This paper deals with the determinants of out-farm migration across the European Union (EU) regio... more This paper deals with the determinants of out-farm migration across the European Union (EU) regions focusing on the role played by CAP payments. We add to the existing literature in three main directions. First, our analysis has broad coverage (150 EU regions over the 1990–2009 period); second, we work on the entire portfolio of CAP instruments; third, we rely on modern panel data methods. Results show that standard drivers, such as the relative income and the relative labour share, are important determinants of out-farm migration. Overall, CAP payments significantly contributed to maintain job in agriculture, though the magnitude of the economic effect has been quite moderate and heterogeneous across policy instruments. Pillar I subsidies exerted an effect more than two times greater than that of Pillar II payments.
This paper deals with the determinants of labour out-migration from agriculture across 153 EU reg... more This paper deals with the determinants of labour out-migration from agriculture across 153 EU regions over the 1990-2008 period. The central aim is to shed light on the role played by CAP payments on this important adjustment process. Using static and dynamic panel data methods, we show that standard neo-classic drivers, like the relative income and the relative labour share, represented significant determinants of the inter-sectoral migration of the agricultural labour. Overall, CAP payments have contributed significantly to job creation in agriculture, although the magnitude of the economic effect is quite small. Moreover, Pillar I subsidies have exerted an effect from three to five times stronger than Pillar II payments.
This paper analyses the extent to which the reduction of import tariffs as a measure of import co... more This paper analyses the extent to which the reduction of import tariffs as a measure of import competition affects the quality upgrading of the food products exported to the European Union (EU). This relationship is studied using a 'distance to the frontier' model which is based on a non-monotonic relationship between competition and innovation. Quality is inferred from trade data using an innovative method recently proposed by Khandelwal. The results strongly support the existence of a non-monotonic relationship between competition and quality upgrading, with varieties close to the world frontier being more likely to upgrade quality in response to an increase in import competition. This relationship holds true for both developing and developed countries and is even stronger for countries/products targeted by specific FDI policies. Moreover, there is a strong positive relationship between the diffusion of EU voluntary and quality upgrading.
FACTOR MARKETS Working Papers present work being conducted within the FACTOR MARKETS research pro... more FACTOR MARKETS Working Papers present work being conducted within the FACTOR MARKETS research project, which analyses and compares the functioning of factor markets for agriculture in the member states, candidate countries and the EU as a whole, with a view to stimulating reactions from other experts in the field. See the back cover for more information on the project. Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed are attributable only to the authors in a personal capacity and not to any institution with which they are associated.
Mass media plays a crucial role in information distribution and thus in the political market and ... more Mass media plays a crucial role in information distribution and thus in the political market and public policy making. Theory predicts that information provided by mass media reflects the media's incentives to provide news to different types of groups in society, and affects these groups' influence in policy-making. We use data on agricultural policy from 60 countries, spanning a wide range of development stages and media markets, to test these predictions. We find that, in line with theoretical predictions, public support to agriculture is strongly affected by the structure of the mass media. In particular, a greater role of the private mass media in society is associated with policies which benefit the majority more: it reduces taxation of agriculture in poor countries and reduces subsidization of agriculture in rich countries, ceteris paribus. The evidence is also consistent with the hypothesis that increased competition in commercial media reduces transfers to special interest groups and contributes to more efficient public policies. JEL classification: D72, D83, Q18
ABSTRACT This paper studies the effect of political regime transitions on public policy using a n... more ABSTRACT This paper studies the effect of political regime transitions on public policy using a new data set on global agricultural and food policies over a 50-year period (including data from 74 developing and developed countries over the 1955–2005 period). The authors find evidence that democratization leads to a reduction of agricultural taxation, an increase in agricultural subsidization, or both. The empirical findings are consistent with the predictions of the median voter model because political transitions occurred primarily in countries with a majority of farmers. The results are robust to different specifications, estimation approaches, and variable definitions.
