ii) denitrifying zones in the aquifers where nitrate is removed before entering the surface water (N-retention). N-retention affects the choice of field mitigation measures to reduce delivered N to surface water. Farmland parcels associated with high N-retention gives the lowest impact of the targeted field measures and vice versa. In Denmark, a targeted N-regulation approach is currently implemented on small catchment scale (approx. 15 km2). Although this regulatory scale is much more detailed than what has been used previously, it is still so large that regulation for most individual fields will be either over- or under-regulated due to large spatial variation in the N-retention. The potential cost reduction for farmers is of up to 20–30% from detailed retention mapping at the field scale compared to the current small catchment scale.In this study, we present a mapping framework (N-Map) for differentiating farmland according to their N-retention, which can be used for improving the effectiveness of targeted N-regulation. The framework currently only includes N-retention in the groundwater. The framework benefits from the incorporation of innovative geophysics in hydrogeological and geochemical mapping and modelling. To capture and describe relevant uncertainties a large number of equally probable realizations are created through Multiple Point Statistical (MPS) methods. This allows relevant descriptions of uncertainties of parts of the model structure and includes other relevant uncertainty measures that affects the obtained N-retention. The output is data-driven high-resolution groundwater N-retention maps, to be used by the individual farmers to manage their cropping systems due to the given regulatory boundary conditions.The detailed mapping allows farmers to use this information in the farm planning in order to optimize the use of field measures to reduce delivered agricultural N to the surface water and thereby lower the costs of the field measures. From farmer interviews, however, it is clear that not all farms will have an economic gain from the detailed mapping as the mapping costs will exceed the potential economic gains for the farmers. The costs of N-Map is here estimated to 5–7 €/ha/year plus implementation costs at the farm. At the society level, the N-retention maps allow authorities to point out opportunities for a more targeted implementation of field measures to efficiently reduce the delivered N-load to surface waters.

Estimating the Potential Economic Impact of Tissue Valve Replacement for Heart Valve Disease in China: Patient-Level and Population-Level Cost-Benefit Simulation Analyses

ObjectivesThis study seeks to estimate the potential societal economic impact of treating patients with heart valve disease (HVD) in China with surgical tissue valve replacement versus mechanical valves. MethodsThis societal economic cost-benefit evaluation is based on an individual simulation model for subgroups of patients with HVD that is also aggregated to a macrosocietal model. The individual simulation model was developed to estimate the likely economic impact of surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) with tissue versus mechanical valves for different subgroups among all eligible patients with HVD over their remaining lifetimes. Clinical inputs were informed by health claims database analysis, expert clinical opinion, and published literature. Epidemiological inputs and demographic inputs were sourced from the published literature and the China Statistical Yearbook 2020. Health gains were valued at 3 times the average national income. ResultsProjected total lifetime economic gains were greater for patients receiving tissue valves. Costs were reported in 2021 US dollars. The average lifetime net economic gain for tissue valve patients was $51 736 (20.0% more than for mechanical valve patients). Increasing the use of tissue valves to 50% among all eligible patients with HVD would provide aggregate long-term economic gains of $167 billion during their remaining lifetimes. The economic gains from greater tissue valve use were due to avoiding anticoagulation monitoring costs, improved quality of life, and greater post-SAVR labor force participation. ConclusionIncreased use of tissue valves versus mechanical values in SAVR procedures in China would be likely to generate a substantial societal economic gain.

Russia’s War in Ukraine: State Patriotism or Economic Gain?

Are the objectives of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 based on Putin’s ideological view of Russia’s history and the place of Ukraine in it in the process re-establishing Russia’s position as a world power challenging US hegemony? Or are there underlying economic objectives shared with Russia’s oligarchs to gain control of Ukraine’s mineral wealth and strategic economic position at the crossroads of Europe and Eurasia? This article compares the economies of Russia and Ukraine and their performance since the end of the Soviet Union and finds that their economic structures and performance are very similar over the last three decades, as is the domination of their respective oligarchs, but that the war has hit Ukraine much more disastrously than sanctions have hit Russia. It concludes that Russia does not need Ukraine’s mineral wealth but that control of Ukraine would bring Russia economic gains. However, the principal reason for the invasion is to push back the potential NATO advance to the Russian border, itself a reaction to US fears of Europe’s increasing dependence on Russia for gas, and in doing so challenge US hegemony not just in Europe by across the world by building bridges to Asia and other parts of the Global South.

One Giant Leap: Emancipation and Aggregate Economic Gains

One Giant Leap: Emancipation and Aggregate Economic Gains

Cost-Benefits Realities in High-Speed Railways: Unveiling the Economic Gains through the Market Access Approach in China

Cost-Benefits Realities in High-Speed Railways: Unveiling the Economic Gains through the Market Access Approach in China

One Giant Leap: Emancipation and Aggregate Economic Gains

One Giant Leap: Emancipation and Aggregate Economic Gains

Trade-Offs between Economic Gains and Carbon Stocks across a Range of Management Alternatives in Boreal Forests

Boreal forests, storing approximately half of the global forest carbon (C), are key to the global C cycle and climate regulation. The sustainability of C stocks is adversely impacted by forest management. However, the economic gain–C stock relationship across forest management alternatives and diverse C pools remain unclear. Using empirical data, we examined the relationships between economic gains and total ecosystem C in response to the changes in rotation age and overstorey composition in boreal forests. We found that total ecosystem C increased initially, reached a maximum, and declined thereafter with increasing economic gains. The relationships between economic gains and C stocks of live biomass, deadwood, forest floor, and mineral soil followed similar trends with total ecosystem C. Path analysis showed that both rotation age and overstorey composition simultaneously drove economic gains and C stocks that led to their trade-off relationship. We further indicated that maximum economic gains (USD 5000/ha) could lead to approximately 40% loss of total ecosystem C, while the maximum total ecosystem C (320 Mg/ha) could be attained when giving up 50% of economic gains. These results provide broad guides for forest managers and decision-makers towards balancing economic and C objectives in forest management by integrating into a forest carbon market.

The Economic Gains from Equity

The Economic Gains from Equity

Can the Policy of National Urban Agglomeration Improve Economic and Environmental Gains? Evidence from Quasi-Natural Experiments with 280 Cities in China.

Urban agglomerations are an important symbol in the development of modernization. In this paper, we utilize the National Urban Agglomeration (NUA) policy as a quasi-natural experiment in the Chinese context. Adopting data from 280 cities from 2005 to 2019 as research samples, we use difference-in-differences (DID) and spatial difference-in-differences models (SDID) to examine the effect and mechanism of the implementation of the NUA policy on economic development and environmental pollution in China. The result shows that the NUA policy can achieve urban economic and environmental gains, which still holds after the robustness test. The heterogeneity analysis showed that the effects of the NUA policy are more evident in large and medium-sized cities. The curbing effect of the NUA policy on pollution emissions is apparent in the eastern region. Considering spatial heterogeneity, the expected economic and environmental benefits of the NUA policy are partially borne out. In addition to the green technology innovation, the NUA policy also influences regional economic development and environmental pollution through industrial agglomeration and the upgrading of industrial structures, respectively. It is essential to strengthen regional cooperation and establish the development concept of community interests between cities.