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| 1 |
ID:
090205
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2009.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Since the 2007 food crisis, controversy has engulfed biofuels. Leading up to the crisis, world-wide interest in these fuels-which include biomass, biogas, bioethanol, and biodiesel-had been surging as states increasingly saw these as a way to meet greenhouse gas reduction targets and promote sustainable economic development. Now some consumers, notably in Europe, are scaling back demand as they worry that biofuels are responsible for increased food prices and deforestation. In contrast, some states-particularly Brazil and the USA, the world's leading bioethanol producers-continue to promote biofuel development, especially in developing countries. Partnerships arising from these efforts, we argue, reflect new patterns in the international political economy, where trade relationships among developing countries are strengthening, and where economic lines between developed and emerging developing countries are blurring. Given previously observed patterns of resource exploitation involving complex webs of North-South and South-South trade (such as for resources like palm oil in Indonesia), we anticipate that the emerging political economy of biofuels will repeat and reinforce many of these same environmentally destructive trends.
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| 2 |
ID:
126546
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2013.
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| Summary/Abstract |
The agricultural commodity crisis of 2006-2008 and the recent evolution of commodity markets have reignited anxieties in Finland over fast-rising food prices and food security. Little is known about the strength of the linkages between food markets and input markets, such as the energy market. Using monthly series of price indices from 1995 to 2010, we estimate a vector error-correction (VEC) model in a cointegration framework in order to investigate the short-term and long-term dynamics of food price formation. The results indicate that a statistically significant long-run equilibrium relationship exists between the prices of food and those of the main variable inputs consumed by the food chain, namely agricultural commodities, labour, and energy. When judged by the magnitude of long-run pass-through rates, farm prices represent the main determinant of food prices, followed by wages in food retail and the price of energy. The parsimonious VEC model suggests that the dynamics of food price formation are dominated by a relatively quick process of adjustment to the long-run equilibrium, the half life of the transitional dynamics being six to eight months following a shock.
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| 3 |
ID:
116529
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2012.
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| Summary/Abstract |
The nutritional impacts of rising food prices on urban households across income classes are assessed using the 2004 NBS urban household survey data for Jiangsu province of China. Empirical results from this study suggest that the across-the-board food price increase is expected to have a substantial adverse impact on nutritional well-being of urban households and in particular, the poor. Moreover, an increase in the price of food grains alone will have the largest adverse impact on calorie and protein intakes, whereas an increase in price of oils and fats only will induce the largest reduction in fat intake.
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| 4 |
ID:
082861
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| 5 |
ID:
173888
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| Summary/Abstract |
Nonviolent movements are more successful when mobilizing large and diverse numbers of participants. However, while there has been considerable research on the outcomes of nonviolent campaigns, far less is known about the initial emergence of nonviolent action. A growing literature suggests ethnic divisions may undermine the ability of activists to engage in mass nonviolent mobilization across diverse social lines. Yet many large and diverse nonviolent movements have successfully emerged in various ethnically divided societies across the world. I argue that nonviolent mobilization is made possible in ethnically polarized contexts when broader cross-cutting grievances are present as they enable local activists to widen their appeal across social lines. I focus on food price spikes as an example of a cross-cutting issue that is likely to affect consumers from different ethnic groups. The unique and symbolic nature of food price spikes facilitates nonviolent mobilization across ethnic lines and provides clear short-term incentives for many people to participate in protests against the government. Using new spatially disaggregated data on government targeted nonviolent action, I analyse grid-cell years across 41 African countries (1990–2008). I find strong evidence that food price spikes increase the likelihood of nonviolent action in politically excluded and ethnically diverse locations.
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| 6 |
ID:
111327
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2012.
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| Summary/Abstract |
Food prices have increased rapidly in recent years, and so has ethanol production. Some studies have claimed that there is a connection between the two. The main purpose of this paper is to add to this literature by examining the influence that the interplay between Brazil and the U.S. in ethanol production has on food prices. Specifically, and controlling for other variables, which have been shown to affect food prices, we investigate whether sugarcane ethanol and corn ethanol production have similar impacts on food prices, and whether ethanol productivity affects food prices. We find a positive significant effect of Brazilian market share in world ethanol market on relative food prices. We also find that an increase of Brazilian cane ethanol area has a negative effect on relative food prices.
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| 7 |
ID:
090184
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2009.
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| Summary/Abstract |
With the world in the midst of the most serious economic downturn since the Great Depression and soft commodity prices depressed, it is easy to forget that barely a year ago sky-rocketing food prices were generating serious political and social strife in more than 30 countries around the world. The price of rice more than tripled in the 12 months to April 2008, while the food price index published by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) rose by an unprecedented 50%. In 2007, the number of people living in conditions of food insecurity increased by between 50 and 130 million as the global food import bill rose to its highest level on record. Pessimists predicted the end of cheap food presaging a new era of resource insecurity. The spectre of Malthus seemed once again to haunt the Earth. Were these dramatic increases in price merely a cyclical aberration or do they foreshadow a structural shift in supply and demand that will prove the pessimists right? These are not inconsequential questions. The price of food is a matter of profound importance for the economic well-being of billions of people and the political stability of the most affected states. This analysis explores the reasons for the 2008 food crisis by placing it in historical context and drawing out the implications for policymakers and business.
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| 8 |
ID:
150425
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| Summary/Abstract |
We use a mathematical programming model to examine the impacts of simultaneous implementation of two US biofuel and bioenergy policies on commodity markets and spatial distribution of future cellulosic biorefineries. The key findings based on our numerical simulation are: (1) the number and average annual production capacity of cellulosic biofuel refineries depend on the total renewable fuels mandate; (2) the mix of cellulosic biomass feedstock depends on the assumptions about the production costs of energy crops and the amount of cropland that can be used for energy crops, but regardless of the assumptions crop residues are the primary biomass source to meet the demand for biomass for biofuel production and electricity generation; and (3) the biomass production areas would surround either future cellulosic biorefineries or the existing coal-based power plants to reduce the costs of biomass transportation. These findings have important implications for biorefinery investors and provide valuable policy insights for the selection of Biomass Crop Assistance Program project areas.
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| 9 |
ID:
084688
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