ABSTRACT This paper deals with the determinants of out-farm migration across the European Union (... more ABSTRACT This paper deals with the determinants of out-farm migration across the European Union (EU) regions focusing on the role played by CAP payments. We add to the existing literature in three main directions. First, our analysis has broad coverage (150 EU regions over the 1990–2009 period); second, we work on the entire portfolio of CAP instruments; third, we rely on modern panel data methods. Results show that standard drivers, such as the relative income and the relative labour share, are important determinants of out-farm migration. Overall, CAP payments significantly contributed to maintain job in agriculture, though the magnitude of the economic effect has been quite moderate and heterogeneous across policy instruments. Pillar I subsidies exerted an effect more than two times greater than that of Pillar II payments.
The paper deals with the determinants of labour out-migration from agriculture across 149 EU regi... more The paper deals with the determinants of labour out-migration from agriculture across 149 EU regions over the 1990-2008 period. The central aim is to shed light on the role played by CAP payments on this important adjustment process. Using static and dynamic panel data estimators, we show that standard neo-classic drivers, like the relative income and the relative labour share, represent significant determinants of the inter-sectoral migration of agricultural labour. Overall, CAP payments contributed significantly to job creation in agriculture, although the magnitude of the economic effect was quite moderate. We also found that Pillar I subsidies exerted an effect approximately two times greater than that of Pillar II payments.
FACTOR MARKETS Working Papers present work being conducted within the FACTOR MARKETS research pro... more FACTOR MARKETS Working Papers present work being conducted within the FACTOR MARKETS research project, which analyses and compares the functioning of factor markets for agriculture in the member states, candidate countries and the EU as a whole, with a view to stimulating reactions from other experts in the field. See the back cover for more information on the project. Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed are attributable only to the authors in a personal capacity and not to any institution with which they are associated.
As a consequence of the 'greening' process of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the demand fo... more As a consequence of the 'greening' process of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the demand for an evaluation of actual agri-environmental measures (AEMs) calls for a deeper analysis of this policy instrument implementation. The idea behind this paper is that farmer willingness to participate is a necessary, but not always sufficient, condition for explaining the local adoption of AEMs. Specifically, we test whether AEMs adoption depends on the farms and farmers' characteristics, and also on the local political and institutional framework. Discriminating between genuine farmer incentive and attitude towards AEMs, from the role of the local institutional environment, appears a crucial step towards a better understanding of agrienvironmental schemes uptake. Empirical evidence found in the 'universe' of AEMs eligible farms located in the Lombardy region gives support to this hypothesis.
This paper deals with the determinants of labour out-migration from agriculture across 153 EU reg... more This paper deals with the determinants of labour out-migration from agriculture across 153 EU regions over the 1990-2008 period. The central aim is to shed light on the role played by CAP payments on this important adjustment process. Using static and dynamic panel data methods, we show that standard neo-classic drivers, like the relative income and the relative labour share, represented significant determinants of the inter-sectoral migration of the agricultural labour. Overall, CAP payments have contributed significantly to job creation in agriculture, although the magnitude of the economic effect is quite small. Moreover, Pillar I subsidies have exerted an effect from three to five times stronger than Pillar II payments.
The objective of this study has been to analyze the sensitivity of trade flow to trade barriers f... more The objective of this study has been to analyze the sensitivity of trade flow to trade barriers from gravity equations, using different econometric techniques recently highlighted in the literature. Specifically, we compare a benchmark OLS fixed effects specification a la Feenstra (2002), with three emerging estimation methods: the standard Heckman correction for selection bias, to account for zero trade flow; its extension, recently proposed by Helpman et al. (2008), to control for firm heterogeneity; and, finally, the Poisson pseudo-maximum-likelihood (PPML) technique to correct for the presence of heteroskedasticity, first proposed by Santos Silva and Tenreyro (2006). Our gravity model includes trade among 211 exporter and 104 importer countries, in 18 food industry sectors.
This paper deals with the determinants of out-farm migration across the European Union (EU) regio... more This paper deals with the determinants of out-farm migration across the European Union (EU) regions focusing on the role played by CAP payments. We add to the existing literature in three main directions. First, our analysis has broad coverage (150 EU regions over the 1990–2009 period); second, we work on the entire portfolio of CAP instruments; third, we rely on modern panel data methods. Results show that standard drivers, such as the relative income and the relative labour share, are important determinants of out-farm migration. Overall, CAP payments significantly contributed to maintain job in agriculture, though the magnitude of the economic effect has been quite moderate and heterogeneous across policy instruments. Pillar I subsidies exerted an effect more than two times greater than that of Pillar II payments.
This paper deals with the determinants of labour out-migration from agriculture across 153 EU reg... more This paper deals with the determinants of labour out-migration from agriculture across 153 EU regions over the 1990-2008 period. The central aim is to shed light on the role played by CAP payments on this important adjustment process. Using static and dynamic panel data methods, we show that standard neo-classic drivers, like the relative income and the relative labour share, represented significant determinants of the inter-sectoral migration of the agricultural labour. Overall, CAP payments have contributed significantly to job creation in agriculture, although the magnitude of the economic effect is quite small. Moreover, Pillar I subsidies have exerted an effect from three to five times stronger than Pillar II payments.
This paper analyses the extent to which the reduction of import tariffs as a measure of import co... more This paper analyses the extent to which the reduction of import tariffs as a measure of import competition affects the quality upgrading of the food products exported to the European Union (EU). This relationship is studied using a 'distance to the frontier' model which is based on a non-monotonic relationship between competition and innovation. Quality is inferred from trade data using an innovative method recently proposed by Khandelwal. The results strongly support the existence of a non-monotonic relationship between competition and quality upgrading, with varieties close to the world frontier being more likely to upgrade quality in response to an increase in import competition. This relationship holds true for both developing and developed countries and is even stronger for countries/products targeted by specific FDI policies. Moreover, there is a strong positive relationship between the diffusion of EU voluntary and quality upgrading.
FACTOR MARKETS Working Papers present work being conducted within the FACTOR MARKETS research pro... more FACTOR MARKETS Working Papers present work being conducted within the FACTOR MARKETS research project, which analyses and compares the functioning of factor markets for agriculture in the member states, candidate countries and the EU as a whole, with a view to stimulating reactions from other experts in the field. See the back cover for more information on the project. Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed are attributable only to the authors in a personal capacity and not to any institution with which they are associated.
Mass media plays a crucial role in information distribution and thus in the political market and ... more Mass media plays a crucial role in information distribution and thus in the political market and public policy making. Theory predicts that information provided by mass media reflects the media's incentives to provide news to different types of groups in society, and affects these groups' influence in policy-making. We use data on agricultural policy from 60 countries, spanning a wide range of development stages and media markets, to test these predictions. We find that, in line with theoretical predictions, public support to agriculture is strongly affected by the structure of the mass media. In particular, a greater role of the private mass media in society is associated with policies which benefit the majority more: it reduces taxation of agriculture in poor countries and reduces subsidization of agriculture in rich countries, ceteris paribus. The evidence is also consistent with the hypothesis that increased competition in commercial media reduces transfers to special interest groups and contributes to more efficient public policies. JEL classification: D72, D83, Q18
ABSTRACT This paper studies the effect of political regime transitions on public policy using a n... more ABSTRACT This paper studies the effect of political regime transitions on public policy using a new data set on global agricultural and food policies over a 50-year period (including data from 74 developing and developed countries over the 1955–2005 period). The authors find evidence that democratization leads to a reduction of agricultural taxation, an increase in agricultural subsidization, or both. The empirical findings are consistent with the predictions of the median voter model because political transitions occurred primarily in countries with a majority of farmers. The results are robust to different specifications, estimation approaches, and variable definitions.
ABSTRACT This paper deals with the determinants of out-farm migration across the European Union (... more ABSTRACT This paper deals with the determinants of out-farm migration across the European Union (EU) regions focusing on the role played by CAP payments. We add to the existing literature in three main directions. First, our analysis has broad coverage (150 EU regions over the 1990–2009 period); second, we work on the entire portfolio of CAP instruments; third, we rely on modern panel data methods. Results show that standard drivers, such as the relative income and the relative labour share, are important determinants of out-farm migration. Overall, CAP payments significantly contributed to maintain job in agriculture, though the magnitude of the economic effect has been quite moderate and heterogeneous across policy instruments. Pillar I subsidies exerted an effect more than two times greater than that of Pillar II payments.
The paper deals with the determinants of labour out-migration from agriculture across 149 EU regi... more The paper deals with the determinants of labour out-migration from agriculture across 149 EU regions over the 1990-2008 period. The central aim is to shed light on the role played by CAP payments on this important adjustment process. Using static and dynamic panel data estimators, we show that standard neo-classic drivers, like the relative income and the relative labour share, represent significant determinants of the inter-sectoral migration of agricultural labour. Overall, CAP payments contributed significantly to job creation in agriculture, although the magnitude of the economic effect was quite moderate. We also found that Pillar I subsidies exerted an effect approximately two times greater than that of Pillar II payments.
FACTOR MARKETS Working Papers present work being conducted within the FACTOR MARKETS research pro... more FACTOR MARKETS Working Papers present work being conducted within the FACTOR MARKETS research project, which analyses and compares the functioning of factor markets for agriculture in the member states, candidate countries and the EU as a whole, with a view to stimulating reactions from other experts in the field. See the back cover for more information on the project. Unless otherwise indicated, the views expressed are attributable only to the authors in a personal capacity and not to any institution with which they are associated.
As a consequence of the 'greening' process of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the demand fo... more As a consequence of the 'greening' process of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the demand for an evaluation of actual agri-environmental measures (AEMs) calls for a deeper analysis of this policy instrument implementation. The idea behind this paper is that farmer willingness to participate is a necessary, but not always sufficient, condition for explaining the local adoption of AEMs. Specifically, we test whether AEMs adoption depends on the farms and farmers' characteristics, and also on the local political and institutional framework. Discriminating between genuine farmer incentive and attitude towards AEMs, from the role of the local institutional environment, appears a crucial step towards a better understanding of agrienvironmental schemes uptake. Empirical evidence found in the 'universe' of AEMs eligible farms located in the Lombardy region gives support to this hypothesis.
This paper deals with the determinants of labour out-migration from agriculture across 153 EU reg... more This paper deals with the determinants of labour out-migration from agriculture across 153 EU regions over the 1990-2008 period. The central aim is to shed light on the role played by CAP payments on this important adjustment process. Using static and dynamic panel data methods, we show that standard neo-classic drivers, like the relative income and the relative labour share, represented significant determinants of the inter-sectoral migration of the agricultural labour. Overall, CAP payments have contributed significantly to job creation in agriculture, although the magnitude of the economic effect is quite small. Moreover, Pillar I subsidies have exerted an effect from three to five times stronger than Pillar II payments.
The objective of this study has been to analyze the sensitivity of trade flow to trade barriers f... more The objective of this study has been to analyze the sensitivity of trade flow to trade barriers from gravity equations, using different econometric techniques recently highlighted in the literature. Specifically, we compare a benchmark OLS fixed effects specification a la Feenstra (2002), with three emerging estimation methods: the standard Heckman correction for selection bias, to account for zero trade flow; its extension, recently proposed by Helpman et al. (2008), to control for firm heterogeneity; and, finally, the Poisson pseudo-maximum-likelihood (PPML) technique to correct for the presence of heteroskedasticity, first proposed by Santos Silva and Tenreyro (2006). Our gravity model includes trade among 211 exporter and 104 importer countries, in 18 food industry sectors.
Uploads
Papers by A. Olper